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Matthew 20, I'll begin reading 
in verse 17. Now Jesus going up to Jerusalem 
took the 12 disciples aside on the road and said to them, behold, 
we are going up to Jerusalem and the son of man will be betrayed 
to the chief priests and to the scribes and they will condemn 
him to death and deliver him to the Gentiles to mock and discourage 
and to crucify. And the third day he will rise 
again. And the mother of Zebedee's sons came to him with her sons, 
kneeling down and asking something from him. And 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. But Jesus answered and said, 
you do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup 
that I am about to drink and be baptized with the baptism 
that I am baptized with? They said to him, we are able. So he said to them, you will 
indeed drink my cup and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized 
with. To sit on my right hand and on 
my left is not mine to give. but it is for those for whom 
it is prepared by my Father. And when the ten heard it, they 
were greatly displeased with the two brothers. But Jesus called 
them to himself and said, You know that the rulers of the Gentiles 
lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority 
over them. Yet it shall not be so among 
you. But whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your 
servant. And whoever desires to be first 
among you, let him be your slave. Just as the Son of Man did not 
come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom 
for many. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our 
Father, we thank you for the Word of God. We thank you for 
the truth of our Lord Jesus Christ. We pray that this morning your 
Holy Spirit would guide us and lead us as we consider these 
passages or these texts of scripture. May we have a proper understanding 
and may these things affect us for good. May the Word of God 
be used by the Spirit of God in our hearts to conform us more 
and more unto the image of the Lord Jesus. And for any and all 
who have come here this morning outside of Christ, We pray that 
today you would display your sovereign grace and your power. 
We know that your voice, the voice of God Most High, crushes, 
shatters the cedars of Lebanon. Certainly we know that same voice 
can shatter the hardened hearts of men and women and boys and 
girls. We pray that you would do this for your glory's sake. 
We pray that you would do this for the good of souls. We pray 
that you would bless in this time, in this meeting. And do 
forgive us now for all of our sins and our transgressions. 
When we look at the holy scriptures, God, we see how far short we 
fall. As we consider the fact that you are the high and the 
holy one that inhabits eternity, we see how great a distance there 
is between you and us. As we confess our sins and iniquities, 
we pray for cleansing, in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. 
And we pray in His most blessed name. Amen. Well this morning 
our focus is going to be on chapter 20, specifically verses 20 to 
23. I pointed out last week as we 
considered that third prediction or third announcement by Jesus 
concerning His crucifixion. that in Luke's Gospel, in the 
parallel passage, after Jesus spoke of going to Jerusalem, 
being tried, being condemned, being delivered, being mocked, 
being scourged, and ultimately being crucified and resurrected, 
the parallel in Luke indicates that the disciples understood 
none of these things. Now Matthew doesn't tell us that 
per se, but he illustrates that by what happens here in verses 
28 to 28. The disciples are fixed upon 
priority in the kingdom. The disciples want a privileged 
position in that kingdom. The Lord Christ has just said 
that he will be spat upon by godless men. He will be scourged. He will be brutalized. And these 
men say, can we sit on your right and on your left? So we see in 
the first place an ambitious request for position in the kingdom. That is in verses 20 and 21. In the second place, there is 
this ominous response concerning kingdom suffering in verses 22 
and 23. And God willing, we'll take up 
the latter half of the section next week under the consideration 
the gracious instruction concerning kingdom greatness in verses 24 
to 28. This morning, as I said, verses 
20 to 23, and in the first place, let's look at this ambitious 
request for kingdom position. Note the questioner. Verse 20, 
then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to him with her sons, 
kneeling down and asking something from him. Now the connection 
of verses 20 to 28 is very strong to what has preceded. If you 
remember back in chapter 18 in verses 1 to 5, the disciples 
asked the Lord Jesus who is the greatest in the kingdom. And 
it's upon that occasion that the Lord Jesus sets that little 
child down in his midst, or in their midst. You see this idea, 
or this desire, or this craving, or this inkling for a special 
place is something that we see exhibited by the disciples here, 
and I suspect is something that we see exhibited by disciples 
here. This idea that we are proud people, 
this idea that we crave far more than what we get. This idea that 
we are looking to satisfy something in our hearts, and at times we 
hold hard thoughts concerning God, if those things don't come 
to pass. Or we prefer ourselves above 
others, directly contradicting what the Bible tells us. Paul 
tells us we are to give preference to others. In the conduct of 
these two particular men, that's not what's happening, is it? 
In the context of Philippians chapter 2, the Lord Jesus says 
we are to esteem others as better than ourselves. So James and 
John should have been more concerned about the ten being in those 
positions of prestige, those positions of proximity, those 
positions of privilege. But you've got to understand 
that it wasn't just James and John here. When we get to verse 
24, the ten are displeased with James and John. Why are the ten 
displeased with James and John? Because they're concerned about 
their humility? Because they're concerned about 
their growth and grace? No, because they themselves are 
concerned with being on the right hand and the left hand of Jesus. Because Christ's words demonstrate 
that. He goes on to instruct them concerning 
true kingdom greatness. And it is intriguing because 
Matthew, the author of our first gospel here, includes himself. He was there, he was angry, he 
was displeased, he had indignation toward James and John in this 
regard. John Calvin says this narrative 
contains a bright mirror of human vanity. For it shows that proper 
and holy zeal is often accompanied by ambition, or some other vice 
of the flesh, so that they who follow Christ have a different 
object in view from what they ought to have." Now I operate, 
or I'm going to proceed from this passage, as I think that 
this is the main point, to condemn this whole idea of pride. arrogance, 
ambition, a craving, a desire for something that is not lawfully 
ours or doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things as we 
move through this text. As well, the connection between 
our section and what has preceded in the near context. Remember 
in Matthew 19.28, Jesus says, Assuredly, I say to you, that 
in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne 
of His glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, 
judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Now James and John say, 
we understand there'll be twelve of us on these twelve thrones, 
but, you know, Lord, we'd like to be right next to you. We would 
like to have that privileged position. As well, the ending 
in the parable that Jesus taught of the gracious landowner in 
chapter 20, verses 1 to 15. There were people there that 
believed that they were entitled to more. And both sections, chapter 
19 and 20, end with that particular statement that many who are first 
will be last and the last first. So the last will be first and 
the first last. These men are still occupied 
with this whole idea that they deserve a privileged position 
in the kingdom. And then we ought to note the 
close connection between this section and what Jesus has just 
said. And again, brethren, if I ever 
have to tell you that I'm going down to Chilliwack, and they're 
going to deliver me up to the Gentiles, and they're going to 
spit on me, and they're going to scourge me, and they're going 
to mock me, and they're going to crucify me, don't then say, hey, when 
you're all done, can I sit on your right hand and on your left? 
