Corona Chronicles - Crown of Thorns

Welcome back to Corona Chronicles. In our last session, we were thinking about these strange images that Jesus uses to describe a life with him that it's about a cup and a baptism. And we saw that to follow Jesus doesn't just mean earthly glory. It means to identify with him in his suffering. And now we're gonna find out a bit more about what it is to to follow Jesus with this question of authority and glory.

And we're picking up in chapter 10 verse 41, and we've got 1 of the 1 of the most lovely verses of all at the end of this section. Mhmm. When the 10 heard about this they became indignant with James and John. That's the request that they made to him. 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 of all must be slaverable. 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. Brilliant. Many of some school memory versam -- Yeah. -- you know?

Yeah. Right. Yeah. So it's brilliant. I mean, just to start off with, the 10.

Mhmm. The response of the 10. It can't help but chuck with absolutely livid. Yeah. And Why do you think they are like this?

Well, I I just wonder like, we were gonna ask that we were gonna ask that. Yeah. Exactly. Know I think that's probably right. They're not annoyed and the nature of the rest is that they didn't get there first, isn't it?

Yeah. Yeah. And, you know, like, well, you know, that's what Jesus, you know, probably calls them altogether and starts and sees, look, this is something you all need to learn because guess what? I know this is what I know this is going on inside all of your hearts because I know what I know what you're like, you know, and he and he calls them together and and it's a great teaching moment, isn't you know, and he uses this image of the rulers of the gentiles. He says, look, you see people around you all the time in positions of authority.

You see you see the Roman authorities, you know, the lords of the gentiles, and they you see how they boss people around, they lord it over people. Mhmm. And it's not it it says you're you're not to be like I want you to use your authority as a big stick to to boss people around with. That's really helpful, isn't it? Just to pick up on that?

Because it's not that they don't have an authority. Yeah. You know, Jesus is gonna say to them all authority on heaven and earth is given to me, but you go. And in the proclamation of the gospel, there is a kind of authority there. Yeah.

And and and you're to use it for service. Yeah. And even in someone like, you know, Romans 13, you know, like Paul explains the even the government authorities are from God, you know, they're created by God, but but it's when those governing authorities take it too far and and, you know, get too big for their boots and and overstep their boundaries, you know? Yeah. That's It's it's not You're not I don't want you to be like this in the church, no.

You are to lead, you are to be lords of the church, but don't lord it over, you know? No. Absolutely. And there's such a difference between those things -- Yeah. -- isn't there?

And it's coming back to what he said in verse 31, many who at first will be last and the last will be first. Yeah. You know, it's the topsy-turvy kingdom stuff again, isn't it? Yeah. The greatest among you is the 1 who served The 1 who is first is the slave of all.

Yeah. And, it's just authority in the kingdom of God looks so different. I mean, I was reading and thinking about the servant songs from Isaiah -- Mhmm. -- recently which described Jesus. And that the big thing there is that he's not going to be like the rulers of the day.

Mhmm. You know, the Babylonians and the Persian, the Syrian kings. They they go into the public squares, they beat their chest, They raise their voices, they tread on other people, they crush other kingdoms, and you look at them and you think, wow, what a great leader. Yeah. Look how look how he look how sort of rides rough shot over everybody.

Look how he gets his own way. He gets things done. Yeah. And in our day, that is still what we think an impressive leader does, destroys opponents, you know. Yeah.

Jesus say that you don't like to follow me and to lead like me is you don't have to be impressive like that. Not it's not the way I evaluate my leaders. And that's not to say that, you know, you're you're you're you lead weekly. No. No.

You can lead with strength. No. But it's it's it's how you, you know, it's about being a servant, you know. It's And and that's what, you know, what's a word in that invest 34? You must whoever wants to be first must be slave of all, you know.

There's a word that's quite a potent word in in today's world, isn't it? Yeah. You know, are you ready to be a a a slave of all? Yeah. I think in in in Jesus' kingdom, you know, that's that's who's gonna get the first place in my kingdom.

You know? Amazing. And and and remember this is This is in response to to James and John's question about who gets to sit at his right hand, you know, at his left and his right. You know, so so this is a, you know, it's a massive thing. I think that's right.

And I think we will, you know, God is gracious, isn't he? And he saves us in our sinful expressions of authority. But I think this is here to say isn't it? There there will probably be a lot of surprises in heaven, you know. Absolutely.

Yeah. The people we thought would look great. Yes. And and and you you can't help but think like, well, yeah, I'm so Yeah. I'm a pretty young person.

I think I'll come and be up there. Even that, you know, even that sort of only displays your your arrogance, you know? It's it's riding to the seats of glory -- Yeah. Yeah. -- with humility.

Yeah. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. But and and look, Jesus is so wonderful because he doesn't call us to anything he doesn't model.

Yeah. And he models it in the most excellent way, doesn't he? The son of man, we considered that in a previous session. This this great title did not come to be served to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. So, you know, it's it's who he is, it's a servant, and the ultimate demonstration of service will be giving his own life to ransom us -- Yeah.

-- from the wrath of God and from sin and death. Yeah. What a service? What is an what an act of service? Yeah.

Yeah. And again like Don't forget, for him to use a phrase like son of man for himself, for him to take that title to his own self. Would would would be the height of arrogance, you know. Some people would think that you're you're being so arrogant here. How can you say that?

And yet he's he's he says it without even a without even a a hint of nervousness You know? He he he takes it, you know, he says, look, for the son of man. He knows who he is to say. Yeah. Absolutely.

Yeah. He did not come to be serve but to serve. And to and to give his life as a ransom for many, you know. Yeah. This is what this is his mission, this is what he's all about and this is what he wants his His servants to be about him.

So Oh, man. Yeah.