October 20, 2012. Homily, Sunday, October 21, 2012

Mark 10:35-45

[James and John, the sons of Zebedee [sons of Boanges, which is Sons of Thunder], came to Jesus and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." He replied, "What do you wish me to do for you?" They answered him, "Grant that in your glory we may sit one qt  your right and the other at  your left." Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?" They said to him, "We can." 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' but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared." When the ten heard this they became indignant at James and John.] Jesus summoned [them] (the Twelve) and said to them, "You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."
The Gospel of the Lord.

James and John were singled out among the apostles for especial treatment by Jesus: It was James and John who accompanied Peter and Jesus for the Transfiguration and for the cure of the daughter of Jairus.  James was a leader of the Christian community in Jerusalem and the first of the apostles martyred (killed by Herod with a sword, Acts 12:2). It was John to whom Jesus entrusted the care of his mother, the Virgin Mary. John was the apostle whom Jesus loved. John was the only apostle not martyred but instead lived to old age, past 100. John was the 4th evangelist. Three letters of John are included in the New Testament.

In Mark 10:35–45,1 Jesus and His disciples have one of the most memorable dialogues in the New Testament. In these eleven verses, Jesus emphasizes the importance of humility and service. He insists that self-giving is the only path to greatness.
In so many words, Jesus insists that we must: Climb down the ladder to greatness. In other words, instead of ambitiously seeking to climb the ladder and attain greatness, we must sacrificially serve others. Jesus reveals that He is the King of an upside down kingdom. His rules go against the grain of what our world says.

Jesus asks whether they can drink of the chalice of which Jesus will drink. James and John confidently affirm, “We are able” (10:39a). This response consists of one word in the Greek: dunametha = “We are able; we are powerful!” These brothers assume they can endure all the suffering that Jesus might have to endure because they have not understood the full ramifications of what He has predicted. They are thinking of military and political greatness. As a result, these two brothers are self-confident like Muhammad Ali. Ali was on a plane preparing for take off when a flight attendant asked him to buckle his seat belt. Ali said to her, “Superman don’t need no seat-belt.” The flight attendant quickly answered, “Superman don’t need no airplane either.” If we’re honest, we too can exude this kind of overconfidence. Yet, we must keep in mind Paul’s warnings, “Do not think of yourselves more highly than you ought” (Rom 12:3) and “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall” (1 Cor 10:12). We must recognize our deep-seated need to depend upon Christ.
 Jesus predicts the suffering of these two brothers. Interestingly, James was the first apostle to die a martyr’s death (Acts 12:2) and John was the last disciple to die in exile on the island of Patmos. So these two brothers will suffer making themselves eligible for kingdom authority; however, Jesus informs that God the Father makes the final decision who will be seated where.