That is to minimize the reality of the suffering that will precede 
the glory that is to come. That's what these men exhibit. 
Now note the particular persons involved in 20 verse 1. Then 
the mother of Zebedee's sons, these are James and John, came 
to him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from 
him. She's identified as Salome later 
in Matthew's gospel. And she is quite possibly the 
sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus. So more likely than not, 
she is his aunt. James and John are his cousins. The sons of Zebedee were among 
the first called in Matthew chapter 4 in verse 21. There's Peter, 
there's Andrew, there's James, there's John. And when we get 
to Matthew chapter 10, when Jesus selects the twelve, the apostles, 
after Peter and Andrew are mentioned, then are mentioned James and 
John. Now the parallel passage in Mark's 
gospel in chapter 10 indicates that James and John ask the question 
and not their mother. So some would see here a contradiction. Some see contradictions throughout 
the Bible, especially when they despise God and they despise 
His Word. But we need to understand the 
evangelists are not contradicting one another. The question comes 
from James and John. It's conspicuous in our text. 
Notice that after it's brought forth, grant that these two sons 
of mine may sit. Notice that Jesus responds to 
the boys, to the young men, in verse 22. Verse 22 at the end, 
the young men respond. In verse 24, the ten are displeased 
with the young men, not their mother. We might ask the question, 
why in the world did these young men put their mother up to the 
task? Well, perhaps the family bind. She's the auntie of Jesus. Maybe 
he'll be more induced to listen to her. But then as well, some 
commentators point out that in the ancient Near East, Oftentimes, 
older, mature women had a place of influence upon persons. One need only think of the account 
of King David, when Bathsheba comes to David and bows before 
him, seeking the throne for her son Solomon. I think it's very 
telling here in this account, Salome, bows to the Lord Jesus. She kneels before him. Perhaps 
Matthew is increasing or giving us another link between David 
of old and David of new with reference to the Son of God in 
his messianic capacity. But be that as it may, the first 
evangelist, Matthew, just includes a historical detail here that 
Mark didn't include. There's no contradiction whatsoever. Now notice the request that is 
presented. As I said, she kneels down and 
asks something from him. And he says 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. Now, in the first place, this 
is commendable. She recognizes that Jesus has 
a kingdom. Remember when we've considered 
that thief on the cross next to our Lord Jesus in Luke's gospel 
in chapter 23. Remember that thief says to the 
Lord Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom. That is a great exhibition of 
faith for this reason. The apostles who believed, the 
disciples who believed, saw Jesus as it were at his best. They 
saw him healing people, they saw him feeding people, they 
saw him raising people from the dead. But when that thief was 
on the cross next to the Lord Jesus, he saw a bloodied, beaten, 
bruised Savior hanging on a tree. And he says to him, Lord, remember 
me when you come into your kingdom. That, as Calvin says, is one 
of the most greatest expressions of faith in the entirety of the 
Bible. And we ought not to discount 
that or minimize that here. She says, grant that these two 
sons of mine may sit, one on your right hand and the other 
on the left, in your kingdom. So she recognizes, or they recognize, 
that Christ was a king who possessed a kingdom, but they wrongly jockeyed 
for position in that kingdom. They wrongly jockeyed for position 
in that kingdom, such that Ryle says, there was much faith in 
their request, but there was much more of infirmity. There 
was something to be commended in that they could see in Jesus 
of Nazareth a coming king. But there was also much to blame 
in that they did not remember that he was to be crucified before 
he could reign. The sons desired a privileged 
position in that kingdom. Again, Jesus later in the section 
says if you want to be great, that is part of the image of 
God in us, isn't it? You don't do your work half-hearted. 
You don't run a race to lose. You don't do things so that you 
can fail. That is to bear the image of 
God. It is to do what we do with all 
our might and to bring glory to Him. So the idea is not, don't 
ever pursue greatness. The idea is that if you're going 
to pursue it, do it in a manner that is consistent with the kingdom. That's why he teaches concerning 
government in the next section. He's not saying government ought 
not to be in place. He's saying that the kingdom 
of Christ, its government must not aid that which is conducted 
in the world. You see, the Lord Jesus is discouraging 
this position or this tendency that is driven by pride. Stinking, wicked, filthy, godless 
pride. That's in the crosshairs of our 
Lord Jesus. The anti-gun nuts would go fanatic 
if they heard me say such a thing, but that is what is in his crosshairs. Now notice, the promise of Jesus 
in 1928 that the Twelve would sit on the thrones. The desire 
of the sons of Zebedee to be on his right and on his left. 
Davies and Allison say that proximity implies favor. Proximity implies 
favor. I want you to be right next to 
me implies that I like you more than I like the rest of them. 
Spurgeon says, while the mind of Jesus was occupied with his 
humiliation and death, his followers were thinking of their own honor 
and ease. Alas, poor human nature. Davies 
and Allison again make this very perceptive comment concerning 
the situation. They say that the request is 
misdirected. Grant that we may sit on your 
right and your left. These commentators say the request 
is misdirected and takes no account of what has just been predicted. 
