Mark 10:35–45 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” “We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.” When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Oxymorons: Words that people put together that really shouldn’t be put together. Oxymorons are words that contradict each other, yet are used in the same breath, right next to each other, and somehow we make sense of them. For example, when you try something on in a store, you might say, “It’s a little big.”

We use oxymorons all the time:

freezer burn
Jumbo Shrimp
Live Recording
Same difference
Tight Slacks
Pretty Ugly
Almost Exactly
Constant Change
Awfully Good
Civil War

Even though the words are opposites, somehow we understand what is meant when they are put together. In fact, some of them make very good sense to us even though they are contradictory terms.

That is the way Jesus is speaking to His disciples in the passage above:  … whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. Even though the terms contradict, we understand what they mean. Greatness in God’s Kingdom comes through Service. High placement by God is given to those who don’t try to elevate themselves. And it is all put into proper perspective when we look at Jesus Christ. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

So much of our faith seems to be contradictory or paradoxical. The way God has made Himself known to us is not what you would expect. Who would have expected the Almighty and all powerful and all-knowing Creator and Ruler of everything to become a man? Not only that, who could have guessed that He would choose to be born in the humblest of surroundings, live an ordinary life, facing hardships and struggles each day? And who could ever have guessed that the way we would best know and understand God would be through an instrument of torture and pain, a place of execution, a crude, rugged cross?

The greatest news you will ever hear comes to you in an oxymoron: crucified and risen. It does not make sense to put those terms together, and that is why the world rejects this message. It just doesn’t happen. But in the case of Jesus, it did. It makes sense when you put the power of God into the equation. Yes, Jesus was put to death for our sins. But an even greater “yes” is God’s raising Him again to let us know that sin has been paid for, death has been defeated, and life eternal is a free gift to all who trust in Him.

Jesus did everything for us. He was a servant. While we were sinners, He died for us. Even though we lived as His enemies, He reconciled us to Himself (Romans 5). It all appears so contradictory, but it is true. We can live with these oxymorons because we have been led to faith. In gratitude for the Savior’s dying love we will try to follow His example, being servants to one another.