The Disciples' Request for Power and Glory Explained
The disciples' repeated requests for power and glory reveal a fundamental misunderstanding of Jesus' mission and the nature of his kingdom. When they came to Jesus asking "Who then is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?" [1], they demonstrated an ambition that persisted throughout his ministry, culminating in James and John's request for the seats of honor beside Christ in his glory [5].
The Pattern of Misplaced Ambition
The disciples' confusion stemmed from their expectation of a temporal, political kingdom. When Jesus spoke of his coming reign, they envisioned earthly authority and status. This misunderstanding was so pervasive that even after Jesus' explicit teaching about his suffering and death, the disciples continued to jockey for position. John Gill notes that Jesus recognized "the same ambitious views prevailed in them all" [4], which is why he addressed not just the two brothers who made the request, but all twelve disciples.
The indignation of the other ten disciples when James and John sought special places [9] suggests they harbored similar desires themselves. Their anger likely arose not from righteous concern about proper kingdom values, but from competitive jealousy—they wanted those positions for themselves [9].
Jesus' Response: Ignorance and Correction
Jesus' reply to their request was pointed: "Ye know not what ye ask" [5]. This rebuke exposed their fundamental ignorance about the nature of discipleship. The disciples were "under the influence of their own spirits, and not the Spirit of God; they are prompted to ask things from a selfish principle, and not with a view to the glory of God" [5]. Their petition revealed they had absorbed the world's understanding of greatness rather than Christ's.
To correct this misunderstanding, Jesus contrasted kingdom leadership with Gentile patterns of authority. He observed that "the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them" [4]. The worldly model of leadership centered on hierarchical power, coercive control, and the exercise of authority over subordinates. The disciples assumed Jesus' kingdom would operate according to this same structure, only with themselves occupying the positions of power.
The Authority Jesus Did Grant
The irony is that Jesus had already given his disciples genuine authority—but of an entirely different character. He "called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to heal diseases" [3]. This authority was not for self-aggrandizement but for service to others. The power Jesus delegated was demonstrated through miraculous works that manifested "the glory of God" and "the glory of Christ" [2], not the glory of the disciples themselves.
The disciples would indeed bring glory to the Son [8], but through love and obedience rather than through positions of earthly honor. Their curriculum consisted of "all the commands of Jesus," and the church would be marked by obedience to these commands [6]. Jesus' authority and presence formed the basis for their mission [6], not their own status or power.
The Doctrine of the Cross
Jesus used this occasion to preach "the doctrine of the cross" to his disciples [7], making clear that following him meant preparing "for persecutions, sufferings, and death" [7]. The path to glory in Christ's kingdom ran through suffering and service, not through the accumulation of earthly power. The disciples needed to understand that leadership in God's kingdom required a complete inversion of worldly values [9].
The disciples' request thus exposed a tension that would only be resolved after the resurrection and Pentecost: the gap between their expectations of a political messiah and the reality of a suffering servant who would establish his kingdom through sacrifice rather than force.
Sources
- Matthew “In that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” -- Matthew 18:1”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Miracles — Power of God necessary to -- Joh 3:2. Described as Marvellous things. -- Ps 78:12. Marvellous works. -- Isa 29:14; Ps 105:5. Signs and wonders. -- Jer 32:21; Joh 4:48; 2Co 12:12. Manifest The glory of God. -- Joh 11:4. The glory of Christ. -- Joh 2:11; 11:4. The works of God. -- Joh 9:3. Were evidences of a divine commission -- Ex 4:1-5; Mr 16:20. The Messiah was expected to perform -- Mt 11:2,3; Joh 7:31. Jesus was proved to be the Messiah by -- Mt 11:4-6; Lu 7:20-22; Joh 5:36; Ac 2:22. Jesus was followed on account of -- Mt 4:23-25; 14:35,36; Joh 6:2,26;”
- Luke “Luke 9:1 (Geneva1599) — Then called hee his twelue disciples together, and gaue them power and authoritie ouer all deuils, and to heale diseases.”
- Matthew (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Matthew 20:24: But Jesus called them unto him,.... All his twelve disciples, perceiving that the same ambitious views prevailed in them all: to discourage which, and to prevent their quarrelling one with another, he called them to him, and made use of the following reasonings: and said, ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them; appealing to them in a case that was well known by them, what the princes of the Gentiles did; or, as Mark expresses it, "they which are accounted", or "seem to rule over th”
- Mark (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Mark 10:35: But Jesus said unto them,.... Not by granting them what they desired, but by observing their ignorance to them; ye know not what ye ask: for sometimes good men are ignorant petitioners at the throne of grace; they are under the influence of their own spirits, and not the Spirit of God; they are prompted to ask things from a selfish principle, and not with a view to the glory of God, and their own spiritual welfare, and that of others: and indeed, the best of saints know not what they should pray for as they ought; and always stand in need of the help, assistance, and”
- Matthew (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Matthew 28:20: 28:20 Teach: The disciples’ curriculum is comprised of all the commands of Jesus (e.g., the Sermon on the Mount, chs 5–7). The church is to be marked by its obedience to Jesus’ commands (5:17-20; 7:13-27). Jesus’ authority and presence are the basis for the disciples’ mission (see also 1:23; 18:20).”
- Matthew (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Matthew 16:23: Then said Jesus unto his disciples,.... Knowing that they had all imbibed the same notion of a temporal kingdom, and were in expectation of worldly riches, honour, and pleasure; he took this opportunity of preaching the doctrine of the cross to them, and of letting them know, that they must prepare for persecutions, sufferings, and death; which they must expect to endure, as well as he, if they would be his disciples: if any man will come after me: that is, be a disciple and follower of him, it being usual for the master to go before, and the disciple to follow af”
- John (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on John 17:10: 17:10 Just as the Son brings glory to the Father (17:1, 4-5), the disciples bring the Son glory (17:22). The love and obedience that brought glory to God in Jesus’ life become features of his disciples’ lives.”
- Mark (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Mark 10:41: 10:41 the ten other disciples . . . were indignant: Perhaps they wanted the special places requested by James and John for themselves. All of Jesus’ disciples needed a new understanding of what leadership in God’s Kingdom means (10:42-45).”