I’m fascinated with what the disciples (and we) want to talk about and don’t want to talk about – the engagement with each other about things we are anxious to express, and then on the other hand this strange silence and loss for words, even remoteness.

They’re interested in who is the greatest. They’re interested in position. They’re interested in how the order is established. They’re interested in getting “ahead” – ahead always implying that someone is behind you trying to overtake you while still others are in front of you who need to be overtaken. We can be obsessed by the competition and can discuss the game endlessly. I know I can get pulled into such discussions, since “right” and “wrong” and “winning” the debate begins to generate its own energy – never mind that the point is meaningless. Anyone who’s ever had a brother or sister or spouse must know about the unregulated energy of such discussions. My how the words can fly while the listening fails! “Is too.” “Is not!” “Is too!” “Is not!”…

So who wants to be called out to see things from a larger perspective when they’re right in the middle of the game? Who wants to give up their point when you think you are so close to winning?

After all that energy the silence must have been deafening. The silence arises from what they don’t want to talk about. It’s that uneasy silence when there are really meaningful things to be said but everyone avoids saying them. Jesus’ question pulls them into that silence. With his words everything that they had been invested in falls away. Suddenly they are speechless.

Looking ahead real speech, meaningful speech from the disciples doesn’t catch fire until Pentecost, following the fulfillment of what Jesus taught in vs. 31.

Reminds me of the old church school song: “O be careful little mouth what you say…O be careful little ears what you hear.”

(from www.goodpreacher.com/blog/)