The Quest for Greatness – 26 May 2010

 

Today’s Gospel reading in the Lectionary is Mark 10:32-45

?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.”

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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.”

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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.”   [NKJV]

The disciples John and James had not quite grasped the lessons of yesterday’s reading!  They wanted a quick fix and pride of place now.  Not only was their request arrogant and naive it was not one that Jesus could grant them but what he did have to offer them was to “be baptised with the baptism I am baptised with” – by this he meant to go through the sufferings that he was to go through.

He had already told them at the beginning of this reading that he was to suffer and die, so follow Jesus meant for them to follow the same route not an accelerated advance to power and influence.

We do so want the quick fix, to find the easy way to fame and success.  In reality in doesn’t exist and all the time we spend trying to find it is wasted time when we should simply be living today, one day at a time, obedient to Jesus and seeking to do his will.