The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many

 Now Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, "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 to mock and to scourge and to crucify.  And the third day He will rise again." 

Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him.  And He said to her, "What do you wish?"  She said to Him, "Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom."  But Jesus answered and said, "You do not know what you ask.  Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"  They said to Him, "We are able."  So He said to them, "You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; 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 by My Father."  And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers.  But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them.  Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.  And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave -- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

- Matthew 20:17-28

In yesterday's reading, Jesus gave the parable of the Workers in the Vineyard: "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.  Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.  Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.  And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.'  So they went.  Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise.  And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day?'  They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.'  He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.'  So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.'  And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius.  But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius.  And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.'  But he answered one of them and said, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong.  Did you not agree with me for a denarius?  Take what is yours and go your way.  I wish to give to this last man the same as you.  Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?  Or is your eye evil because I am good?'  So the last will be first, and the first last.  For many are called, but few chosen."

 Now Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, "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 to mock and to scourge and to crucify.  And the third day He will rise again."    This is the third prediction Jesus makes of His Passion.  My study bible says that these repeated predictions were meant to encourage and strengthen the disciples for the terrifying events that they were going to face.  According to Theophan, it's as if Christ were saying, "Think on all these [words and miracles], so that when you see me hanging on the Cross, you will not imagine that I am suffering because I am powerless to do otherwise."  We note the details of this prediction:  He will be delivered to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify.  The precise and vivid nature of the prediction leaves no doubt that what is coming is fully known to Christ.  At this point, Jesus sets His journey toward Jerusalem.  Popular expectations would lead the disciples to believe there will be the manifestation of a worldly kingdom without end.

Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him.  And He said to her, "What do you wish?"  She said to Him, "Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom."  But Jesus answered and said, "You do not know what you ask."  My study bible says that the request for temporal power and glory is unfitting for a disciple and shows an earthly misunderstanding of the Kingdom of God.  Matthew reports here that it is the mother of Zebedee's sons who makes this request, but John's and James' own involvement in the request is revealed in Jesus' reply, as you is plural in Jesus' words "You do not know what you ask."  As if to drive the point home, this isn't the first time the disciples are concerned with places of honor in this worldly kingdom they expect to manifest in accordance with popular understanding of the Messiah.  See also this reading, in which the disciples ask Him, "Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"

"Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"  They said to Him, "We are able."  So He said to them, "You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; 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 by My Father."   Jesus calls His Crucifixion a cup and His death a baptism.  The Cross is a cup because He drank it willingly, my study bible says (Hebrews 12:2).  His death is baptism, as He was completely immersed in it, yet it cleansed the world (Romans 6:3-6).  Christ's prophecy here of the participation in the same cup and baptism shows the life of persecution and martyrdom they would lead after Pentecost.  Jesus also declares here that the places of honor in the Kingdom are not His to give.  It doesn't mean that He lacks authority, my study bible tells us.  Instead, it means that they are not His to give arbitrarily.  He will give them to those for whom God has prepared them.  St. John Chrysostom teaches that no one could possibly occupy a position as an equal on the right and left hand of Christ.   As to the highest places of honor that can be given to human beings, the icons in the Eastern Church universally depict the Virgin Mary (most blessed among women -- Luke 1:28) and John the Baptist (greatest born of women -- 11:11) holding these places among the saints.

And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers.  But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them.  Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.  And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave -- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."  Once again (as in the previous reading, when the disciples asked "Who is the greatest in the kingdom heaven?") Jesus responds with a teaching on humility and the proper use of power in His Church.   As Jews, they consider the power-hungry Gentiles an abomination.  Jesus contrast these worldly rulers to Himself.  He serves all of us, although He is Lord of all.  He will give His life for all (for many is used as an expression in Aramaic and in Greek to mean "for all"). 

Christ emphasizes humility over and over again.  He contrasts this humility with the power-hungry kings of the Gentiles who populated the kingdoms of His time.  If we read about the history of Israel, and indeed the world, we read about kingdoms and conquering and ongoing wars carving out first this border then that one.  While kings were known for their worldly power, the family of Herod the Great was distinguished in its cruelty and intrigue.  His son, Herod Antipas, ruled over Galilee in Jesus' adult life; it was he who had John the Baptist locked in prison, and finally beheaded (see this reading).  In modern times, many of us live in countries where certain rights are guaranteed to citizens, but we can look around and see ongoing wars and violence in the pursuit of power on many scales and levels; in that sense, worldly power is quite clearly still with us as it was in Christ's day.  Jesus' words contrasting the type of humility He's looking for still ring a deep and loud difference between the pursuit of worldly power and an understanding of His authority.  Who are the littlest ones?  Why are they so important in His Church?  His disciples will enter into the cup and baptism that is His.  Specifically, John Zebedee will live a long life of exile and persecution; His brother James will be the first martyr among the Twelve (Acts 12:2).  Humility and service are all about surrendering to God our own impulses for power and living as God wishes us to.  To serve the littlest is to serve with love and care for Christ's family.  But Jesus speaks of more than service here.  He will give His life as a ransom -- for everyone.   Ransom is more than simply a payment.  A ransom is what sets people free who are held captive, imprisoned, or kidnapped.  A ransom is demanded by soldiers or mercenaries who hold hostages and demand payment to set them free.  Jesus is not talking about a payment to God; He's rather speaking of the sacrifice He will make for all of our freedom, so that we are set free by the things that hold us captive.  His willingness to go through His death and suffering is not only an act of supreme love.  It is also an act that sets all of us free, made with His authority and freedom as the Son.  As a human being, He faces and endures all that the evil of the world can set before us to deter us from loving God and finding ourselves in God's love.  It is a supreme act of freedom in "overcoming the world" (John 16:33) so that we, too, may participate in His life, death, and Resurrection and in that freedom that He offers to us.  We may suffer persecutions for the sake of this belonging to His Kingdom, but we are free in His love to find the things that make for life in abundance here and now in His love and as a part of His family.  Spiritual life is a mystery.  It is complex and has depths that we don't suspect, that a world which denies such existence fails to acknowledge.  But the experience of this love is unmistakable, and His words about love and service and the benefits of humility are undeniable.  John and James will enter into His work, His cup and His baptism.  John will leave us the most transcendent words of love in the Gospel, Epistles and Revelation that bear his name (whether each is written directly by him or by a disciple of his is irrelevant to the unmistakable and distinctive common thread that runs through all of them).   This is the power of Christ at work in our lives, to live and work for all and leave the world with beauty and truth that serve all.  Let us consider what He can do with our lives, His way.