Mark 10:35-45

TWENTY-NINTH SUNDAY IN ORD. TIME 

Mark 10:35-45

A good Sunday to all. 

In today's Gospel passage, we are going to hear the account of a rather embarrassing episode, actually, not very informative, which had as protagonists two eminent disciples, the sons of Zebedee, James, and John. To understand the message, it is necessary to place what happened in its context. Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem. According to Mark, the whole Gospel is the story of this journey. Jesus is on his way to his goal, which is the gift of his life. And during this journey, he has already announced twice to the disciples, in an obvious way, where he's going and what it means for them to follow him. He said to them: I will be arrested, reviled, condemned, and killed. 

The disciples were shocked because they had not left everything to meet such a failure; they had left home, profession, family, and friends. And, in fact, after the first announcement, Peter had intervened to try to change Jesus' mind, to dissuade him from going to Jerusalem, and Jesus had said to him: 'You reason like Satan. Satan has proposed to me from the beginning to go and conquer the kingdoms of this world, and you, Peter, reason just like Satan, as the people of this world reason, who want the power to dominate and to be served.' 

After the second announcement, the disciples avoided asking questions for clarification because they knew how it ended the first time, they only hoped that the Master would stop talking about these things and they had continued to discuss who would have the first place when they finally came to the glory of power. Immediately before the episode, we will soon hear Jesus take the 12 aside again and for the third time, he revealed to them what would happen to him in Jerusalem, and this third time he says things even more clearly: ‘I am going to Jerusalem, and there the Son of man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, the pagans shall mock him, spit upon him, scourge him, and put him to death.’ If you count the number of things they will do against him, it is six. 

The number 6 in the Bible is significant because it is a sign that something is incomplete, or another action is missing. People did not do seven, but only 6. God fulfills the seventh; Jesus says, 'After three days, the Son of man shall rise again'; that is, people’s actions will not determine destiny, but there will be the intervention of the heavenly Father who will recognize him as the triumphant man, the true victor. It is at this point that, after this third announcement, Mark introduces the reaction of the disciples; let's listen to it: 

"Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to him, ‘Teacher, we want you to do whatever we ask of you for us.’ He replied, ‘What do you wish me to do for you?’ They answered him, ‘Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.’” 

After the unambiguous presentation that Jesus made of his destiny, it seems almost impossible that the two sons of Zebedee did not understand. They do not make a good impression. When the Gospels were written, many years had passed since this unpleasant episode and things have changed radically because James was first among the disciples in giving his life for Christ during the persecution of Herod Agrippa. His brother John, who was still alive, was the last of the apostles still alive. He has been in Ephesus for twenty years and is revered by all the Christian communities. Therefore, when Luke writes his Gospel, he knows this episode but does not relate it. Matthew relates it but modifies it and says that it was not the two of them, but it was the mother. Mothers are so loving to their children, and she wanted to put in a good word in favor of James and John, she used lovely words addressing Jesus. But things happened as Mark refers; they are these two filled with a frenzy of power and prominence; and then the way they speak to Jesus is not very polite; they say, 'Master, we demand that you do what we ask.' 

How does Jesus react? He knows what they have in mind, but he doesn't want to rebuke them; he doesn't want to tell them right away where they are going wrong; first, he wants them to communicate their plans. And that's what we have to do in dialogue with Christ, in prayer. We have to present our dreams to him because he doesn't scold us, even if they are very wrong, because our nature does not lead us immediately to tune in to his thoughts. Satan works in us and takes us very far. He has tempted Jesus, and he tempts us also. 

Jesus understands us; it takes time to understand the choice he proposes to us. This is his pedagogy: he wants us to understand calmly that he who wants to dominate his neighbor is not a man; the true person is the one who serves his neighbor. A truth that is not easy to understand and accept. 

They say to him: "Grant us to sit in your glory, one at your right hand and one at your left.” The image is taken from the scenes in the courts of kings in the Ancient Middle East. The king was seated on the throne. Then, to his right were the dignitaries, the notables, the important people. Here is the first result that Jesus achieved: he succeeded in driving out the demon that was present in his disciples, that is, those dreams are suggested not by God but by Satan. And if you follow what Satan suggests, you do not become a man; you become dehumanized. 

