No Sacrifice, No Glory.
“Now Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve 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 to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again.””
Matthew 20:17-19 NKJV
Jesus proved beyond all doubt that He did not only fully understand His mission and all that He came to accomplish here on earth, but He was also completely in control of it. When He told His disciples about all the horrible things that would happen to Him on the path towards fulfilling His mission, it wasn’t to inspire fear or sorrow even though the disciples felt these things whenever they heard about all that Jesus would suffer.
This helps us understand that overcoming the world by the standards of the kingdom of God does not look as victorious or powerful as its effect, and without a true knowledge of what God is doing and why He is doing it, we may lose heart and despair when we are in the manifestation of the will of God.
Knowledge helps us not to respond in fear, anxiety or worry as we accept the peace of God as we patiently hope and trust in Him through the uncertainty of the unravelling of God’s plan. Only Jesus can give us this knowledge.
”Then 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; 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.”
Matthew 20:20-23 NKJV
It is the most common thing to desire the things of God for self-gratifying and self-exalting reasons. We see what appears to be the glamour and the beauty of “becoming, obtaining and advancing” in God, and this is what either drives our desires or even becomes our desires at some point.
The funniest part of this is that sometimes, these things are projected onto us by the people around us just as it was with the Mother of the Zebedee men and her sons. The truth is that whether we are the ones who generate these thoughts or they’re simply projected onto us, we cannot desire the glory and the beauty of growth and advancement in God without understanding and equally desiring the sacrifices required to bring us into this place. There is no glory without suffering, and no honour without humility. We cannot be carried away by what seems to us as the flashiness of being in exalted or important positions for God. We must understand the sacrifices that come with the glory that we see.
The mother of the Zebedee boys assumed what would have looked like the most humble and reverential posture as she made a very self-centred request to Jesus. This explains one of the reasons why God looks at the heart and not our posture or actions, because it is possible to do the right things from tainted hearts.
Finally, the things we get, the positions we obtain and how we are honoured by God cannot be determined by our desires at all. We must understand that God’s sovereignty is what determines everything, and no matter what we desire we cannot receive anything outside the sovereign will of God, so if we claim to be His we must surrender all our desires completely to His will.
”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.”“
Matthew 20:24-28 NKJV
We see yet another example of how our kingdom is the opposite of the world. In the kingdom of God, leadership is by service alone, and not by Charisma, obvious authority, or any of the metrics used to prove leadership in this world. Our perfect example is Jesus who overcame the world and seized the keys of life and death by serving, humbling Himself and laying His life down. This alone dismantles the idea that Jesus is hungry for our worship, service or acknowledgement. Everything He does with us and for us is out of love and not because He needs anything in return. Understanding this helps us serve God and His children without ulterior motives.
”Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him. And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!” Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!” So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” They said to Him, “Lord, that our eyes may be opened.” So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.“
Matthew 20:29-34 NKJV
The crab-in-a-bucket mentality makes people sabotage others who are trying to do better for themselves. We cannot expect that we will make progress in this world- especially in our journey of faith, without encountering people who stifle us simply to discourage us. We see this with the Blind men who were crying out in humility and genuine desperation to be healed by Jesus. The people around them could not help them by even amplifying their requests at the very least, but they wanted to discourage them. Thankfully, the blind men kept their eyes fixed on Jesus and not the circumstances around them and with their faith and persistence, they obtained their healing from Jesus.
Sometimes, it’s not even other people who discourage us from seeing God’s help. It is the situation around us telling us that we are hopeless and there’s no point calling out to God. As far as our gaze is fixed on Jesus, we can be sure that we too will obtain a good report.
It is also very beautiful that they received their healing only to follow Jesus. Everything we receive from God must draw us nearer to Him and strengthen us as we follow Him.
Prayer Point:
Dear God, I thank You because You not only see what is in my heart, but You are also committed to helping me refine my heart so I can produce good desires. I receive the grace to not only do good works but to do them from a transformed heart in the name of Jesus I have prayed, Amen.
Meditation Prompt:
Spend some time speaking to the Holy Spirit about the multitude that tried to stifle the Blind men, and what their behaviour looks like in the church, in the world and our hearts. Don’t forget to journal!
Prayer Prompts:
6:00 am: Pray for Northern Nigeria. Pray that the gates of hell will not prevail over the church in the North. Pray for strength for our siblings there.
9:00 am: Pray for the grace to extend the kindness and the love of God to those around you, as God leads you.
12:00 pm: Pray for five people that come to mind. Speak blessings over them as led by The Holy Spirit.
3:00 pm: Pray for your city, that God is glorified and His light shines throughout.
6:00 pm: Pray for divine protection, that you and everyone you hold dear is safely cocooned in the hollow of God’s palm.
9:00 pm: Ask God what He wants you to pray about.