Although crowds will hail Jesus as the Davidic Messiah, Jerusalem 
will not see Jesus mount a throne but a cross. And those at his 
right and left will not be glorified apostles, but crucified criminals. They know not what they ask, 
and that is precisely what Jesus says to them later in the text. 
There's a similar occurrence in Matthew 18, 1 to 5. I think 
we learned something here, brethren. We've got thick heads and thick 
hearts, and we need repetition, don't we? I mean, after they 
come, asking, in chapter 18, who is the greatest in the kingdom? 
And Jesus takes that child and plops him right down in the midst 
of them, and he teaches to them. And then in chapter 19, he highlights 
this reality concerning the fact that they will sit on 12 thrones. 
But in 21 to 15, he sort of undercuts all this with this reality. You have no right to hold out 
your hand in expectation to the landowner. He is agreed according 
to his own purposes. He is sovereign according to 
his own purposes. He is good in the way that he 
transacts his business. These men needed constant reminders 
and so do we because the sin of pride is such that it's devilish. And perhaps we can hear their 
reasoning process, can't we? I mean, it's not specified there, 
but they do believe they are entitled to this position on 
the right and on the left. I mean, after all, they were 
among the first called to discipleship in chapter 4. They were among 
the first selected to apostleship in Matthew 10. They were within 
that inner circle of our Lord Jesus Christ when Jesus goes 
up to the Mount of Transfiguration. And, you know, later when He 
goes into Gethsemane, these two men will be present along with 
Peter. Perhaps they, like those first 
hour men in the parable, are suggesting or thinking, you know, 
we've been at this a long time. We deserve a little bump or we 
deserve a little bit more. We might even say, as we are 
tempted to say with those men in 20, 10 to 12, you know what, 
they do deserve it. They do have it coming to them. 
They should be in a position on the right hand and on the 
left. Now notice, the ominous response concerning kingdom suffering. Verses 22 and 23. Jesus answered and said, you 
do not know what you ask. Isn't this Our problem, a lot 
of the time, we don't know what we're talking about. We don't 
understand the implications. Perhaps Jesus could answer a 
prayer of ours with this same sort of a thing. We pray thus 
and thus because we know it will make everything wonderful and 
it will cause everything to be excellent and it will cause everything 
to just work out so. And the Lord Jesus, as we read 
in the last hour from our brother Spurgeon, sometimes keeps harmful 
things from his children. You know, a kid may not fully 
understand the ramifications of not running with scissors, 
but hopefully the parents understand those ramifications. The parents 
aren't against their child running. The parents aren't against their 
child having fun. The parents aren't against them 
expending some energy so that thankfully they'll go to sleep 
at night. The parents understand that to run with scissors is 
an unwise, unsafe idea. And so the parents may just lay 
down the law and say no. The kid says, but you don't love 
me. You don't want me to be happy. 
You don't want me to express myself. You don't know what you're 
talking about. You don't understand the ramifications. You haven't connected the puzzle 
pieces yet. You see a portion of a cloud 
in the puzzle and you don't realize that there's a whole bunch of 
other landscape as well. This is what Christ says to them. 
You do not know what you ask. You don't get it. You're ignorant. You're clueless. The Lord Jesus 
reiterates what has been clearly stated before. The cross precedes 
the crown. You do not know what you ask. 
Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink and 
be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? I realize 
that some of your translations do not have that phrase concerning 
baptism. It is found in the parallel in 
Mark's Gospel in 1038 and in 1039, so we're going to treat 
it as it is here. What is Jesus saying? What has 
been a repetitious theme from our Lord Jesus to these disciples? And if it sounds like I'm picking 
on the disciples, brethren, I'm not. I see each and every one 
of us in there. Well, I don't know you as well. 
I certainly see me here. I certainly see me in this passage. 
Give me this, Lord. I want this, Lord. Give me this, 
Lord. Give me that. You know what you're asking. 
You ever rightly pondered the implications of what Christian 
discipleship looks like? Remember in 1621, the Lord Jesus 
says the Son of Man must go to Jerusalem. It's a defined necessity 
there. It's a covenant context there. 
There is divine necessity upon the Lord Jesus that he goes to 
Jerusalem. that he's tried, that he is scourged, 
that he is crucified, and that he's raised the third day. And 
on the heels of that, what does Jesus say concerning discipleship? 
If anyone wants to follow me, let him what? Go watch a TV show 
on the intricacies of Christian discipleship. If anyone wants 
to follow me, what does he do? Go join a Christian commune. 
If anybody wants to follow me, what does he do? Go rent whatever 
video series teaches on this subject. Let him take up his 
cross and follow me. What is Christ underscoring with 
his disciples over and over again? And what is Christ underscoring 
with his disciples here over and over again? What does Christ 
need to encourage us with reference to over and over again? The cross 
precedes the crown. It couldn't be plainer. It couldn't 
be simpler. It couldn't be more depiction 
in this particular passage, and yet how many times do we miss 
it? As soon as a cross comes, as soon as persecution affects 
us, as soon as there is any hindrance to us in terms of getting to 
the kingdom, we whine and we grumble and we complain. You 
McShane readers have recently read Philippians chapter 2. You 
know what Paul tells you in Philippians chapter 2? Do not grumble or 
complain. Does this characterize your life? 
Is that indicative of your walk with the Lord Jesus? I'm not 
trying to be unkind, I'm not trying to be mean, I'm not trying 
to be harsh, but ask yourselves the questions. Do you whine and 
grumble and murmur and complain when there's any sort of obstacle 
between you and the finish line? That is what Jesus is killing 
among his own disciples. He reiterates what has been clearly 
stated before. The cross precedes the crown. 
