The Way Up Is Down

Here are some thoughts on this coming Sunday's gospel text, which were sent out to the people of St. Timothy Lutheran Church. 

Gospel: Mark 10:35-45

³⁵James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” ³⁶And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” ³⁷And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” ³⁸But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” ³⁹They replied, “We are able.” Then Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; ⁴⁰but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”
  ⁴¹When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. ⁴²So Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. ⁴³But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. ⁴⁵For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

 

 

REFLECTION 

We need to go back a few verses to get the full impact of James’ and John’s request. Jesus said, ”… the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles; ³⁴they will mock him, and spit upon him, and flog him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise again” (vv. 33-34). This is Jesus’ third announcement of his approaching crucifixion, which ends at v. 34. Then we get to this Sunday’s gospel, beginning with verse 35 and the sons of Zebedee’s desire.

Did they even hear what Jesus said? He was talking about suffering and death and then they want Jesus to do for them whatever they ask! This is cognitive dissonance in the extreme. Talk about being insensitive!

Or is it because they latched on to the part of Jesus’ prediction concerning his rising from the dead. Did they figure they wanted to hitch their wagons to Jesus’ star? Here is talk of Jesus being the future king and they just wanted to get in on the action. 
No matter what their motives, because that’s something we’ll never know, their request certainly seems odd. Jesus does not yell at them, but he does challenge them.

When all is said and done, and the other disciples have expressed their outrage, Jesus goes on to teach that true greatness is shown in service. If they want to be like Jesus and if we want to be like Jesus, then they and we have to follow him all the way. “For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many” (v. 45). 

 

Pastor Ivy Gauvin

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