Truly Blessed!

SCRIPTURE

Mark 10:35-45 (NRSV)
Warnings to ambitious disciples

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." And he said to them, "What is it you want me to do for you?" And they said to him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory." But 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?" They 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; but 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."

When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. So 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. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all.
For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many."

 
SERMON

After reading today’s Bible passage, I could not help but chuckle as I surveyed the audacity of James and John. They were the brothers who had been nicknamed by Jesus “The Sons of Thunder.” Although we cannot know what Jesus meant by the nickname, we know that thunder often precedes lightning, and a powerful storm. Maybe Jesus called them Sons of Thunder because they were loud, ruckus, and prone to rage. Or maybe Jesus called them Sons of Thunder because they were Sons of God’s Word or Presence, which was often described as “the sound of thunder.”

In any case, they were bold and brash as evidenced by the fact that they came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.”

Now, this may seem shocking to some, but in reality most of us Christians approach our conversations with God in the same way. We bow our heads, close our eyes, and recite a “laundry list” of “I want you to dos…”

When we run out of “requests” we say, “I pray this in the Name of Jesus” and we start or end our day without another thought.

In the case of John and James, they said, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” In our case, we often pray for fame, fortune, power, reputation, favor(s), money, jobs, stuff, stuff, and more stuff.

Isn’t it amazing that our prayers are so selfish, so much of the time? I am often shocked by how much of my prayer life is spent “making my requests known to God” and how little of it is spent simply adoring God, confessing my sin, and thanking God for all of God’s many benefits toward me!

Now, don’t get me wrong, God invites us to be bold in our requests. After all, how much more bold can you get than to say to Jesus, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.”?

But, I also know that God knows better than we do what it is that we truly want and need. I have often said—and I stand by it—that if God had answered every single one of my prayers in the affirmative, I would be in a world of trouble.

Looking back over my life and my prayers, I now have a great appreciation for God’s “No and Slow.” Often, I have demanded that God do things my way only to find that my timing was off, I was ignorant of players or circumstances, or I simply wasn’t mature enough to handle what it was that I was asking for.

James and John faced a similar circumstance when they asked to sit at Jesus’ right and left hand. In their minds, I am sure that they felt that they deserved the power, fame, and fortune that would come to them as they ruled at Jesus’ side in the coming kingdom.

But, Jesus turned their request on its head (as he was prone to do). He said, “"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?"

The brothers quickly answered, “We are able…”

My goodness! I’m sure that they had no idea what they were getting themselves into! I often wonder if James and John reached the end of their lives and thought back on this conversation with Jesus! I imagine that they must have been appalled by their naiveté and ignorance.

Certainly, the other disciples were outraged by the conversation. In response to the argument that broke out amongst the disciples, Jesus said, “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. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all.”

Whoa!

This statement must have blown the disciples minds! Here James and John had just asked to be rulers, lords, and tyrants. They had asked Jesus for greatness, power, and fame. They had made it clear that they wanted to lead—and to be first—and in response to their request, Jesus declares, “to become truly great you must become a slave and servant to all!”

This passage always sends me into a fit of giggles because it is so counter-cultural and yet, so very much like my Jesus!

Can you imagine what the disciples’ faces must have looked like after Jesus invited them to become slave and servant to all?

Come on, friends! Let’s keep it real in here today. Who aspires to be a servant? When was the last time you heard a child say, “When I grow up I want to be a slave?”

I have never, ever heard it! I hear children say, “I want to be a doctor, president, entrepreneur, rock star, or athlete. But, I have never heard anyone say, “I want to be a servant.”

In yesterday’s Revised Common Lectionary reading Jesus asked, “Who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one at the table? I am among you as one who serves (Luke 22).”

This remark has been sticking in my craw since I read it. I just can’t shake it! How could it be that the servant is greater than the one whom s/he serves?

