From our childhood onward we all seek for recognition, affirmation, and attention from those around us. As children, we long to hear our parents affirming recognition of our efforts, obedience, and performance.  As students, we rejoice to see the teachers encouraging comments in red ink next to the circled letter grade with the little plus sign next to it.  As an employee we desire to receive a financial acknowledgement of the hard work and dedication that we have put into our work.  Everyone desires and needs affirmation.  But there are also times when we desire such recognition and acknowledgment without the labor, effort, commitment, and sacrifice.   As children we may dream of the day when we will be receiving an Olympic gold medal, or elected captain of the team, or playing music in Carnegie Hall, or receiving an Oscar for our great performance, or serving as president of a company or even the country. But little do we ever dream of the great sacrifice, dedication, practice and cost that must be paid to achieve such things.  The disciples of Yeshua were not without these same, very human, traits.  The siblings James and John clearly had such a dream.  They desired to be Yeshua’s right and left hand men in his glory.

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. ³⁶ And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you? ³⁷ They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory. (Mark 10:35-37 KJV)

Clearly these two brothers were not ashamed of their association with Yeshua.  In many respects we may acknowledge their desire to be so closely related to Yeshua as a noble desire.   But we must also acknowledge that their desire is incomplete.  Yeshua’s answer brought a great deal of sobriety to the childlike desire for affirmation, recognition, and glory.

But Yeshua said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? (Mark 10:38 KJV)

Yeshua clearly understood what lay before him. While most of Judaism believed in and were waiting for the coming Messiah, very few understood what it meant to be the Messiah.  For most “believers” of Yeshua’s day, the expected Messiah was to come with political and military power to drive out the Romans, and establish once more the throne of David and splendor of Jerusalem.  The Messiah, in the minds of most, was to come as a majestic king with power, pomp, and glory.  But Yeshua understood that to be Messiah also meant to suffer, serve, and die.

And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. (Mark 8:31 KJV)

Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles: (Mark 10:33 KJV)

This picture of the Messiah, as the suffering servant, was not completely foreign to the children of Israel as is evident by the writings of the prophet Isaiah.

 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. ⁴ Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. ⁵ But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:3-5 KJV)

While this view of the Messiah as suffering servant was known to the children of Israel it was not widely embraced.  It was the glorious and victorious Messiah that everyone was waiting for.  It was the glorious and victorious Messiah that James and John wanted to be associated with in glory.  Yeshua is very clear that his “glory” comes precisely through the cross.  Defeating the Romans only required a bigger army and greater weapons.  But even if Yeshua and his band of disciples conquered Rome—they would still not be free from the power and bondage of sin and death.  No the enemies that Yeshua came to conquer were much greater than the Roman Empire, the Greek Empire, the Babylonian Empire, the British Empire, the United States, or even the spreading reign of Islam!  The enemy that Yeshua the Messiah came to defeat was sin—which leads to selfishness, self-centeredness, self-servitude, self-aggrandizing, self-promoting, which in turn leads to violence, war, and ultimately death.  Yeshua came to conquer the unbridled animal nature that has caused us to stand in judgment over YHWH’S word and to be our own gods and lords.  Yeshua the Messiah came to conquer sin that separates us from the Sovereign Creator of the Universe and holds us in bondage to death and exile from life everlasting in the world to come. For Yeshua to overcome sin, selfishness, and death, he must embrace the cross, he must suffer death, he must drink from the cup that the Father has appointed for him.  This is the baptism and cup that he refers to.  Yeshua asked his ambitious disciples if they were able to participate in this baptism and drink of this cup. 

But Yeshua said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? ³⁹ And they said unto him, We can. And Yeshua said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized: (Mark 10:38-39 KJV)

Here Yeshua affirms that if anyone wants to share his glory they must drink from the same cup and endure the same baptism of the cross.

And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. ³⁶ And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt. (Mark 14:35-36 KJV)

Once James and John confessed that they were willing and able to share in this price, Yeshua affirmed that they would indeed taste the bitterness of his cup and feel the pain of his baptism. Yet even so, the places of honor that they desire would be bestowed by the Sovereign One, not Messiah his servant.  We may note that John and James wanted to be on the right hand and left hand of Yeshua in his glory—but not at Golgotha!

And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left. (Mark 15:27 KJV)  

We should consider and understand Yeshua’s words carefully.  If we want to share in Yeshua’s resurrection and glory we have to share in Yeshua’s obedience, suffering, cross and death. There is no short cut to glory. 

Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Yeshua Messiah were baptized into his death? ⁴ Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Messiah was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. ⁵ For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: (Romans 6:3-5 KJV)

Let us be very clear.  There is no way to defeat death without dying.  To defeat death we must allow it to completely consume us.  We must be willing to embrace the cross completely that we may be risen completely in Messiah.  Standing beside the cross will not defeat death. Wearing a cross around our neck will not defeat death.  Talking about the cross will not defeat death.  Picking up our cross and following Messiah, dying in Messiah that we may live in Messiah, only this will defeat sin and death.

We should recognize that this death in Messiah does not begin with our physical death.  This death in Messiah begins immediately in the present. This death in Messiah begins with a very present death to ourselves.  If we are members of the body of Messiah we must die to our own ambitions and allow YHWH to use us as he used his Son our Master.  We must allow the spirit of the Holy One to have full reign of our lives, directing our thoughts, our feelings, and especially our actions.  If we are truly members of the body of Messiah then we will do the work of Messiah.  If we are truly members of the body of Messiah, anointed and filled with the Spirit of Messiah, then we will demonstrate or manifest the character of Messiah, who came to serve, not be served, and gave his life a ransom for many.  This means that we must die to our own dreams, desires, wants, hopes, ambitions and thoughts of personal glory, and live instead to complete the work of YHWH begun in Yeshua.

But Yeshua called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. ⁴³ But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: ⁴⁴ And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. (Mark 10:42-45 KJV)

As Messiah gave himself for the sake of his brethren, so we too are to give of ourselves for the sake of the brethren.  As Yeshua came to serve YHWH, being obedient even unto death upon the cross, so we too should embody the same spirit and mind among ourselves.

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Messiah Yeshua: ⁶ Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: ⁷ But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: ⁸ And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:5-8 KJV)  

As the body of Messiah we should expect the same treatment as received by Yeshua.  We will be welcomed by a few and rejected by others.  We will be blessed some and persecuted by others. But, like Messiah, we shall endure it all out of love for the Father and for his creation.  When we have been crucified in Messiah, we no longer live for the affirmation or the glory, but simply for the love of YHWH.  This is the heart and mind of the Messiah to serve YHWH for YHWH’S sake alone.  Love of YHWH is the fruit of the Spirit.  While glory may indeed come, and while may rejoice in hearing the Father’s “Well done good and faithful servant,” we will know when the our death, and identity in Messiah is complete when love of YHWH alone is the motivation of our lives, our thoughts, our hearts, and our actions.