Fine Print: Serve Sacrificially — Wednesday
Mark 10:41
When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. (NIV)
Madder than a hornet, a wet hen…. or a disciple who heard his “brother” was trying to get one up on him. Our story moves from James and John’s audacious request of Jesus, to their counterparts flipping their lids because they might lose position. The disciples had seen Jesus humbly serve for a couple of years, but they still hadn’t learned the lessons He was trying to teach them—the specifics of which we will get to tomorrow.
I don’t know what makes your blood boil, but I’m prone to anger when I’m in traffic with bad drivers. Especially after a couple of hours on the highway. I can also lose my patience when my kids argue and fight. And on occasion, I’ve been known to gently voice displeasure when an umpire loses his strike zone with my son at the plate.
As my friend Gary Black has explained many times, anger is a secondary emotion. It’s a reaction to something. It’s often that we are really sad but mask it with anger. Or we’re initially afraid, and when things appear beyond our control, we react in anger. Additionally, we can become angry when an unmet need remains unmet beyond what we can bear.
The disciples' collective anger indicates that James and John’s request for the chief seats with Jesus was a bridge too far. The text essentially renders, “They began to be much displeased.” When my own self-interests aren’t satisfied, I’m often “much displeased” as well. But by contrast, when I am serving others and my focus moves off myself, I find peace, joy, and satisfaction.
Wednesday’s Reflection
If you’ve found yourself more angry than usual lately or consider yourself an angry person, take a few minutes to write down what circumstances invoke your anger. Spend a couple more minutes digging into what actually causes it—what lies below the circumstances that is triggering the anger? Now, take this reflection to God and ask Him to help fill those voids the way that only He can.
