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James and John in Exit Row 33 – Seats A and D
Matthew 20:20-28 (New International Version)
“Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.
“‘What is it you want?’ he asked.
“She said, ‘Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.’
“‘You don't know what you are asking,’ Jesus said to them. ‘Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?’
“‘We can,’ they answered.
“Jesus said to them, ‘You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.’
“When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers.
“Jesus called them together and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’”
JAMES AND JOHN IN EXIT ROW 33 – SEATS A and D
Since I fly enough to get sick of it, but not enough to earn first-class upgrades, I find that jockeying for the exit row is an important part of ensuring a more comfortable flight. But recently, I was shaken from my shortsighted approach to getting my seat assignments while sitting comfortably on the aisle of a luxuriously roomy exit row.
After carefully putting my carry-on bags away, I stretched my legs out fully in front of me like a cat on an old couch winding down for a lazy nap. There was so much room, I could have easily practiced putting a golf ball on the carpet that spanned before me. Exit Row, I thought to myself. This is good.
The normal routine ensued as unfortunate travelers stumbled over one another getting into their seats and trying to find space for the carry-on bags in the sparse room that remained around their feet. Then a flight attendant knelt down and looked me right in the face and asked, “Do you know you are sitting in an emergency exit row?”
Are you kidding? I thought to myself.
She continued patiently, “Are you willing and able to do the required things listed in the card in the seat compartment in front of you?”
“Yes, of course,” I said. It was obviously clear to me that she took the exit row thing more seriously than I had anticipated. It was also clear that she saw through my purpose for being there. I was willing and able—but I though that was a reference to having more room than everyone else and possibly taking a nap.
She asked me to read the card, and find she would return.
I read the card. OK, I read some of the card. I mean, I looked at the pictures.
She returned and reminded me, “In case of an emergency, I’ll be depending on you to open that door. Dozens of other people will also be relying on you.”
It was then that I realized that the exit row is a place of privilege. Not the kind of privilege in which you are the benefactor, but the kind of privilege in which you experience the distinct Christlike honor of putting others before yourself. Those who sit in the exit row truly need to be willing and able to help others.
I still try to get the exit row seat, and for the most part it’s still because of the extra legroom. But when I sit down, I take a second or two to remind myself that if anything should happen, I need to be willing to let others get off the plane safely, before I do. I hope that never gets tested. But if it does, I want to be like Jesus, James, and John—I want to be willing and able.—Pastor Troy.
Mark 10:35-45 (New International Version)
“Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. ‘Teacher,’ they said, ‘we want you to do for us whatever we ask.’
“‘What do you want me to do for you?’ he asked.
“They replied, ‘Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.’ ‘You don't know what you are asking,’ Jesus said. ‘Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?’
“‘We can, they answered. Jesus said to them,
“‘You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.’ When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. Jesus called them together and said, ‘You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’”
“The confiding love and unselfish devotion manifested in the life and character of John present lessons of untold value to the Christian church. John did not naturally possess the loveliness of character that his later experience revealed. By nature he had serious defects. He was not only proud, self-assertive, and ambitious for honor, but impetuous, and resentful under injury. He and his brother we called ‘sons of thunder.’ Evil temper, the desire for revenge, the spirit of criticism, was all in the beloved disciple. But beneath all this the divine Teacher discerned the ardent, sincere, loving heart. Jesus rebuked this self-seeking, disappointed his ambitions, tested his faith. But He revealed to him that for which his soul longed—the beauty of holiness, the transforming power of love” (The Acts of the Apostles, pp. 539, 540).
HERE’S WHAT I THINK
Jeff’s brother Jim returned from military service from the holidays. He slept in Jeff’s room, and so they would talk at night. Jim was saying some things that caused Jeff to be concerned about his brother’s spiritual condition. Jim questioned whether God answered prayer or if going to church really mattered in the grand scheme of things. For the most part, Jim wasn’t angry at God, but just seemed to be searching and doubting.
Jeff is too young to know what it is like to have to be ready to go to war. He doesn’t worry about much more than whether pimples will break out or whether he will score points in the basketball game. He doesn’t feel as if he has a right to say anything to his brother but wants to encourage him to keep talking to God. How do you think he should go about doing that? What kinds of things would you say to be encouraging? What would you avoid saying?
Go to http://guidemagazine.org/rtf to post your answers. Your thoughts and feelings may seem clearer to you when you write them down, so we’ve provided space for you here as well. You may also wish to share them with your class later. Be up front and honest.
