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.”
Jesus had just told His twelve disciples that He would be condemned and killed. At that moment two of His closest followers step forward with a request of their own. It opens one of the sharpest contrasts in Mark's Gospel: a Master walking toward a cross, and disciples asking for a throne.
The Timing of the Request
The Lord had just set His coming death before them in plain words. One writer points to who it was that asked:
William KellyThen we have the persecution unto death — and what a death! — fully laid before us. James and John at this critical time show how little the flesh, even in the servants of God, ever enters into His thoughts. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh," no matter in whom. Again, the ugliness of the flesh showed itself most, not in unknown people, but in those who seemed to be somebody. Their mother appears in another Gospel — the Gospel where we would expect such a family tie to show up. But here, sadly, it is the servants themselves, who ought to have known better.
Another writer looks at the same moment from the Lord's side:
Hamilton SmithAt that time not one of the twelve could enter into His mind, feel with Him, or understand the need of His sufferings. Their minds were full of a kingdom on earth. So James and John come forward, wanting a high position in the kingdom, close to the Lord Himself.
The Shape of the Asking
They do not say what they want at first. They ask for a blank promise, and only afterwards name it. One writer is blunt about what that shows:
J. A. TrenchWhat unashamed self-seeking, in the presence of His complete surrender of self to do His Father's will! How terrible to see the flesh cropping up in such a scene! And what was their desire? To be nearest to Christ in His kingdom. This was what suited man — not the cross, but the ease and peace and prosperity of the kingdom. Yet the cross was the necessary path to it.
Real Faith, Wrong Centre
The request was not unbelief. They were sure the kingdom was coming — that was the point of asking. What went wrong was who stood at the centre of the picture:
J. N. DarbyJames and John had faith. They saw the dangers on the road to Jerusalem. Even so, they believed that Jesus would have the glory and the kingdom, and they said, "At all events, give us a good place." But about whom were they thinking? About James and John.
The same commentary elsewhere describes it as faith being used to carry a very different cargo — they "use their faith in the royalty of Christ to present the carnal desires of their heart."
How the Lord Answers
He does not scold them and walk on. He takes the question and makes it a lesson for all twelve:
J. N. DarbyThe Lord is always full of goodness for His own. His answer turns the fleshly question into a lesson for His disciples. He was not the only one who was to bear the cross. He alone could carry out redemption by offering Himself: the Son of God who gave Himself in His love to be the Lamb of God. But as to the path, the disciples had to walk the same path He walked, if they wished to be with Him.
So He grants what they never asked for — suffering for His Name. And He holds back what they did ask, because of the place He Himself had taken:
Hamilton SmithHe could promise them the privilege of suffering for His Name's sake. But He could not give them a place at His right hand in the kingdom. He had taken the place of the Servant. He leaves it to the Father to say who will have a place of special privilege in the day of glory.
Is It Wrong to Want Glory?
Commentators differ on how much blame the two deserve. Most read it as plain self-seeking. One is gentler: the reader who condemns them may want the same thing:
George DavisonWe might say at once — "presumption"! But do we not want a place in that glory? … We do want a place in the glory and in the kingdom; we should not be following the Lord today if we did not have that in view. If the motive is pride of heart, that would be another matter. Their request was quite all right in itself, but the Lord applied the test. John was one of the few who stood by the cross. Did he think about this desire of his when he saw a criminal on the right hand and another on the left of the Lord?
Summary
- Cross first. They ask right after the Lord foretold His death. Their hearts were far from the road He was walking.
- Faith misused. They truly believed the kingdom was coming. But their thoughts were on themselves, not on Him.
- Suffering shared. What the Lord could give them, He gave — the privilege of suffering for His Name.
- Throne reserved. The seats beside Him were not His to hand out; as the Servant, He left that to the Father.
- Test applied. Wanting a place in glory is not wrong in itself. The Lord tests the motive, and the cross is where the test falls.