Even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life 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 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 not 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."  Jesus gives the warning for the third time to His disciples regarding what is going to happen in Jerusalem, at the end of what is known as Holy Week.  My study bible says that His repeated predictions of His Passion were intended to encourage and strengthen the disciples for the terrifying events they were would face.  It adds that this also confirms that Christ was going to His death of His own will and choosing.   The disciples are both amazed and afraid as Jesus now boldly leads the way to Jerusalem (compare to 7:24, 9:30).

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."   The disciples have already been addressed by Christ regarding an understanding of service after they had disputed among themselves who would be greatest in His kingdom (see Monday's reading).  Here James and John still seek what my study bible calls temporal power and glory, which is unfitting for a disciples and shows an earthly misunderstanding of the Kingdom of God.  Jesus calls His Crucifixion a cup and His death a baptism.  The Cross is a cup as he drank it willingly (Hebrews 12:2).  His death is baptism, as He was completely immersed in it, but it cleansed the world (Romans 6:3-6).  That Jesus predicts John and James will participate in the same cup and baptism shows the life of persecution and martyrdom they would lead after Pentecost.  When Jesus tells them that the places of honor in the Kingdom are not His to give, it means they are not His to give arbitrarily, although His authority is full.  They will be given to those for whom God has prepared them.  St. John Chrysostom teaches that no one could possibly sit as equals on the right and left hand of Christ in His Kingdom.  In the Church, the Virgin Mary is called most blessed among women (Luke 1:28) and John the Baptist the greatest born of women (Matthew 11:11).  

  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 more, when all are gathered together, Jesus emphasizes the priority of service among them.  They must serve one another, and the first shall be slave of all.  He contrasts the power of those who lord it over one another with the kind of authority of His Church.  He Himself will set the example.  The phrase for many is an Aramaic expression which means "for all."

What does it mean to serve all, or be servants to one another?  What could it mean to be slave to all?   In Greek, the word for "servant" is diakonos, from which derive the English word "deacon."  Its root has to do with kicking up dust, most likely scurrying to be of help, assistance.  In a sacred sense, it implies ministry.  The Greek word for "slave" is doulos.  Its root means to serve the will of another, to belong to another.  If we look at these meanings, we understand that Jesus is speaking of serving one another in the same sense that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves; we seek to help one another.  To serve all is what He Himself does, even giving Himself as ransom to liberate others, as perhaps a slave would do in ancient times.   If we are the use the attitude of Christ, one of helping one another, what does that look like?  What picture do we get?  Certainly it is a contrast to competition in its starkest sense, in which our sole goals and aims are to "lord it over one another."  Rather, Christ expresses the idea of organization as one of mutual support.  Elsewhere He extends this to mutual correction (Matthew 18:15-17).  It does not merely imply a kind of mutual admiration society.  Rather it implies organization that is for the good of all, of each.  The way in which we may serve all is to wish the best for one another, and in Christ's view, our "best" is not a goal of power or prestige, but an internal one of discipline, correction, and growth in the virtues of grace and truth.  In supporting such growth and clear-eyed perspective, we help one another to be fuller members of the Kingdom, attaining to the things that God has prepared and desires for us.  If we were to change our point of view to reflect such fullness, what would it mean in terms of the ways in which we relate to one another?  There is humility in understanding that we are all on this same road or journey of holiness.  We've always got our work to do.  How can we share this road in a better way than we do now?   It will always give us fuller vision for the future, and so much to grow into, at every stage of our lives.