WEBVTT 00:00:00.010 --> 00:00:05.710 Olé, olé, olé. Olé, olé, olá. Olé, olé, olé. 00:00:05.710 --> 00:00:12.369 Cada día te quiero más. Soy, soy memorial. Es 00:00:12.369 --> 00:00:17.769 un sentimiento. No puedo parar. Olé, olé. Okay, 00:00:17.829 --> 00:00:22.489 I'll stop. I'll stop. What? What? What is this? 00:00:22.809 --> 00:00:25.250 Listen, this song is stuck in my... Okay, it's 00:00:25.250 --> 00:00:31.050 World Cup season. right? Yeah. For the 0 .5 % 00:00:31.050 --> 00:00:32.750 chance that our listeners are watching the World 00:00:32.750 --> 00:00:35.030 Cup because we're Americans and even though it's 00:00:35.030 --> 00:00:37.270 taking place in our country, I don't know. It's 00:00:37.270 --> 00:00:38.750 actually enjoyable. I'm enjoying it. But anyways, 00:00:38.869 --> 00:00:40.850 my favorite part about the World Cup so far has 00:00:40.850 --> 00:00:42.969 been all of the Europeans being like, oh, this 00:00:42.969 --> 00:00:45.369 is what America's really like. It's so fun. Like 00:00:45.369 --> 00:00:47.149 watching them on TikTok and they're like, it's 00:00:47.149 --> 00:00:49.130 no longer what their media portrays us to be 00:00:49.130 --> 00:00:51.469 like, but they're realizing we have amazing stuff 00:00:51.469 --> 00:00:53.929 like Buc -ee's. Yeah. Watching like people from 00:00:53.929 --> 00:00:56.329 Denmark discover Buc -ee's and Waffle House. 00:00:56.939 --> 00:00:59.240 Watching them discover Waffle House has been 00:00:59.240 --> 00:01:02.460 amazing. Anyways, so that chant. That's incredible. 00:01:02.780 --> 00:01:05.280 That's actually a popular soccer chant in Argentina. 00:01:05.599 --> 00:01:08.019 In Argentina. And so I lived in Argentina, and 00:01:08.019 --> 00:01:10.040 I went to soccer games in Argentina. But even 00:01:10.040 --> 00:01:11.579 that, we would just be in the cafeteria of the 00:01:11.579 --> 00:01:15.480 school when I was in Argentina. And so the song 00:01:15.480 --> 00:01:17.459 Ole Ole, they're just chanting. And then it says, 00:01:17.500 --> 00:01:21.859 I love you more each day. And then the original 00:01:21.859 --> 00:01:27.459 song goes, Soy Argentino, so I'm Argentine. And 00:01:27.459 --> 00:01:29.739 then it's a sentimento, it's a feeling, no puedo 00:01:29.739 --> 00:01:33.560 parar, I can't stop. But like... in Argentina, 00:01:33.560 --> 00:01:35.359 like this is a huge song, but like in the cafeteria, 00:01:35.599 --> 00:01:38.939 they'd change I'm Argentine to like, the big 00:01:38.939 --> 00:01:43.480 one I remember is soy, soy facturas. And a factura 00:01:43.480 --> 00:01:46.040 was like a really popular dessert. And so we 00:01:46.040 --> 00:01:48.260 were chanting in the cafeteria, like we want 00:01:48.260 --> 00:01:50.819 this dessert. We want this dessert. So anyways, 00:01:51.140 --> 00:01:54.159 it's World Cup season. I thought what better 00:01:54.159 --> 00:01:57.280 way to open up the Pursuing Jesus podcast. And 00:01:57.280 --> 00:01:59.700 I changed it to soy memorial. Well, que esta 00:01:59.700 --> 00:02:03.109 la factura? I wish I had some facturas. I don't 00:02:03.109 --> 00:02:07.890 have them. What are they? So a factura is it's 00:02:07.890 --> 00:02:11.810 a pastry filled with like jelly and stuff like 00:02:11.810 --> 00:02:14.909 that. And there's different styles. There's different 00:02:14.909 --> 00:02:17.229 styles of them. So it's kind of like their version 00:02:17.229 --> 00:02:20.969 of a donut. Okay. I dig that. I dig that. And 00:02:20.969 --> 00:02:22.490 they were delicious. We will have to find some 00:02:22.490 --> 00:02:25.310 facturas somewhere here in Stanley County. In 00:02:25.310 --> 00:02:29.340 Stanley County. You know, there's a... There's 00:02:29.340 --> 00:02:32.419 a Latin store in Albemarle. It's got some pretty 00:02:32.419 --> 00:02:33.680 good stuff. I've been in there a couple times. 00:02:33.919 --> 00:02:35.699 Okay. We might have to go. We might have to go. 00:02:35.819 --> 00:02:38.139 So anyways, what's up, Pursuing Jesus people? 00:02:39.710 --> 00:02:41.849 You know, you talk about singing, Sean, and you 00:02:41.849 --> 00:02:43.870 open with a song, which I was not prepared for 00:02:43.870 --> 00:02:45.949 at all. Sean just looks at me and goes, I have 00:02:45.949 --> 00:02:49.009 an opening. And boy, did I. And boy, did you. 00:02:49.069 --> 00:02:51.270 My favorite part about the World Cup has not 00:02:51.270 --> 00:02:53.569 only been the people experiencing America, but 00:02:53.569 --> 00:02:56.430 the spoof videos that I see on Facebook or on 00:02:56.430 --> 00:02:59.909 Instagram of people pretending to be the players 00:02:59.909 --> 00:03:01.729 and then hearing a country's quote -unquote national 00:03:01.729 --> 00:03:03.810 anthem. But it's just a song that people know 00:03:03.810 --> 00:03:08.810 well from their country. Right. I saw one that 00:03:08.810 --> 00:03:12.330 was courtesy of the red, white, and blue. Standing 00:03:12.330 --> 00:03:15.550 for America's National Anthem. I saw the British 00:03:15.550 --> 00:03:17.490 one, and it's like that drill beat. Man's not 00:03:17.490 --> 00:03:22.990 hot. Two plus two is four. Quick maths. I recognize 00:03:22.990 --> 00:03:25.370 that song. I actually do. Here's the real question. 00:03:25.949 --> 00:03:28.770 How does a song become the National Anthem? Is 00:03:28.770 --> 00:03:31.449 it by votes? Could I start a petition to change 00:03:31.449 --> 00:03:33.990 our song to Party in the USA? I feel like as 00:03:33.990 --> 00:03:38.270 far as... the focuses of our degrees that we 00:03:38.270 --> 00:03:40.729 both have, yours is more inclined to have the 00:03:40.729 --> 00:03:43.030 answer to this question than mine. Even though 00:03:43.030 --> 00:03:46.169 it probably still is way off, you're closer than 00:03:46.169 --> 00:03:49.509 I am there, buddy. That's a great question. Is 00:03:49.509 --> 00:03:51.289 it something that just naturally happens over 00:03:51.289 --> 00:03:54.490 time? Or is it an act of Congress? Okay, so as 00:03:54.490 --> 00:03:56.090 far as the United States, I feel like it had 00:03:56.090 --> 00:03:58.009 to have been an act of Congress, right? To implement 00:03:58.009 --> 00:04:01.009 this? The Star Spangled Banner was not our first 00:04:01.009 --> 00:04:04.719 national anthem. Wait. Yeah. Isn't that crazy? 