Lent | The Way of the Cross

Devotional

Day 1: Recognizing Jesus as the True Source of Greatness

The disciples correctly identified Jesus as the one who holds all glory and authority. They understood that true greatness is found in proximity to Him, not in the worldly systems of power and prestige that surrounded them. This recognition is the starting point for every follower of Christ, a turning away from the world's empty promises to align oneself with the true King. In doing so, we acknowledge that every good thing and every worthy pursuit flows from His majesty and grace. [10:19]

“You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.” (John 13:13, ESV)

Reflection: Where in your life are you still looking to the world’s systems—such as career status, social approval, or financial security—for a sense of importance, rather than finding your entire identity and worth in your proximity to Christ?

Day 2: The World's Path Versus Christ's Path to Greatness

The way of the world is clear: greatness is achieved through power, position, and lording authority over others. It is a climb upward on a ladder of self-promotion. Christ presents a radically different path, one that moves decisively downward into humility and service. He does not offer a slight modification of the world’s method but a complete inversion of it, where the last become first and the servant is the greatest of all. [16:50]

“You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you.” (Mark 10:42-43a, ESV)

Reflection: In your specific workplace, family, or social circles, what is one concrete example of “lording it over” others that is considered normal? What would it look like for you to consciously choose the inverted path of service in that same situation this week?

Day 3: The Concrete Call to Be a Servant

Humility can feel like an abstract concept, difficult to measure or practice. Jesus makes it tangible by using the unmistakable metaphor of a servant. A servant’s role is not vague; it is defined by action, putting the needs of another above their own. This call moves past the realm of ideas and into the daily choices of who will set the table, who will listen first, and who will take on the task no one else wants. [15:07]

“If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.” (John 13:14, ESV)

Reflection: What is one specific, recurring task in your home or community that you avoid because you feel it is beneath you or someone else’s responsibility? How might choosing to embrace that task change your heart and reflect the heart of Christ?

Day 4: Allowing Christ to Serve You First

We cannot give what we have not received. The ability to serve others in a way that is genuine and sustainable flows from first receiving the ultimate service of Christ on our behalf. He served us by bearing the humiliation and filth of our sin, taking the punishment we deserved. To refuse this profound service is to cut ourselves off from Him; to receive it is to be transformed from the inside out. [40:14]

“If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” (John 13:8b, ESV)

Reflection: Is there a part of your story or a pattern of sin that you feel is too shameful to bring to Jesus, preferring to handle it yourself? What would it look like today to stop trying to clean yourself and instead receive His cleansing service for you?

Day 5: Greatness Through Sacrificial Service

The world’s vision of greatness fades into obscurity, but the greatness found in sacrificial service echoes into eternity. Christ’s glory was most fully displayed not on a throne of gold but on the cross of shame, flanked not by honored officials but by convicted criminals. This is the paradoxical economy of God’s kingdom, where true, lasting greatness is forged in the fires of self-giving love and is ultimately rewarded by God Himself. [47:30]

“And they crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his left.” (Mark 15:27, ESV)

Reflection: When you experience a moment of humiliation or feel overlooked because you chose to serve someone, how can you remind yourself of the cross—where Jesus transformed the ultimate act of humiliation into the greatest display of glory?

Sermon Summary

Mark 10:35–45 reframes greatness by turning worldly ambition upside down: true honor flows from humble service rather than public power. The narrative of James and John asking to sit at Jesus’ right and left exposes a common misread of glory—people can identify the right person but misunderstand the path he walks. Jesus warns that greatness requires drinking his cup and sharing his baptism, images that point directly to the cross where humiliation becomes redemptive service. The teaching then lays down a simple, concrete ethic: those who would be great must become servants and slaves of all, following the Son of Man who came not to be served but to give his life as a ransom.

This inversion of values appears elsewhere in the Gospels, most clearly when Jesus hems off his outer garments, takes a towel, and washes disciples’ feet. That act shows servanthood as intimate, humiliating, and scandalously formative—one cannot accept Jesus’ lowly service and remain unchanged. The cup and baptism language ties Jesus’ impending suffering to the divine economy of redemption: the king’s route to glory passes through abasement and bearing the world’s sin. The cross therefore becomes both the ultimate example and the mechanism by which followers receive cleansing and then are sent to serve others; refusing Christ’s humiliating service cripples genuine Christian service. Finally, Mark’s crucifixion scene reframes enthronement—the glory of Jesus appears at the moment of his apparent defeat, calling disciples to pursue a greatness found at the bottom rather than the top.