How did James and John become known as the Sons of Thunder? What exactly do we know about these brothers? Let’s read some passages from the Bible to see what we can find.
Matthew 27:56 (King James Version)
“Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s children.”
What was the name of James and John’s father?
Refer to the passages in Question 1. What was the name of James and John’s mother?
Mark 3:17 (New International Version)
“James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder).”
- What was Jesus’ nickname for them?
Who were the three disciples who were chosen to (a) see Jairus’ daughter healed; (b) witness the transfiguration; (c) be with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 17:1-12; Mark 5:37; Luke 8:51; Mark 9:2; Luke 9:28; Matthew 26:37; Mark 14:33).
- When do you see a change in the behavior of the brothers?
- What caused them to change?
- If your family and friends are comparing you to the “Sons of Thunder,” what can you take from these two brothers’ lives that will help you change the way they did?
Tuesday | Today’s Reading
“The depth and fervor of John’s affection for his Master was not the cause of Christ’s love for him, but the effect of that love. John desired to become like Jesus, and under the transforming influence of the love of Christ he did become meek and lowly. Self was hid in Jesus. Above all his companions, John yielded himself to the power of that wondrous life. He says, ‘The life was manifested, and we have seen it.’ ‘And of His fullness have all we received, and grace for grace.’ 1 John 1:2; John 1:16. John knew the Saviour by an experimental knowledge. His Master’s lessons were graven on his soul. When he testified of the Saviour’s grace, his simple language was eloquent with the love that pervaded his whole being” (The Acts of the Apostles, pp. 544, 545).
SO WHAT?
A popular catch phrase today is “It’s a process.” When it comes to life in the kingdom of God, that’s not a bad way to look at it. For James and John to isolate
one moment of greatness or failure to mark their lives as disciples would have been ridiculous. Yet people often allow their own failures to be final or their success to carry them too far. The book The Desire of Ages describes beautifully how Jesus dealt with the Sons of Thunder and their determined quest for glory: “Jesus bears tenderly with them, not rebuking their selfishness in seeking preference above their brethren. He reads their hearts; He knows the depth of their attachment to Him” (p. 548).
Don’t you just love that about Jesus? Wherever you are in the journey, know that even when you don’t know what is going on, the Savior knows who you are and where you are—and He patiently guides you closer to Himself. On many occasions, the choice to serve yourself will rise up in conflict with the choice to serve others. But those who have chosen to remain close to Christ get to know Him, and learn a few things about themselves “in the process.”
Fill in the Blanks
1. “Let us fix our ________ on Jesus, the author and __________ of our faith, who for the joy set before him __________the cross, scorning its _________, and sat down at the __________ hand of God. Consider him who endured such ___________ from sinful _______, so that you will not grow ______ and lose _______” (Hebrews 12:2, 3, NIV).
2. “So then, men ought to regard us as _________ of _______ and as those ____________ with the secret things of _______. Now it is __________You speak of having so much experience with alcoholics, and people who drink on more than one occasion, so one would assume that you would act like it. I would think that if someone has been exposed to such extreme alcoholics, they'd never want to even venture near the substance again that those who have been given a _______ must prove ______” (1 Corinthians 4:1, 2, NIV).
3. “This calls for ________ endurance on the part of the ______ who ______ God’s commandments and remain _________ to Jesus” (Revelation 14:12, NIV).
4. “A __________ man will be richly ______, but one _______ to get rich will not go ___________” (Proverbs 28:20, NIV).
5. “Many a man _______ to have _________You speak of having so much experience with alcoholics, and people who drink on more than one occasion, so one would assume that you would act like it. I would think that if someone has been exposed to such extreme alcoholics, they'd never want to even venture near the substance again. ________, but a _______ man who can find?” (Proverbs 20:6, NIV).
6. “Being confident of this, that he who began a ______ _____ in you will _______ it on to __________ until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6, NIV).
“All the disciples had serious faults when Jesus called them to His service. Even John, who came into closest association with the meek and lowly One, was not himself naturally meek and yielding. He and his brother were called ‘the sons of thunder.’ While they were with Jesus, any slight shown to Him aroused their indignation and combativeness. Evil temper, revenge, the spirtit of criticism, were all in the beloved disciple. He was proud, and ambitious to be first in the kingdom of God. But day by day, in contrast with his own violent spirit, he beheld the tenderness and forbearance of Jesus, and heard His lessons of humility and patience. He opened his heart to the divine influence, and became not only a hearer but a doer of the Savior’s words. Self was hid in Christ. He learned to wear the yoke of Christ and to bear His burden” (The Desire of Ages, p. 295).
WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH ME?
Every once in a while, it is good for young people to wonder where the road ahead may lead them. It is equally important not to lock in to tightly on the picture either—ask James and John if they ended up where they envisioned, and they would say both “no” and “yes.”
“No.”—James was the first apostle to lose his life, at the very beginning of the growth of the Christian Church. His impact on the early church was huge, and the enemy of the church thought that putting him to death would stall the cause. Instead, the church grew. John was the last of Christ’s disciples to die. The Roman authories tried to kill him by boiling him in oil, but they failed. Then John wrote some of the most powerful statements about Christ ever written. Instead of being on the left and the right, James and John were the first and the last. But their legacy of devotion continues.
“Yes”—They would say “yes” because they ended up exactly where they always wanted to be—in close relationship to their Friend and Lord, Jesus. Throughout their journey their primary purpose was to be close to Him, and in being close to Him they found no better place to be. What about you? Success or failure, whether you know where you will end up or not, you can rest in the knowledge that Jesus will be right there. What else would you want? What else could you ask for?
“It is no part of Christ's mission to compel men to receive Him. It is Satan, and men actuated by his spirit, who seek to compel the conscience. Under a pretense of zeal for righteousness, men who are confederated with evil angels sometimes bring suffering upon their fellow men in order to convert them to their ideas of religion; but Christ is ever showing mercy, ever seeking to win by the revealing of His love. He can admit no rival in the soul, nor accept of partial service; but He desires only voluntary service, the willing surrender of the heart under the constraint of love.
“On another occasion James and John presented through their mother a petition requesting that they might be permitted to occupy the highest positions of honor in Christ's kingdom. Notwithstanding Christ's repeated instruction concerning the nature of His kingdom, these young disciples still cherished the hope for a Messiah who would take His throne and kingly power in accordance with the desires of men. The mother, coveting with them the place of honor in this kingdom for her sons, asked, ‘Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on Thy right hand, and the other on the left, in Thy kingdom.’
“But the Saviour answered, ‘Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?’ They recalled His mysterious words pointing to trial and suffering, yet answered confidently, ‘We are able.’ They would count it highest honor to prove their loyalty by sharing all that was to befall their Lord.
“‘Ye shall drink indeed of My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with,’ Christ declared—before Him a cross instead of a throne, two malefactors His companions at His right hand and at His left. James and John were to be sharers with their Master in suffering—the one, destined to swift-coming death by the sword; the other, longest of all the disciples to follow his Master in labor and reproach and persecution. ‘But to sit on My right hand, and on My left,’ He continued, ‘is not Mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of My Father.’ Matthew 20:21-23.
“Jesus understood the motive that prompted the request and thus reproved the pride and ambition of the two disciples: ‘The princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many.’ Matthew 20:25-28.
“In the kingdom of God, position is not gained through favoritism. It is not earned, nor is it received through an arbitrary bestowal. It is the result of character. The crown and the throne are the tokens of a condition attained—tokens of self-conquest through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
“Long afterward, when John had been brought into sympathy with Christ through the fellowship of His sufferings, the Lord Jesus revealed to him what is the condition of nearness to His kingdom. ‘To him that overcometh,’ Christ said, ‘will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne.’ Revelation 3:21. The one who stands nearest to Christ will be he who has drunk most deeply of His spirit of self-sacrificing love,—love that ‘vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, . . . seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil’ (1 Corinthians 13:4, 5)—love that moves the disciple, as it moved our Lord, to give all, to live and labor and sacrifice even unto death, for the saving of humanity” (The Acts of the Apostles, pp. 541-543).
- When did James and John start growing spiritually?
- How did they end up?
- As they grew spiritually, did they grow up all at once or did they sort of stop and start?
- How are you like James and John in your spiritual growth?
- What do you think your future will hold as a follower of Christ?
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Draw a picture that depicts the rings on a tree. Each ring is a season of growth. Make two trees and their rings. Use one to depict the life of James and John at various points of the tree. Then, on the next tree, indicate the seasons of your own growth, marking pivotal moments of success and failure. Know that each ring matters, ad the rings don’t go away or get erased. Take some time to reflect on your own journey and think about what the future may hold for you as a follower of Christ.