Jesus seeks to teach them that as church leaders they must be very different from those of the world. Already with respect to the worldly rulers it only seems that they have the authority; it is simply a power that has been lent to them. How much more is it true of the twelve that they became great
among the disciples, thanks to Jesus only.
The Lord does not object to leaders in the church, but he does show the twelve the style
they have to follow. It is quite the opposite of that of worldly princes. There the greatest are dominant.
Mark 10:42b is seen by many commentators as a parallel to Mark 10:42a (The rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them
). It is worth considering, however, a different understanding here: The rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones [namely, among those rulers] exercise authority over them [namely, over those rulers].
In this way Jesus does not say the same thing twice but indicates that people who seem to have power over nations are in their turn subject to the greatest kings or emperors. The verb in Mark 10:42b (katexousiazein) is very rare. It appears only in Mark 10:42 and Matthew 20:25. At issue was not the power that leaders exercise over nations (exousiazein), but the superior power that some leaders have over many vassal kings and puppet governments.
Power desires superior power over other power. Mark 10:42 deals then very precisely with the question of the mutual relations among rulers in the world. So the verse fits very well in a discussion that takes place at a moment when the mutual relationships in the circle of the twelve leaders is at issue.1
42 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.