Glory or Servanthood?
- Learn how Jesus' radical call to servant leadership in Mark 10:35-45 challenges worship leaders to rethink their motives, embrace humility, and lead like Christ in a world focused on self-promotion.
FROM THE ARCHIVES – Worship Leader Magazine – July/August 2013
Editor’s Note: The 2013 article from Worship Leader Magazine remains profoundly relevant today, particularly in how it addresses the heart of leadership in Christian ministry. In a time where self-promotion and individual success often dominate cultural narratives, the counter-cultural call to servanthood outlined in Mark 10:35-45 is as timely as ever. The struggle between desiring personal glory and seeking to glorify God, as described by the author, resonates with modern leaders facing similar temptations for recognition. By focusing on Jesus’ example of sacrificial leadership, the article challenges worship leaders and pastors today to reflect on their motivations and embrace humility in their service. Its message encourages us to prioritize God’s glory over personal ambition, a critical reminder in an age where social media and platforms can often blur the lines between serving others and seeking self-validation. In essence, this article serves as a timeless reminder of Jesus’ call to servant leadership and the heart posture needed to lead in a way that truly honors Him.
Here’s Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts from 2013.
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How should a follower of Jesus lead others?
I can think of no better biblical passage to answer this question than Mark 10:35-45. I can also think of no other passage in Scripture that more incisively reveals and challenges my own heart as a leader.
In Mark 10, Jesus shared with his disciples for the second time that he was soon to be crucified (10:33-34). After he finished, James and John approached him with an audacious request: “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory” (10:37). Thus, the two brothers revealed their heart’s yearning for personal glory. They wanted to bask in the adoration that would be focused on Jesus when he reigned in the kingdom.
Jesus did not rebuke James and John for their self-absorption. Rather, he told them that they had no idea what they were asking. Jesus knew they did not understand that he was about to drink the cup of God’s wrath as he died on the cross.
All About Me?
When the other disciples heard what had happened, they “became indignant with James and John” (10:42). Of course, their indignation revealed their own self-centeredness. No doubt they wanted to be glorified alongside Jesus and felt angry that the brothers had beaten them to the punch.
Jesus used this occasion to reveal the distinctive character of leadership in the kingdom of God. Those who want to be great must become servants. Those who seek to be first in glory must become first in humility by becoming slaves of all. This stunning, counter-cultural call to servanthood is based on the example of Jesus himself: “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” (10:45). Jesus did not come to receive the glory promised to the Son of Man (see Daniel 7:13-18). Rather, he came to fulfill the role of the Suffering Servant of God (see Isaiah 52:13-53:12), whose sacrifice would bring salvation and healing.
A View From Heaven
This was surely an unsettling revelation for James, John, and the rest of the disciples. They were expecting Jesus to be enthroned in glory and they hoped to share in his exaltation. Instead, Jesus spoke of his sacrificial servanthood, calling his followers to imitate his example in their own leadership.
This story from the Gospel of Mark challenges me to consider my own motivations as a leader. I would confess to you that, as a worship leader, I often struggle with my ego. No, I’m not generally filled with pride. On the contrary, when I stand before people as a guest preacher—the usual form of my worship leadership these days—I can easily feel insecure. I can be preoccupied, not so much with how people will respond to the message God has given me as with whether or not they like me. I’ve surrendered this preoccupation to the Lord a hundred times. I expect I’ll have to surrender it a bunch more before I’m done.
Dueling Desires
I’m embarrassed to share this with you, but perhaps my honesty will help you peer into your own heart. If you’re at all like me, you genuinely want God to be glorified through your leadership. That’s your primary passion. Yet, there’s a part of you that cries out for attention and affirmation. Have you ever wished that you could receive the adulation of a Chris Tomlin or a Matt Redman? Do you wish your songs made the CCLI Top 25? Or, if you’re a preacher, would you like to be mentioned in the same breath with Louie Giglio or Tim Keller?
I take genuine comfort in the fact that the earliest followers of Jesus struggled as I do. If Jesus chose people like this as his disciples, he’s not scandalized by me and my need for affirmation. But, at the same time, I am challenged by Jesus to imitate him, to choose his way of humility, and to learn how to genuinely serve those I’m called to lead, without regard for myself and my emotional needs.
Let me encourage you to let this story from Mark reveal your heart to you, even as the words of Jesus challenge you and the example of Jesus inspires you. May God give us the grace to be like Jesus: people of genuine humility, leaders who don’t crave the spotlight but who truly seek to serve those whom God has given us to lead. To him be all the glory … really!
Mark 10:35-45 (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.” 36 And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” 37 And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” 38 Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” 39 And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, 40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” 41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. 42 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,[a] 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave[b] of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
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