I was still meditating on this Word whilst I was out to eat in a restaurant with my husband on yesterday. As we were sitting there, a man came by who was sweeping the carpet. When I saw him, I looked up and said, “Hi!”

The man stopped, looked around, and then said to me with urgency, “What do you need? How can I help you? Have you been served?” In response, I smiled and said, “I don’t need anything. I’m just acknowledging you by saying, “Hi!”

Well, the most remarkable thing happened. The man just shook his head and walked away from us. I really think that our interchange freaked him out because as a “servant” he is not accustomed to anyone seeing, acknowledging, or even caring about him.

Yet, our Jesus declared that the servant is greater than the one being served.

This is a conundrum, isn’t it; because society and its institutions teach us that exactly the opposite is true.

It is a sad fact that most of us do not even see the people who serve us every day—they are invisible to us!

As a result, we walk right past the person wiping the table, vacuuming the carpet, or cleaning the toilet. We don’t acknowledge their hard work or their care for our needs. So why on earth would we aspire to be servants?

Well, the answer to that question is simple, but profound. Our Jesus said, “I am among you as one who serves.”

Jesus, is our mentor, role model, and example. He is the epitome of what a Christian must aspire to become! Because Jesus self-identified as servant, we too, must do the same!

Isn’t it amazing that Jesus understood himself to be a servant to all? As such, he roamed about the countryside for three years, seeking people to serve. In his capacity as servant, he preached. He taught. He counseled. He healed. He exhorted. He rebuked. He prayed—and when all of that was not enough to bring us to repentance and right relationship with God—Jesus gave himself up to an old rugged cross and died as atonement for our sin.

Hallelujah!

The King of Kings and Lord of Lords, The Son of God, chose to become a servant to all! He allowed Love to give Him up to the cross, in order to save us from our sin and gift us with eternal life.

My Lord! John and James had absolutely no idea that in asking to sit at Jesus’ right and left side, they were asking to give up their very lives in service to others.

I have heard it said that the best way to share the good news is to show the good news to others! Jesus affirmed this when he commanded us to “feed the hungry, give drink the thirsty, clothe the naked, house the homeless, and visit the sick and imprisoned.”

On the night in which he was betrayed , Jesus stated, “You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”

You will be blessed if you do them!

When we pray, we often ask God to bless us with money, fame, fortune, cars, houses, boats, power, and advancement. We think that these things will bless our lives.

But on today, we are reminded that in order to be truly blessed, we must ask to become a slave and a servant to all! We must request that Jesus makes us an invisible--and often taken for granted--force for good in the world. We must desire to be used by God to share the good news that God loves, gave, and saves!

Isn’t this a radical realignment of our priorities? Of course it is!

But, as Christians, we are called “Followers of the Way.” We are also called “little Christs.” In order to live up to these monikers, we must remember that “the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many."

It is my prayer that on today we will make up our minds to pour out our very lives in service to others! As we do so, we will be blessed beyond our wildest imaginings!

In the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen.



INVITATION


Would you like to become a follower of Jesus on this day? If so, please pray with me:
Holy God, thank you that Jesus set forth an example of service for me to follow. Please forgive me for desiring things, instead of desiring Jesus. I believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose again on the third day to make atonement for my sin and to gift me with eternal life. Please forgive me of my sin and fill me with the Holy Spirit so that I can be used by you to serve all of your people. I love you and I really want to share our love with others. I pray this in Jesus’ Name, Amen.



SPECIAL NOTE


If you just prayed that prayer for the first time, today, you are saved! Let me encourage you to tell a Christian friend that you just put all of your hope in Jesus. Ask him or her to help you find a Bible that is easy for you to understand and to find a good Bible believing church where you can be baptized and make new friends who will walk with you on your Christian journey!

I would be honored if you would take a moment to click “YES” in the upper-right hand corner of the good news blog in answer to the question, “Did God save you today?”

Congratulations and Happy Re-birthday! Your salvation is our GOOD NEWS, please go and share the GOOD NEWS with others!