Scripture Reading: Mark 10: 35-45
This passage has two parts. It actually should be read in the
context of last week’s study, (vv17-31)
where Jesus talks about wealth being a barrier to the kingdom of God and who
has the power to save. We also recall that Jesus has twice foretold his
Passion, the first time at
the hands of the religious leaders, the second time at the hands
of man. After hearing this, the disciples and entourage follow Jesus on the
road to Jerusalem in amazement, awe and alarm and fear of the message and
exactly what lies ahead. Finally two of the more forward disciples come forward
with a question:
35
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said
to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” 36 And he
said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?”
Jesus has named these two Boanerges,
the “sons of thunder.” Some early writers imply James and John are cousins of
Jesus and are about to try to curry a family favor, or to resolve the earlier
argument they had about who is the greatest. (See comment after v41 below.) Jesus
(does he know the impending question?) plays the straight man.
37 And
they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your
left, in your glory.”
Again Mark is painting a
picture of bumbling ignorance of the disciples. They still do not get the
reality of the message. Luke completely “rehabilitates” the two disciples and
omits this exchange. Matthew retells the story but he promotes the disciples to
a more respectable position. According to Matt 20:20–21, the mother of
James and John makes the request.
In effect, the sons of thunder are requesting the top positions in
the new kingdom that they anticipate will be established soon. They likely do
not have some heavenly realm in mind as would be expected by a Parousia. The
Greek keywords used to describe their amazement, astonishment and fear all
imply a profound amazement and reverential fear. They sense that they are in
divine presence listening to Jesus has been talking about the presence of the
Kingdom of God on earth. But the Hebrew scripture speaks of the Messiah who
will set things right and bring a great restoration. James and John probably
have the real throne they expect to see Jesus occupy in Jerusalem after he
restores Israel to its rightful place according to the great prophecies of
Isaiah.
38 But
Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink
the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”
39 They
replied, “We are able.” Then 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;
Matthew betrays his
knowledge of Mark’s version when he has Jesus reply: “You (all) [plural] do not
know what you (all) [plural.] are asking” (Matt 20:22 = Mark 10:38). The plural
clearly indicates that Jesus was addressing James and John, not their mother.
You can imagine the dismay
of Jesus that they still have not heard his prediction of his Passion properly when
he hears this request. He resorts to a longstanding metaphor of the “cup.”
Isaiah, about to be sawn in
two, says to his disciples, “for me alone the Lord has mixed this cup.” Jesus
will refer to this cup with dread in the Gethsemane prayer (Mark 14:36).
James and John say they are able to drink this cup and to undergo
the baptism that awaits Jesus as they are inviting themselves to share the
inevitable violent fate of Jesus. Jesus assures (warns?) them that they will
indeed share his fate.
40 but 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.”
Jesus does not deny their request as outrageous or brash, in fact
he seems to acknowledge they do face a fate similar to his. A powerful image lies behind this verse. The
NRSV translation does not fully recognize the nature of the passive
construction. This is called the Divine Passive. It is a strategy used in
Hebrew to quote the Lord but to avoid naming him. (See Mat. 20:23: “…it is for those
for whom it has been prepared by my
Father.”) Notice Jesus acknowledges their future holds drinking from the
same cup he will drink.
41When the
ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John.
As we see, none of the
twelve understand. The remaining ten are quite angry men that these two seek
special favor as “the greatest.” In our minds we should recall what lies in the
future. Who is at the right and left hand of Jesus at Golgotha?
In his commentary on Mark,
Williamson says, “It has been suggested that James and John were cousins of
Jesus (J.
W. Wenham, Easter Enigma [Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984] 34–35).
If they were cousins, then it is understandable why these two disciples felt
they could make such a request... (A)s family, were they not entitled to a measure
of privilege? The ten are indignant because of the patent favoritism (if not
nepotism) that such a request presupposed.”
The bottom line is that the ten are
angry over worldly status and focus while Jesus is focused on the ultimate act
of his discipleship.
Jesus has expressed his foreknowledge of his purpose and future.
Mark, as usually the case, reveals Jesus taking a new tact to explain what he
has just said in more direct terms.
42 So
Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the Gentiles those
whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are
tyrants over them.
Recall the greatest virtue
of Rome is great, coercive power. Jesus is conducting a direct assault on Roman
values. (Gentile always refers to Romans in the Gospels.) Jesus reminds them of
Roman (Gentile) tyranny. More power means more greatness.
