Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”
“What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.
They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”
"You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”
“We can,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”
When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John.
Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
What was their mistake? James and John asked without a servant's heart. Their attitude got them into trouble.
The best leaders are the ones who know what the work is like. They roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty. They lead by example. They have followers because they serve their followers.
Jesus came down from Heaven to work among us. He led his followers by his example. They could see his servant attitude all day and all night.
Americans have become spoiled. Everything is too easy. That has slipped into our churches too. When our prayers are about making our life easier, we run the risk of getting on God’s nerves. He is patient and will forgive, but there comes a time when God expects us to snap out of it and change our attitude.
We need a servant's heart when we speak to God and to others.
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