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

Deesis (Supplication) mosaic; Hagia Sophia cathedral, Constantinople, 13th century.  Virgin Mary and John the Baptist on either side of Christ Pantocrator

 

 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, 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 however 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 Christ's third prediction of His Passion.  My study Bible says these repeated predictions were intended to encourage and strengthen the disciples for the terrifying events they would face.  They also confirm that Christ was going to His death of His own will and choosing.  

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, "Teacher, 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."  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 version of this story,  it is the "mother of Zebedee's sons" who requested this honor; however, John's and James' own involvement is revealed as Jesus uses a plural "you" to address them there in Matthew's Gospel, and also here in Mark's reporting of the story.   Jesus calls His Crucifixion a cup and His death a baptism.  My study Bible explains that the Cross is a cup because He drank it willingly (Hebrews 12:2).  His death is baptism, for He was completely immersed in it, yet 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.  Christ's declaration that the places of honor in the Kingdom are not His to give does not mean that He lacks authority.  Rather, my study Bible says, it means that they are not His give arbitrarily.  He will, instead, give them to those for whom God has prepared them.  With regard to sitting as equals on the right and left hand of Christ in His Kingdom, St. John Chrysostom teaches that there is no one who could fulfill such a position.  Regarding the highest places of honor that can be given to human beings, my study Bible reminds us that 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; see the icon above.

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 however 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."  My study Bible explains that the phrase for many is an Aramaic expression which means "for all."

Jesus explains the sacrifices of the Kingdom.  They are not sacrifices considered to be good in and of themselves, for the sake of sacrifice or a sort of discipline.  On the contrary, they are expressions of love in obedience to God's will, for a proper way of doing things which are good and right.  Christ's mission essentially is to set the world right, to bring salvation into the world, to once again bring human beings closer to God, in communion with God, and this mission is one of love.  It is done through love and as an expression of love for human beings.  It is hard for us to reconcile, considering the suffering Christ will bear, and especially in the Cross and His Crucifixion, but His voluntary death and suffering is part of the plan.  In a very real sense, God sacrifices and suffers of Himself, so that God both draws closer to us, and at the same time draws us closer to God.  Whatever we see and know of Christ's mission into the world is born of love and done in love for us, for what is good and right for human beings and human life; indeed "for the life of the world" - John 6:33, 51.  So is the spirit in which Jesus tells James and John Zebedee that the places on His right and left hand (that is, traditional places of "greatness" in an earthly kingdom which we might today translate to the highest cabinet positions in a modern country) are not His to give.  That is, Jesus expresses His own humility and love of the Father in everything He does and says, and conveys this also to John and James.  That these are not places He can arbitrarily assign, such as a way that a politician or figurehead would hand out power to his supporters or those to whom He owes favors, means that they are positions prepared by God and meant to be for the ones who can most further this plan of life and love for all of creation.  In everything, it is God, who is love, who comes first and lays the foundation for all that must follow.  And in this, Christ also asks our voluntary cooperation, just as here He asks it of James and John.  Christ Himself will be the first to literally lay down His life in that kind of obedience and love in this mission of love, and it is only then that He asks us to follow -- after He sets the first and foremost example -- and we are able to join with Him in that.  Indeed, James Zebedee would be the first among the apostles to be martyred (Acts 12:2), and John would go on to a long life of persecution, producing a Gospel, three Epistles, and the Revelation for the posterity of the Church.  These are services of love, and joining in a mission of love.  And this is the mission into which we are invited to join.  It is love in the same sense that parents will sacrifice time, attention, effort, means, and all kinds of other things in expressing love for their children, and in nurturing them.  It is the same sense of sacrifice for love one makes in caring for an elderly or infirm parent.  It is our love for God, the love in which we share and which is given in abundance, that leads us forward in the ways for us which are right and good, which are meant to heal us and our world.  Jesus says, "If you love Me, keep My commandments," as He promises to send us a Helper who will dwell with us (John 14:15-18).   Even so, we may be constantly reminded of His love, just as the disciples knew it for themselves.  As followers of Christ, we do not live lives of "what ifs" and fantasies.   We live lives in which everything we do and experience -- including even the hardships  or suffering -- is given to God and serves the life of the Cross meant for the life of the world, and so we may join in this mission of salvation, with Him.