Wanting to be great, wanting to be first, and wanting to be glorious is not a bad thing. God put this impulse in us to do something remarkable. The misunderstanding lies in the way we understand this drive within us, that of being great. The misunderstanding lies in how we understand glory, what is glory, and what is vainglory. The brethren know what the world considers as glory; it is the glory of him who can stand out above all others because thus he succeeds in accumulating money, power, prestige, and servants who bow down to him; that is the glorious man. This is the only glory they know. 

In the Bible, 'caved' = glory, indicating the revelation of a person's greatness, splendor, and beauty. and also, the greatness of God, the glory of God. When is God glorious? People have made the mistake of projecting on God their ideas of greatness, but the idea of greatness they have in mind comes from the evil one and we have also projected it on God. We imagined him glorious when he defeated his enemies, when his devotees bowed down before him to serve him by offering him sacrifices or burnt offerings, when he struck fear into all those, who used to transgress his commands. That was God when he was glorious. 

Is this the glory, the revelation of God's beauty? No, this is not the beauty of God; this is a false image of God that we are still presenting today: the glorious God at the end of the world when he will finally show the beauty of God and what happens to those who dared to transgress his commands... Would this be the beauty of God? No. We have invented this ugliness. Paul says that it is in the face of Jesus that we catch the glory and beauty of God's face. In the second letter to the Corinthians, in chapter 4, (it's God saying) 'let the light shine in the darkness; has made to shine in our hearts the discovery, the knowledge of the glory of God shining in the face of Christ.' 

So, if we want to grasp the true glory, not the vainglory suggested by the evil one, we must contemplate the face of Jesus of Nazareth. In Hebrew, 'caved' = glory, which means weight, consistency, a life that is not blown away by the wind, a life made of vanity ephemerides... he who seeks these vanities is not fulfilled as a person; he degrades himself and erases from his face the glory of God. In the face of Jesus shines the glory of God because it is a face as beautiful as the face of God. But if we seek vainglory, the likeness of the beauty of the face of God is effaced from our countenance. 

I mentioned that to pray means to present to God our view of things, and he does not scold us for what we say to him, but then we have to listen to what he tells us; otherwise, our prayer would be a monologue that leaves everything as it was before. We go, tell him our things, and then we leave; no, wait, listen to what he tells you. The two brothers have made their request which is not very different from the requests we make; we always ask God to do our will. 

Let us now listen to what Jesus answers to the two sons of Zebedee: 

Jesus told them, ‘You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?’ They said to him, ‘We can.’ 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, but to sit at my right or my left is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared.’” 

Jesus loves James and John, and he knows that they run a great risk, that of staking their lives on vainglory, of those who reason following human criteria, which Satan moves. It is the evil spirit that pushes these two in this direction, deceives them by making them believe that the vainglory is something consistent, solid, and lasting when, in reality, it is the straw from which nothing remains. The true glory is the one that Jesus proposes; it is not a little different; it is the opposite of those who want to be great but those who make themselves small to serve their brothers and sisters. To choose this glory, to stake one's life on this glory, Jesus says that it is necessary to share his cup and to receive his baptism. 

These are two images well known to the disciples. The first is often repeated in the Bible: to share the cup with someone means to share his destiny, whether good or bad. Jesus will use this image in the prayer of Gethsemane, when he says: 'Abba, Father if it is possible, take this cup from me (i.e., let this not be my destiny), but your will be done.' Jesus is asked for the gift of life for the glory of God, the love of God, the supreme love, and the gift of life to shine fully in his face. The ultimate of love is the gift of life. 

The second image is that of baptism and has the same meaning. For Jesus, baptism means going all the way, indicates the passage through the waters of death, the sufferings, and the afflictions to which the righteous are subjected. It is often compared to being immersed in deep waters in the Bible. This surprising gift of life is presented as the immersion of baptism. To partake of the glory of Jesus, therefore, means for the disciple to participate fully in the glory of Jesus, in his choice of life; the glory of the Master is that of love, of the gift of life; is the maximum of a person's beauty, and this glory must also shine in the disciples. 

James and John are willing to accept this glory, to follow Jesus in this gift of life. They answer: 'We can.’ There is no moment of reflection between Jesus' question and their answer. The conclusion is that they have not understood, they continue to confuse glory with vainglory and to obtain this vainglory they are even willing to risk their lives. Jesus says: ‘The cup that I shall drink you shall drink also; you shall also receive the baptism I am about to receive.’ Jesus respects their slowness in understanding God's plans. You will share my destiny... and then he says: "But to sit at my right hand and my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those to whom it is reserved.” 

