“What is it you want?” and “What is it you want Jesus to do for you?”  These are questions that Jesus asks of two different groups of people (disciples and blind men) in back to back stories with different requests and different responses from Jesus from our text for Sunday, Matthew 20:20-34.

These are questions Jesus asks of us too.  They are questions of desire.  Our answer to these questions will lead to shackles or to freedom.  Jesus is setting up a choice between two kinds of kingdom’s: the Kingdom of this World and the Kingdom of God.  Which one we choose to live into will determine a life of freedom or a life of shackles.  And it all begins with desire.

What is it that we want God to do for us?   Ultimately, what is it we want?

In response to James and John request to be great in the Kingdom of God, Jesus asks the question of James and John, “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”  The disciples don’t hesitate, they answer, “We can.”  But they do not understand exactly what that will require practically or vocationally.  They do not understand it in terms of the Kingdom of God and Kingdom desire.  Do we understand?

Our understanding and living out of Jesus teachings about Kingdom of God desire will define us in terms of Kingdom of God greatness.  Our understanding and living out of Kingdom of God desire and principles will lead to shackles (lack of desire and principles) or freedom (engagement of desire and principles.)

The choice is ours.  “Can you drink from this cup?”  Instead of speaking in riddles, see you Sunday for some unpacking of the text and an engaging time of download following the worship.

See you Sunday,
Pastor Mark