 

 

And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God

 

 Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished.  For He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon.  They will scourge Him and kill Him.  And the third day He will rise again."  But they understood none of these things; this saying was hidden from them, and they did not know the things which were spoken.

Then it happened, as He was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging.  And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant.  So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.  And he cried out, saying, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"  Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"  So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him.  And when he had come near, He asked him, saying, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  He said, "Lord, that I may receive my sight."  Then Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well."  And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God.  And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

 

- Luke 18:31–43 

 

Yesterday we read that people also brought infants to Jesus that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them.  But Jesus called them to Him and said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.  Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it."  Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to 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,' 'Honor your father and your mother.'"  And he said, "All these things I have kept from my youth."  So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, "You still lack one thing.  Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."  But when he hard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.  And when Jesus saw that he become very sorrowful, He said, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!  For 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 those who heard it said, "Who then can be saved?"  But He said, "The things which are impossible with men are possible with God."  Then Peter said, "See, we have left all and followed You."  So He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life."   

 Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished.  For He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon.  They will scourge Him and kill Him.  And the third day He will rise again."  But they understood none of these things; this saying was hidden from them, and they did not know the things which were spoken.   This is the third prediction Jesus has made to the disciples about His Passion, and all the rest of what is going to happen in Jerusalem, as they approach the city.  Let us notice how Jesus frames His warning:  that all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished.  That is, what He frames here for the disciples is going to happen in the context of the fulfillment of the Scriptures, what has been prophesied about the Messiah.  That is, not because of the prophesies, but rather in fulfillment of what has been foreseen through the Holy Spirit "who spoke through the prophets" (Nicene Creed; Hebrews 1:1).  My study bible comments that the saying was hidden to the disciples because they could not comprehend its meaning until after the events of the Passion had taken place.  

Then it happened, as He was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging.  And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant.  So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.  And he cried out, saying, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"  Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"  So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him.  And when he had come near, He asked him, saying, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  He said, "Lord, that I may receive my sight."  Then Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well."  And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God.  And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.  The blind man greets Jesus with a Messianic title, Son of David.  Let us note his persistence, despite all of the attempts of the crowd  to tell him that he should be quiet.  This has the opposite effect on him, he simply cried out all the more.  If we think about our recent readings, this blind man is realistically adopting the position which Jesus taught the disciples about prayer, that it should be persistent.  In the words of the Gospel (in this reading and the teaching of Christ's parable about prayer), that men always ought to pray and not lose heart.  It seems this blind man knows something about the Son of David that the rest of the crowd going before him do not.  In an illustration of the truth of Jesus' parable in that reading from Friday we've just noted, Jesus hears him, stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him.  Let us note that Jesus tells him, "Your faith has made you well."  Our persistence in prayer, even in not following the crowds and what others would say, is clearly marked out by Jesus as a sign of faith.  My study bible says that although Jesus knows what we want before we ask, He calls us to ask freely in order to learn of His mercy.  There is also a traditional spiritual interpretation of this miracle; in it, the blind man symbolizes the future generations who will come to faith only by hearing, without having the benefit of seeing Christ in person (see John 20:29).  In each generation there will be persecutors and tyrants who try to silence the Church, and shut down the faith of believers.  But nevertheless, under persecution, we all the more confess Jesus Christ.  Let us note the blind man's correct response:  He followed Christ on His journey toward Jerusalem, glorifying God.  All the people note his thanksgiving, and gave praise to God in response.