00:04:04.919 --> 00:04:06.740 Is this going to be one of those questions that's 00:04:06.740 --> 00:04:08.699 on the test for people to become citizens and 00:04:08.699 --> 00:04:11.099 us as citizens have no idea about it? I don't 00:04:11.099 --> 00:04:13.419 know, but if you're listening and you're an American 00:04:13.419 --> 00:04:18.019 citizen, unlike Sean, you... We've talked about 00:04:18.019 --> 00:04:20.000 that before, haven't we? If you're listening 00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:22.259 and you're an American citizen, unlike Sean, 00:04:22.480 --> 00:04:27.079 this is what's on the test. My country, tis of 00:04:27.079 --> 00:04:29.699 thee, used to be our national anthem, which, 00:04:29.819 --> 00:04:33.220 interestingly enough, is... The Steel's the same 00:04:33.220 --> 00:04:35.699 tune and meter from the British National Anthem 00:04:35.699 --> 00:04:38.459 at the time, which was God Save the King. We 00:04:38.459 --> 00:04:41.139 straight up took their National Anthem, put our 00:04:41.139 --> 00:04:43.120 own lyrics to it, and said, nah, this is ours 00:04:43.120 --> 00:04:45.000 now. This ain't about a king. This ain't about 00:04:45.000 --> 00:04:49.259 a king. My country, tis of... Oh, dude. And playing 00:04:49.259 --> 00:04:51.259 on the singing theme again here, there's been 00:04:51.259 --> 00:04:53.100 a lot of singing in the building here at Memorial 00:04:53.100 --> 00:04:55.199 recently, hasn't there? You know what? There 00:04:55.199 --> 00:04:58.339 is joy in the air, and sometimes that joy comes 00:04:58.339 --> 00:05:01.620 out in song form. Yes, song and dance. What are 00:05:01.620 --> 00:05:05.300 we talking about here, Sean? VBS, baby. Oh, yeah, 00:05:05.439 --> 00:05:07.439 dude. At the time you were listening to this 00:05:07.439 --> 00:05:10.180 podcast, VBS will have been well and over by 00:05:10.180 --> 00:05:12.019 about a week or so. Yeah, so to give you some 00:05:12.019 --> 00:05:14.519 behind the scenes for our podcast listeners who 00:05:14.519 --> 00:05:16.800 are dedicated listeners. This is off the page. 00:05:16.839 --> 00:05:20.240 Yeah. Oh man. Still, we got to get some patron 00:05:20.240 --> 00:05:23.000 supporters, but until then you get all the information. 00:05:23.120 --> 00:05:27.139 So for me and Ben, the podcast that you listened 00:05:27.139 --> 00:05:32.560 to last week happened yesterday because we're 00:05:32.560 --> 00:05:34.060 in the middle of summer and we've got to double 00:05:34.060 --> 00:05:36.040 up on some stuff. And so, but somebody's got 00:05:36.040 --> 00:05:38.959 the nerve to be gone next week. You know, sometimes 00:05:38.959 --> 00:05:41.980 people have to go to Orlando, Florida and visit 00:05:41.980 --> 00:05:44.079 universal studios for the Lord. Yeah. It's a 00:05:44.079 --> 00:05:50.139 vacation. Listen, this is closer to a vacation 00:05:50.139 --> 00:05:54.040 than Mission Serve was. But yeah, SLU, I'm leaving 00:05:54.040 --> 00:05:55.839 out for SLU next week. By the time you listen 00:05:55.839 --> 00:05:58.680 to this, I'll be back from SLU. But yeah, we'll 00:05:58.680 --> 00:06:01.279 be in Orlando. We do get to visit SeaWorld. We 00:06:01.279 --> 00:06:04.540 do get to visit Universal. It is a... It is a 00:06:04.540 --> 00:06:07.620 treat for the amount of knowledge that is about 00:06:07.620 --> 00:06:09.420 to be stuffed into our students' heads. Amen. 00:06:09.639 --> 00:06:12.259 So it's actually a really cool policy. It's like, 00:06:12.319 --> 00:06:14.060 hey, we're going to sit you in a conference room, 00:06:14.120 --> 00:06:16.240 in a business conference room for hours and hours 00:06:16.240 --> 00:06:18.279 and hours, and people are just going to throw 00:06:18.279 --> 00:06:19.899 so much information. Your hand's going to get 00:06:19.899 --> 00:06:21.879 tired from writing, but don't worry. You're going 00:06:21.879 --> 00:06:23.259 to get a break, and you're going to get to go 00:06:23.259 --> 00:06:25.399 ride some crazy roller coasters. So it's actually 00:06:25.399 --> 00:06:28.360 really cool how they do that so that they realize 00:06:28.360 --> 00:06:31.160 teenagers can only take so much. Everybody hits 00:06:31.160 --> 00:06:32.779 that saturation point. You just got to breathe. 00:06:33.360 --> 00:06:35.480 excited for the SeaWorld break. I'm excited for 00:06:35.480 --> 00:06:39.379 the Universal break. Exactly, exactly. Well, 00:06:39.480 --> 00:06:42.259 before you skip out of town again here, Sean, 00:06:42.420 --> 00:06:44.740 I believe you and I have some passages that we 00:06:44.740 --> 00:06:47.180 got to talk about. Man, and yeah, and we are 00:06:47.180 --> 00:06:51.500 officially, fully into quarter three, baby. We're 00:06:51.500 --> 00:06:52.959 quarter three. This is purple book status. This 00:06:52.959 --> 00:06:55.540 is purple book time. So we've been orange. We've 00:06:55.540 --> 00:06:57.519 been orange. Orange, we're glad we're done. Blue, 00:06:57.740 --> 00:07:00.480 I'm not blue, that is gone. And now we're purple. 00:07:01.040 --> 00:07:02.839 How are we going to make a joke about this? You 00:07:02.839 --> 00:07:05.079 sang about Purple Rain last week. Okay, that's 00:07:05.079 --> 00:07:08.699 true. Purple book, purple book. That's how you 00:07:08.699 --> 00:07:11.019 ended the podcast, isn't it? I guess it is. I 00:07:11.019 --> 00:07:13.079 think it is. But anyways, we are now in there. 00:07:13.139 --> 00:07:15.240 So once again, if you have not picked up that 00:07:15.240 --> 00:07:18.180 purple book. Make sure you go get it. We are 00:07:18.180 --> 00:07:20.519 fully invested into the purple book now. Absolutely. 