St.
Thomas’ Church, Whitemarsh
Proper 24, Year B, 2015
May
the words I speak and the words you hear be God’s alone. Amen.
Sometimes
I just have to laugh at the disciples. They are so thick-skulled at times that
Jesus has to repeat himself in order for them to understand the lesson he’s
trying to teach.
Just
before this passage, Jesus has predicted his death and resurrection for the
third and final time. After the first time, Peter refuses to believe him and is
reprimanded (Mark 8:31). After the second time, the disciples argue among
themselves over who is the greatest (9:33-37). And this time, James and John
have once again proven they’ve missed the mark when they tell Jesus they want
to be seated right next to him in all his glory (10:37).
You
see, the disciples believe, rightly, that the Messiah will come to usher in a
new kingdom. But they interpret this to mean that Jesus is going to overthrow
the Roman empire, or at the very least kick the Romans out of Jerusalem. And so
when James and John ask to be on Jesus’ right and left side, they envision him
as being a powerful, earthly king. They are trying to be great by
association.
Can
you believe such arrogance? No wonder the other disciples were incensed! But
the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in one of his sermons, cautions us that
“…before we condemn [James and John] too quickly, let us look calmly and
honestly at ourselves, and we will discover that we too have those same basic
desires for recognition, for importance. That same desire for attention, that
same desire to be first…It’s a kind of drum major instinct—a desire to be out
front, a desire to lead the parade, a desire to be first. And it is something
that runs the whole gamut of life.”
Each
and every one of us has the desire to be first or best; it’s what Dr. King
calls our “basic impulse.” It’s an instinct that has led to war and division,
slavery and discrimination. It’s an instinct we have to keep fighting against
all of our lives.
Or
perhaps, it’s an instinct that just needs to be re-framed.
In
his sermon, Dr. King continues, “ ‘[Jesus] reordered priorities. And he said,
‘Yes, don't give up this instinct. It's a good instinct if you use it
right…It’s a good instinct if you don't distort it and pervert it. Don't give
it up. Keep feeling the need for being important. Keep feeling the need for
being first. But I want you to be first in love…I want you to be first in moral
excellence. I want you to be first in generosity. That is what I want you to
do.’ …and he transformed the situation by giving a new definition of
greatness.”
In
our world, greatness is measured in power, wealth, and prestige. But in the
kingdom of God, greatness is turned upside-down; “whoever wishes to become
great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you
must be slave of all” (Mark 10:43-44). In his sermon, Dr. King proclaimed that
“Nineteen centuries have come and gone and today [Jesus] stands as the most
influential figure that ever entered human history. All of the armies that ever
marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat,
and all the kings that ever reigned put together…have not affected the life of
man on this earth…as much as that one solitary life” ("The Drum Major Instinct" by Dr. King).
Unlike
the disciples, you and I have the benefit of hindsight. We know what happens
when Jesus goes to Jerusalem. At first, it appears the disciples are correct,
and Jesus is paraded through cloak-and-palm-lined streets on a donkey to cheers
of “Hosannah!…Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!” (Mark 11:9-10).
But in less than a week the crowds change their tune and Jesus is betrayed,
tried, convicted, and put to death on a cross.
James
and John are probably surprised when they realize that the two people actually
on Jesus’ left and right when the kingdom of God is ushered in are the two
“bandits” crucified with him (Mark 15:27). The last will be first, indeed.
To
truly follow Jesus is to live a life of service to others, “translating love
from easy and possibly empty words into meaningful deeds” (William J. Byron,
SJ, The Word Explained, Year B, p. 232). Jesus redefines
greatness, and “by giving that definition of greatness, it means that everybody
can be great…because everybody can serve” ("The Drum Major Instinct" by Dr. King).
My
youngest sister once told me, “Lara, you may have set the bar, but I’m gonna
raise it.” Before us today lies a challenge, to raise the bar with a new
definition of greatness. May we follow Jesus’ example and help usher in the
kingdom by serving one another, so that we can “take over the world not with
the love of power but with the power of love” (N.T. Wright, How God Became King: The Forgotten Story of the Gospels).