It's interesting to see in the Gospels the fickleness of the crowds, and in this story in particular, that sends us a deep message.  We noted at first how it was the crowds who tried to silence the plea (or prayer) of the blind man.  It is because he does not follow what the crowds tell him that the man continues to plead for Christ's help, and shows persistence in his prayer and in his faith in appealing to Jesus.  In the end, it is the whole crowd, "all the people," the text tells us, who gave praise to God in response to the blind man's glorious healing by Christ.  If he had not been persistent, this man who refused to listen to all the voices in his hearing, would not have had his sight restored, nor would all the people be praising God.  It tells us something that the crowds in the Gospels are so often simply fickle at best, and at other times are downright wrong.  In the words of my study bible, "the crowds follow the crowds."  It is not to popular belief or superstition, or rumor, or gossip, or whatever other means by which we hear from all those voices in our ears, that we turn to find truth.  We turn to the Person who is the Truth (John 14:6).  We turn to the wisdom built up and understood through that Person who is Truth and those who serve that truth, and we turn to our faith.  We turn, as Christ has taught us, to persistence in our faith -- even when it looks like we are the fools in the eyes of the crowd.  But if there is anything we're taught in today's story, it is that the fool in the crowd by the side of the road is the only one who knows he's blind, and the only one who knows where to turn and how to turn to the One who can restore his sight.  And so, we have the perfect metaphor for what so many faithful feel in a world that thinks so often it is doing just fine without divine help.  If we understand that there are things we are blind to, that there are ways in which we need help and healing, that our lives need something therapeutic that might be missing from "worldly" life -- then we are the ones on our way to sight, even when we might look like we're fools to others.  The first step in any journey of healing is waking up to your own blindness, to the things that aren't perfect about which you might just be in denial, and realizing what it is you need help with.  Your symptoms might go unnoticed without a diagnosis, but who goes to the doctor when they think they are not sick?  Our attention to our prayer, our faith, and that Person who is Truth is the way we find what we need to change, the dangers we could be headed toward, the way forward that is the way of healing and wholeness.  And that is found in persistence in prayer, in worship, in the things we need that are the structures of our faith.  Jericho is often symbolic of sin in Scripture, in both Old and New Testaments.  It is, in that sense, symbolic of the world which may be permeated with dangers and evil even when all the crowd has no idea what this means, and may even confuse evil with good at times.  What we do is build our lives around the Savior and Deliverer, the Son of David, who will always tell us the truth, no matter what we might rather hear -- and it is that good news of His gospel that heals and saves.

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

Deesis, supplication of Virgin Mary and John the Baptist on behalf of humanity, on Christ's right and left.  Mosaic, 13th century, Hagia Sophia, Constantinople

 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 taught this parable:  "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.  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 to 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 time Jesus has given a prophecy of His Passion to the disciples.  My study bible says that Christ's repeated prediction was meant to encourage and strengthen the disciples for the terrifying events they will face.  According to commentary by Theophan, it is as if He 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."  Note the details that Christ gives, a clear signal that He knows precisely what He goes toward.

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."  My study bible tells us that this question for temporal power and glory by the sons of Zebedee is unfitting for a disciple, and it also shows an  earthly misunderstanding of the Kingdom of God.  Matthew says that the mother of Zebedee's sons requested this honor, but John's and James' own involvement is reflected in the plural you (in the Greek text) which is used by Jesus, and also by Mark 10:35-36.  Jesus refers to His Crucifixion as a cup and His death as a baptism.  My study bible explains that the Cross is a cup because Christ drank it willingly (Hebrews 12:2).  Christ's death is baptism, because He was completely immersed in it, and yet it cleansed the world (Romans 6:3-6).  Christ's prophecy to John and James ("You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with") shows the life of persecution and martyrdom they both would lead after Pentecost.  James Zebedee was the first of the apostles to be martyred (Acts 12:1-2); John would be exiled and persecuted with the early Church, by tradition giving us one Gospel, Three Epistles, and the Revelation.  Regarding the places of honor in the Kingdom, Christ's declaration that they are not His to give doesn't mean that He lacks authority, according to my study bible.  It means, rather, that they are not His to give arbitrarily; that is, they are meant to be given to those for whom God has prepared them.  Additionally, the teaching of St. John Chrysostom on this passage is that no one could possibly occupy a position of equality on the right and left hand of Christ in His Kingdom.  Regarding the highest places of honor that can be given to human beings, the historical icons of the Church universally depict the Virgin Mary (most blessed among women -- Luke 1:28) and John the Baptist (greatest born of women - 11:11) in these places.