00:07:20.560 --> 00:07:23.560 And if you want to decide the color of the next 00:07:23.560 --> 00:07:25.879 book as we're approaching quarter four, go ahead 00:07:25.879 --> 00:07:28.240 and just tape a color swatch from Home Depot 00:07:28.240 --> 00:07:31.379 or Lowe's on Sean's door. No, don't. And we'll 00:07:31.379 --> 00:07:33.959 do that by verse. You're going to hurt my heart 00:07:33.959 --> 00:07:37.439 if you do this because if you hold on. Did you 00:07:37.439 --> 00:07:39.870 already make it? No. Because if you hold all 00:07:39.870 --> 00:07:41.889 three books together, you'll notice that the 00:07:41.889 --> 00:07:44.170 colors go well together. I've been using a color 00:07:44.170 --> 00:07:47.149 wheel to pick the colors to make sure the books 00:07:47.149 --> 00:07:49.470 blend together well. So if someone just comes 00:07:49.470 --> 00:07:52.970 out here with some random shade of red or something, 00:07:53.189 --> 00:07:56.649 like, oh, we got our state fans and our Carolina, 00:07:56.850 --> 00:07:58.189 they're going to be like, it'll end up being 00:07:58.189 --> 00:08:00.889 a college color debate. Your door will become 00:08:00.889 --> 00:08:03.089 equally parts red and blue. None of those colors 00:08:03.089 --> 00:08:04.829 are going to look good with the color scheme 00:08:04.829 --> 00:08:06.930 I've chosen. So you're saying that based off 00:08:06.930 --> 00:08:10.660 of your plan, an outrageous request might be 00:08:10.660 --> 00:08:12.839 kind of out of left field and people wouldn't 00:08:12.839 --> 00:08:14.480 really be understanding what they're asking for. 00:08:16.420 --> 00:08:18.480 Yes. That sounds like a text of scripture that 00:08:18.480 --> 00:08:22.379 I heard about recently. Oh, see now that's a 00:08:22.379 --> 00:08:24.000 good transition. That's what I'm talking about. 00:08:24.079 --> 00:08:25.240 They're not going to see this, but we got to 00:08:25.240 --> 00:08:28.879 pound it. Boom. There's a pound, man. What, what, 00:08:28.939 --> 00:08:30.899 what a difference. Cause like last week we were 00:08:30.899 --> 00:08:33.259 struggling with the fake transitions. And then 00:08:33.259 --> 00:08:38.269 today a banger of a banger transition. And now 00:08:38.269 --> 00:08:39.970 that I've talked about the transition, let's 00:08:39.970 --> 00:08:42.590 get into it. There it is. You have effectively 00:08:42.590 --> 00:08:46.309 ruined it. Yeah, I know. But, wow, that was so 00:08:46.309 --> 00:08:50.210 good. Oh, man, props to you. Man, what you been 00:08:50.210 --> 00:08:51.889 drinking over there? You got some good coffee 00:08:51.889 --> 00:08:54.029 today. It's a nice dark roast, a little bit of 00:08:54.029 --> 00:08:57.429 honey. Local honey? Trader Joe's honey. Okay, 00:08:57.529 --> 00:09:02.029 upper class honey. No, we get our rice from there. 00:09:02.090 --> 00:09:04.240 It's better than like... Walmart rice. I don't 00:09:04.240 --> 00:09:06.539 know. And so we got honey this time too. Interesting. 00:09:06.700 --> 00:09:08.700 So Jesus, Bible passage? Yeah, that's right. 00:09:08.779 --> 00:09:14.659 That's right. Oh, my passage. Yeah. Like dead 00:09:14.659 --> 00:09:17.179 serious. The transition was for my passage. It 00:09:17.179 --> 00:09:18.960 wasn't for mine. I'm talking about Zacchaeus, 00:09:19.000 --> 00:09:22.940 dude. I thought for sure. What the crap, Sean? 00:09:23.240 --> 00:09:28.899 I teed you up. I'm going to have to cut so much 00:09:28.899 --> 00:09:30.980 of this out for this even to make sense. Where 00:09:30.980 --> 00:09:35.490 do I begin? So now you have choices of like, 00:09:35.649 --> 00:09:39.309 do I cut out? Right after you teed it up, go 00:09:39.309 --> 00:09:42.509 right into my Bible study? Or figure out how 00:09:42.509 --> 00:09:45.090 much of this mess that I have created gets to 00:09:45.090 --> 00:09:48.110 stay in? It's every week, dude. This is nothing 00:09:48.110 --> 00:09:51.610 special. So speaking of the purple book, I actually 00:09:51.610 --> 00:09:55.210 want to start us off on the very first day of 00:09:55.210 --> 00:09:57.269 the purple book, which means we are going to 00:09:57.269 --> 00:10:00.340 July 1st. Perfect. So, yeah, so July 1st, there's 00:10:00.340 --> 00:10:04.179 two passages, Matthew 20, 20 through 28, Mark 00:10:04.179 --> 00:10:07.159 10, 35 through 45. Obviously, the passages go 00:10:07.159 --> 00:10:09.559 together. There are some slight differences in 00:10:09.559 --> 00:10:12.299 the passage, but instead, I just want to focus 00:10:12.299 --> 00:10:16.139 on just the Mark account and look at what we 00:10:16.139 --> 00:10:20.419 can learn there. And so it's an interesting passage 00:10:20.419 --> 00:10:25.200 where, quite honestly, two of the disciples say 00:10:25.200 --> 00:10:28.889 something. Make it outrageous for Christ. And 00:10:28.889 --> 00:10:32.450 then the other disciples respond wildly, and 00:10:32.450 --> 00:10:34.909 then all the time Jesus is being Jesus, be like... 00:10:35.559 --> 00:10:40.259 Old humans. And loves on them and responds in 00:10:40.259 --> 00:10:41.799 an incredible way. We're really grateful for 00:10:41.799 --> 00:10:43.980 Christ's character in this. Oh, my God. Because, 00:10:44.039 --> 00:10:47.120 like, dude, as we read this, and I think you 00:10:47.120 --> 00:10:48.340 should read the whole text. I'm going to read 00:10:48.340 --> 00:10:49.179 the passage. Yeah, I'm going to do it. Dude, 00:10:49.179 --> 00:10:51.440 I see myself in every character of this story 00:10:51.440 --> 00:10:55.559 other than Jesus sometimes. Isn't that how it 00:10:55.559 --> 00:10:58.559 is? Yes. I mean, the majority of the time when 00:10:58.559 --> 00:11:01.159 we read scripture. In fact, I feel like if we 00:11:01.159 --> 00:11:04.250 ever feel like we are. the Jesus character or 00:11:04.250 --> 00:11:06.330 the hero character of the story. Most of the 00:11:06.330 --> 00:11:10.190 time we