Even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life for a ransom for many

Now they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed. And as they followed they were afraid. Then he took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to him: "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn him to death and deliver him to the Gentiles; and they will mock him, and scourge him, and spit on him, and kill him. And the third day he will rise again."

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him, saying, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask." And he said to them, "What do you want me to do for you?" They said to him, "Grant us that we may sit, one on your right hand and the other on your left, in your glory." But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" They said to him, "We are able." So Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized; but to sit on my right hand and on my left is not mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared."

And when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John. But Jesus called them to himself and said to them, "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life for a ransom for many."

- Mark 10:32-45

Again, as noted in yesterday's reading and commentary, Jesus is on the road - and once again, the road is the place for teaching his disciples. It is, in a sense, a place where Jesus can be alone with them, teaching them things for their ears only. It is possibly the one place where they can be alone, after so many have flocked to Jesus' ministry, and crowds follow him wherever he teaches. They are in Judea, heading toward Jerusalem. We recall from yesterday's reading that Jesus has just taught them about the difficulties that great riches present for discipleship, and the example of the camel going through the eye of the needle.

Now they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed. And as they followed they were afraid. Then he took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to him: "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn him to death and deliver him to the Gentiles; and they will mock him, and scourge him, and spit on him, and kill him. And the third day he will rise again." This is the latest of several warnings that Jesus has tried to give his disciples of what is to happen to him in Jerusalem. As they are on the road to Jerusalem, it is perhaps necessary that this preview of what is to happen is much more detailed than the previous ones he's given to them. At this juncture, Jesus tells them that he will be "handed over to the Gentiles," the Romans - and he includes a vivid description of how he will be treated by the Romans and what is to happen then. We are now in chapter 10 of Mark's gospel; these predictions will be fulfilled starting with chapter 14.

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him, saying, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask." And he said to them, "What do you want me to do for you?" They said to him, "Grant us that we may sit, one on your right hand and the other on your left, in your glory." It's kind of remarkable to me that, immediately after Jesus' teaching on possessions, and the repeated teachings on humility and service, such as in this reading from Monday, John and James Zebedee make this request. But, I suppose the gospel is written for us to understand that, also, for the disciples, learning comes in pieces, and understanding is not immediate. But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" They said to him, "We are able." This is another kind of warning. It is about the persecutions that are to come, that Jesus spoke of in yesterday's reading. My study bible notes that Jesus says, "You do not know what you ask," because he doesn't promise a visible kingdom on earth, or an immediate, victorious and glorious consummation. Rather, it notes, Jesus predicts "toils, struggles and conflicts. Cup and baptism are references to suffering and death. The disciples do not grasp this now. But they will meet both these realities in future persecutions and in the sacramental realities of the cup of the Eucharist (1 Cor. 11:26) and the death and resurrection of baptism (Col. 2:12)." So Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized; but to sit on my right hand and on my left is not mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared." Again, my study bible has a helpful note here: "A place of honor in the eternal Kingdom will be given by the Father to those for whom it is prepared." My study bible notes that, according to the Church Fathers, this conveys not an arbitrary choice by God, but according to a believer's sacrifice and suffering for Christ and the Kingdom. Of course, we understand that most of the apostles will go out to the world to proclaim the gospel, and many of them will become martyrs. But this kingdom is not about honors; it is about service, and all of Jesus' recent talks have pointed the disciples toward this direction of understanding about service. This sense of service includes Christ himself, who once again (as in the talk with the young man in yesterday's reading) directs James and John away from himself, and to the Father.

And when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John. But Jesus called them to himself and said to them, "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life for a ransom for many. Again, I will quote from my study bible: "Service is characteristic of true greatness. The model is Christ's incarnate life and death: the perfect man is the perfect servant. Ransom is the price paid for the release of someone held captive. In this case, humanity is released from the bondage of sin and death by Christ's redemptive sacrifice on the Cross." Again, we understand the emphasis on service to include Jesus himself, who will serve - and who continues to serve - as our greatest example of a life lived in service to others. The image of the Cross is forever our image of the Savior, the God incarnate in our world as a man, who came to teach us and to save us, "to give his life as a ransom for many." I have struggled with this in my life - this image of the Cross - and come to terms with its acceptance in me as that process of releasing what God asks me to let go of -- and not what I or anyone else deems necessary for me to do. In this process of salvation, it has been my experience that there is a lot that I hold dear that I have had to let go; but this process is not predictable, it is a part of the process of spiritual growth, and if we could predict what we give up we would indeed be somewhat acting as if we were omniscient. It is in this relationship that we find, bit by bit, the things we need to let go, that need not be a part of us or our lives, and that can indeed feel like a sacrifice when we are in the midst of it. Yet, it is a necessary, powerful part of that journey. The Cross is still our symbol for this salvation.

We are at the point in the week now where we look forward to Palm Sunday, and all of the events of Holy Week. Lent draws to a close. The great events of the Passion Week will fulfill Jesus' prophecies that the disciples have such a hard time grasping until their significance is manifest before them in experience, and even then elude fullness of understanding until Pentecost. For now, we must focus on what is to come, just as Jesus has warned his disciples. What does it mean to you, this ransom on the Cross? I think now is the time to think about it. What does this example mean in your life? Are there things you have endured -- sufferings and sacrifice -- because of your love and commitment to this life in Christ? Has your prayer life led you to some "toils, struggles and conflicts" in which you have had to let go of things that were precious to you? I encourage prayer that is contemplative; that is, prayer that allows us to give all things to God as we pray, to let things go. In this sense, we may be relieved of burdens we don't need, and encouraged to understand service as part of what is involved in that ransom: it is an exchange. The fullness of the spiritual life - of salvation - is what we receive in joy.