Jesus, the Divine Gumball Machine
This is the sermon I preached on Sunday, Oct. 20 at St. Timothy Lutheran Church . The text was Mark 10:35-45. James and John approach Jesus like he’s a divine gumball machine. Like children, they say, “...we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” Seriously? “Whatever we ask of you.” Like I said, Jesus is the divine gumball machine. Jesus responds so patiently and with such love. He doesn't tear them apart, but instead responds with, "What is it you want me to do for you?" (v. 36). What a gentle response. It certainly would not have been mine. Jesus tells James and John that they don’t know what they’re asking. Jesus mentions hardships he will suffer: the cup he drinks, the baptism with which he is baptized. When Jesus refers to his own baptism, he uses the present tense, suggesting an ongoing and present event. Jesus literally says, “which I am being baptized right now”; he is in the midst of his baptism as he begins his long road to the cross....