Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him. 21And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She said to Him, “Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.” 22But Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, [e]and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They said to Him, “We are able.” Matthew 20:20-23 NKJV

Today’s verse speaks loudly about the issue of leadership in the Church. Today, we see many “celebrity” pastors dawning the platform dressed to a “T,” every hair in perfect place, and outfitted in a custom-tailored suit that would rival Wall Street. I am not saying that we should not present ourselves in the best possible condition we can, but rather when that becomes to focus of the ministry, we missed the mark! The lure of fame and importance is a deep well that if fallen into is hard to climb out. Our flesh loves to feel its importance and feeds off the toxic fuel of fame and fortune! No one is exempt from its gleam! Here we have two of Jesus closest disciples thinking about a position of importance versus position next to the Son of God Himself. No one can fault them for the desire to occupy such a place of importance, but they failed to consider what the cost of the request might entail. Jesus’ response, “you don’t know what you ask.” 

I have been in ministry long enough to see the rise and fall of men who fell victim to the “place of prominence” in ministry. I am always reminded of the verse in the book of Romans.

 “For by the grace [of God] given to me I say to every one of you not to think more highly of himself [and of his importance and ability] than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has apportioned to each a degree of faith [and a purpose designed for service].” Romans 12:3 AMP

I remember the scene of Nero fiddling while the city of Rome burned total oblivious to the reality of the situation fueled by his own delusions of reality. The verse above tells us that when we are considering our position in life to “thank having sound judgement.” Notice that our position is commensurate with our assignment from God. If you are in a place of great authority, remember from whence you came! If you are in the place of shutting off the lights and locking the doors where no one even knows who does that, remember that your service is to the Lord. The question that Jesus brought into the conversation was “can you endure what it will take to even consider such a position? 

Over the past 20 years of ministry in the Middle East, I have watched men of God stand up for the Gospel, jailed, and threatened with execution hold the line for Christ. No stadium full of people, no television reports of their persecution, no guaranteed book signing at the end of the road. They stood and faced the gravest of challenges in hot, sweaty jail cells packed with so many prisoners there was no room to sit. They were baked in tin boxes on the rooves of Saudi prisons, lost family members, homes, and life savings to ISIS in Iraq yet spoke the words, “here I stand I cannot recant!” That is the scene behind the request of prominent leadership in the church! Remember the word baptized means to be fully immersed in. It peaks of a life of rejection, trial, tribulation, and suffering. Shocking how quickly they responded without consideration, “We are able.” We know that ultimately each of them gave their life for the Gospel and I am sure that in reflection, each remembered this encounter at the end of their road. If you have been called to such a place may God’s grace, follow you. Wherever God has placed you remember that your service is to Him and Him alone. If that is satisfying, then the things of this world will grow strangely dim and your life will be truly blessed. Have a blessed day, Pastor Ken