IN THE Sunday’s gospel (Mark 10:35-45), two of Jesus’ disciples – James and John – made a bold request. They petitioned Jesus that in his kingdom, one of them sits at his right, and the other sits at his left.
Overly ambitious on one hand and out-rightly ignorant on the other hand; that is what this request was. Ambitious, because the two brothers had the nerve to personally seek the highest places in the heavenly kingdom, next only to Jesus himself. Not waiting for the Master to voluntarily hand the seats over to them, and not even considering if they were most deserving of the honor. No doubt, when the other disciples heard about this, they became indignant.
Ignorant, because as Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking.” James and John did not understand that the way to greatness in God’s kingdom is “to drink the cup that Jesus soon drank” and “to be baptized” with the baptism that the Son of God took; in other words, to suffer and die for the sins of the world.
It is easy to criticize James and John for what they’ve wished for, although it is also highly possible that they asked with pure motives. After all, wouldn’t any well-meaning Christian desire to stay closest to the Lord? What we are certain, though, is that in our modern times, we see a world obsessed with power – many times undeserved, abused, or used for selfish gains.
The gospel continued with Jesus challenging his disciples (and us) to take a paradigm shift on authority. He said, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Truly, God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts, and God’s ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). In God, it is those who humble themselves who will be exalted (Matthew 23:12), and it is the lowly in spirit who gain honor (Proverbs 29:23). In God’s design, it is the leader who serves, and it is the Master who “washes his disciples’ feet.”