Mark 10:35-37 35And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him, saying to him, “Teacher, whatever we ask you you will do for us.” 36And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” 37And they said to him, “Grant that we might sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”
The position of the next story after Jesus’ previous prediction of his death and resurrection is significant and shows how the disciples failed to understand Jesus. An interesting pattern appears after each of Jesus’ three passion predictions in 8:31, 9:31, and 10:33–34. After each of these, the disciples argue with Jesus in some way and try to maneuver into positions of influence. Their self-centeredness stands in sharp contrast to the humility of Jesus. The request of James and John is the most blatant of any thus far. These two brothers were with Peter at Jesus’ transfiguration and so may have felt themselves to be special in some way. It is not Peter was the instigator after the first prediction in 8:31 and James and John after in the third prediction. All three had insights and saw things that no one else did. James and John had not learned from Peter’s earlier experience and the strong rebuke he received from Jesus.
Their request is bold and selfish and indicates their complete misunderstanding of discipleship and the kingdom Jesus proclaimed. The right and left hands were the highest places of honor beside a king or teacher. Jesus did not rebuke them, like he did Peter, but gives them the opportunity to express themselves. They needed to learn, even though it would be difficult and costly for them. They had missed the most important elements of what Jesus had just predicted. They saw the journey to Jerusalem as a procession of power and prestige. They had witnessed powerful miracles never done in history before. They saw something special in Jesus and even believed him to be the Messiah, but their interpretation was wrong. Their key failure was to misunderstand what glory meant. Glory for them meant a restoration of Israel as a kingdom, with Jesus on the throne of David. This type of messianic expectation was common among Jews at that time. James and John needed to reread and reflect on Isaiah 53 and the prophecy of the suffering servant. The journey of discipleship requires a proper view of Jesus. Only when we see him for who he is do we see ourselves for who we can become.
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