You see it in chapter 10, verses 37 to 39. You see it in chapter 
16, verses 24 and 25. You see it in Romans 8.17, 2 
Timothy 2.12, Revelation 3.21. Matthew Henry accurately says, 
we know not what we ask when we ask for the glory of wearing 
the crown and ask not for the grace to bear the cross in our 
way to it. We know not what we ask. We're 
simply asking for the crown, but we don't ask for grace to 
bear the cross that we will inevitably be called upon to carry before 
the crown. I think Henry's right. I think 
this is what Jesus is teaching. Notice the fact that they're 
ignorant of his sufferings, or they haven't fully come to grips 
with it. He says, you do not know what 
you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink 
and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? What 
is Jesus doing here? Jesus is reiterating what he 
has said in verses 18 and 19. That he'll be delivered up to 
the Gentiles. That he'll be mocked. That he'll 
be spat on. That he'll be scourged. That 
he will die and that he will rise again. Christ says you haven't 
understood. You haven't embraced it. You've 
heard it. It's rolling around in there. 
You got it somewhere, but you haven't drawn out the implication 
yet. And he says very specifically, 
are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink? What 
is that cup? What is the cup that Jesus is 
talking about? Is He talking about a cup on 
a beach filled with His favorite beverage? That's not the cup. 
The cup is the wrath and fury of His Father. That's what the 
cup is according to the Old Testament usage. Psalm 11 verses 5 and 
6. It is the cup of God's holy wrath. Psalm 75, verse 8. Isaiah 51, verses 17 and 18. The prophet Jeremiah, several 
occasions, speaks of the wrath of God in this cup. The prophet 
Ezekiel, as well, speaks of the wrath of God in this cup. When Jesus says, are you able 
to drink the cup that I am about to drink? He's talking about 
the reality that He's already specified. I'm going to be delivered 
to death. I'm going to be put to death. 
And as we get closer to the cross, brethren, do you understand and 
realize that it's not the human activity that Jesus ultimately 
recoiled from? When Jesus is in the garden and 
He prays, Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from you. It isn't the suffering inflicted 
upon him by the Gentiles that's in view, primarily. It isn't 
the scourging that is inflicted by the Romans that is primarily 
in view. It isn't the spit of the Roman 
soldier. Again, all these things are there to be sure. But what 
is Jesus recoiling from with reference to the cup? I've already 
described it. It is the cup of God's wrath 
and His fury and His retribution for our sin. When Jesus in the 
garden says, My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death. And when our Lord Jesus falls 
and He prays and He sweats blood out of His human pores, It is 
because he sees what's on the other side. He sees this event 
wherein the Father will abandon the Son, wherein that time the 
Lord Christ will say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken 
me? The cup is the cup of God's holy 
wrath and fury. They haven't fully contemplated 
that. They haven't fully embraced that. 
To be talking about position on the right and on the left 
really seems to miss the overarching theme here that Jesus must go, 
Jesus must suffer, Jesus must die, and that not only under 
the hand of a wretched Gentile mob, but under the hand of a 
righteous and a holy and a wrathful God. They haven't contemplated 
that. They haven't felt it. They haven't 
subscribed. They're not on board yet. And 
then note what Jesus says concerning his baptism. He says, and be 
baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with. We know he's 
not talking about water baptism in this instance. He's already 
underwent water baptism in Matthew chapter three. He's not suggesting 
to these disciples that their baptism in water was somehow 
completely different than his baptism in water. No, this baptism 
goes right along with the cup. This baptism is right there alongside 
of the cup. I think the clearest commentary 
on this reference of our Lord Jesus is found in Luke chapter 
12 at verse 50. Jesus says, but I have a baptism 
to be baptized with and how distressed I am till it is accomplished. 
What's he mean? There's an interesting anecdote 
about Martin Luther and the history of the church and there was a 
time when he was coming home or he was traveling somewhere. 
And he wrote to his wife, Katie, he said, you know, I was trying 
to cross the river, whatever it was, and it nearly baptized 
me unto death. You know what Luther meant by 
that? He didn't mean sprinkled. He didn't mean a little pouring. 
He meant to be overwhelmed by that river. You see, that's the 
word picture that baptism creates. It is to be overwhelmed. It is 
to be all consumed. It is to be plunged. And in this 
context, as we look at it, side by side with the cup, he is going 
to drink the cup of God's holy wrath down, and he is going to 
be plunged into very suffering itself. You see, when these disciples 
say, we want to be on your right, we want to be on your left, Jesus 
says, you don't know what you're talking about. Are you able to 
drink the cup? Are you able to undergo this 
plunging into suffering that I am undergoing? Are you able 
to do this? Now notice what they respond. They said, we are able. We are 
able. Now, on the one hand, that's 
a noble response, isn't it? I mean, when we hear the call 
of discipleship, if anyone desires to come after me, let him take 
up his cross daily and follow me. We ought to resolve under 
God to say, yes and amen. Shouldn't we? Absolutely. But as well, we should recognize 
that we're gonna need grace in order to pursue this. Again, 
Matthew, Henry, we know not what we ask when we ask for the glory 
of wearing the crown and ask not for grace to bear the cross 
in our way to it. So on the one hand, it's noble. 
On the other hand, it comes a bit short. Later on in Gethsemane, 
it's demonstrably false. Because you see, in Gethsemane, 
Jesus is agonizing over what? He's agonizing over the cup. 
That was like five minutes ago. You should have all got that. 
What are they doing while Jesus is exceedingly sorrowful, even 
unto death? What are they doing when Jesus, 
the Lord Christ, is praying to his Father, if it is possible, 
let this cup pass from me. But when he, in resignation, 
when he in determination, when he in obedience to the demands 
of the covenant of redemption, says, nevertheless, not my will, 
but thine be done. What are the disciples doing? They are fast asleep. Now notice 
what Jesus goes on to say in verse 23. He said to them, you 
will indeed drink my cup. Remember the larger concern here. 
