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1. Jesus breaks up a potential fight with his disciples by using distraction. He uses great parenting techniques here. He does not get into who is right and who is wrong, when the disciples are upset at two of them for asking for a special position in heaven. Instead, he talks about the root cause. He starts by getting them to think about how other people act. Today we might talk about how unbelievers would react. In his day the big division was Jew versus Gentile. Gentiles then, and we still today have rulers and a sense of hierarchy everywhere in life. In our country, our province, region, and town, we have people in charge. In our work, our church, and clubs etc, there are rulers who lord it over us.

   Even in our families, we will have an alpha male (or female) who run the show, while others take there order from there. But we are told to begin by being a servant to others. As children, we are taught to respect authority, and to help others where we can. We are asked to clean our rooms, and do our chores around the house, kind of like a servant. But as parents, we should not lord it over our children. In families, serving each other comes with mutual blessings. As I am sometimes reminded of, they will be the ones who get to pick our nursing homes. (I think there is a little threat there).

   Jesus’ life on earth was one of serving others. How did he spend his days? Was it full of administrative chores, and looking after the affairs of others? He did have twelve people who hung out with him, outside of the thousands who came to hear him, but I get the sense that this was not in a ruler/subject type of relationship. In some cases where someone tried to get Jesus to arbitrate, he resisted getting involved. He helped those he could, and healed, and taught. He went so far as to die as a criminal, rather than ruling an organization.

   In this case, the cure for arguing about who is the most important, is to serve others. Don’t make being important, or being first, or being acknowledged the important thing. Just be content with the fact that you are making a difference for others where you can.

   I pray that I will keep this message of serving others foremost in my life. Help me to not strive to exercise authority, but to have a servant mindset.

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2. Observations:
   When the other disciples heard about the seating positions – the right and the left – by the brothers of Thunder, they were envious, jealous, angry, down right mad because what was their position? Yet Jesus knew their thoughts and reminded them of the how the government exercises its authority over the people but we don’t carry a ‘big stick’ but rather serve. Kids of the Kingdom are here to serve, and not to lord it over others.

   Application:
   What is our position or class in society? What’s our title in the business we work for? How do we climb the social ladder for recognition? But it is all for nothing. Life has meaning only by what we are called to do. Serve. Why am I here? To serve my Creator God. Pride may not well up inside of my accomplishments but humility must. All for Jesus and not what my hands have done. He is the All in all and I must render all to Him!

   Prayer:
   Make me humble and true to You Lord in all I do.

   Not what these hands have done
   can save this guilty soul,
   not what this toiling flesh has borne
   can make my spirit whole.

   Not what I feel or do
   can give me peace with God;
   not all my prayers, and sighs, and tears
   can bear my aweful load.

   Thy work alone, O Christ,
   can ease this weight of sin;
   Thy blood alone, O Lamb of God,
   can give me peace within.

   Thy love to me, O God,
   not mine, O Lord, to Thee,
   can rid me of this dark unrest,
   and set my spirit free.

   Thy grace alone, O God,
   to me can pardon speak;
   Thy power alone, O Son of God,
   can this sore bondage break.

   I bless the Christ of God,
   I rest on love divine,
   and with unfaltering lip and heart,
   I call this Saviour mine.

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