And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire.
Parallel translations
- WEB James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came near to him, saying, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we will ask.”
- BSB Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and declared, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask.”
- NKJV Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask.”
- NASB James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, *came up to Jesus, saying to Him, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.”
- NLT Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came over and spoke to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do us a favor.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
James and John ask Jesus to grant whatever they request. Their bold approach reveals self-seeking ambition right after talk of the cross.
Overview
Immediately after Jesus foretells his suffering, the brothers seek personal advancement, a jarring contrast Mark highlights. Their request to have Jesus agree before hearing it betrays presumption. The episode exposes how persistently the desire for status clings even to devoted disciples, setting up Jesus' lesson on servanthood.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Matt 20:20–28Then came to him the mother of Zebedee’s children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him.
- 2 Sam 14:4–11And when the woman of Tekoah spake to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, and did obeisance, and said, Help, O king.
- 1 Kgs 2:20Then she said, I desire one small petition of thee; I pray thee, say me not nay. And the king said unto her, Ask on, my mother: for I will not say thee nay.
- Mark 1:19–20And when he had gone a little farther thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets.
- Mark 14:33And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy;
- Mark 5:37And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James.
- 1 Kgs 2:16And now I ask one petition of thee, deny me not. And she said unto him, Say on.
- Mark 9:2And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them.
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Christ at the center
Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
How Mark 10:35 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.