For all they have been through with Jesus, those closest to Him did not understand what the messiahship of Jesus meant. This became abundantly clear in our Gospel reading this morning as Jesus delivers His third and final Passion prediction.
We find competition among the inner circle of the disciples when James and John put personal ambition ahead of solidarity within the community. They thought of the Kingdom of God in terms of career ladder when they ask for a place at Jesus’ right and left hands when He comes into His Kingdom. And this is not the first time we have seen this behavior. Earlier in Mark’s Gospel is the account of the disciples arguing among themselves about who is the greatest.
Despite the ignorance of the request, Jesus patiently responds that they don’t know what they are asking. “Are you able to drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” Clearly, to “drink the cup” was a metaphor for suffering. Baptism is used here in a sense of self-emptying love.
But it is to no avail as James and John once again show their misunderstanding when they confidently affirm that they are able to do just that. But at Jesus’ arrest they are nowhere to be found! Jesus finally puts an end to the conversation by stating by stating that the disciples’ request was not His to grant, only God the Father can decide who occupies these prominent positions. In an ironic twist, it is two thieves who would share these places of honor in Jesus’ glory – not on the heavenly throne, but at the crucifixion.
Predictably, the other disciples are enraged by the presumptive, embarrassing actions of James and John. In response, Jesus addresses all of them with teachings about true leadership. In a society that prized power, status and honor, the followers of Jesus were to take a different path. – that of servant leadership. The heart of discipleship is service and not privilege. Those who perform such service do so with no thought of recognition. Those who merely reflect the world’s values can do nothing to transform it. In the end, the person who is truly great is the one who seeks always to provide for the needs and welfare of others. Jesus models this kind of service as the “one who came not to be served but to serve.”
In a world dominated by reality television, it’s very tempting to define greatness, even in the Church, on the world’s terms. When we’ve “succeeded” – amassed lots of money or recognition or influence – then we can consider ourselves great, and if we failed to do this, we try to find ways to get it right. Yet, with this said, in our quest for greatness, we’ve lost our souls and the knowledge of true greatness.
As we try to become great in the world’s terms, we forget how significant it is for a single mother to raise her children to be responsible and generous. We forget how powerful the influence of an attentive parent or grandparent can be in the life of a child. We forget what a difference small acts of kindness and service can make to our neighborhoods and communities. We forget that the quest to be great in God’s Reign can lead to the same competitiveness that the disciples experienced – even to the extent that we compare who can be the “servingest” of all!
Still, the ultimate test of greatness is when greatness becomes irrelevant – when we no longer care about how we’re seen, or what we’ve achieved, and we begin to live as humble, sacrificial servants simply because it’s the right thing to do, and it’s one of the best ways to contribute to healing the world’s ills. Ironically, at the moment we stop seeking greatness and recognition and position that we become authentic followers of Jesus and that’s when we become truly great according to God’s standard.
We can take much from our Gospel reading, but most important, I think, is the understanding that the call to discipleship is the call to be a citizen of the Kingdom of God in a new way – the compassionate way that Jesus models for us. It means being bound by no yesterday, no fearing for tomorrow, no drawing lines between friend or foe, the acceptable ones and the outcasts. Discipleship is a commitment to the dream of God. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said: “Jesus is the Man for Others. His function and calling is to give His life as a ransom for many.”
In the final analysis, to be a disciple is to offer our lives to caring, compassion, and service.
Source: © The Rev. Peter Groschner, October 18, 2015. Mark 10:35-45. Reprinted with permission from the author.