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 we've read that Jesus warns the disciples about what is to come in Jerusalem.  Let us note, they are now on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and so the events of what we call Holy Week are drawing near.  Jesus gets even more specific in His warnings to the disciples, saying that He will be betrayed to the chief priests and scribes.  He includes that He will be delivered to the Gentiles, who will mock Him, scourge Him, and spit on Him and kill Him.  My study Bible notes that Christ's repeated predictions of His Passion were intended to encourage and strengthen the disciples for the terrifying events they would face.  Once again, He also confirms that He goes to His death of His own will and choosing. 

 

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."    Yet again we find the disciples concerned with issues of greatness and position (see also this reading, in which they disputed among themselves who would be greatest).  My study Bible comments that this quest for temporal power and glory is unfitting for a disciple and shows an earthly misunderstanding of the Kingdom of God.  In Matthew's Gospel, it is written that the mother of Zebedee's sons requested this honor, but James' and John's own involvement is clear as Jesus addresses them in the plural "you" and also here in this passage in Mark.  My study Bible adds that Christ calls His Crucifixion a cup and His death a baptism.  The Cross is a cup, it explains, because Christ 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).  Christ's prophecy of John and James participating in the same cup and baptism shows the life of persecution and martyrdom they would lead after Pentecost, James being the first of the Twelve to be martyred, and John living a long life of persecution.  My study Bible also notes that Christ declaring that the places of honor in the Kingdom are not His to give does not mean that He lacks authority.  Instead, it means that they are not His to give arbitrarily.  Rather, Jesus will give them to those for whom God has prepared them.  My study Bible asks us to note also that with regard to sitting as equals on the right and left hand of Christ in His Kingdom, St. John Chrysostom teaches that no one could possibly occupy such a position.  With regard to the highest places of honor that can be given to human beings, in the icons of the Orthodox Church it is universally depicted that the Virgin Mary (the most blessed among women -- Luke 1:28) and John the Baptist (the greatest born of women - Matthew 11:11) hold these places on the left and right of the opening to the altar.

 

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."  For many is an Aramaic expression which means "for all."

It seems that as Jesus and the disciples go toward Jerusalem, expectations are high among the disciples (and today, among John and James Zebedee) that Jesus will be coming into a physical kingdom.  Thus, their concern about their places within that kingdom.  No wonder Jesus repeatedly tries to tell them about what is to come in Jerusalem.  Not only does He need to prepare them for the entirely (to them) unexpected outcome.  He also must change their own expectations about what it will mean to be apostles of the Kingdom of God.  It will mean the same cup and baptism which Jesus Himself will endure.  So often, we seem to expect the establishment of a beautiful kingdom with all of its attendant splendor will be established for us because of our faith.  But our faith simply doesn't really work that way.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught in reply to Peter, "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."  Note Jesus' reassurance of some sort of recompense or replenishing of losses or sacrifice endured for the sake of Himself and the gospel.  But these things will come through our faith, and most likely through the Church in some way; worship houses, brothers and sisters in the Church.  Notice also that Jesus is careful to say that these things will come with persecutions as well.    But here in today's reading, Christ's emphasis is once again on service.  They are not to look to the kingdoms of the Gentiles to think about what the Kingdom of God is all about, and what they must be about.  Christ's servants are not to lord it over others, even to exercise authority in the same style.  If these disciples truly want to be great in His Church, then it is they who must serve others instead.  "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."  If we are to be great in our Church, among believers, and within His Kingdom, then it is we who must be prepared to serve.  How does that happen?  We pray for others.  We seek to do good to our brothers and sisters.  We comfort.  We extend a kind word.  We give what we can and when we can.  We are to show compassion (Matthew 25:31-46).  Sometimes even just sitting with someone is an act of kindness and compassion, and can make all the difference in a hard circumstance.  For if we listen to Jesus, then this is what we are made for.  We are made to help, and to find ourselves in what we can do to help.  Jesus goes so far as to say that whoever desires to be first shall be a slave of all.  Note that this has nothing to do with socially significant acts, designed to be approved of and noticed.  Christ does not establish rules defining what being a servant or slave means here.  This is not about a solution to social and political problems on abstract terms.  Above all, these are personal actions He's speaking of, personal kinds of relations, personal "right-relatedness."  For it is where there is need that we can be truly helpful.  And finally there is the great caveat, "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."  He sets the example.  If we want to look to the One whom we follow, we look to Him.  When we steep ourselves in prayer, and find ourselves in Christ's own love, then we find the energy to do as He asks.  Let us not leave out our own preparedness  and pacing for this journey, just as Jesus prepares and paces the disciples in so many ways.