need to some self reflection. I think 00:11:10.190 --> 00:11:12.149 we can align with them a little. That's why I 00:11:12.149 --> 00:11:14.289 said most of the time, if it's most of the time, 00:11:14.330 --> 00:11:16.750 like you got to realize like, okay, there's like, 00:11:16.850 --> 00:11:19.429 am I being honest with myself? Although like, 00:11:19.509 --> 00:11:22.320 like, reframing that a little though like even 00:11:22.320 --> 00:11:25.659 the like the major like mountaintop characters 00:11:25.659 --> 00:11:28.639 of scripture all of them have like oh darn moments 00:11:28.639 --> 00:11:31.460 like where they completely just completely wreck 00:11:31.460 --> 00:11:33.259 whatever is going on where they make huge mistakes 00:11:33.259 --> 00:11:36.179 seriously yeah seriously yeah so thankful the 00:11:36.179 --> 00:11:39.110 lord leaves those in there exactly that's a proof 00:11:39.110 --> 00:11:41.929 incident. Like, like as a tangent, that's one 00:11:41.929 --> 00:11:43.950 of the proofs that I see in scripture for the 00:11:43.950 --> 00:11:46.590 veracity of scripture, like for the truth of 00:11:46.590 --> 00:11:48.529 the, of the narrative and all that stuff. Cause 00:11:48.529 --> 00:11:52.230 if you're writing a holy text, your main characters 00:11:52.230 --> 00:11:54.330 don't make mistakes. No. If you're, if you're 00:11:54.330 --> 00:11:55.570 coming up with something like, like from a human 00:11:55.570 --> 00:11:57.149 perspective, you want them to be as squeaky clean 00:11:57.149 --> 00:11:59.250 as possible. And it's like, the Lord's like, 00:11:59.309 --> 00:12:02.070 nah, dude, this is how this actually went down. 00:12:02.230 --> 00:12:04.929 And I'm the only perfect one in this story for 00:12:04.929 --> 00:12:08.000 a reason. Exactly. And interestingly enough, 00:12:08.080 --> 00:12:11.039 the two main characters is James and John. Yep. 00:12:11.080 --> 00:12:13.759 So let's talk about what you just said, right? 00:12:13.840 --> 00:12:17.700 James and John. The inner circle of Jesus. Sons 00:12:17.700 --> 00:12:21.620 of Thunder, baby. Major characters among the 00:12:21.620 --> 00:12:24.840 disciples. And you've got these two guys, and 00:12:24.840 --> 00:12:27.059 they're called out by name for saying some wild 00:12:27.059 --> 00:12:30.059 stuff. Yes. These guys saw the transfigured Jesus 00:12:30.059 --> 00:12:32.759 on the mountain. Let's just look at John and 00:12:32.759 --> 00:12:36.899 talk about not only John is an author of the 00:12:36.899 --> 00:12:39.779 New Testament, not only with the Gospels, but 00:12:39.779 --> 00:12:41.879 he also threw in some other books there as well 00:12:41.879 --> 00:12:46.319 that have a little bit of significance. Undertone, 00:12:46.319 --> 00:12:50.500 undertone, undertone. And yet we are seeing them 00:12:50.500 --> 00:12:55.460 approach Jesus, which, like you just said, this 00:12:55.460 --> 00:12:57.320 should be left out. If we were trying to make 00:12:57.320 --> 00:12:58.919 these guys be like, hey, these are the guys you 00:12:58.919 --> 00:13:01.340 need to follow for this new religion, leave this 00:13:01.340 --> 00:13:04.519 part out, right? But the Bible doesn't do that. 00:13:04.620 --> 00:13:06.799 And I love it. So yeah, we've talked about it. 00:13:06.840 --> 00:13:09.139 Let's get into it. Starting in verse 35 of chapter 00:13:09.139 --> 00:13:12.220 10 in the book of Mark. James and John, the sons 00:13:12.220 --> 00:13:15.639 of Zebedee, approached him and said, Teacher. 00:13:15.759 --> 00:13:18.200 So approached him, they approached Jesus. Teacher, 00:13:18.299 --> 00:13:23.480 we want you to do whatever we ask of you. What 00:13:23.480 --> 00:13:28.240 do you want me to do for you? Wow. He asked them. 00:13:28.580 --> 00:13:31.799 They answered him, allow us to sit at your right. 00:13:32.200 --> 00:13:35.779 and at your left in your glory. Jesus said to 00:13:35.779 --> 00:13:38.980 them, you don't know what you're asking. Are 00:13:38.980 --> 00:13:42.960 you able to drink the cup I drink or to be baptized 00:13:42.960 --> 00:13:47.919 with the baptism I am baptized with? We are able, 00:13:48.159 --> 00:13:51.950 they told him. Jesus said to them, you will drink 00:13:51.950 --> 00:13:54.409 the cup I drink, and you will be baptized with 00:13:54.409 --> 00:13:58.070 the baptism I am baptized with. But to sit at 00:13:58.070 --> 00:14:01.190 my right or left is not mine to give. Instead, 00:14:01.350 --> 00:14:04.710 it is for those for whom it has been prepared. 00:14:05.169 --> 00:14:08.370 When the ten disciples heard this, they began 00:14:08.370 --> 00:14:10.690 to be indignant. There's a word we looked at 00:14:10.690 --> 00:14:13.990 last week. Indignant with James and John. Jesus 00:14:13.990 --> 00:14:16.789 called them over and said to them, you know. 00:14:17.279 --> 00:14:20.259 that those who are regarded as rulers of the 00:14:20.259 --> 00:14:24.100 Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high 00:14:24.100 --> 00:14:28.940 positions act as tyrants over them. But it is 00:14:28.940 --> 00:14:34.360 not so among you. On the contrary, whoever wants 00:14:34.360 --> 00:14:38.779 to become greatest among you will be your servant. 00:14:39.019 --> 00:14:41.379 And whoever wants to be first among you will 00:14:41.379 --> 00:14:45.139 be a slave to all, for even the Son of Man. did 00:14:45.139 --> 00:14:48.679 not come to be served, but to serve and to give 00:14:48.679 --> 00:14:51.659 his life as a ransom for many. All right, so 00:14:51.659 --> 00:14:53.399 there's some interesting things going on here. 00:14:53.580 --> 00:14:56.879 And first off, in Mark's recording, this is not 00:14:56.879 --> 00:14:58.899 the first time that the disciples have had a 00:14:58.899 --> 00:15:01.620 similar argument. If you go back just one chapter 00:15:01.620 --> 00:15:04.639 in Mark chapter 9, there's a story of the disciples. 