N T Wright

When faced with two of his right-hand men, James and John, wanting the best seats ‘in the kingdom’, Jesus responded by redefining power itself. The world’s rulers exercise power by bossing and bullying, he said; but we’re going to do it the other way. The greatest must be the servant. The one who wants to be first must be slave of all. Then comes the crunch: he explains that this is so because the son of man didn’t come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10.45).