Jesus Shatters His Disciples's Worldview
The Gospel reading for the day is Mark 10:35-45
The disciples just don’t get
it, do they?
Jesus has repeatedly taught the disciples – and us – that the Son of Man must suffer, be rejected and be killed, and rise after three
days. But the disciples didn’t understand him.
Jesus shattered their
worldview.
And for the past weeks we have also
witnessed ambition and jealousy among the disciples while Christ keeps explaining how they
must die to selfishness and take up their cross.
Peter rebukes Jesus for mentioning
suffering as a pathway of discipleship; Peter
wanted Jesus to be a military messiah
that would rout the Romans. But Jesus says no. It’s about the Cross.
Jesus shattered Peter’s
worldview.
Peter James, and John witness
Jesus in his Transfigured glory. They likely felt as if they had a privileged
place among Jesus’ followers.
The disciples are discouraged
when they are unable to perform an exorcism. And then they become upset that
other followers of Jesus who could
drive out demons.
The twelve become jealous and begin to pout
and tell Jesus to stop the other disciples from performing good works.
Imagine their envy. They admit that they are jealous because
those disciples of Jesus are not following them; they try and cloak
their envy by saying that these others do not follow them. But the truth is out.
The
nameless disciples were following Jesus and that is what gave them the
authority to drive out the demons! That had to blow a hole in the twelve
disciples’ egos.
But the twelve argue among
themselves which of them was the greatest. They want to be seen! The boys have
it all wrong about leadership in the kingdom of God. And these men are the
first bishops in our church. [Just sayin’.] The Twelve have issues. They were
so focused on themselves, their own importance, their own AUTHORITY!
And Jesus shatters their
worldview.
The disciples fell for the
temptations of the devil. They wanted to preserve everything they had, they
wanted positions of power and wanted to be popular. They wanted glory, but they
did not want the Cross.
Just last week we heard about
the rich young man was possessed by his possessions and wealth and couldn’t let
go of them in order to follow Christ. Then Jesus’ twelve disciples become
worried about what they’re going to get out of following Jesus.
This sounds way too familiar. What’s in
this for me? What about me!! Me, me, me! Me, myself, and I – the unholy trinity
of selfishness.
Well, today’s gospel is another example of just how dull-edged the
disciples were.
Believe it or not, James and John approach
Jesus with a request. "Teacher, grant that in your glory we may sit at
your right and left."
You read Mark’s gospel and see the stupidity jump
off the pages. Was their request coming
from selfish motives or a sense of self-importance? Or both?
James
and John did not understand the cross, so they wanted to ignore it and go for
the glory instead.
When the other ten disciples heard this, they
became angry at James and John. Ah, there’s nothing like pride, envy, greed,
lust for power, and jealous anger
Jesus said: “You HAVE NO IDEA WHAT you
are asking.”
Jesus shatters their worldview.
Some of you might say the same of
marriage or a particular profession or vocation in life you have chosen. If I
knew then what I know now….
Trust me, I had no idea what I was
getting myself into when I allowed myself to be ordained as a deacon. If I knew
then what I know now…. Well, I had no idea what would be asked of me.Balancing my time as a husband, father, full-time teacher while serving as a deacon is a fine art. Yet it
has been an incredible blessing in ways I never imagined.
James and John and the others may have
been feeling that tension in their own lives. I can see Jesus shaking his head.
He loved them, don’t get me wrong, but they weren’t the brightest pumpkins in
the patch.
Some of them, like Peter, James and
John may have been a little soft in the gourd, if you know what I mean. But the
Lord still worked great miracles through them.
That’s great news. But he can only do
that if we humble ourselves.
Those in authority sometimes lord it over others.
But it cannot be that way with us. Rather, whoever wishes to be first will be
the last.
Jesus shatters our worldview.
In the U.S., the idea of success is often based on
the need to prove that “I am better than you.” Sometime relationships are based
on competition and the need to win fights or arguments [or debates], and
dominate others through arguing or violence.
The idea of being last in order to win
is an absurd idea according to our world.
But Jesus bore our pains and sorrows, endured our
sufferings; was pierced through, nailed to the cross, yet by his wounds we are
healed.
So Jesus’ vision for us as a community
is one where the rich, powerful, and privileged reach down to help the poor,
powerless, and unfortunate. Jesus calls us to be His Church, Members of His
Body, where the weak support the strong, and the strong support the weak!
To be first and the greatest according
to Christ is to serve the needs of others. Jesus’ challenge is a call for us to
“servant leadership”.
Jesus reassembles our worldview.
Leadership in the kingdom is not about
power, it’s not about possessions, it’s not about popularity. It’s about
emptying ourselves so we can serve others in love.
As I look out, I see devoted, faithful
parishioners who so often just show up to do the work necessary for our fish
fries or the Kermes or the summer social; the ladies who quilt, the lectors,
the cantors, the servers, the members of Lazarus Samaritan who provide meals
for those mourning the loss of a loved one and visit the sick and homebound,
the many volunteers who assist in the RCIA, the clothes closet, and the St Vincent
de Paul, the CAJE committee, the parish pastoral Council members, Clabber Club,
the choir, musicians, the men’s club, the ladies club; and many other
volunteers, and the list goes on and on. But our ministry can sometimes seem
invisible. And we don’t always want to be invisible, do we? We want to be seen
and heard.
But isn’t that what Jesus meant when he
called us to be salt for the earth and the light of the world? Salt disappears
once we put it on our food and it serves to bring out the best flavors. So we
are called to bring out the best in others as we disappear, so to speak.
Jesus also called us to be the light of
the world. Yet light is also invisible; light itself is that which illuminates
all things; light enables us to see things, but we don’t actually see light
itself. So, again, we get to be invisible as we help others shine.
In many ways you are the invisible
members of the church that make this parish work.
So when we quit focusing only on
ourselves, and take up our cross, then we will view the world through the eyes
of Jesus Christ. He will reassemble our worldview. And we will realize that
Jesus has become our worldview. We will only see Jesus
And in taking up the cross and becoming a servant, then we will receive glory.
Then we won’t be arguing about who
is the greatest, or who is number one or number two, or at the right or the
left.… instead we will be so focused on Christ as we seek to embrace the stranger, and love our neighbor as
ourselves, being the light of Christ, willing to disappear from view so that
others may shine.
And therein lies the mystery and the glory of the cross.
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