00:15:04.740 --> 00:15:06.919 No one's named in this story, but the disciples 00:15:06.919 --> 00:15:10.139 are arguing about who is the greatest. And so... 00:15:10.519 --> 00:15:13.639 There seems to be a bit of a theme here with 00:15:13.639 --> 00:15:17.019 the disciples. Once again, we're seeing their 00:15:17.019 --> 00:15:21.539 worldly mindset, even as they follow Jesus. And 00:15:21.539 --> 00:15:25.460 they're here, and they come up to Jesus. And 00:15:25.460 --> 00:15:28.080 even how they phrase this question is just wild 00:15:28.080 --> 00:15:31.860 to me. Like to say, teacher, we want you to do 00:15:31.860 --> 00:15:35.950 whatever. We ask you. Because it's like a two 00:15:35.950 --> 00:15:38.529 -part scheme. Because if Jesus says yes to question 00:15:38.529 --> 00:15:43.590 one, then he's got to do question two. Yes. Yes. 00:15:44.110 --> 00:15:46.570 And even just that question right there. Yeah. 00:15:47.970 --> 00:15:51.169 Jesus' response, man. It's like, okay, what do 00:15:51.169 --> 00:15:54.070 you want me to do for you? There's care and compassion 00:15:54.070 --> 00:15:55.970 for his children. He's like, all right, let me 00:15:55.970 --> 00:15:58.750 see this played out. Even though he knows what 00:15:58.750 --> 00:16:00.409 they're about to ask. Exactly. It's like, I want 00:16:00.409 --> 00:16:02.779 you to say this, because this is about... this 00:16:02.779 --> 00:16:05.720 is the learning lesson here. Go ahead, ask me 00:16:05.720 --> 00:16:08.240 what it is. And they answered, allow us to sit 00:16:08.240 --> 00:16:11.559 at your right hand and at your left in your glory. 00:16:11.639 --> 00:16:13.360 So here's what's interesting as I was reading 00:16:13.360 --> 00:16:16.500 this is really they're asking for a position 00:16:16.500 --> 00:16:19.879 of authority in his kingdom, right? He had just 00:16:19.879 --> 00:16:22.659 finished talking about, what's so wild is he 00:16:22.659 --> 00:16:24.519 just finished talking about like his death. They're 00:16:24.519 --> 00:16:26.220 on their way. They're walking into Jerusalem. 00:16:26.360 --> 00:16:29.379 If you pick it up in verse 32 and Jesus literally 00:16:29.379 --> 00:16:31.080 just said, hey, by the way, we're going in Jerusalem 00:16:31.080 --> 00:16:32.639 and I'm going to be here. handed over, condemned 00:16:32.639 --> 00:16:36.179 to death. They're going to spit on me. They're 00:16:36.179 --> 00:16:37.840 going to mock me. They're going to flog me. They're 00:16:37.840 --> 00:16:39.240 going to kill me. But in three days, I'm going 00:16:39.240 --> 00:16:42.240 to rise again. So can I sit at your right hand 00:16:42.240 --> 00:16:45.399 and left hand? I mean, that's literally what 00:16:45.399 --> 00:16:48.980 just happened, right? It's like they just completely... 00:16:48.980 --> 00:16:51.279 But also we know that whenever Jesus talks about 00:16:51.279 --> 00:16:54.840 his death, the disciples don't get it. Right. 00:16:54.919 --> 00:16:56.919 It doesn't clock for them. Yeah. And so whether 00:16:56.919 --> 00:16:59.830 that is a Holy Spirit thing of... blocking their 00:16:59.830 --> 00:17:01.649 understanding until the time is right for them 00:17:01.649 --> 00:17:03.649 you know we're not sure but definitely we see 00:17:03.649 --> 00:17:05.930 here like they had something else on their mind 00:17:05.930 --> 00:17:08.789 which i've definitely done as well where someone's 00:17:08.789 --> 00:17:10.390 having a conversation with me but i'm thinking 00:17:10.390 --> 00:17:12.309 about the thing i want to say to them next yeah 00:17:12.309 --> 00:17:13.910 and i'm not fully tracking with what they're 00:17:13.910 --> 00:17:15.789 saying and then i end up looking really really 00:17:15.789 --> 00:17:19.190 dumb because i just said something that really 00:17:19.190 --> 00:17:20.970 didn't go along with what just happened with 00:17:20.970 --> 00:17:22.690 them and so maybe that's what happening either 00:17:22.690 --> 00:17:26.400 way they just uh man, their timing here is crazy. 00:17:26.420 --> 00:17:27.539 But yeah, what were you going to say? Well, so 00:17:27.539 --> 00:17:29.259 what's interesting is that, so you're right. 00:17:29.319 --> 00:17:31.579 Jesus is like right before this directly talking 00:17:31.579 --> 00:17:35.079 about death, burial, resurrection. And so the 00:17:35.079 --> 00:17:36.660 thing that stands out to me, they ask about it 00:17:36.660 --> 00:17:41.279 in, they ask for their roles in glory. Yes. And 00:17:41.279 --> 00:17:44.180 so like there's, is there some kind of understanding 00:17:44.180 --> 00:17:47.859 of what's going on, but not really, but I don't, 00:17:47.859 --> 00:17:50.400 I don't, I don't know, you know? Yeah. So I, 00:17:50.920 --> 00:17:53.200 I spent a little bit of time reading a single 00:17:53.200 --> 00:17:55.039 commentary, just kind of getting some background 00:17:55.039 --> 00:17:57.299 on this. And the guy that wrote the commentary 00:17:57.299 --> 00:17:59.440 had an interesting thought on this right here. 00:17:59.519 --> 00:18:01.059 Allow us to sit at your right hand and your left 00:18:01.059 --> 00:18:06.519 hand in glory. And he said that as Jews, they've 00:18:06.519 --> 00:18:08.839 been under Roman oppression for so long, and 00:18:08.839 --> 00:18:10.440 they've been wanting to get out from under that. 00:18:10.980 --> 00:18:13.680 But here we almost see them having the same attitude 00:18:13.680 --> 00:18:16.940 of they want to be in the position of Rome. They 00:18:16.940 --> 00:18:18.819 want to be in the position of authority. It's 00:18:18.819 --> 00:18:21.839 like, hey, it's now like, well, what position, 00:18:21.980 --> 00:18:25.640 how can we rule over other people? How can we 00:18:25.640 --> 00:18:28.259 be the ones that are leading the kingdom? Which 00:18:28.259 --> 00:18:30.640 kind of makes sense when you then get to see 00:18:30.640 --> 00:18:33.819 how Jesus compares their attitude to how Gentiles 00:18:33.819 --> 00:18:37.200 lord over people. That's a good parallel. And 00:18:37.200 --> 00:18:40.200 so I think that's why the commentator kind of 00:18:40.200 --> 00:18:42.400 went with that. But I want to talk about Jesus' 00:18:42.599 --> 00:18:44.599 response for a second. For sure. Because once 00:18:44.599 --> 00:18:47.339 again, teaching moment here. but he uses some 00:18:47.339 --> 00:18:50.880 symbolic language in their culture. They would 00:18:50.880 --> 00:18:53.519 have understood, but we just translate it word 00:18:53.519 --> 00:18:56.500 for word, essentially, right? And so it says, 00:18:56.559 --> 00:18:58.500 you don't know what you're asking. Are you able 00:18:58.500 --> 00:19:02.549 to drink the cup? I drink. And so that was known, 00:19:02.710 --> 00:19:05.890 that phrase was known to be talking about suffering, 00:19:06.109 --> 00:19:09.650 right? And so the one for baptized, though, I 00:19:09.650 --> 00:19:11.670 think trips people up because we think of spiritual 00:19:11.670 --> 00:19:14.789 baptism, but really what Jesus is talking about 00:19:14.789 --> 00:19:16.730 is literally what the word means, and that's 00:19:16.730 --> 00:19:20.029 to be plunged or to be... What's the word I'm 00:19:20.029 --> 00:19:21.670 looking for? Dunked. Dunked. There we go. Thank 00:19:21.670 --> 00:19:26.670 you. And so really what he's saying here, literally 00:19:26.670 --> 00:19:29.369 he's saying, are you willing to be submerged 00:19:29.369 --> 00:19:33.210 into suffering for me? Right? He's not talking 00:19:33.210 --> 00:19:35.849 about actual baptism. He's talking about being 00:19:35.849 --> 00:19:39.009 so heavily in suffering. Yeah. And that's what 00:19:39.009 --> 00:19:40.890 they would have heard, right? For us, we have 00:19:40.890 --> 00:19:42.990 to interpret it. Okay. But they're not doing 00:19:42.990 --> 00:19:44.690 that. They're just hearing Jesus say, all right, 00:19:44.750 --> 00:19:49.500 James, John. are you willing to suffer immeasurably 00:19:49.500 --> 00:19:54.900 for me? And then, of course, they have this response, 00:19:55.059 --> 00:19:57.420 and they said, you know. We are able. We got 00:19:57.420 --> 00:20:00.259 this. We're able to do that. And I find that 00:20:00.259 --> 00:20:01.839 interesting because I really find it's like one 00:20:01.839 --> 00:20:03.759 of those, I really believe it's one of those 00:20:03.759 --> 00:20:08.299 responses of like they don't really realize what 00:20:08.299 --> 00:20:09.680 they're saying. They're like, oh, yeah, we got 00:20:09.680 --> 00:20:11.279 this. You know, it's kind of like that macho 00:20:11.279 --> 00:20:14.440 response. And then what is really interesting. 00:20:15.309 --> 00:20:19.789 And what happens next is that Jesus confirms 00:20:19.789 --> 00:20:23.390 it. He's like, oh, you are ready? Well, guess 00:20:23.390 --> 00:20:25.529 what? You actually are going to suffer a lot. 00:20:25.650 --> 00:20:28.329 And we know from church history that James and 00:20:28.329 --> 00:20:30.509 John, in fact, all of the disciples, in fact, 00:20:30.509 --> 00:20:33.549 I believe it's every disciple but John, according 00:20:33.549 --> 00:20:36.670 to church history, was martyred for their faith. 00:20:36.750 --> 00:20:40.210 And then John, we know that he was cast out onto 00:20:40.210 --> 00:20:43.049 the island of Patmos, but he was tortured. And 00:20:43.049 --> 00:20:48.049 so they all, They so were submerged in suffering 00:20:48.049 --> 00:20:51.130 for their faith. And it's interesting. Both James 00:20:51.130 --> 00:20:53.109 and John's sufferings were very different. So 00:20:53.109 --> 00:20:57.849 James was martyred early in terms of the church. 00:20:57.970 --> 00:20:59.809 I Googled this as you were talking because I 00:20:59.809 --> 00:21:01.509 was thinking along the lines of them and their 00:21:01.509 --> 00:21:05.109 suffering too. James was martyred maybe 10, 15 00:21:05.109 --> 00:21:07.589 years after Jesus resurrected and left. So he 00:21:07.589 --> 00:21:11.589 only had a little bit of time before he... paid 00:21:11.589 --> 00:21:14.250 the price of martyrdom. Dude, John, it was like 00:21:14.250 --> 00:21:17.710 another 40 years from where he was, you know? 00:21:17.730 --> 00:21:20.369 And so like, even though that cup of suffering 00:21:20.369 --> 00:21:23.089 was the same, it was different for both of the 00:21:23.089 --> 00:21:25.289 guys. Yeah. And so here's what's interesting 00:21:25.289 --> 00:21:29.250 too. Verse 41. When the ten disciples heard this, 00:21:29.309 --> 00:21:31.690 they began to be indignant with James and John. 00:21:31.849 --> 00:21:33.450 So here's the interesting thing. So the disciples 00:21:33.450 --> 00:21:37.250 weren't mad at what they said. Yeah. The disciples 00:21:37.250 --> 00:21:42.009 were mad that they got to Jesus first. That's 00:21:42.009 --> 00:21:44.150 what it means when it says that they began to 00:21:44.150 --> 00:21:49.170 be indignant with James and John. Once again, 00:21:49.230 --> 00:21:51.049 so it's not just James and John that have this 00:21:51.049 --> 00:21:53.089 attitude of, oh, wait, who gets to sit at your 00:21:53.089 --> 00:21:54.410 left and right? It's all of them. Once again, 00:21:54.529 --> 00:21:58.069 Mark chapter 9, they were all discussing who's 00:21:58.069 --> 00:22:00.309 the greatest, and all of them are still dealing 00:22:00.309 --> 00:22:04.130 with it. So Jesus is surrounded by these dudes, 00:22:04.349 --> 00:22:08.269 acting like dudes, trying to figure out who is 00:22:08.269 --> 00:22:10.789 the greatest still, who's going to be in the 00:22:10.789 --> 00:22:14.549 seat of authority next to Jesus, and then you 00:22:14.549 --> 00:22:17.440 get Jesus' response. Yeah. And once again, he 00:22:17.440 --> 00:22:19.400 goes back, you know that those who are regarded 00:22:19.400 --> 00:22:21.779 as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them. 00:22:21.859 --> 00:22:24.599 So he says, guys, you're acting like lost people. 