This is a 'divine passive,' i.e., this seat on the right hand and the left is reserved by God. For whom has the heavenly Father prepared the position on the right or the left? The highest likeness to Jesus is prepared for those who become servants. And let us also note that 'has been prepared'; therefore, it is a gift with no merit. 

We have understood what glory the two sons of Zebedee seek; now let us hear what the other ten who witnessed this scene think: 

“When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John. Jesus summoned them and said to them, ‘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.’” 

At the request of the sons of Zebedee, the other ten were indignant. Not that they were angry because they meet companions who do not understand anything at all; Jesus was very clear; how can one not understand? This is not the reason; the reason is that they want to be first. All the twelve are far from the Master. Under Jesus's gaze, the Church's first schism takes place: 10 against 2 and 2 against 10. Like those that will follow in the Church, a schism will always have pride as a component. 

What does Jesus do? He calls them to him, not because they are physically far away, no; they are around him, but they are far away from his proposal of a new world, and he begins to examine the leaders of this world; their disciples also want to become great like them. Jesus says that the rulers of the nations dominate others, and their leaders oppress them. In reality, Jesus is very ironic; those who should serve his people are people who dominate and oppress. 

Jesus' irony is much more explicit in how Luke tells us about this competition among the disciples. Luke quotes the words of Jesus: The great ones of this world exercise their complete dominion over the others and, what is more, they pretend to call themselves 'ewerguétai' = benefactors, which was the title borne by many Hellenistic kings, such as the Ptolemies and the Seleucids. Jesus says: There are many ways of exercising power over others. You have political leaders, religious leaders, rabbis, scribes, temple priests. They all exercise power in the same way. They impose their will, they seek their interest, they seek their privileges, and then demand to be revered as the ceremony prescribes and then honors with titles appropriate to their position; and beware of getting these titles wrong... 

And in which of these authorities do you find inspiration? None of them; among you, it is not so; none of these types of authority can be taken as an example by a disciple of Christ. What, then, is the way to become great, to be honored? Jesus wants them to become great. You do well to aspire to greatness, so now Jesus will suggest how to become great. Great among you shall be he who becomes a servant and would be the first to become the slave of all. 

Two important terms are servant and slave, ‘diaconos’ and ‘doulos.’ Diaconos is the servant who freely makes himself available to others; he exercises voluntary service because he loves his brothers and sisters and helps them with their needs. Doulos is the slave, the one who performs forced labor. The slave does not belong to himself, belongs to a master, and must do what the master says; he is not like the deacon who offers himself spontaneously. Jesus says: 'become deacons and become slaves.’ 

Who is the master of the disciple of Christ? The master is the one who needs your service; he is your master if you want to be a disciple of Christ. Anyone who has a need and you can help them; then you are their slave; you have to obey their need, and Jesus says that you must become the slave of all. This is more complicated because to be slaves of those who are kind, nice, and then they thank you, they don't know how to thank you for the good you have done for them; that is not difficult. But there may also be those who don't say thank you, and maybe they offend you after you have served them. This is a new logic of the community of the disciples of Christ, and it concludes by presenting himself as an example of someone who has staked his life on this proposal: "The Son of man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for all." 

The Son of man came to present to us the true face of God. We have invented a God who is served by people, no... What Jesus presents to us it is the opposite. Jesus only spoke of one God who is the servant of man's good and man's life. The one who is always ready to serve us; and the Son of Man, Jesus of Nazareth, gave his life as a ransom for many. 

‘Ransom' is a critical term because it was what one had to pay to redeem someone who had become a slave: a member of the family, a brother who had become a slave and then one had to pay to redeem him, and if he had no money, he had to offer his life to free his brother. From what slavery did Jesus come to free humankind? From a terrible tyrant, which is Satan, who leads you to build your life according to his greatness, but this greatness is not beauty; they are vainglory; is a horror. 

To free ourselves from this slavery that prevents us from being ourselves, to resemble the heavenly Father, Jesus had to give his life because only seeing the way he lived we free ourselves from this madness that is the greatness of this world. 

I wish you all a good Sunday and a good week.