Title: Matthew 20:20-28
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Blog Entry: 20 : Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. 21 : And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. 22 : But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able. 23 : And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father. 24 : And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren. 25 : But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. 26 : But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; 27 : And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: 28 : Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. Some of the character flaws come out of the Apostles in these verses. James and John had their mother to ask for a position of prestige in the kingdom of Jesus. This of course caused an uproar with the other Disciples. Jesus once again gives them a lesson in humility. Jesus as the Son of God didn’t come to earth living the life of king he came living the life of a servant. There has to be positions of authority in the church such as Pastors, teachers, and deacons but these positions are to be sought with a willing attitude to serve not as a position of prestige or looking to rule over other people. Jesus explains to them they will drink of his cup or in other words be persecuted just as he was which they both did if you continue to study the Bible. As Christians we can expect to be persecuted against, some more than others. In some parts of the world being a Christian can cost you your life. Being a leader you can expect more persecution than the average Christian because you are the one out front and thus making yourself a bigger target for our enemies. This is the message Jesus is teaching his disciples. Being a leader in the church means serving not ruling and it is not going to be easy you are going to be target of hatred within and from outside the church.
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