00:22:25.039 --> 00:22:27.559 You're acting like Gentiles. You're acting like 00:22:27.559 --> 00:22:30.579 the Romans. I mean, imagine if that's how they 00:22:30.579 --> 00:22:32.680 heard it, right? They're like, hey, you know 00:22:32.680 --> 00:22:34.859 these guys that you hate that rule over you? 00:22:35.099 --> 00:22:37.700 Guess what you're doing right now? You're acting 00:22:37.700 --> 00:22:42.660 like them, right? But then in verse 43, but it's 00:22:42.660 --> 00:22:46.569 not so among you. On the contrary. Whoever wants 00:22:46.569 --> 00:22:49.829 to become greatest among you will be your servant. 00:22:50.029 --> 00:22:54.390 And so Jesus is reminding them that what it means 00:22:54.390 --> 00:22:57.390 to be a great leader. It's like, hey, all of 00:22:57.390 --> 00:23:01.529 you can be leaders. You will be leaders, but 00:23:01.529 --> 00:23:04.049 you're going to lead from a place of humility 00:23:04.049 --> 00:23:07.950 and servanthood. And that's the lesson that Jesus 00:23:07.950 --> 00:23:10.990 is teaching us today. And he starts with, and 00:23:10.990 --> 00:23:13.150 it's his example, right? Verse 45, even the son 00:23:13.150 --> 00:23:15.589 of man came not to be served, but to serve and 00:23:15.589 --> 00:23:18.130 to give his life as a ransom. I mean, just think 00:23:18.130 --> 00:23:21.250 about that, right? Yeah. So for even the son 00:23:21.250 --> 00:23:26.289 of man, even God in human flesh, if anyone deserves 00:23:26.289 --> 00:23:30.710 to be that person of authority or in that position 00:23:30.710 --> 00:23:34.450 of ruling over, lording over, he says, that's 00:23:34.450 --> 00:23:37.960 not why I came. No. Says. Right now I've come 00:23:37.960 --> 00:23:40.519 as the lamb. Now the lion's going to come, but 00:23:40.519 --> 00:23:43.339 right now it's the time for the lamb and I've 00:23:43.339 --> 00:23:46.920 come to be a servant. Yeah. So what do you think 00:23:46.920 --> 00:23:49.680 that means, not just for you and me sitting here 00:23:49.680 --> 00:23:53.640 with the title of pastor, but for anybody who 00:23:53.640 --> 00:23:57.849 is a Christian? Because I think there's a model 00:23:57.849 --> 00:24:00.970 of Christian leadership here that extends outside 00:24:00.970 --> 00:24:04.529 of Jesus and the disciples to anybody who would 00:24:04.529 --> 00:24:07.529 claim the name of Christ. That servant leadership. 00:24:08.069 --> 00:24:11.190 How do we differentiate I'm leading as a servant 00:24:11.190 --> 00:24:13.869 from I do everything for everybody and everybody 00:24:13.869 --> 00:24:18.190 else watches? I think it's a matter of how you 00:24:18.190 --> 00:24:22.170 communicate with people. Yeah. And also the actions 00:24:22.170 --> 00:24:25.839 that you take. Are you leading from behind a 00:24:25.839 --> 00:24:29.880 desk on a phone? Or are you with your people, 00:24:29.920 --> 00:24:32.559 showing them, being the example? Because that's 00:24:32.559 --> 00:24:36.900 what Jesus is doing. Jesus showed them. He had 00:24:36.900 --> 00:24:39.059 them follow him. Like I said, they're on their 00:24:39.059 --> 00:24:43.720 way to Jerusalem. He has shown them how he reacts 00:24:43.720 --> 00:24:46.880 with the Pharisees. He's shown them how he reacts 00:24:46.880 --> 00:24:50.099 to the blind. He's shown them how he reacts to 00:24:50.099 --> 00:24:53.289 the leper. He's shown them how he reacts to and 00:24:53.289 --> 00:24:56.490 how he talks to the leaders of the synagogue. 00:24:56.809 --> 00:25:00.390 And so he has been the example through his actions. 00:25:00.750 --> 00:25:03.789 And that's what speaks loudest. And so for us, 00:25:03.910 --> 00:25:09.910 as Christians, as pastors, our actions is what 00:25:09.910 --> 00:25:14.349 speaks loudest. It's very easy. So going back 00:25:14.349 --> 00:25:18.089 to us as pastors, it's easy for people to hear 00:25:18.089 --> 00:25:22.700 us from a stage. from behind a pulpit with a 00:25:22.700 --> 00:25:27.039 microphone for us around our ear, standing behind 00:25:27.039 --> 00:25:32.640 a plexiglass podium and speaking to people. But 00:25:32.640 --> 00:25:36.799 what is really going to matter is also what we 00:25:36.799 --> 00:25:41.819 do off that stage. Yeah. And so what I hear you 00:25:41.819 --> 00:25:44.400 saying is that it's not about the big public 00:25:44.400 --> 00:25:47.519 actions. Where servant leadership comes in, it's 00:25:47.519 --> 00:25:49.359 about the lifestyle that you lead. Yeah, and 00:25:49.359 --> 00:25:50.859 this is one of the reasons that we've partnered 00:25:50.859 --> 00:25:52.900 with Student Leadership University. Okay. You 00:25:52.900 --> 00:25:56.779 know, taking it full circle. One of their mottos 00:25:56.779 --> 00:25:58.859 is we want to teach students to lead from the 00:25:58.859 --> 00:26:04.220 feet of Jesus. And so their motto, their thought 00:26:04.220 --> 00:26:07.099 process is that every person has leadership capacity. 00:26:08.929 --> 00:26:11.150 Leadership capacity, meaning some are meant to 00:26:11.150 --> 00:26:13.549 lead over five, some are meant to lead over thousands. 00:26:13.809 --> 00:26:17.529 There's leadership capacity. And that's good. 00:26:17.690 --> 00:26:20.910 Yes, every person has leadership capacity, but 00:26:20.910 --> 00:26:24.390 every person, and every person is called to be 00:26:24.390 --> 00:26:26.230 a leader doesn't have to be the one with the 00:26:26.230 --> 00:26:27.829 loudest in the room and hold the microphone. 00:26:28.009 --> 00:26:29.430 That doesn't mean you're a leader just because 00:26:29.430 --> 00:26:31.410 you're the loudest in the room. Heavens no. And 00:26:31.410 --> 00:26:34.130 so they're teaching our students who they are 00:26:34.130 --> 00:26:38.769 in. Christ so that they can become servant leaders. 00:26:38.990 --> 00:26:40.630 And that's what I love about the organization. 