Mark 10:43 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,

NIV: Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,

NASB: But it is not this way among you; rather, whoever wants to become prominent among you shall be your servant;

CSB: But it is not so among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant,

NLT: But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant,

KJV: But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister:

NKJV: Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.

"Servant" is from the Greek root word diakonos. It refers to someone whose duties are to fulfill the desires of another. Diakonos is where we get the word "deacon" from, servants of the church who make sure church resources are distributed to those who need them (Acts 6:1–6).

This speaks to the role of a leader in the church, who should become a leader, and the proper motivation of leaders in the church. Often, people take a leadership position because their father was a pastor, they have free time, they are guilted into it, or they happen to be in the right place at the right time. Jesus says the role of a leader in the church is that of a servant: someone who takes care of the needs of another. Granted, servant-leadership often involves impressing upon people what it is they actually need. But it is all for others, not for selfish ambition, pride, or honor.

God interacts with the people of His creation in different ways throughout history. The disciples don't realize it, but they are at the tail end of a 2100–year era wherein God's design was to insulate a family and the nation that came out of that family from the evil world around them. In that context, strong rulers (civil and religious) were needed to represent God's authority and keep the people in line, and a strong military was needed to defend the nation from their enemies.

On the day of Pentecost, that model spiritually shifted from a single nation to a church made of people from all nations. In AD 70, the model disintegrated as the Romans destroyed the temple, along with Jerusalem, and dispersed the Jews. In this new church, members are not born into community, like Jews, but invited (Acts 2:38–40). There is no national identity; there is a spiritual unity (Ephesians 2:11–22). The church cannot rely on the protection and services of a civil authority; they must take care of each other (Acts 2:42–47) while submitting to that secular authority (Romans 13:1–7). In such a vulnerable, disparate group, leaders must be the greatest servants of all.

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.