The First in Line

Read Mark 10:32-45

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” –Mark 10:35

James and John, who just a chapter before had been bickering over who was the best and most beloved by Jesus, finally set aside their sibling rivalry. They came to a conclusion that would leave them both happy, and while on the way to Jerusalem, they presented their request. “When you come into your glory,” they asked, “let us sit at your side—one on the left and one on the right.”

In ancient cultures, the seats to the left or right of the king represented the positions of highest authority and honor. The “right hand” of the king was the highest position, usually reserved for the king’s chief advisor or perhaps his heir. The “left hand,” while still a place of great honor, represented a slightly lower position of authority. (In case you have time to look them up, there are multiple scriptures that declare Jesus as seated at the “right hand” of the Father: Mark 14:62; Acts 2:33; Ephesians 1:20; Hebrews 1:3; Psalm 110:1)

Perhaps John and James considered it “growth” that they weren’t concerned about who would sit in the higher position. The timing of their request, though, couldn’t have been worse. In the preceding verses, Jesus had predicted his death for the third time in Mark’s Gospel: “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him, and kill him. Three days later, he will rise.” (vv. 33-34)

You don’t know what you are asking, Jesus explained to James and John. When Jesus was “lifted up in glory,” there would be a person on his left and his right, but they would not be positions of honor. They would instead be fellow criminals, condemned to die upon a cross.

When word of James’ and John’s request reached the rest of the disciples, they were indignant. All of them began bickering over who was the most important. So Jesus sat them down again and explained the nature of his “upside-down kingdom.” In the kingdoms of the world, he explained, rulers “lord it over” the people and demand their obedience and praise. Not so in God’s kingdom. In God’s kingdom, the Lord of all will take the lowest position of all, in order to “give his life as a ransom for many.” So whoever wants to become great among you, Jesus said, must become a servant. Whoever wants to be “first” must become the slave of all. (vv. 42-45)

There is some part of us all that enjoys being the “first in line.” (I can remember, even in elementary school, how it felt to be picked to be “first in line” to lead the class down to lunch or recess.) The “first in line” gets to lead—everyone else must follow. We spend much of our lives jockeying to be the “first” or “favorite,” trying to earn the benefits and honor that come with that position. But Jesus turned that value system upside-down: The first will be last, he said, and the last shall be first.

It’s not hard to spot when this desire for position arises in our spirit. When we want our idea to be chosen, our voice to be heard, our contribution to be recognized, our efforts to be rewarded, our instructions to be followed, our desires to be met. On their own, none of these seems like bad things. The problem comes when our desires come into competition with others’ desires for these same things. Hence, the scramble to be first.

In the day (or week) to come, pay attention to whenever you’re feeling a need to “push ahead” of someone else. Step back and ask yourself—what is the other person needing or desiring in this moment? How can you honor their need? What might you need to let go of in order to help the other person “win”? You might be surprised to discover that when you help others win, it doesn’t always mean that you “lose.” In fact, as Jesus taught his disciples, it’s the pathway to discovering true meaning and significance.

Help me to pay less attention to where I stand in the “pecking order” around me. Help me to pay attention to the needs of those around me. When I am tempted to “push forward,” teach me to pull back and allow others to enter first. Amen.