00:26:40.849 --> 00:26:44.329 Dude, that's awesome. You know what other thing 00:26:44.329 --> 00:26:47.230 this text kind of makes me think of? So Jesus 00:26:47.230 --> 00:26:49.869 sets himself up as the example for service and 00:26:49.869 --> 00:26:55.990 leadership in this text, right? But often we 00:26:55.990 --> 00:26:58.630 see the things that happen to Jesus and the things 00:26:58.630 --> 00:27:01.369 that Jesus goes through are then repeated by 00:27:01.369 --> 00:27:04.170 his followers. Of course, Like Jesus promises 00:27:04.170 --> 00:27:07.589 this to James and John, right? But I think that 00:27:07.589 --> 00:27:10.509 the Christian leadership ethic for us is the 00:27:10.509 --> 00:27:13.569 exact same way. Think about it, dude. As we seek 00:27:13.569 --> 00:27:18.910 to be a servant, as we seek to die to ourselves, 00:27:18.990 --> 00:27:24.130 eventually we finish our race. We receive our 00:27:24.130 --> 00:27:26.569 final promotion to heaven, and that is when he 00:27:26.569 --> 00:27:29.789 glorifies us. I mean, dude, the book of 1 Thessalonians 00:27:29.789 --> 00:27:31.630 are crazy for some of the things that they say. 00:27:31.789 --> 00:27:36.549 We will judge the angels. Our servant leadership 00:27:36.549 --> 00:27:40.609 here is in part to equip us for whatever role 00:27:40.609 --> 00:27:42.890 he has for us in glory. I think it's one of the 00:27:42.890 --> 00:27:45.069 things that shocked me a lot when I was studying 00:27:45.069 --> 00:27:50.230 those books is that our work isn't over when 00:27:50.230 --> 00:27:53.059 we stop drawing breath. It's that we're being 00:27:53.059 --> 00:27:56.019 prepared for something new and better. Now, of 00:27:56.019 --> 00:27:57.380 course, the way that we interface with work is 00:27:57.380 --> 00:27:58.680 different because we're not under the creation 00:27:58.680 --> 00:28:02.460 curse anymore, but it's Jesus who exalts us. 00:28:02.779 --> 00:28:05.680 After we have been shaped by servanthood, then 00:28:05.680 --> 00:28:08.319 he appoints us to a greater role. And I think 00:28:08.319 --> 00:28:10.460 that to some degree, man, we all drink from this 00:28:10.460 --> 00:28:12.579 cup and experience that baptism. Absolutely. 00:28:12.680 --> 00:28:15.829 Suffering is... as general as it could be because 00:28:15.829 --> 00:28:19.609 everybody suffers. And it is as specific as anything 00:28:19.609 --> 00:28:22.450 else because it is down to how you suffer and 00:28:22.450 --> 00:28:25.329 what you've experienced. Like in times where 00:28:25.329 --> 00:28:26.990 I've gotten to talk with people who are hurting. 00:28:28.470 --> 00:28:31.289 Not as a pastor, but as a friend, as just somebody 00:28:31.289 --> 00:28:33.789 there. There have been times where they've shared 00:28:33.789 --> 00:28:36.410 something with me and I've experienced something 00:28:36.410 --> 00:28:38.549 worse in that area. And they're like, oh, well, 00:28:38.589 --> 00:28:41.210 I can't even talk to you about this. I'm like, 00:28:41.329 --> 00:28:43.890 no, no, no, no, no. This is not a race. The key 00:28:43.890 --> 00:28:47.160 here, I think, is that when we... drink from 00:28:47.160 --> 00:28:49.460 that cup, recognizing that he has drunk from 00:28:49.460 --> 00:28:53.460 it first and that we're sharing in Christ's suffering. 00:28:53.640 --> 00:28:55.599 And so he walks through those things with us 00:28:55.599 --> 00:28:58.640 to shape us into his image. I love it, man. That's 00:28:58.640 --> 00:29:01.319 a great thought. Thanks. I think the good reminder 00:29:01.319 --> 00:29:04.059 as we begin to land this plane on this episode 00:29:04.059 --> 00:29:06.579 is that suffering looks different for everybody. 00:29:06.839 --> 00:29:10.740 Just because someone else is suffering might 00:29:10.740 --> 00:29:13.369 seem... quote -unquote, worse than yours doesn't 00:29:13.369 --> 00:29:15.069 nullify the suffering that you're going through 00:29:15.069 --> 00:29:17.230 for Jesus or the suffering you're going through. 00:29:17.390 --> 00:29:21.710 And it's a reminder that a call to be a Christian 00:29:21.710 --> 00:29:28.490 is not a call to have a perfect life. Christ 00:29:28.490 --> 00:29:30.049 says that we're going to take up our cross and 00:29:30.049 --> 00:29:33.230 follow Him. And so we should come expecting to 00:29:33.230 --> 00:29:34.690 realize that there's going to be troubles in 00:29:34.690 --> 00:29:39.230 life, but there's no place I'd rather be than 00:29:39.230 --> 00:29:42.480 suffering for Jesus. Yeah. And in that suffering, 00:29:42.599 --> 00:29:45.680 he meets us and he shapes us to be more like 00:29:45.680 --> 00:29:48.200 himself. And so as hard as that suffering is, 00:29:48.319 --> 00:29:50.859 it's not purposeless. Nope, not at all. And like 00:29:50.859 --> 00:29:53.759 you said, I believe that there is purpose on 00:29:53.759 --> 00:29:56.960 this side of eternity and also the next. Absolutely. 00:29:57.180 --> 00:29:58.680 So man, this has been a good conversation today. 00:29:58.819 --> 00:29:59.900 Yeah, it's been a good conversation. I think 00:29:59.900 --> 00:30:02.619 we started off a little wild. I'm excited to 00:30:02.619 --> 00:30:04.539 see how you edit the wildness of this episode. 00:30:04.819 --> 00:30:08.359 But man, we got into some good stuff. Yeah, it's... 00:30:09.440 --> 00:30:11.839 landing the plane on something that touches all 00:30:11.839 --> 00:30:14.220 of us is something that is good and encouraging 00:30:14.220 --> 00:30:16.339 to me too. Yep. And I think, you know, I was 00:30:16.339 --> 00:30:18.220 going to bring back the chant, but I don't think 00:30:18.220 --> 00:30:19.819 it's appropriate right now. So we're just going 00:30:19.819 --> 00:30:23.079 to say I've been Sean Griffin. And I've been 00:30:23.079 --> 00:30:25.000 Ben Smith. And we love you guys. Have a great 00:30:25.000 --> 00:30:26.740 week. We'll see you later. See you later, pursuers, 00:30:26.759 --> 00:30:32.420 dudes, and dudettes. Pursuing Jesus is a ministry 00:30:32.420 --> 00:30:35.079 of Memorial Baptist Church in Norwood, North 00:30:35.079 --> 00:30:35.500 Carolina.