He's teaching that the cross precedes the crown. It's a lesson 
for us as well. The cross precedes the crown, 
in case we missed it up to this point in our studies in Matthew's 
gospel. Jesus underscores the reality, 
you will indeed drink my cup and be baptized with the baptism 
that I am baptized with, but to sit on my right hand and on 
my left is not mine to give, but it is for those for whom 
it is prepared by my Father." Now notice the affirmation or 
the confirmation, the underscoring, the highlighting, if you will, 
of the reality that they will traverse the same path. They 
will undergo the cross prior to the crown. Jesus says that. 
You will indeed drink. And again, the baptism present 
here, absent from some of your translations, is in Mark 10 at 
39. There's two concepts, the cup 
of the wrath and fury of God and the plunging via baptism 
into suffering and ultimately death. Notice. We need to observe 
that the distinction, there is a distinction here. Sufferings 
that they would undergo would not be redemptive in nature. 
Isn't it intriguing that the last thing that Jesus says officially, 
the last thing that Jesus says officially, I know he speaks 
to these blind men in the next section, but the last thing he 
says officially before entering into Jerusalem is to basically 
describe why he's entering into Jerusalem. For the Son of Man 
did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life 
a ransom for many." I mean, isn't that why Jesus goes to Jerusalem? 
Isn't that why he's delivered up to Gentiles? Isn't that why 
He's mocked and spat upon and scourged and ultimately crucified? 
It is to give His life in the place of, in the stead of, the 
many, the elect of God, those purposed according to the covenant 
of redemption. The Father gives to the Son. 
The Son willingly undertakes to execute the demands of God's 
holy law and fulfill all the requirements to save them from 
their sins. That is the last official statement 
before Jesus enters into Jerusalem. But that's not the purpose of 
the disciples' suffering. Theirs is not redemptive. They 
do not shed their blood for the salvation of sinners. Christians 
today, believers here, those who undergo trials and persecutions 
and hardships and agonies, it's not redemptive in terms that 
you are able to satisfy the wrath of God on behalf of your family. 
That's not the point. The point is that those who follow 
Jesus will identify with Jesus in the reality that this world 
will hate them. Are you ever shocked at what 
you see in the nations today? Are you ever shocked at the reality 
that just recently, I mean, in the same week, I think ISIS was 
destroying other religious relics in other parts of the world, 
They showed that under the cover of night, those men went to take 
down the Ten Commandments that were before the courthouse in 
America. You can see why they wouldn't want to do it during 
the day, because religious wackos like you and I would be there 
going, no, don't do that! Do you ever get surprised at 
what you see? The sodomy? The abortion? the euthanasia that has already 
been voted on and will be enacted in 2016. Does it shock you? It should. I suggest that we 
should never lose sight of the fact that this heinousness and 
this wickedness is vile and wretched. We should never forget Solomon's 
words that righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach 
to any people. But when we reflect back in the 
history of Scripture, We see that God imposes this antithesis 
in Genesis 3. There will be this lifelong combat 
between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. 
There will be this decisive match, ultimately, that Jesus brings 
victory over the devil. But in this world, brethren, 
if they hated Jesus, guess who they're going to hate also? They're 
going to hate you. I mean, just make sure it's for 
that. I think Peter gives us a good test in 1 Peter chapter 
4. Let none of you suffer as a murderer or as an evildoer 
or as a busybody. Don't say, I'm suffering persecution 
at church because I'm a Christian. No, you may be suffering persecution 
at church because you're late, you don't do your job, you're 
lazy, you whine, you grumble, you snivel. Don't try to put 
that on Christianity. That's Peter's point. If you 
end up in prison because you're a thief, don't cry religious 
persecution. Brethren, if we are like Christ, 
if we are going to follow the Savior, If we are going to take 
up that cross daily and hopefully die to self and live unto Him, 
do you think the world's just going to sit there and clap us 
on? Do you think the world is going 
to cheer you on your way to heaven? Do you think you're going to 
be helped? Do you think you're going to 
be encouraged? Do you think those closest to you care one bit of 
the reality that you are carrying Jesus' cross and you have a decisive 
end? They don't care. In fact, it 
offends them. They don't want the Ten Commandments 
because they want to engage in sexual immorality. They don't 
want the Ten Commandments in front of a courthouse because 
then they might actually be bound in conscience to render a righteous 
verdict. If I was on the Supreme Court, 
or I was on any court in the land, I would be ashamed of the 
Ten Commandments too. Not because of what they are, 
but because of how far short we have fallen. Tonight we're going to look at 
the Eighth Commandment. You know, we all take the Sixth and the Seventh 
to the voting box, don't we? We don't want a government that 
supports murder. We don't want a government that 
supports abortion. And yet we want governments that 
engage in unjust taxation and violate the very Eighth Commandment 
itself? Have we forgot they're connected 
as a whole? You break one, you're guilty 
of them all? Fiscal responsibility and economic stability, these 
are reflections of an Eighth Commandment ethic. Certainly, 
if I was a godless judge living in Canada or in America, I wouldn't 
want to see the commandments either because they'd be a Nathan 
pointing at me, thou art the man. The point is, brethren, 
we ought to be shocked at the great lengths that sinners go 
to to sin. But on the other hand, theologically, 
we ought to reflect accurately on the reality that God imposed 
this antithesis in Genesis 3.15, and it is an ongoing struggle. 
And that believers today, if they are faithful, believers 
today who are carrying the cross, believers today who one day want 
to hear their Lord say, well done, good and faithful servant, 
will go through the cross to get to the crown. And that is 
Jesus' words to these men. He says, you will indeed drink 
my cup and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with. 
