On three different occasions, the Bible records Jesus telling His disciples about what would happen to Him in Jerusalem. This is one of those times, when He spoke of suffering, death, and resurrection.
While Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside by themselves and said to them on the way, “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and on the third day he will be raised” (Matthew 20:17-19).
When people in first century Israel thought about God’s Messiah, they probably identified passages like Psalm 2.
I will tell of the decree of the Lord:
He said to me, “You are my son;
today I have begotten you.
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage
and the ends of the earth your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron
and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” (Psalm 2;7-9)
The Son of God was naturally understood to rule over the nations as a conquering king. This king would be welcomed, because Israel had been subject to the domination of powerful nations for many years.
The Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53 was seen in a different light. The servant was understood to be suffering Israel that went through the horrific exile. Passages like the one below were applied to the nation, not the Messiah.
Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with affliction.
When you make his life an offering for sin,
he shall see his offspring and shall prolong his days;
through him the will of the Lord shall prosper.
Out of his anguish he shall see;
he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge.
The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities. (Isaiah 53:10-11)
The church viewed Isaiah through the lens of the cross and resurrection, but this interpretation was missing from Jesus’ close followers.
The disciples often needed further instruction from Jesus to better understand His mission and their role in it. One of the best things we can learn from what they learned from Jesus is to be very humble about what we think we know about God’s plans and purposes. By all means, let’s be open to further insights from the Holy Spirit, as we work to be aligned with what God is doing in the world.
Ruling with Jesus
If we believe the Messiah is a ruling king, who conquers nations with a rod of iron, it makes perfect sense to desire some kind of positions of authority by those who have left all to loyally follow Him. This is possibly how the mother of James and John saw things.
Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, and kneeling before him, she asked a favor of him. And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom” (Matthew 20:20-21).
Jesus knew He would rule through self-giving love (see Isaiah 53) more than a rod of iron. The iron rod will one day be exercised against Satan, demons, and humans who have aligned their lives with the evil one.
During our lifetime, followers of Jesus will identify with the self-giving love of Isaiah 53 more than ruling others in power. Jesus made this clear to the disciples, both then and now.
But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” He said to them, “You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father” (Matthew 20:22-23).
The Rule of Love
I was recently studying the arrest of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. It is ironic that religious people came with soldiers to make the arrest. It is also difficult to understand that someone who had been with Jesus for three years cut the ear off of one of the servants.
The human tendency to attempt to rule through power and might is profound. The threat of the iron rod of military might is abundantly present throughout the world.
The same can be said for the desire to be in power. During the 2024 election cycle 15.9 billion dollars was spent to elect people to positions of power.
The Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53 is God’s strong opinion on the matter of the iron rod verses self-giving love. Jesus defines true greatness in the realm of love, not that of raw power.
“I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).
Please join with me and pray that Jesus’ instructions about self-giving love will permeate our lives.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed Matthew 20:17-28 on YouTube today.
Real Voices 