A story about getting a place of honor
From the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 10:35-45 - October 22, 2006
Before it happened, Jesus explained to his friends how one day he would die, but that God would not let him stay dead. Instead, Jesus knew that God would bring him back to new life and that many people would get to know Jesus in that time of new life - a time Jesus described as his "glory." The time of Jesus' glory would be a wonderful time when everyone would know the powerful love of God and always feel hopeful and happy.
Two of Jesus' friends, James and John, listened carefully to what Jesus told them. Together they wondered what it would be like to live with Jesus in a time when everyone felt hopeful and happy and taken care of all the time. They knew that Jesus' time of glory would be amazing! And they wanted to be part of it.
So they came to Jesus. "Teacher, we have something we want you to do for us," they said.
"What is it?" Jesus asked. "I'll see what I can do."
"We want you to give us the most special places of honor in the time of your great glory. Give us have the seats on either side of you so everyone will know that we belong with you," they said.
Jesus replied, "You have no idea what you are asking. Can you face the things I must face soon?" Jesus was thinking about all the suffering he would have to go through before coming into his great glory.
The two friends looked at each other. Then they looked at Jesus. "Sure," they said. "We can do that."
Jesus said, "Come to think of it, you will have to endure many hard times because you and I are friends. But as for awarding places of honor, that’s not my business. There are other arrangements for that"
When the rest of Jesus' friends heard about this conversation, they got angry at James and John. What right did these two have to think they could be better than the rest of them?
Jesus got them all together to settle things down. "You know that often, when people get a little power, they get big ideas about themselves and start to boss everyone else around," he said. "It's not going to be that way in this community that you and I share with God. Whoever wants to be great must become like a servant. That is what I am doing. I have come to serve and not to be served, and that means giving my life away so that others will have new life with me."
Questions to ponder:
I wonder what it was like for Jesus to serve others?
I wonder if Jesus ever wanted to be the one being served?
I wonder how James and John reacted to Jesus' teaching about getting the special place of honor? I wonder how the rest of Jesus’ friends reacted?
I wonder how Jesus endured all hard things that happened to him at the end of his life?
I wonder what "new life" must feel like?