But to sit on my right hand and on my left, it is not mine to 
give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by my Father. It is intriguing, isn't it? The 
historical confirmation of this fact and reality. Jesus says, 
you will. This is going to happen. We don't 
have to scratch our melons and wonder what happened to James 
and John. The biblical record tells us 
very clearly and candidly. Acts chapter 12, verses 1 and 
2, what happens? Herod cuts James' head off. Sounds like the cop, sounds like 
the baptism, sounds like the way that Jesus prescribes here 
in Matthew's Gospel. James lost his head as a Christian. What about John? The historical 
narrative concerning John is a bit difficult to piece together, 
but we don't need the later church's interpretation or history of 
it because we have Revelation 1. Why is John on the island 
of Patmos? Because if he positions his lawn 
chair just so, he gets an all over body tan? No. Is he on the 
island of Patmos because he loves bocce balls and they have a club? He's there for the Word of God 
and the testimony of Jesus. He has been exiled from the empire 
for the cause of Jesus Christ, our Lord. You see, Christ tells 
James and John that they will drink a cup, they will be baptized 
in this overwhelming influence of suffering, They will identify 
with Christ. Tradition also says that John 
was plunged in hot, boiling oil. If that is indeed the case, wow, 
what a baptism into suffering, eh? Now that historical narrative 
has a happy ending. Apparently, John survived that. You cook bacon and a little splash 
of grease gets on your hand and you're ready to just say, forget 
it, man, this is tough, it's over. John was plunged in a vat 
of boiling oil and survives that? Wow. It's an amazing reality. But either way, he's on the island 
of Patmos for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 
Both these men would drink the cup. Both these men would undergo 
a baptism. Both of these men would identify 
with Jesus in this regard. But then notice what Christ says 
at the end of verse 23. But to sit on my right hand and 
on my left is not mine to give, but it is for those for whom 
it is prepared by my Father. A couple of interesting observations 
here in the first place. Jesus, according to his mediatorial 
office, Jesus has the surety of a better covenant. Jesus in 
his office as prophet, priest, and king does not have the authority 
to station men on his right and left. He says this is the prerogative 
of the father. And notice in the second place 
that this is the prerogative of the father according to his 
own sovereignty. Think back to the parallel in 
chapter 20. Think back to the occasion when 
those early morning men said, you know, we have borne the heat 
of the day. We have worked longer. We have worked harder. We should 
get more than a denarius because that's what you gave to those 
11th hour workers. We deserve more. What does the 
landowner say? You know, you drive a hard bargain, 
I'm going to cough up. No, that's not what the landowner 
says. He answered one of them and said, 
friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for 
a denarius? Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give 
to this last man the same as to you. Is it not lawful for 
me to do what I wish with my own things? What is the gracious 
landowner saying there? He's saying, I am sovereign. 
It is my prerogative. If I want to give the same denarius 
to an 11th hour worker and an early morning worker, I am free 
to do that. Christ underscores the same reality 
in terms of the Father, determining who's closest to the Son in that 
messianic kingdom or in that kingdom of glory that is to come. 
It's the will of God. You see, so much that we worry 
about, and so much competition that is in our own hearts, or 
the kudos that we are striving after, or the accolades that 
we so long for. Brethren, it's up to God. It's up to the Lord God Most 
High who sits on the right and who sits on the left. We ask 
the question, well who might that be? That's not what the 
point of the passage is. The point of the passage is Engage 
faithful, humble discipleship before the Lord. Before we leave 
this brief section, notice what else that Jesus says. But it 
is for those for whom it is prepared by my Father. Again, it underscores 
the sovereignty of God Most High. But it underscores this reality 
when we compare it with Matthew 25, that both heaven and hell 
are prepared places. heaven and hell are prepared 
places. Doesn't Jesus say this when he 
says in Matthew 25, depart from me into everlasting fire which 
was prepared for the devil and his angels. Now as believers 
we might think fondly on the reality that heaven has been 
prepared for us and we should. Shouldn't we? Shouldn't you smile 
during your day and consider, 599, the Lamb is all the glory 
of Emmanuel's land, with the realization that one day I will 
be there because my Father in heaven has prepared it so? That's the day or the time during 
the day you do a little jig, or you do a little skip, or you 
do a little bounce, and somebody says, what are you doing? Oh, 
I'm thinking about Jesus and I'm thinking about glory. Does 
anybody ever accuse you of that? You look so happy! Why? Because 
I'm thinking about Jesus, I'm thinking about glory. But if 
you are an unbeliever here this morning, consider the fact that 
hell is a prepared place too. Hell is a prepared place by the 
Father. You see, we have this misunderstanding 
that when one lands in hell, he is cut off forever from God. I would like to modify that statement 
just a little bit to say he is cut off forever from the goodness 
of God. But you see, there's not a square 
inch in this universe that you can go to where God is not. There is not a place you can 
escape to where God is not. If they ever perfect spacecraft 
to take you to Pluto, guess who's still there? The idea that hell is a prepared 
place, a place of judgment, a place of punishment, a place where 
there is weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. If you're 
an unbeliever here this morning, I hope this is a scary picture 
to you. I hope it's terrifying that you 
see that what? You see that future and you hear 
the blessed sound of our Lord Jesus when he says, all that 
the Father gives to me will come to me and the one who comes to 
me I will certainly not cast out. Come to Christ. You say, well that seems mercenary 
to come to Christ to avoid hell. Come to Christ. Believe on the 
Lord Jesus. Repent from your sins. Follow 
after this one who is altogether lovely and chief among ten thousand. The scriptures are clear. All 
have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. All of us, 
like sheep, have gone astray. All of us have rejected and resisted 
and turned away. But God sent His Son into this 
world to do what He specifies in verses 18 and 19. to go to 
the cross, to drink the cup of God's wrath, to undergo this 
baptism of suffering, to satisfy divine justice on the part of 
all those who by God's grace believe. You see, Jesus' death 
at Calvary isn't just exemplary. It's not the point. Jesus goes 
to the cross to teach us the better way. Jesus' cross work 
is redemptive. Jesus' cross work is specified 
in verse 28. He provides a ransom, and the 
biblical word here used ransom some over the history of interpretation. 
