낮아짐의 축복

Be Nobody to Become Somebody

마가복음서 10 : 35 – 45

35 [야고보와 요한의 요구(마 20:20-28)] ○세베대의 아들들인 야고보와 요한이 예수께 다가와서 말하였다. "선생님, 우리가 요구하는 것은, 무엇이든지 해주시기 바랍니다."

36 예수께서 그들에게 말씀하셨다. "너희는 내가 너희에게 무엇을 해주기를 바라느냐?"

37 그들이 그에게 대답하였다. "선생님께서 영광을 받으실 때에, 하나는 선생님의 오른쪽에, 하나는 선생님의 왼쪽에 앉게 하여 주십시오."

38 예수께서 그들에게 말씀하셨다. "너희는, 너희가 구하는 것이 무엇인지를 모르고 있다. 내가 마시는 잔을 너희가 마실 수 있고, 내가 받는 f세례를 너희가 받을 수 있느냐?"(f 또는 '침례')

39 그들이 그에게 말하였다. "할 수 있습니다." 예수께서 그들에게 말씀하셨다. "내가 마시는 잔을 너희가 마시고, 내가 받는 f세례를 너희가 받을 것이다.(f 또는 '침례')

40 그러나 내 오른쪽과 내 왼쪽에 앉는 그 일은, 내가 허락할 수 있는 일이 아니다. 정해 놓으신 사람들에게 돌아갈 것이다."

41 ○그런데 열 제자가 이것을 듣고, 야고보와 요한에게 분개하였다.

42 그래서 예수께서는 그들을 곁에 불러 놓고, 그들에게 말씀하셨다. "너희가 아는 대로, 이방 사람들을 다스린다고 자처하는 사람들은, 백성들을 마구 내리누르고, 고관들은 백성들에게 세도를 부린다.

43 그러나 너희끼리는 그렇게 해서는 안 된다. 너희 가운데서 누구든지 위대하게 되고자 하는 사람은 너희를 섬기는 사람이 되어야 하고,

44 너희 가운데서 누구든지 으뜸이 되고자 하는 사람은 모든 사람의 종이 되어야 한다.

45 인자는 섬김을 받으러 온 것이 아니라 섬기러 왔으며, 많은 사람을 구원하기 위하여 치를 몸값으로 자기 목숨을 내주러 왔다."

2021. 10 . 17 . Yonsei University Church

Yoon, E Sil

Title: Blessing of Humiliation

Scripture: Mark 10:35-45

All human beings are inherently self-conceited, with a desire for ascension, a desire to rise high, and a desire for fame. The thought that I am worthy to rise and be honored because I am capable of this much and worked so hard is deeply ingrained in my heart, and sometimes manifests itself in various forms. It is said that this desire for ascension is revealed from a very young age.

It is said that there is no need to teach young children to be computational and to climb high, because that inclination is already inherent in their nature. As we get older, these desires for fame and ascension can develop into a mature direction if they are controlled and refined themselves, but otherwise there is a risk that they may develop into some form of unhealthy direction. Numerous problems that have occurred historically and are still occurring in our society often stem from this pride and the desire for power and fame. Those who follow Jesus are no different. Against such worldly desires, he constantly ponders and struggles. Today's Gospel of Mark contains the scene where Jesus and his disciples, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, face each other. These disciples have been with Jesus for about three years, during which time Jesus continues to be an example of humility and service. But even these disciples, who had been with them for so many years, had to contend with a desire for fame and the arrogance that they deserved it. In this regard, Jesus is teaching us what attitude we should have in order to follow Him and to be truly exalted. I think we can all empathize with the message of today's text in various ways.

If we look at the beginning to the middle of today's text, we can discover what kind of human ambition James and John had. Looking at verses 35 to 37, it is explained this way. 35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”36 “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. 37 They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”– This scene is from when Jesus and his disciples were traveling together towards Jerusalem. Jesus knew that his death was imminent, so James and John came to him and made a request. It was a very bold request to have one of them sit at Jesus' right hand and the other at his left while Jesus was in glory. These disciples knew that the right hand of Jesus was the second position after Jesus in the kingdom of God, and that the left side of Jesus was the third position. And they wanted to gain fame and power in the coming kingdom of God.

