Mark 10:35 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you."

NIV: Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. "Teacher," they said, "we want you to do for us whatever we ask."

NASB: James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, *came up to Jesus, saying to Him, 'Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.'

CSB: James and John, the sons of Zebedee, approached him and said, "Teacher, we want you to do whatever we ask you."

NLT: Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came over and spoke to him. 'Teacher,' they said, 'we want you to do us a favor.'

KJV: And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire.

NKJV: Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask.”

Mark first mentions James and John after Jesus' temptation, when He calls them to follow Him. James and John do so, leaving behind their father, Zebedee, and their fishing business (Mark 1:19–20). With Peter, they become the inner core of Jesus' disciples. Only these three watch Jesus raise a little girl from the dead (Mark 5:35–43) and see the transfiguration (Mark 9:2–13). James and John's mother is one of the few who stay near Jesus during the crucifixion (Matthew 27:55–56). It's easy to mock James and John for their request, especially as it comes on the heels of Jesus' third prophecy of His death. It's important to remember three things, however. First, we don't know how long after Jesus' prophecy James and John make their request. Second, other Scripture makes it clear that these men don't fully understand Jesus will die (Luke 18:34). Third, their mother apparently either pushes them to ask or makes the request on their behalf (Matthew 20:20–21).

In addition, although James and John have heard Jesus prophesy His death three times, they have seen Him glorified, speaking with Moses and Elijah, and heard Him honored by God (Mark 9:2–8). And Jesus consistently refers to Himself as the "son of man" whom Daniel describes as a ruler given dominion over the world (Daniel 7:13–14).

We aren't told how many people are with Jesus and the Twelve at this point (Mark 10:32). James and John's mother is part of a group of women who followed Jesus from Galilee (Matthew 27:55–56), and sometime before, Jesus had sent out seventy-two disciples to perform miracles (Luke 10:1–12). Shortly, Jesus will enter Jerusalem to a crowd who greets Him like the Messiah (Mark 11:1–10), so it's reasonable to think Jesus and the disciples are followed by a mob that means to make Jesus king (John 6:15). James and John see the signs that Jesus' kingdom is imminent, and they want to make sure their seats are reserved.

Mark 10:35–45 describes the arrogant request of James and John to have positions of power and authority in Jesus' coming kingdom. This comes after learning that Jesus values the powerless like women and children (Mark 10:1–16), that those with earthly power and wealth can have a hard time following God because they can tend to value their possessions more (Mark 10:17–22), and that part of Jesus' plan for His kingdom is to die a horrible death (Mark 10:32–34). Neither Luke nor John record this account, but Matthew adds that James and John's mother is involved in the request (Matthew 20:20–28).

In this passage, Jesus again confronts the Pharisees by clarifying God's views on marriage and divorce. He reminds the disciples not to dismiss the spiritual perspective of children. This chapter also records Jesus' encounter with the rich young ruler, who becomes an object lesson in why wealth makes it hard for people to rely on God. After this, Jesus deftly sets aside an arrogant request from James and John, and again predicts His impending death. Just prior to the triumphal entry of chapter 11, Jesus is sought out by Bartimaeus, whom He heals of blindness.

In between chapters 9 and 10, Jesus resumes His public teaching as He travels to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles (Luke 9:57—18:14; John 7—10). We meet Him here across the Jordan in Perea and follow as He makes His way west again to Jericho. This chapter surrounds a third prophecy of Jesus' death (Mark 10:32–34) with lessons on His value for those others often dismiss: women (Mark 10:1–12), the powerless (Mark 10:13–16), those who value God more than the world (Mark 10:17–31), servant-hearted leaders (Mark 10:35–45), and those with bold faith (Mark 10:46–52). Next is the triumphal entry and the beginning of Passion Week.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.