Who Will Achieve Greatness?

Mark 10:35-45

³⁵And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” ³⁶And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” ³⁷And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” ³⁸Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” ³⁹And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, ⁴⁰but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” ⁴¹And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. ⁴²And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. ⁴³But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. ⁴⁵For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Now that we are deep into our Lenten study, meditation and repentance, we take some time to think about power as seen through the lens of the Jesus’ Cross. No matter who we are, we have power over someone or something, even if it’s only ourselves. I was recently with a child who was most unhappy about being asked to do some school work. He exercised his power over the situation by running outside, in the snow and bitterly cold weather without shoes, socks, coat, gloves, or hat. He was going to show me who was in charge of the situation. Since he’s an older child, there was little I could do to stop him. So, I watched out the window to see where he went. He sat down in the driveway and shouted out his frustration at not being the one in power. When he got cold enough, he came back inside, ready to work. Cold is powerful too!

Our ability to be selective listeners must have become a part of the human experience as soon as Adam and Eve fell into sin. Anyone who has raised children has firsthand experience in dealing with those who seem to hear only what they want to hear. It’s amazing that a child who has been told not to touch something immediately reaches for it. Jesus is now telling the disciples for the third time that He will have to suffer and die (this time in great detail) and yet they do not seem to hear what He is saying to them. They believed him to be the Messiah but had ears only for the glory connected with being the Messiah, not for the suffering. In their wildest imagination, they would not be able to visualize the suffering and crucifixion of Jesus. Their hearing has become selective.

We begin our look at the use of power with the Gospel readings for this coming Sunday. As Jesus approaches His suffering and death, James and John speak with Him about their brilliant new idea. It is remarkable that right after Jesus describes His upcoming death (and resurrection), James and John choose this moment to ask Him for positions of power “in glory”. They want to sit on His right and His left in the Kingdom – and I think that “kingdom” was an earthly one in their mind’s eye. So, Jesus patiently instructs them yet again as to the ways of God’s Kingdom. Lest we think the rest of the disciples are already clear about this topic, they express their deep distress about the fact that they didn’t think to ask Jesus first if they could be in those power positions.

In His response to this ridiculous request, Jesus takes the opportunity (yet again) to explain that greatness is found not in the wielding of great power over others, but instead in humility and service. Jesus will soon be arriving in Jerusalem for the last time, and His greatest service will be accomplished as He is handed over to the Roman authorities to be hanged on a cross for our sins. Before His death He lived to serve all those around Him. He gave of Himself because of His great compassion and even stoops to wash the feet of these same power-hungry disciples in the Upper Room.

Most of us struggle with true servanthood. It is characteristic that carries much influence in the Kingdom of God and yet one that is rarely embraced here on earth. Those who are true servants stand out in our minds as great people. Even in our sinful state we recognize what makes someone truly great. While Jesus exhibits great power over nature, sickness, the devil, and even death we find that His expression of compassions and forgiveness display power that is unique and truly the most impressive. As we think about the power struggles and situations in our own lives, we may find that we need re-evaluate how we weld power in our own lives.