Readings: Isaiah 53:10-11; Psalm 33; Hebrews 4:14-16; Mark 10:35-45
Grace, mercy and peace to you, dearly beloved in Christ.
The readings of today are very rich and I believe they speak to every one of us in our different states. May the Holy Spirit open our hearts to understand, accept and be blessed by the revelation.
The Gospel in Context.
In the Gospel, James and John come to Jesus to ask for privileged positions. They are among the first to be called. According to some Christian traditions, they are cousins of Jesus. Their mother Salome is a sister to the Mother of Jesus. As such, they make their request standing on some sense of merit and special connection to Jesus. They want the right and the left in the powerful kingdom that they suppose Jesus has come to establish. They want to be great and wanted others to serve them. Who doesn’t want to be great?
The other disciples hear of this and are very angry with James and John.
Jesus uses the opportunity to teach all of us about the life of service as a pathway to true greatness.
Today, I would like to bring out four messages but in fact they are four different homilies on this text. So be warned, this will be another lengthy reflection. What you are about to read is four homilies in one.
LESSON I:
The gentleness of Jesus as a model for us.
The question of James and John demonstrates great insensitivity, ignorance and arrogance. Jesus has just told them that He is going to die (Mark 10:32-34) and the next thing they are asking is for a seat of honour. It is like a friend saying I have just been told by the Doctor that I have a month to live and the other friend replies, “please give me your bank card with your pin before you die.”
The other disciples too are indignant, perhaps they want the same thing. What really thrilled me is how Jesus gently addresses them and corrects their error in a non-aggressive and non-condemnatory manner. This is my first lesson – a good Christian should learn from Jesus how to be patient and gentle with people, even when they get things wrong. We can be less aggressive and kind even, in responding to ignorant, arrogant or people who are not very sensitive or sensible.
LESSON II:
The nature of their request.
Note: Jesus says in Matthew 7:7 “Ask and it shall be given.” James and John ask and they are not given.
The problem here is not the asking.
We can ask God for anything, however, all our requests must be subjected to God’s wisdom and will. He knows what we do not know and He gives only what is best for us.
What we ask may make so much sense to us and what we desire may seem like the best thing for us but only God knows what is best for us. Jesus tells James and John, “You do not know what you are asking.” We do not know the implications of some of the things we ask for but God knows, and that’s why sometimes He doesn’t grant them. James and John ask for a position of power and Jesus promises them a cup, baptism and His life as a ransom for them. That’s not what they asked for but that’s what they need.
Sometimes we ask for things that are not meant for us, though we desire them. Jesus tells James and John today, that what they want is allotted to someone else. One thing we are sure of is that God, in His love and wisdom, will always give us what is good for us, what we need. This may not be what we want or desire.
In the First Reading, it is written that the Lord was pleased to crush His servant with suffering. Who asks to be crushed with suffering? Yet, the Lord allows that because it is by that suffering that His servant will justify many.
Some of us here are drinking from the cup of suffering, we are going through that baptism of trials, we are being baked in the fire. It may not be what we wanted or prayed for but let’s keep in mind that God knows everything. He gives us what we need and He uses whatever we go through for our good, eventually. Instead of blaming God, threatening to stop serving Him, questioning His goodness, existence or love, we can learn today instead to trust.
In the Second Reading, the author reminds us that we must never let go of our faith, whether we receive what we ask for or not, whether we like our cup or not. We must never let go of the faith and he says further that there is nothing we are going through that Jesus doesn’t understand because He has been through it Himself.
Lesson III:
Why are you indignant?
The other disciples began to feel indignant with James and John. I can picture the rest of them saying, “You arrogant, selfish, presumptuous sons of Zebedee, who do you think you are?”
Jesus doesn’t allow any of that. Rather, he helps all of them to reflect on their lives and how to be truly great in God’s sight.
Do we not also sometimes get really upset with people because of their attitude, weakness or mistakes? We judge, condemn and sometimes reject them because of what they did or didn’t do. Today, the Lord wants us to examine ourselves – why do we really get so upset? Is our anger truly justified? Are we always better than the people we are so angry with? Do we not sometimes do the same thing that we are upset with to others? Do we not also have the tendency to do what they have done? Are we not products of God’s mercy and patience too?
We get so upset when we discover that someone has said something negative about us (maligned us), lied to us, broken their promise, delayed, kept a secret from us or disappointed us, when they have not been there for us when we needed them etc. but are we not also guilty of these things, just sometimes? (Romans 2:1)
Perhaps Jesus is calling us to be more patient and gentle with one another, to put aside our self-righteousness, to reflect before we cast a stone, and be more authentic, fair, humble, kind and forgiving in how we treat those who have disappointed us.
IV. The path to greatness:
I believe that every human person would desire to be great. Who doesn’t want to be great in life, in work, in parenting, in the things we do, in our vocation, in the Church, family and community?
Jesus teaches us today the path of greatness, a path different from the worldly standard. For the world, greatness is in reputation, exceptional talent, skills, rank, position, wealth, fame, power, achievement, beauty, prestige, qualifications etc.
Unfortunately, not everyone can achieve this. The good news is that the true greatness that Jesus teaches us today is a path that anyone can follow.
It is the path of service. It is using our time, talents and treasures to serve God and serve others in the Church, family, in the community and anywhere we find ourselves, recognising that these time, talents and treasures are themselves from God, and we are just stewards and servants (1 Corinthians 4:7).
This is to recognise that life is not all about me and people serving me. It is not all about using people or seeking my own happiness and comfort. It is about looking for opportunities to help others sacrificially, humbly, cheerfully, lovingly, habitually and doing it for God’s glory, imitating Christ who though is God, comes among us as a servant and even offers His life as a ransom for many (Philippians 2:6-8).
True greatness, as Jesus teaches us, is in doing the little and humble things for others for the sake of God. Michael Horton says, “Everyone wants to save the world but no one wants to wash the dishes.”
It is in this path of humble service that we find true peace, happiness, fulfillment, meaning and ultimately we find true greatness.
Sermon preached by Fr Emmanuel Baraka-Gukena Okami on October 20, 2024.