Try to argue that it's simply deliverance. No. Ransom here 
is payment with a price. Deliverance is the end game, 
to be sure, but the deliverance is wrought through the payment 
of a price. Christ does not specify or define his mission as an exemplary 
or as an example. Do what I do. We can't bear the 
wrath of God for others. We can't undergo this totality 
of baptism under the overwhelming power of God the Father. We cannot 
stand before this holy, just, and righteous God. But Christ 
took on our likeness. Christ took on our flesh. Christ, 
in the beautiful person, in his work, all that he did accomplished 
what we could never do. But the reality is there is a 
heaven for the believer and a hell for the unbeliever. Move you, 
if you are an unbeliever, to trust, to believe, to look unto 
Jesus and be saved. Was it mercenary when that brazen 
serpent was lifted up in the wilderness? Did person say, you 
know, if I look there simply so that this venom won't affect 
me, that seems mercenary. Look at the serpent. Look and 
live. Look and live is what Moses says. God Yahweh to Moses concerning 
that incident, but Jesus uses that parallel in John 3, just 
as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the 
Son of Man be lifted up. What's the point? Look and live. Well, in conclusion, in the first 
place, we ought to see the presence of pride in the heart of believers. The presence of pride in the 
heart of believers. Concerning these particular men, 
they had the prophets, they had the teaching of our Lord Jesus, 
they had the reproof of our Lord Jesus, they had the example of 
our Lord Jesus. Remember, these men were in a 
particularly interesting place in redemptive history. They are 
with Jesus. I mean, Jesus says things to them 
like, you know, have I been with you this long and you still don't 
understand? But think about us. Think about us. We not only have 
the prophets that they had. 1 Peter 1.11 tells us that the 
prophets specified that the Christ would come to suffer and glory 
would follow. So it's been there, you know, 
the whole time. Isaiah 53 has that movement, 
doesn't it? Humiliation, death, exaltation. It's not a new theme when we 
get to the New Testament. In fact, Israel parallels something 
of that. So humiliation and exile, and 
they get out of the exile. They are typical of our Lord 
Jesus in that capacity. But we have the prophets, we 
have the teaching of our Lord, we have the reproof of our Lord, 
we have the example of our Lord, and yet, how many times do we 
still express this devilish pride? Now you may be the one person 
out of, you know, five billion that doesn't struggle with pride. 
You have permission for the next seven minutes to tune out. But 
if you're with the rest of us, this is an ongoing battle, isn't 
it? Pride may not be expressed in these terms, it may not be 
verbally articulated to those around us, but our behavior betrays 
it, doesn't it? Jockeying for position. wanting 
to appear to be something that we're not, wanting to make sure 
that everybody has respect for us, that everybody thinks we're 
a wonderful human being. Brethren, if people aren't chasing 
us with pitchforks, we ought to be happy. Let alone them thinking 
we're wonderful human beings. R.T. Frantz says, the natural 
human concern with status and importance is clearly one of 
the most fundamental instincts which must be unlearned by those 
who belong to God's kingdom. Now again, the idea is not be 
miserable, be a failure, sit around and don't serve Jesus. 
No, pursue those things that Jesus says are good. One of those 
small things in the book of Proverbs that is noted for its wisdom 
is the spider or the lizard, depending on your interpretation. 
And the point is, is the spider or the lizard, this despised, 
I mean, not many people like spiders, You know, lizards aren't 
everyone's favorite thing. Nobody has a pet. Well, I guess 
people do have pet lizards and probably pet spiders. But for 
the most part, spiders and lizards are pretty genuinely or generally 
despised by the common folk. And yet Solomon says they're 
in king's palaces. There's something about that 
spider and that lizard that has a holy ambition They are in king's 
palaces. They may be despised by everyone 
else, but they've occupied or they occupy king's palaces. There's 
an ambition that's righteous. Solomon speaks of it in the Proverbs. 
Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before 
kings. It's not wrong to want to pursue 
those things that are pleasing in God's sight. It's not wrong 
to want to be good at whatever it is your job is. In fact, I 
highly encourage it. One of the implications of the 
Eighth Commandment is to work hard. But this ambitious spirit that 
is driven by a desire to be first so that I will be recognized 
as the most important and most special person, that's wrong, 
man. That's what needs to die in our 
hearts. The modern climate of celebrity 
preachers, the modern climate of celebrity Christians, The 
modern climate where we extol men for their particular virtue 
or their particular, you know, whatever. Brethren, that is not 
legit. If we are those who pursue these 
celebrity preachers or believers, we have usurped Christ's throne 
with a man who gets our attention. If we happen to be a celebrity 
Christian or a celebrity preacher, We are then usurping God's throne 
and taking glory that does not rightly belong to us. The church 
must collectively say with the Baptist, He, Christ, must increase, 
but I must decrease. Holy ambition? Yes. A carnal 
desire to be in a position so that people will think better 
of you? A carnal desire to be in a position so that you will 
be preferred above others? No, man. I'd rather be a doorkeeper 
in the house of my God, the psalmist said, than dwell in the tents 
of wickedness. It's the mindset that we ought 
to pursue. John Owen in Volume 6 says, be 
killing sin or it will be killing you. May I suggest be killing 
pride or it will be killing you. Pride is that mother sin, isn't 
it? You take whatever sin you've got in your life, if you work 
a little bit, you will probably be able to trace it back to that 
monster pride that dwells in your heart. We like people to 
like us. We like people to think we're 
awesome. We like people to extol us. We like people to think that 
we are extra special. So secondly, what is the present 
responsibility of believers? In the first place, there is 
a necessity to recognize this pattern and embrace it. You know, 
when we hit those crosses in our Christian life, when we meet 
with that affliction or that persecution, or when we undergo 
those trials and those difficulties, we seem to lose our theology. 
