I had someone tell me this week that they wanted to win the Lottery so they would have no financial worries. I wanted to tell them to look at the history of previous Lottery winners and them modify their wish. Almost all who win make their lives even more miserable than they were before. They might have a temporary blip in their financial wellbeing, but in the long run, they end up back where they started.
Never say “Yes” to a request before you know what the request is. To put it another way, don’t jump until you know how deep the water is. Impulsive commitments can cost you much more than you ever imagined.
On the other side of the equation are those people who never make decisions. They take so long to come to a decision, to make a commitment, that they end up doing next to nothing with their lives. They are always observing the action, but never participating. They have plenty of time and energy, but are always complaining about how busy they are.
Jesus recognizes that something is up with two of His disciples. They want something from Him and they don’t trust Him to give it to them, so they resort to an arm-twisting tactic. Jesus doesn’t fall for the arm-twisting. They begin to make their demand, but Jesus never tells them He will grant it. They wanted a blank check request from Jesus.
When the magic lamp gets rubbed, the Genie must grant the three wishes. These two disciples were trying to rub their lamp. Jesus takes their hands away from the lamp. He won’t bow to their request. He won’t fall into their trap.
So what are the disciples wanting? They want the seats of honor in Jesus’ Kingdom. They are probably envisioning an earthly kingdom, with an earthly power structure, an earthly throne room, a golden carpet and a raised platform on which Jesus and they would sit. They wanted all the kings of the earth to come and bow before them, and of course before Jesus. They wanted positions of power and honor for themselves.
There is no blank check request we can make to Jesus. There are always caveats. Instead of asking Jesus what He can do for us, perhaps we should be asking what we can do for Him!
The Arnold Journey 