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

 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."  This is the third time Jesus has warned the disciples about what will happen in Jerusalem.  What is new here is the greater detail, and the fact that He is openly headed to Jerusalem -- which has the disciples both amazed and afraid.   My study bible says that Christ's repeated predictions of His Passion were intended to encourage and strengthen the disciples for the terrifying events they will face; it also confirms that Christ goes to those events by His own will and choosing, in full awareness of what is to come.

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; . . .."    Yet again the question comes up about occupying the positions of greatness in the kingdom that the disciples expect will happen (see Monday's reading), as Jesus is headed toward Jerusalem.  We can see a reflection of James and John's personae in the fact that it is John who previously asked Jesus about one "who does not follow us" who was casting out demons in Christ's name (also in Monday's reading).  We know also of the closeness of John to Christ, the disciple to whom Jesus will later entrust His mother's care (John 13:23, 19:26, 20:2).   In a kind of parallel to the warnings about what will happen to Jesus in Jerusalem, Jesus is again taking painstaking care to teach the disciples about power and humility, and wielding the authority which He confers.  His questions also pointedly parallel His newer and more explicit previews of what they will witness happening to Him.  He questions if they are able to drink His cup of the Crucifixion and endure His same baptism of death.  My study bible explains that the Cross is a cup because Christ drank it willingly (Hebrews 12:2), and His death is baptism, because He was completely immersed in it, and yet it cleansed the world (Romans 6:3-6).  This prophecy regarding John and James shows their lives of persecution and martyrdom which will come after Pentecost.  John will live a long life enduring exile and fierce persecution of the Church; James will be the first apostle to be martyred (Acts 12:1-2).

". . . 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.   My study bible explains that Jesus is not saying He lacks authority.   He's indicating that these places are not His to give arbitrarily; they will go to those for whom God has prepared them.  Moreover, St. Chrysostom explains that to sit as equals on Christ's right hand and left would not be possible for anyone.  Regarding the highest positions of honor that can be given to human beings, the icons of the Orthodox Church universally depict the Virgin Mary (most blessed among women -- Luke 1:28) and John the Baptist (greatest born of women -- Matthew 11:11) holding these places.

 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."   Finally, regarding notions of power, Jesus gives yet another -- and more explicit -- exposition on power and authority, and their use among His disciples and in His Church.   This is yet another instance of Jesus' giving an explicit reference for the third time, when He uses language emphasizing that those who wish to be "first" must be "last" (Mark 9:35, 10:31, 10:44).  My study bible adds that for many is an Aramaic expression that means "for all."

How do we use power?  How do we use authority?  Jesus goes to the heart of what we consider true authority and power.  He cuts to the depth of what it means to be a Christian.  Jesus' ideas about gracious behavior in positions of authority would be extended to the societies in which Christianity took root.  It is the underpinning, to my thinking, of development of systems of justice that attempt to protect the innocent who are unjustly accused.   The Book of Pastoral Rule, written by Pope Gregory the Great in the sixth century, would be adopted not only by those in monastic and ecclesial orders, but would be introduced as part of early formal education for the aristocratic classes.  The concept of noblesse oblige, and what it means to be a gentle-person, in my opinion, comes directly from this influence.   Our very concepts about what it means to have polite manners, common courtesy, can be traced to Jesus' teachings.  Even notions of courtly love, making their appearance in twelfth century literature, come from a Christian understanding of women and the influence of the image of Mary the Mother of Christ.   Each of these concepts can be tied to Christ's notion of true power and authority, particularly in the way in which He contrasts contemporary Gentile use and understanding of power with the ways in which the apostles must come to understand their places of authority and power.  Where we fail in our societies and institutions today, we fail to take Jesus' words seriously.  This extends both from nominal positions of authority and power at all levels of our society all the way down to our most intimate relations with one another and within families.  What is it to be gracious?   What does it mean to be humble, even when wielding great authority and power?  These are questions we need to ask ourselves every day regarding the most appropriate way to live our lives, and conduct not only most becoming but also most effective on any level.  Jesus sets the tone for leadership:  He is loyal to His followers.  He corrects in private.  He exercises love in all of His actions.  Let us note that none of these things, as expressed in Jesus' character, means that we refrain from expressing the truth at particular times and where it will be effective; nor does it mean there are no rebukes or corrections.  This is a rigorous undertaking for each of us, and if we take personal responsibility seriously, then we take Christ's teachings here seriously.  It makes the epitome of good leadership, but is the distinguishing character of those who wish to bear Christ into the world.  Let us consider the ways in which we fall short, and ways in which we change and adapt to that which He teaches -- even when others don't.