This request was certainly a bold one. What motivated these two disciples to make such a request to Jesus? How did they come to consider themselves fit for such a high position? Brothers and sisters, in the Gospel of Matthew, you can see that the mother of James and John also asked Jesus to grant his sons this position. The mother of the two disciples was the sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and thus the aunt of Jesus. James and John were Jesus' first cousins. So they may have thought that, because Jesus was their family, they would get a higher status than the other disciples. The Bible also indicates that these two disciples had a very close relationship with Jesus along with Peter.

However, in fact, this request to Jesus is not timely. Jesus had just recently told these disciples about the betrayal, arrest, suffering, and death they would face. But when James and John hear of the dreadful situations awaiting Jesus, they don't seem to be very agitated, and they seem to be trying to secure their position before it's too late. Haven't we all experienced this kind of selfishness?

For example, you may have heard stories of people trying to sort out property division issues before the funeral is over when a family member has died. They focus on their own interests and gains.

But in the next verse, Jesus tells his disciples: (38-39a) Jesus said to them, 38 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”39 “We can,” they answered. – Jesus seriously questions the disciples' request. Were these disciples really able to drink the cup that Jesus was drinking and to be baptized by Jesus? Jesus knew that only Jesus could endure suffering on the cross. And he wanted to point out the seriousness of the request the disciples nevertheless made. They are asking Jesus to sit on the right side and on the left side, and he asks if they are ready. Do you really have the will to endure all the humiliation and reproach I will receive on the cross? Are you ready to suffer and even die with the power of your faith? He asked the question in this sense, and James and John answered that they were willing to endure all the difficulties, even if they could not foresee all the things they would experience. He was proud of his own abilities and will. Then Jesus says: (39b-40) 39 “We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, 40 but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.” - Jesus affirms the reaction of his disciples, agreeing that they will drink the cup of suffering and persecution with deep piety. In fact, the disciples of Jesus, except for the Apostle John, are actually martyred for their faith. In the case of the apostle John, he was expelled to the island of Patmos due to the persecution of the Roman Empire, which had suppressed Christianity. So, these disciples are willing to endure suffering with faith and love for Jesus. But the position James and John wanted could not be conferred because of pride and selfish ambition. It was a place that had to be filled according to God's will, not by human desire, but by God's sovereignty.

Brothers and sisters, as I said earlier, pride is a tendency that every human being has deep inside. Of course, pride does not always manifest itself. Everyone has a humble heart and a humble attitude, but consciously or unconsciously, we also have a double mind of being proud and wanting to go higher. Those who serve God wholeheartedly with deep devotion are no exception. We are all poor human beings, and without even realizing it, we are plagued by pride and selfish desires.

In this regard, in the remainder of the text, Jesus, at the request of James and John, instructs all his disciples and sends a message about the right attitude to serve Jesus. Now the other ten disciples are quite offended by the conversation that has just taken place. James and John felt arrogant and were angry. We can understand this feeling of discomfort and anger. Had we been in the same situation, we would have felt the same way. However, we should consider that this reaction of the other disciples is also not an attitude that is pleasing to God. In fact, the response of these ten disciples also came from pride, as James and John requested. “What are they? How do you think they deserve such a high position than us? We served Jesus the same way they did!” This thought must have been inherent, and it must have been expressed in anger. These ten disciples also had a sense of pride in their qualifications. Since pride takes many forms and manifests itself in many ways, we should always be on the lookout for ourselves.

Jesus says in verse 42 and says: 42 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Jesus is reminding us of the persecution they suffered from the Gentile rulers in the past, the Roman government. The power of the Roman government was derived from selfishness and desire, not love and humility. Now these ten disciples, they have the attitude of these Roman rulers.

Jesus tells his disciples: 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.

This is not the first time Jesus has had this conversation with his disciples. In Mark 9, when the disciples were in Capernaum, the disciples argued with each other who was greater, and Jesus said, Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant. He says that one must be a servant of people. And right now, you are talking about this here again. So, in verse 43, if anyone wants to be first, if he wants to gain an honorable position, he must be willing to serve as a servant of others. Only then can you gain true honor in the kingdom of God. James and John wanted an honorable position, and Jesus is saying that that position is only possible through devotion to serving others. In God's eyes, the way to ascend is to descend. It is through humility and service that one can be given real ascension, power, and fame.

