And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to Him and said to Him, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.” Mark 10:35 ESV1
Read Matthew 20:20-28 & Mark 10:35-45
When my children were small, I used to get together with my sister frequently. My sister also had small children, and the cousins enjoyed having playdates together. Once, when we came to visit my sister’s family at her home, we found her standing at her kitchen counter, eating a piece of candy. The other children ran off to play, but my son recognized what his aunt was doing. My son watched my sister nibble and said to her, “That piece of candy looks really good.” My sister continued to enjoy her piece of candy. My son noticed a bag of like candy lying open on the counter and stated, “Wow, I could really use a piece of candy.” My sister smiled and took another bite. My son, a little louder, exclaimed, “A piece of candy would really hit the spot for me right now.” My sister popped the remaining bits of her piece of candy into her mouth, closed up the bag, and placed it on top of her refrigerator. My son was shocked, but saying no more, he walked away saddened. My sister then turned to me and said, “You know, I would have given him a piece if he had just asked.”
I have the feeling God could say the same thing about us from time to time; He probably wonders why we don’t just ask. We spend a lot of time meditating on our problems. We mull over in our minds what we think we may need. We go to God and worry before Him, but do we really end up asking for anything? In the passage we will consider today, some people came to Jesus, and they audaciously asked for something they desired. They were surprisingly bold and asked for a grand thing. Let’s look at Jesus’ response?
“James and John, the sons of Zebedee” (Mark 10:35a), and “the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to [Jesus] with her sons, and kneeling before Him” (Matthew 20:20a), “said to Him, ‘Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.’ And He said to [James and John], ‘What do you want Me to do for you?” And they said to Him, ‘Grant us to sit, one at Your right hand and one at Your left, in Your glory.’ Jesus said to them, ‘You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?’ And they said to Him, ‘We are able.’ And Jesus said to them, ‘The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, but to sit at My right hand or at My left is not Mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared’” (Mark 10-35b-40) “‘by My Father’” (Matthew 20:23b). “And when The Ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. And Jesus called them to Him and said to them, ‘You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many’” (Mark 10:41-45).
Matthew tells us that the mother of James and John made the request, but it was clear to Jesus who was really asking because He did not address Salome, only James and John. But, notice, Jesus did not chastise them for asking. Jesus had already told them, “‘Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you’” (Matthew 7:7). And, “‘If two of you agree on Earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in Heaven’” (Matthew 18:19). No, Jesus wasn’t upset that they asked.
And Jesus did not reprimand them even for what they asked. Their request may be astounding to us, but Jesus had already told The Twelve they would rule with Him. “Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, I say to you, in the New World, when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Matthew 19:28). Their asking to be seated next to Him was proof that they believed what Jesus had told them.
But their request did elicit an emotional response from Jesus. He had some idea what it would cost for them if they got what they requested. In His Kingdom, there would be places to sit next to Jesus; someone was going to occupy those thrones. Jesus did not know for sure for whom His Father was preparing for those seats. Looking at James and John and thinking of what it was going to take to “earn” those seats probably caused Jesus some sorrow.
Jesus knew that their desire to be close to Him was at the heart of their request. He also knew the closer one gets to Him, the more like Him one will have to become (see Matthew 20:26-28). By coming to Earth and unswervingly obeying the Father to the completion of the plan for the salvation of humanity, Jesus paid a considerable price, which earned Him honor and glory in Heaven. Anyone wanting to be especially close to Jesus in His Kingdom will undoubtedly have to make a significant sacrifice. Jesus asked them, “‘Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized’” (Matthew 20:22b)? James and John enthusiastically replied, “‘We are able’” (Matthew 20:22c). But did they really understand how great the cost was going to be?
Not too long afterward, “Herod, the king, laid violent hands on some who belonged to the Church. He killed James, the brother of John with the sword” (Acts 12:1-2). Specifically, most believe James was beheaded by Herod Agrippa I after being thrown from the Pinnacle of the Temple. According to tradition, those who hated Christ and His message tried to kill John several times. John died an old man in Turkey, but not until after he was forced to drink poison, was thrown into a vat of boiling oil, and was required to work as a prisoner in the mines on the Island of Patmos (see Revelation 1:9).
I doubt any of The Twelve understood the cost that would be required for them to possess the thrones which Jesus had promised them. If they did, I don’t think The Ten would have been so indignant with James and John (see Matthew 20:24). If they knew the cost these two high positions required, they might have said, “That’s ok. Let John and James have what they want. We will settle for what God has planned for us.” As it was, each of them was going to pay a high price. Jesus had previously shared with them, “‘You will be hated by all for My name’s sake’” (Matthew 10:22a). Why would they want to suffer more than necessary?
We can safely assume all of the Apostles suffered greatly for their faith. The Bible gives us some of the details; historical, extra-Biblical texts, and legend give us more information. Some of the details are unclear, but according to these, all but John were martyred because they preached the Gospel. Peter and Andrew were both crucified; Peter on an upside-down cross in Rome, Andrew on an x-shaped cross in Greece. In Ethiopia, Matthew was impaled by a stake and either burned alive or beheaded. In Armenia, Nathaniel could have been flayed to death by a whip or perhaps tied up in a sack and drown in the sea. In India, Thomas was stabbed by a spear and died from that wound. In Asia Minor, Philip was impaled by iron hooks in his ankles and hung upside down to die, or he was stoned, maybe both. Thaddeus was clubbed to death in Turkey. While James the Son of Alpheus was in Syria, or perhaps Persia, he was severely beaten, stoned, and then possibly crucified. No one knows for sure how, but all accounts are certain that Simon the Zealot was killed while preaching the Gospel on The British Isles.