Key Takeaways

1. Greatness means serving, not ruling True greatness in the kingdom flips societal metrics: authority proves itself by submitting to others. Seeking distinction through status undermines the way God exalts; Jesus models a greatness that flows from laying oneself down for the good of others. Pursuing influence must begin with asking how influence can be used to bear others’ burdens rather than to collect honor. [12:49]
2. Jesus' glory lies in humility The path to divine glorification travels through suffering and shame rather than triumphal display. The cross shows that God’s honor is vindicated in vulnerability—the Lamb’s wounds become the sign of victory and power. Embracing shame with faith opens participation in the same vindicating glory. [47:07]
3. Receive Christ's shameful service Being washed by Christ means accepting cleansing that exposes weakness and sin, not merely boosts comfort. The foot-washing scene demands surrender to a humiliating kindness that first strips dignity to create dependence. Those who refuse this radical mercy will struggle to mirror it to others. [25:53]
4. Service is concrete, not abstract Humility appears not as an idea but as particular tasks that cost dignity and preference. The kingdom calls for real-world humility—chores, awkward mercy, unwanted sacrifice—rather than vague spiritual sentiment. Choosing the lower place in everyday relationships trains the soul for kingdom greatness. [16:32]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:19] - SAG anecdote and setup
[02:17] - Pursuit of greatness framed
[03:17] - Jesus' recurring theme
[05:08] - Reading: Mark 10:35–45
[06:09] - James and John's request
[12:49] - Definition of true greatness
[25:53] - John 13: foot-washing example
[33:41] - The cup, baptism, and cross
[47:07] - Crucifixion as glory
[48:14] - Prayer and application

Bible Study Guide

Based on the sermon summary and transcript provided, here is a Bible study discussion guide.

Bible Reading
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.” And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” 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?” 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, 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.” And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. 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. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Observation questions

What specific request did James and John make of Jesus, and what does their approach reveal about their understanding of His mission?
How did Jesus redefine the terms "great" and "first" for his followers in contrast to the way the Gentile rulers operated? [12:31]
What two vivid images did Jesus use (the cup and the baptism) to describe the path He had to walk, and how did the disciples respond? [06:09]
According to the passage, what was the ultimate purpose of the Son of Man's coming to earth?

Interpretation questions

Jesus told James and John they did not know what they were asking. In what ways can someone correctly identify Jesus as the source of greatness but still completely misunderstand the path to sharing in that greatness? [10:59]
The world's path to greatness and the Christian's path to greatness are described as being "completely complementary." What does it mean that the world needs a servant and the Christian needs to be a servant? How does this reframe a situation where you feel someone is trying to use you? [23:05]
Why is receiving a humiliating kind of service, like having your dirty feet washed, so much harder than receiving service that makes you feel important and honored? What does our resistance to this say about our hearts? [30:36]
The crucifixion scene is presented as the moment of Jesus's true enthronement in glory, with a criminal on his right and left. How does this upside-down picture of glory challenge our deepest assumptions about power, success, and honor? [47:07]

Application questions

Is there a specific battle going on in your life right now—with a spouse, roommate, coworker, or family member—where you are resisting the role of servant? What would it look like this week to stop fighting for your importance and embrace serving them? [20:04]
We often love the idea of being known as a servant but hate feeling like one or being treated like one. Where does this gap exist for you? What is one concrete, perhaps undesirable task you could take on this week that would cost you a bit of your dignity or preference? [16:32]
The path to becoming a servant of others begins by receiving the humiliating service of Jesus on the cross for our sins. When you confess your sins and ask for forgiveness, are you truly asking for the Son of God to bear your vileness, or is it a more comfortable transaction? How can meditating on the cross reshape your willingness to serve others? [40:51]
The world says greatness is found at the top; Jesus says it's found at the bottom. With your life choices, your spending, your use of time, and your ambitions, where are you currently betting that true greatness is found? What is one practical way you can "move down the ladder" in a specific area of your life? [16:50]
Peter initially refused to let Jesus wash his feet because it felt wrong for a master to serve in such a lowly way. Are there areas in your walk with God where you are resisting His service because it feels too exposing or humbling? What would it look like to surrender and say, "Then wash all of me"? [31:25]

Sermon Clips

23s

#LeadershipIsService

“Leadership is service. Like, we have these things that we kind of say off the tip of our tongue, but I want you to just kind of sit and actually look at what Jesus is saying. He's saying in the hierarchy of the world, the world says the path to greatness is to go up the ladder. Jesus says, I am I am decisively saying the opposite.”

24s

#RecognizeDontUnderstand

“And so in this moment, what what's happening in the story is this, they have identified the right person. They've identified correctly Jesus as the person of greatness in the story, but they still don't understand the path that that greatness will take. And this isn't just the disciples' problem. This is actually our problem. It's exactly what's gonna happen to the disciples later in the story.”

Ask a question about this sermon

Treeline Church This sermon · AI assistant

What is true greatness according to Jesus?

Why must greatness be pursued through humble service?

How does Jesus' sacrificial service empower Christian servanthood?

Lent | The Way of the Cross - Service