Finally, in verse 45, Jesus says: 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. - In this conversation about fame, Jesus speaks of the position he took. Although Jesus was the Son of God and lacked nothing, he gave up his heavenly status for us. Almighty God came to this earth as Jesus and did not make others kneel before Jesus. Instead, he found that Jesus knelt before them and washed their feet, served them supper, prayed for them, and served them with love. And he sacrificed himself to death for us. He showed us the highest level of humility. The very lowliness and service that Jesus showed us taught us to set an example for the disciples of Jesus, and furthermore, to all of us.

Especially in this last part of the text, Jesus reminds us that there is a clear difference between those who follow Jesus and those who do not. An important factor is how you use authority. As Christians, we are all endowed with authority by God. They are serving God through their authority in various professions and in various places. But Jesus teaches us that we should not boast about our authority, our status, or be captivated by a sense of authority. He is teaching us to use our authority as a means of serving, caring for, and blessing others. This is the humiliation Jesus speaks of, and the true exaltation.

In addition to this, he recommends serving Jesus and our neighbors in a given position, rather than just trying to ascend high from a worldly point of view. Looking back again at verse 38, Jesus says to James and John: “You don’t know what you are asking,” Sometimes we just want to go up, not realizing how much effort and sacrifice it takes to get high. During my internship ministry while I was in the process of being ordained a pastor in the United States, I had the opportunity to talk with the pastor of a church with some of my intern friends. As we expressed our respect to him, he said that he wanted to be a good pastor like you. I still remember what the pastor said at that time, and he said this. “Don’t say you want to be like me. You are all being used where you are now. And when you say you want to be in my place, you mean that you want to go through everything that I went through until I got here. I don't want you to go through all the pain and confusion I had to go through. If God calls you, you will have to bear it.” When I heard this comment, I felt ashamed. All of the interns, including myself, were being used preciously as evangelists, and I expressed envy and respect for his position as the senior pastor, but at the same time, I reached the position God called me to and took that position. I was ashamed of myself for concentrating on the position itself, without appreciating the whole process that he must have endured to get it done. It can be seen that the pastor's words are in line with what Jesus said to James and John. When we only look at a person's superficial appearance, we can't tell what that person went through until he got there. I can't imagine what kind of hardship that person must have gone through for several days, seven days, or years, sweat and tears, what sacrifices he must endure, and the inner growth he must have gone through. We only see what we see in front of our eyes. Not only that, but you can't even imagine God's plan for that person—the joy that God will bestow as a gift, and the peace that the world cannot give. The human eye cannot see the spiritual part like that. James and John's request, without reflection on the pain, frustration, and sacrifice that Jesus had to endure until He rose from the dead and ascended to heaven, and without reflection on the glory and peace that God would pour out, thought only of the status itself. It was a shallow request. It is also a request that overlooks the fact that it is a precious position that God has called, and that it is a precious position that is reserved for that person to serve others.

We all have our own place. They all have unique personalities and talents and are in a unique position. What is important is not what position you are in or how much power you have, but that you want to use that position and authority to serve God and serve our near and distant neighbors. No matter where you are, there will be challenges and setbacks to get there. Sometimes we have to give up things we value. Sometimes we cannot all understand why we have to go through such pain, but when we endure the process and go to the place God has called us to, and when we serve others with the authority we have in that place, God truly exalts us and , that worldly status and power will not give you glory. When I take a lowly attitude, even if it is not recognized by others, even if it is something that others do not want to do, even if I am being used in a small role, when I can take on it with a grateful heart. When we do everything with our hearts, when we serve God like that day by day, we can truly experience exaltation. Also, when viewed through the worldly eyes, you will be able to enjoy a different dimension of joy and peace than the temporary strength, joy, and peace that a high position in response to my human desires and human ambitions can bring.

Brothers and sisters, as we head out into the world for a new week, I hope that we will be grateful for the unique character and abilities that God has given us. With that special ability, I want you to believe that there is a place that God has called to truly elevate you, even in small or bad things. I want you to remember that our strength is not in worldly status or honor, but in serving God with all our heart. Also, I bless you in the name of the Lord that you will remember the God who always waits for us, watches over us like the pupil of the eye, and takes care of us, even if it is difficult to carry out the work that God has called us to do.