So let me encourage you to grab hold of this theological principle, 
this Christological principle, this principle of genuine Christian 
discipleship, is that before you get the crown, there will 
be some cross. In the second place, we need 
to live faithfully in light of such a pattern. What's the best 
way to deal with our pride? What's the best way to deal with 
this selfish ambition? It is to live faithfully. Listen 
to Spurgeon. Our practical present business 
is not to aim at eminence in the kingdom, but submissively 
to drink the cup of suffering and plunge into the deeps of 
humiliation which our Lord appoints for us. It is great honor to 
be allowed to drink of his cup and be baptized with his baptism. 
This he grants to his believing disciples. This fellowship is 
the essence of the spiritual kingdom. And you know paradoxically, 
brethren, it's the person who isn't jockeying for position. 
It's the person who's genuinely humble. It's the person who's 
genuinely a servant of all. It's the person who actually 
is the least to others. He's the one that ultimately 
is called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. Christ basically takes 
that model that the Gentiles employ, where the one man is 
on top, and he preaches, or he teaches, or he exercises authority, 
or lords it over everybody beneath him. Christ takes that and turns 
it on its head, so that the guy down here is servant of all, 
and he's the great one. Who's that, ultimately? It's 
Jesus Christ. It is the Lord of glory who through 
His sufferings and His death achieves what we could never 
achieve. As well, we need to recognize 
that God is sovereign over all things, our present suffering 
and our future glory included. Our question is not to ask, who's 
going to be on the right? Who's going to be on the left? 
Who's going to be closest? Who's going to be nearest? Just be faithful. God's got this. He really has 
control in these things. He knows what He's doing. He's 
perfected it. And then as well, we need to 
recognize that glory does follow the crown. See, I don't want 
to get to the point where we say, yeah, I've got to understand 
that there's a cross that precedes the crown. But there is a crown. There really is a crown. We are 
heaven-bound. This train is bound for glory. We are going to be where Christ 
is. This is Peter's point in 1 Peter 
4.13, but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's 
sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be 
glad with exceeding joy. Isn't that beautiful? So yes, 
there's cross now to be sure, but never forget the crown, never 
forget the glory that follows the suffering, never forget the 
reality that we will be with Him where He is. We will think, 
sing, whatever, however, I don't know, but that last stanza of 
599 will become reality in our lives. The bride eyes not her 
garment, but her dear bridegroom's face. I will not gaze at glory, 
but on my king of grace. Not at the crown he gifteth, 
but on his pierced hand. The lamb is all the glory of 
Emmanuel's land. So never forget that, brethren. 
Doesn't that make the crosses sweet? Doesn't that make the 
crosses something we can undergo? Doesn't it make the crosses doable 
when we realize that after we have withstood, after we have 
gone through, after we have battled it out, we're going to be with 
our Lord Jesus Christ. And then in the final place, 
we ought to recognize in this passage, once again, the graciousness 
of our Lord. The graciousness of our Lord. 
We need to understand that the best of believers have issues. The best of believers have issues. The Apostle Paul himself says, 
the good that I wish to do, I don't do. The evil I don't want to 
do, I find myself doing. Paul specifies in Galatians 5 
that there is this spirit-flesh combat that goes on in the heart 
of believers. The disciples have that. What 
happens to Peter later on? Peter will deny his Lord three 
times. Peter will deny his Lord three times. But note how gracious 
our Lord is in this context. The Lord instructs them. The 
Lord says, look at the Gentiles, don't be like them. You want 
to be first, be last. You want to be great, be a slave. 
And then later in Matthew 26, what happens? When Jesus goes 
into Gethsemane, he takes Peter, and he takes James, and he takes 
John. He doesn't have that disposition that you crossed me, you will 
never be in my inner circle again. Don't we do that to people? They 
cross us. They'll never be close to us 
again. Because they offended us, right? They hurt me. They offended. They did something 
to me. Brethren, we need to get right 
with the Lord God. If a brother sins against you, 
forgive him if he confesses. Don't say, you're done. You're 
no longer on my friend list. We operate like that, right? 
I don't have Facebook, but I know what Facebook is. And I know 
there's liking and disliking. Don't we operate that way? She 
said something vicious to me, I'll never forgive her! Dislike, 
de-friend. Praise God that in the church, 
not everybody operates that way, because we'd all be sitting on 
our own. I don't know how we would ever do the Lord's Supper. 
We'd all be, you know, just on our own. Thankfully, some people 
do exercise forgiveness, they're compassionate, they're like the 
Lord Jesus, who did not say to these men, when it came to the 
Garden of Gethsemane, you know back then, you asked to be on 
my right and on my left, and that betrayed something concerning 
your ambition and your pride, and I don't want anything to 
come on. The Lord Jesus is gracious in his dealings. Brethren, we 
need to be gracious in our dealings. It's too easy to keep people 
at arm's length if they have somehow ever offended us. We 
need to get over ourselves, we need to model what Christ displays 
for us in this text, and we need to ultimately be thankful for 
verse 28. Because if the Son of Man did 
not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life, a 
ransom for many, because of that reality, we have the forgiveness 
of sins, we receive the righteousness of God, and we, by grace, are 
on the road to Christian discipleship. If you have not believed, believe. Come to Christ the Lord. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank you for the word of God, and we thank you for our 
Lord Jesus and his excellent instruction to us as disciples. And may we never forget this 
pattern that is so clearly displayed in the gospel record, that there 
will be tribulation, there will be persecution, there will be 
suffering and trial. There is a glory coming, a crown 
coming that is so wonderful. God help us to march on with 
joy in our hearts, with smiles on our face, with songs coming 
from our lips at the reality that the lamb is all the glory 
of Emmanuel's land and one day we shall be where he is. Go with 
us now we pray and we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.