The
disciples, and all Palestine, lived this reality day-in and day-out.
43 But it
is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your
servant,
Jesus takes a radical turn.
Now he is not just talking about Rome and Gentiles he is rejecting the manner
and sense of leadership in the world. He is, in fact, beginning to repeat his
comments about the world opposing the Kingdom of God. Last week he talked about
wealth that may have been symbolic of all the lures of the world.
Now he goes completely to
the heart of the matter and calls out humility as the greatest virtue. He is
challenging the fundamental value system of conventional wisdom. (Paul
repeatedly draws on this theme.)
To be great you must be a
servant. Here Jesus does not use the Greek word for slave (doulos) but the word for servant
(diakonos). Diakonos means something like a table waiter or someone who does menial
jobs. A Doulos is the absolute lowest
position of service. Service, dikonia,
in the Greek world is the opposite of happiness. (Plato says: “How can one be
happy when he has to serve someone?”)
Again Jesus is taking a broadside swipe at Roman values, perhaps
even those of the Jewish collaborators of Herod’s court.
44 and
whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all.
In the style of great
preaching, Jesus does not give the listener time to let the distinction of
servant and slave sink in. He immediately magnifies the message to make the
point of conflict with the values of the world unavoidable. To be first you
must be a doulos, a slave.
And then he completes the message:
45 For the
Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom
for many.”
Perhaps
this is one of the most powerful sentences in the Gospels. It is the only time
Jesus makes such a direct statement of his purpose of atonement, “to give his
life a ransom for many.”
Reflection
There are four points in this passage. None of them are easy to live with.
1. We hear the third passion
prediction, v45 and while
the first says the Jewish leaders will accomplish it, the second all humanity,
the third brings in Rome as an actor, clearly literally, and almost certainly symbolic of
the values of the world.
2. While Rome is literally going
to have a hand in the death, Jesus makes it clear in using Rome as the symbol
for cultural value, that it is the values of the world that oppose and seek to
kill Jesus. It is the complacency and
apathy, if not boredom of contemporary culture that opposes Jesus.
3. We may ask, is Jesus saying
there is the world and there is the Kingdom of God? Is it the duty of the
citizen of the Kingdom of God to challenge, or change, the basic value system of
contemporary culture that instills complacency and apathy (and our measure of
greatness), or is it to live a life of discipleship to all people knowing the world is going to oppose your action inevitably, sometimes with very harsh consequences?
Williamson
says, “No culture in 2000 years has emerged on this planet where this text is
inappropriate for followers of Jesus...” (p 195). Mark seems to tell us the message from Jesus is "you cannot beat culture by playing its game, you cannot ever find respite in it, you have to live in the Kingdom of God."
4. Discipleship is imitation of
Jesus. It is living a life of service that embraces a reversal of greatness.
This passage stands somewhat in dissonance with other positions in
the Gospels (Luke). It challenges the idea that discipleship should, or is even
able to change culture since it implies we are always a permanent minority
status whose behavior stands against culture with sometime costly consequences.
It makes we wonder if the clerk in Kentucky, Kim Davis,
actually understands this passage. I do not choose to enter the argument about
the Supreme Court decision, but the Supreme Court is the voice of the forces of
the world. She seems to thirst for the comfort of her faith in disobeying the
demand of the world but expect the powers of the world to give her a free pass.
It is not clear she is willing to pay the
price for her believe if it really came down to it. It clearly is a conundrum
for what the face of social activism should look like.
Bob Dylan says you have to serve
someone, sometime. Perhaps we cannot get in the service mode until we are fully
motivated to a life of discipleship.
This passage is a painfully accurate mirror that shows us who we are. I am aware of all
the lures of the world that pulls me from perfect discipleship, be it
frustration over completing construction of a garage, worrying about how much money I have in
my bank account, of whether I should speak out against a perceived injustice,
or just let it slide to avoid controversy.
I leave you to decide the meaning of discipleship with the words of another:
(1 John 2:6,16-17): “whoever
says, “I abide in him,” ought to walk just as he walked…for all that is in the
world…comes not from the Father but from the world…And the world and its desire
are passing away, but those who do the will of God live forever.” (1 John 4:10-12, “In this is
love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning
sacrifice for our sins…Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to
love one another… if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is
perfected in us.”
Amen.
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