There was much each of the Apostles needed to endure before he would be ready to rule. To be close to Jesus and to be like Jesus, they each were required in some way to drink something similar to what Jesus had to drink. According to Jesus’ promise, each of The Twelve did eventually get His throne, and each of them is getting to rule. When each got to Heaven and took his assigned seat, I doubt any were disappointed. God generally outdoes human expectations.
James and John may have not fully understood what they were asking. They may not have asked at the right time or in the right way. They may have asked with some impurity in their intentions. They may have coerced their mother to ask for them in the hope of gaining some points with Jesus. But they asked. They believed what Jesus had said. They took Him up on His word.
Now, The Father is ultimately in charge of things about which even Jesus doesn’t have complete knowledge. Jesus doesn’t know the timing of the end of the world (see Matthew 24:36). Jesus didn’t know who was being prepared for the seats next to Him, but He does know the Father. Jesus knew what He was going to have to go through to fulfill the Father’s plan for saving the world would be horribly difficult. He even pleaded with the Father for a way out if possible (see Matthew 26:39). Because of that, He knew obtaining these two prime positions would require much pain, suffering, and sacrifice. James died a young man. His life was snuffed out before he got to enjoy it. He never got a chance to help spread the Gospel. His death was the catalyst that brought on the persecution of his Brothers and Sisters. Perhaps he watched from Heaven and wished he could relieve some of their pain. John died an old man only because he suffered and survived horrendous attacks and brutal punishment. He watched as many of his Brothers and Sisters were martyred for their faith. Perhaps he wished sweet death would be his, but it was long in coming.
I don’t know how the whole throne thing works in Heaven. It appears the Father is continually on His throne. When He wants to move, His throne moves with Him (see Ezekiel 1:20-21, 26-28). Though the Scriptures tell us Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father (see Mark 16:19), He also is represented as a Lamb that appears to have been slain standing near to the throne of God (see Revelation 5:6). We are told that we will be seated with Christ in the Heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:6). But I don’t believe we are alongside the Apostles; we don’t have any business judging Israel. And I’m not sure we will be in the Father’s throne room. This is a mystery to me, as I believe it is supposed to be. Even those who had a glimpse into Heaven, like Isaiah and Ezekiel, had difficulty explaining what they saw.
I have never had a vision of how Heaven is arranged, nor has the Holy Spirit shared with me any secrets on the matter. I am only speculating here, but it could be that Jesus moves from throne to throne as necessity dictates. Or He might have a throne like the Father’s that moves with Him. And don’t base your theology on the following comments, but perhaps the thrones of which Jesus was speaking in Matthew 19:28 are arranged in a circle. Maybe, just maybe, the seating on those thrones was determined by when each of its occupants arrived in Heaven. Jesus would have died first. James would have died second. Following them would have been all of the other Apostles, including Paul. Lastly, John would have joined the group. If the thought of the possible arrangement which I entertained it correct, James would be on one side of Jesus in His glory, and John would be on the other.
Once again, I do not have any Biblical basis for my speculation, but I do find it interesting that the Bible doesn’t tell of the deaths of many of the Apostles, but it does make a point of telling us that James was the first to be martyred for his faith, and John was the last to pass away. Maybe there is a reason for that. Maybe we are supposed to conclude something from the Bible’s inclusion of this information.
But I do know without a doubt that God answers prayer. Maybe James and John got just what they were asking, though maybe not in the time or the place or the way that they were expecting. I believe God answers all prayers that are according to His will. John later wrote, “This is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of Him” (1 John 5:14-15). If you have a specific request, God may not answer it in the time or the place or the way that you expect, but He will answer. The answer may require more than you expect, but it will be answered.
We don’t always know how to pray, but the Holy Spirit is available. “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God” (Romans 8:26-27). Sometimes we “ask and do not receive, because [we] ask wrongly, to spend it on [our] passions” (James 4:3). But I believe if we just keep asking (see Luke 18:1-13), God will purify our hearts and refine our requests. Eventually, if we delight in the Lord, our prayers will reflect the heart of God and they will be answered, and we will have the desire of our hearts (see Psalm 37:4).
God hears every one of our prayers, and He answers every one of our prayers. He may not answer immediately. He may not answer how we think He should, but He will always answer. Believing God is continually listening to us and answering our prayers, knowing the Holy Spirit is praying for us when we are unable to pray correctly, and realizing that Jesus is continually interceding for us in Heaven (see Romans 8:34), gives us peace and assurance. Life is hard; we need everything that God is willing to provide. Especially when we desire to be as close to Jesus and as much like Him as possible, because it is then that all the forces of evil will rise up against us. But there is no higher desire which comes with such great a blessing. God’s rewards are out of this world.
I doubt any Christ-follower entirely realizes the cost required to be as close to Jesus as he/she desires. Because of the price, you will want to have everything Jesus purchased for you through His blood. God is able to do much more than you can ask or imagine (see Ephesians 3:20), but you aren’t going to get what you want unless you ask. So, you might as well ask.
1 Scripture quotations marked with ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All Scriptures are taken from the ESV unless otherwise noted. To aid in understanding, I have capitalized references to God.