GREAT THINGS ENTERPRISE
CLAUDE BLACK
Mark 10:40
Thy Will Be Done
Everyone begins a new day not knowing what it will hold. One morning, a tire blew out, and the car swerved, spun, and slid off the road. Fortunately, no one was hurt, and the car sustained no damage beyond the ruined tire. However, the driver’s plan for the day was radically altered—the kind of interruption no daily schedule ever includes. Of course, a day may also hold unexpected good events—a promotion, a good grade on a school project, or an unexpected check in the mail.
James and John asked Jesus if they could sit at his right and left hand in his glory. It is noteworthy that Jesus did not rebuke them for this ambitious request; instead, he used it as a teaching moment about submission. Jesus did not even tell these two disciples—and their mother, according to Matthew’s account—that they would not hold these places of honor. “But to sit at my right or my left is not for me to give, but it will be given to those for whom it has been prepared.” (Mark 10:40) Just as Jesus submitted to the Father, so the disciples must submit to him.
One message of this story is that making a request of the Father is not forbidden. However, the crucial matter is accepting the Father’s will—even when it doesn’t align with one’s own design—and giving Him glory. The disciples came with an ambitious request, but Jesus described drinking a cup and being baptized—a metaphor for accepting the Father’s will. I do not know why the driver’s tire blew out, but the believer seeks to discern the Father’s will even in such events.
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