Sovereign God, you turn your greatness into goodness for all the peoples on earth. Shape us into willing servants of your kingdom, and make us desire always and only your will, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
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Mark 10:35-45
 35James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to [Jesus] and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you."36And he said to them, "What is it you want me to do for you?" 37And they said to him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory." 38But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" 39They replied, "We are able." Then 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; 40but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared."
41When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. 42So Jesus called them and said to them, "You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. 43But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, 44and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. 45For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many."
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REFLECTION
Did you cringe when you read what James and John asked of Jesus? This wasn't just a bold display of initiative and ambition, or a selfless desire to bask in whatever glory Jesus would enjoy. The story demonstrates - again - just how little Jesus' earliest followers understood why he came and what he was all about. After all, as Mark told this story, James' and John's question comes immediately after Jesus' words to his disciples, explaining to them, for the third time, just how it would be that he would enter his glory:
32They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them what was to happen to him, 33saying, "See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles; 34they will mock him, and spit upon him, and flog him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise again." (Mark 10:32-34)
Of course, it wasn't just these twelve disciples who were concerned with being great and having glory. Power plays and self-promotion are the way of the world, as Jesus pointed out. From toddlers to heads of state, we all want to be recognized with special status and treatment of some kind; we all hope for honor and glory. We cringe at James' and John's audacity because we also recognize ourselves and our desires in them. This desire for privilege leads to "lording" it over others in our own lives, even if unintentionally. Bullying, subjugation, oppression, racism, violence, warfare - the manifestations of this desire go on and on.
And yet in this story of Jesus, James and John, we also read in verse 32 that the disciples were afraid. Their beloved teacher was describing a degrading, torturous death. When we are anxious or afraid, it can seem easier to ignore the thing we fear and to press ahead for the glory that we hope will come instead. If Jesus himself could suffer as he described - Jesus, whom they were coming to know as the Messiah and God's own Son - what kind of suffering might lie ahead for his followers? We also prefer to focus on resurrection joy and the glory of a Christ who offers new life and hope, rather than to consider what Jesus' servanthood, suffering and sacrificial death might mean for us as his disciples.
There is suffering in the Christian life, to be sure, but Jesus is calling us here not to suffering for its own sake, but to servanthood - humble service with and for others, to meet the needs of God's beloved children. This is not done for the reward of "greatness" or "glory," but in response to what we have received - the gift beyond measure of Christ's life lived and death suffered for us. Serving our brothers and sisters is our way of giving thanks for this gift, and it can be a joyful thing. As we engage in servanthood in Christ's name, we know that Christ is being made known in our serving. There is deep joy in living out our thanks to Christ by being part of his body, bringing his grace, peace and healing to the world God loves so dearly.
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