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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 a ransom for many."
- Mark 10:32-45
Yesterday we read that as Jesus was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Do mot defraud,' 'Honor your father and your mother.' And he answered and said to Him, "Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth." Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow Me." But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!" And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, "Who then can be saved?" But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible." Then Peter began to say to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You." So Jesus answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time -- houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions -- and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first."
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 third time that Jesus predicts His Passion for the disciples. My study bible says that this repeated prediction is intended to encourage and strengthen them for the terrifying events they will face. Indeed, they are "amazed" because He goes so boldly to Jerusalem, even leading them there, where they know the religious authorities are hostile to Him. This triple prediction also confirms that Christ is going to His death of His own will, and freely.
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?" As Jesus goes so boldly ahead to Jerusalem, it seems probable that the disciples once again have expectations of a worldly kingdom that is to manifest at the center and heart of religious life, the Holy City. And once again, some are thinking of their places in such a kingdom. Specifically, these are John and James Zebedee. In Matthew's Gospel, we're told that it is their mother (one of the company of women who travel with and support Jesus' ministry) who asks, although the brothers' involvement is also clear. My study bible says that Christ calls His Crucifixion a cup and His death a baptism: the Cross is a cup because He drank it willingly (Hebrews 12:2). His death is baptism because He was completely immersed in it, yet it cleansed the world (Romans 6:3-6).
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." James and John Zebedee will both lead lives of martyrdom and persecution. James will become the first martyr among the apostles, John will live a long life of spiritual fruitfulness accompanied by persecution, responsible for one Gospel, three Epistles, and the Revelation. My study bible says that Jesus does not lack authority to give such places "at His right and left hand" but rather He cannot give them arbitrarily. They will go to those for whom God has prepared them. St. John Chrysostom writes that no one could occupy such a position of equality with Christ. By Tradition, the highest places of honor have been depicted as belonging to one woman, Mary, the Mother of Christ ("most blessed among women"), and one man, John the Baptist ("greatest among those born of women").
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 a ransom for many." Once again, Jesus emphasizes what it is to be among the leadership in His Church, what it means to be "great." This time, there's a vivid example: the rulers of the Gentiles, kings and emperors and all those in hierarchy to them. They "lord it over them." This is a negative example: "it shall not be so among you." Jesus more or less repeats precisely what He's said earlier. In Saturday's reading, we read that He taught them, "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all." In yesterday's reading, He taught them that, "Many who are first will be last, and the last first." This repeated admonition to those who would be leaders in His Church teaches us what great emphasis the Gospels place on this teaching, so necessary to counter all of our natural inclinations regarding place and position. He sets Himself as the greatest example for all of them (and for us). "For many," my study bible says, is an Aramaic expression that means "for all."
It's interesting for us to note the direction in which the disciples' minds go as Jesus speaks about rising on the third day. Even as Jesus is telling them about what He is to endure, prophesying of His Passion and death, they're thinking about what all this means as they head toward Jerusalem: His Kingdom will come to fruition. All they can think about is what place they will have in that kingdom. And seemingly, they pay no attention whatsoever to the three predictions of His suffering and death. It's a powerful story for us, and a powerful teaching. We don't get repeated teachings and experiences depicted in the Gospels without reason! In Saturday's reading, we also read that Jesus questioned the disciples what they were disputing among themselves -- it was about who would be greatest in His kingdom. And here today, as He's leading the way to Jerusalem, we have the story about James and John Zebedee, even as He's told them what will happen to Him in Jerusalem. In this earliest written and briefest Gospel, we get these repeated clues to our character and inclinations. They can't really grasp the bad news. And they can't yet understand what it means to be a part of this Kingdom, in the world and not yet "of it." They think about their own positions and place, even as disciples of Jesus who teaches that He Himself will be the sacrifice for all people. The Gospels always teach us about ourselves. They warn us about our own inclinations and "worldly" understanding. They teach us our own foibles even as we read about these disciples. There's no truth here that isn't exposed, "good" or "bad." It's all here for us, it's all told for us, before we came along to hear these stories ourselves. The disciples exemplify all of us, collectively, they tell us about what it is to be human beings exposed to this "good news" of the Kingdom, to come to gradual understanding, and even to be transformed into those who will suffer and sacrifice for the great mission of the Kingdom in this world. What we can take heart from in all of this is just that: the story of Christ's ministry and Kingdom, the story of discipleship among His early chosen followers, the great news of the Gospel, is interlaced with understanding and compassion for who we are, and for what we're up against in our own understanding of what power is -- and in our attempts to learn and grow in Christ's ways that He teaches us. Our book is not a depiction of heroes in a worldly sense. Perfection in Christ's Gospel isn't having no flaws or being superhuman. Even Christ Himself is as human as He is divine! He is subject to our emotions and struggles, temptations and distress. But He remains the supreme example, set before us, and given us to show us the way. If He were not truly human, this would not be possible. God's gift for us is absolute and complete: His Son is one of us and shows us the way. Whatever He teaches to us (and to these disciples), He lives first as supreme and highest example. This Book, called "the breath of God," containing the story of Christ, is filled in all ways with God's grace and love. We don't have impossible examples, but examples who are every bit as human and prone to mistakes as all the rest of us. These are our saints and pillars of the Church. These are the ones who've been chosen before us, the first who will be exhibited, as St. Paul says, as "last of all" before the world. Can we understand the love for us in this story? Can we grasp that even those who are last shall be first of all? Do we understand how the least of us can come to be the greatest in Christ's story of what makes a person truly great?
