Mark 10:35-45
Somewhere in my childhood - I think it was at camp - I learned a catchy song that began "I've got a home in glory-land that outshines the sun, look away beyond the blue." The verse then continued, "I took Jesus as my Savior; you take him, too." This song could have been running through the minds of James and John that day when they approached Jesus. They were with Jesus, on the road again - on their way from Caesarea Phillipi up to Jerusalem. All during what turns out to be their last journey, Jesus has been making the most of their travel-time by treating it as a field trip with the learning goals being that the disciples discover what it means to follow Jesus.
The closer to Jerusalem they get, the tougher the lessons. Just prior to this morning's passage, Jesus told the disciples for the third time they were headed toward his death and resurrection. Here, it appears the two brothers are trying to make sense of what he said. They want to be on Jesus' right and left when he is in his glory. What exactly did they understand Jesus' time of glory to be? Is their question to him brazen or faithful? Probably both.
There is a sense in James' and John's request that they believe Jesus is the Messiah. It appears that in their minds they have "accepted him as their Savior." They do believe he is the way to glory. But what kind of glory do they envision? Are they caught up in the earthly understanding that glory is personal - like Solomon's glory which came from position, money and power? That coincided with the nation's vision of the Old Testament Messiah described in the book of Daniel. If you will remember, Daniel dreamed of the Messiah coming as king, in power and glory, to rule over all peoples and nations. So, the disciples probably expected Jesus to help the Jews conquer the Romans once and for all so they would be free. James and John want to share that honor, to be a part of the up-front action. It reminds me of a group of teenagers running to the car, trying to be first to yell, "Shotgun!" They know they cannot be the driver, but they want to be in the front seat, to see the action from the best possible vantage point.
James and John have grasped only part of Jesus' lesson in discipleship. Yes, he is the Messiah. Yes, there is glory down the road for him. But what they fail to realize is that first, the road to glory will run straight through the valley of suffering and death. That's the part they missed. How can they so blatantly misunderstand? As we sit from our vantage point, we want to call the disciples dense, slow learners. Were they asleep in class? Had they asked to be excused during that lesson? Where were they when Jesus put the child in the middle and told them "the first shall be last?" Didn't they see him bless the children and include them when everyone else wanted to send them away? Didn't they hear Jesus tell the rich man that his love of his possessions was keeping him out of the kingdom? Yes. They heard. But they chose not to really hear. Every teacher has seen that phenomenon. The student is in the classroom, apparently listening, when suddenly the eyes glaze over, making it evident that although the facts went in, they have not been absorbed. It's the old "in one ear and out the other" syndrome.
Jesus' understanding of leadership goes so much against the disciples' definition that they simply cannot comprehend. The image of the perfect leader is standing right there in front of them. Day in and day out, they watch Jesus be the leader they are called to be, but they still don't recognize it. Their idea of leadership has success and first position and power written all over it. But Jesus keeps saying that leaders are to be servants. How can that be effective? And he repeatedly talks of his imminent death. They hear that, too. But they don't - they can't - believe it. That message just does not compute in their brains. Jesus death does not fit with their understanding of glory, so they turn their ears off to that part of Jesus' teaching. They want the glory "that outshines the sun," not the glory that shimmers in the darkness of pain and suffering.
Don't we do that, too? We hear what discipleship entails and we choose not to listen because the lesson is too hard. We don't want to be servants any more than James or John did. We don't want to walk down the road of suffering for our own sake, much less for someone else's, any more than did the twelve who traveled with Jesus lo those many years ago. So, we find ourselves irritated at the disciples' dull-witted behavior, yet we also recognize their inability to comprehend as being something with which we also struggle. As much as we hate to admit it, "they" are "us" 2000 years removed.
James and John's request gets two reactions: one from Jesus and one from their ten cohorts on the journey. The other disciples are angry. Whether their anger stems from disbelief that the brothers should even presume to ask for such an honor or from the fact that they regret they did not think of it first, we don't know. Either one reveals more dull-witted behavior. The ten were also worried about power and prestige, just like the two toward whom their anger is directed.
Predictably, while we and the disciples are showing human irritation, Jesus demonstrates divine patience. Rather than a scolding, he gives James and John partial credit. After all, their question does reveal a glimmer of understanding. He has told them to "ask and they shall receive." Their request is faith-filled. It also is naive and misdirected. They do not realize the implications behind what they are seeking. They are skipping a step along the way. They want to go straight to resurrection without first going through crucifixion. No, says Jesus, there is no short-cut to glory. In order to share in the glory of Jesus, one must first climb with him up a hill called Calvary. Along the way, when thirst comes, there may be no more than a cup of gall to drink. And upon arrival, the expectation is that they take a towel, bow down and wash the feet of others. Walking that road does not earn the glory; but it is the way of discipleship. Following Jesus leads us into service.
It's no wonder the disciples didn't want to "get it." I'm sure they felt not only hesitant, but inadequate. They probably saw no way they could be perfect like Jesus. But that is the point to this part of the trip. Jesus doesn't want them to be perfect; he wants them to be faithful and follow. As they walk with him, they will practice and learn. The faith is in the following.
Meanwhile it is reassuring to know that Jesus was patient and loving with the disciples as they misunderstood and sometimes got it wrong. It gives us hope when we stumble or start up the wrong road. Just like the twelve, we have been exposed repeatedly, to Jesus' teachings about obeying the commandments. We know we are to be faithful and believe in God's promises. We know we are to regard each person in the world as a friend and child of God. And, again just like the twelve, we often don't get it. We are slow-learners, too. We hear the words, but we don't always put them into practice. We want to end up in "glory-land" but we don't want to take the servant path that will get us there. Or maybe, it is not that we do not want to take that path, we just are not sure how to go about it.
What does it mean to be a servant leader? A servant is one who works for another and who strives to meet that other person's needs. A devoted servant is willing to make sacrifices and to allow the master to receive credit for jobs well-done by the servant. At the same time, a servant-leader does not lose integrity or self-definition. The decision to follow and serve is a free and thoughtful choice.
- This story was told by an old priest one Sunday. It is a true story of when he served in the military. One day their drill sergeant came out and threw a hand grenade into a group of young soldiers. The men all ran away and took cover away from the grenade. Then the drill sergeant told them that the grenade was not set to explode and he just did it to see their reaction. The next day a newly recruited soldier joined the group. The drill sergeant told the other soldiers not to tell the new soldier what was going to happen. As the drill sergeant came out and threw the grenade into the crowd of soldiers, the new soldier, not knowing it wasn't going to explode, threw himself on top of the grenade to prevent it from killing the other men. He was willing to die for his fellow soldiers. That year the young man was awarded the only medal for courage and bravery that had not been won during battle. (1)
- One minister explained the practical implications of being a follower of Christ. He said, "We think that giving our all to Christ is like taking a $1,000 bill and laying it on the table saying, 'Here's my life, Lord. I'm giving it my all.' But the reality for most of us is that Christ sends us to the bank and has us cash in the $1,000 for quarters. We go through life putting out 25 cents here and 50 cents there. Listen to the neighbor kid's troubles instead of saying, 'Get lost.' Go to a committee meeting. Give a cup of water to a shaky old man in a nursing home. Usually giving our life to Christ isn't glorious. It is done in all those little acts of love, 25 cents at a time. It would be easy to go out in a flash of glory; it is much harder to live the Christian life little by little over the long haul."
- by Kim Noone from A Cup of Chicken Soup for the Soul Copyright 1996 by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen & Barry Spilchuk. Health Communications Inc., Deerfield Beach, FL.
(Comments to Pam at Pam.Laing@ecunet.org.)