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."   This is Jesus' correction given for all of the disciples (which really continues the teaching on humility and becoming like little children of the past week, beginning with this reading from last Thursday).   In this instance, He corrects them by first comparing them to the power-hungry Gentiles, whom my study bible says that they themselves considered to be an abomination, and then contrasting them to Himself.  Christ serves us although He is Lord of all.  For many is an Aramaic expression that means "for all."

Over the course of the readings of the past week, we have read of Jesus' focus on questions of power and ambition.  These themes began with last Thursday, when a similar question was given to Jesus, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"   We can see possibly that as the disciples come closer to the journey toward Jerusalem, and immediately coming upon the warnings of Christ regarding what is to come there, the disciples begin thinking about their places in the Kingdom.  It is possible they think that Jesus' warnings and words are a kind of preview of what is to come just before the full implementation of the coming of the Kingdom of heaven, which they expect to bear resemblance to a worldly kingdom in terms of power and authority.  Whatever is the reason, the disciples begin thinking about what their places will be in this Kingdom, and after Jesus goes to Jerusalem.  It's clearly possible that when they hear that "on the third day He will rise again," the disciples expect the full manifestation of Christ's Kingdom.  So their thoughts go where the minds of human beings tend to go when they have been a part of a movement of some sort, a project following a great leader, and of course the universal expectations of Israel regarding the coming of the Kingdom of God.  The Romans, we can presume, are expected to be overthrown, and a new and glorious kingdom of the Jews, with Jesus at its head, will rise in fullness.  How can we even begin to imagine the impact of the Crucifixion on the disciples?  But what the Gospels give us is once again a full picture of our humanity, and theirs.  Nothing here is sugar coated.  Every single possible flaw of character, mistaken assumption, lack of preparation and even training, is exposed for Jesus to correct and for us to read about.  Jesus hides nothing, but rather draws everything out of the shadows to be reported fully in the Gospels, including the flaws of these who will be the founders of the Church, upon whom all the rest will come to be built in the future.  We don't get anything hidden from us.  Indeed, it reminds us of Jesus' promise, that "there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known" (see 10:26, Mark 4:22, Luke 8:17).   Included in that promise is clearly everything, our flaws and weaknesses, so that they may be corrected and given His truth in their place.  It seems clear to me that if we are to understand Jesus more fully, then we must accept that His truth that makes us free (John 8:32) will include the truth about all things, including about ourselves.  Moreover, once again in the context of Matthew's Gospel, when He makes that promise that all things will be revealed, He does so while telling the disciples not to fear; see this reading.  It is, ultimately, His word and His teachings that retain the truth, expose what is false, and knock down the things which are not truly beneficial -- even those things which seem dear to us, like the places which John and James Zebedee would like in the Kingdom they imagine is coming.  Jesus speaks directly of those whom He knows will eventually grow to populate His Church, together with the Jews who are the first-called.  He says, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them."  There is little doubt, as we look back at scandals within the Church, and as we look at the scandals of our governments around the world, that we are still plagued with excesses of power and ambition.  The world does not stop being the world into which Christ was born, but neither does our mission change within it as well.  We are prepared by Christ for what we will be dealing with, whether we are meeting our own internal dynamic struggles, or the struggles of those around ourselves and within our societies and institutions, even within our own families.  Christ invites us into a different kind of life and gives us different models of leadership and heroism than those for whom mere dominance and power for its own sake appeal.   He invites us into His truth and the reality of God and God's strength, into a life where we serve God who loves us, and a communion in which are also cherished and loved.  He asks us for service, and it is His inspiration that continues as the light to the world.  As we draw near to Christmas in this season of Advent, let us consider His light and how He still teaches us what we need to know, and offers us the medicine for all that ails our world and even, possibly, our own souls.  He will stand as the chief example, the firstborn and firstfruits, for all of us to follow.  We have His grace and His help to do so, which makes all things possible.

