One day, the mother of James and John approached Jesus Christ with a request. Jesus essentially said, “What is it that you would like?” She then said, “Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.”
Jesus responded saying that they didn’t know what they were asking. He said, are you able to drink the cup that I should drink, and be baptized with the same baptism? They confirmed that they could.
Jesus then said, yes, they could do that, but being able to sit on his right and left hand wasn’t something He could give them. It is something that will be given from Heavenly Father to those who are prepared.
When Jesus’ other disciples hear this, they weren’t very happy with James and John. Seeing this, Jesus gathered them together to teach them all something.
He reminded them of the leaders of the non-Jewish people, and essentially said, “You know how these leaders exercise authority over those under them? That’s not the way it will be with you. You want to be great? Be a minister. You want to be prominent? Be a servant. This is what I came to do. I didn’t come to be ministered to. I came to minister, and to give my life for other people.”
How does that apply to us? What are reasons that we want to be great? Is it wrong to want to be great? How can ministering, or serving, others make us great?
It sounds to me like it is okay to have a desire to be great, but we should steer that desire into serving other people. Who is a great person? A faithful ministering brother or sister. Someone who looks out for other people. Someone who gives his or her time to another person. That’s what Jesus Christ did. And He was great.
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