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 then 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 Christ has predicted His Passion to the disciples.  My study bible says that these predictions are intended to encourage and strengthen them for the terrifying events they were going to face.  It also confirms that He goes to his death of His own will and choosing.  Each warning has come with more details of what is going to happen.

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."  My study bible says that the question for temporal power and glory is unfitting for a disciple -- and that it shows an earthly misunderstanding of the Kingdom of God.  Here Christ calls His Crucifixion a cup, and His death a baptism.  The Cross is a cup because He will drink it willingly (Hebrews 12:2).  His death is a baptism in that He will be completely immersed in death, yet it will cleanse the world (Romans 6:3-6).  When Jesus tells John and James that they will both "drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized,"  He speaks of their lives of persecution and martyrdom after Pentecost.  Acts 12:2 tells us that James was the first apostle to be killed (when Herod began persecuting the Church).  John lived a life of exile and persecution to great old age (see Revelation 1:9).  And once again, Jesus begins to teach about what humility is and means in practice, especially for those who would be leaders in His Church.  He tells them that the positions they seek are not His to give arbitrarily; they will be given to those for whom God has prepared them.  With regard to the "highest places" given to human beings, the tradition from the time of the early Church depicts the Virgin Mary (most blessed among women - Luke 1:28) and John the Baptist (greatest born of women - Matthew 11:11) holding such honor. 

Once again, as He has done throughout Mark's Gospel from the time of His first prediction of His coming Passion, death, and Resurrection, Jesus emphasizes humility to His disciples as the chief virtue that leads to all the rest for them.  Even with regard to the use of His own power and authority (bestowing the places of honor on His right and His left), Jesus tells the disciples that these are not His to give; it will depend upon the Father's preparation.  It is interesting that as He makes His third prediction of His betrayal, Passion, death, and Resurrection, Jesus tells the disciples that He will be delivered to the Gentiles.  And then, when He once more begins to teach them about power, authority, and humility, He mentions the Gentiles in reference to the use of power:  "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."   Certainly the rulers of the state, the emperors and kings of His time, can be put into this category that Jesus defines by saying they "lord it over them."   By this time Jesus is no doubt aware that His Church will go among the Gentiles, and be established among "the nations."   To lord it over another is to have absolute power and possession over them.  Jesus contrasts this idea of leadership with the idea that those among them who desire to become great must be their servant.   The impact of this address in the plural you -- that whoever would be their leader must be also their servant -- seems to be extraordinary.  Note that He doesn't address those who would be leaders, but rather those who would accept a leader and what quality such a leader must have.  And then He does address directly whoever would desire to be first:  "And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all."   Such a person must make an effort so as to be render themselves the slave of all.  Quite an incredible teaching to hear, either way!  But Jesus has a way with words that conveys His messages with distinct flavor.  We who are in the Church must seek to make sure we understand what our leaders are to be.  But for those who seek such leadership, the task is presented even more arduously in terms of the effort required in the true mastery of leadership.  Each one of us should take His teachings to heart in terms of how we live our lives and set our goals.  It is, as He says, His own life that sets the standard for all the rest of us:  "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."   It is with His help and God's work in us, our participation in His baptism and cup, that we learn His way and make the changes He asks of us.  This itself is the great gift that changes our lives and makes leaders of any of us.