by Fr. Bill Garrison
Please note that the following sermon text was provided prior to the audio recording. The two versions may differ substantially.
Mark 10:35-45
James 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.” 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.”
Jesus Discourses with His Disciples - James Tissot (Public Domain)
I heard a story about a person who has spent a lot of years working in corporations small, large, and massive. He has climbed the corporate ladder and has arrived at some rules for advancement that are invariably true. Here is one of those stories.
One day, a turkey was walking down the road. He looked up, and saw a raven sitting on the upper branches of a tree. He looked at the raven, and said, "Hey Raven... It must be nice to be all the way up there. I wish I could get up there too, but I'm just too tired".
The raven replied, "well, Mr. Turkey, there's some bologna on the ground right at the bottom of the tree that a child dropped when she didn’t finish her sandwich. It's got a tone of nutrients. Why don't you peck at that for a while and see if you get more energy?"
So, the turkey pecked at the bologna for a while, and with his strength up, was able to hop / fly up to one of the higher branches on the tree.
After a little while, a farmer came around. He saw the turkey sitting up in the top of the tree and took out a shotgun, and blasted the turkey and took him home for dinner.
What's the moral of our story? Bologna may get you to the top, but it won't keep you there.
A few minutes ago, we heard about “The Sons of Thunder.” Who is that you say? Why that’s the nickname Jesus gave the Zebedee brothers. “Sons of Thunder”. Please don’t tell me Jesus didn’t have a sense of humor.
We wonder how they came to receive that nickname. Were they somewhat bombastic? Were they captains of industry? Were they an example of success to those with whom they encountered? Did they have the right haircut, the right clothes, the right sandals, know the right people, ride the right donkey, sing with fabulous voices? Were they experts in Torah studies?
We know they wanted to succeed in life because of the question they asked Jesus. “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” That’s a pretty huge request. It might be like being the next in line in a huge corporation, only bigger, I guess.
The brothers have tied their futures to him. He is the real deal. He is the son of God as far as they can tell. He speaks well, is incredibly intelligent, wonderfully compassionate, backs down to no one, I mean he is questioned by Pharisees, Sadducees, priests, and everybody else in power and he makes them all look silly. Tying one’s future to Jesus is definitely the way to go! The future is so bright they must wear sunglasses.
Now let’s take a moment and think about these fellows. Don’t we all have a little of this same desire for success they have? Wouldn’t we like to sit at the top and enjoy the fruits of our journey to get there? Haven’t you imagined what it would be like? Who have you hooked your future to?
Every modern organization has a mission statement that defines it in a sentence or two. We will make the finest widgets in the world. We will be an address for the Kingdom of God. We will be the finest teachers of business methods. As people we too have mission statements whether we are aware of it or not. I want to be the richest person around. I want to be a great author. I want to live my life in a certain way. I want to be a successful, fill in the blank.
Now what I find really interesting and more important than the mission statement for our discussion today is the mission question that generally goes unstated. If I commit myself to one of these organizations, or to a leader of some sort, or a lifestyle of some sort what is in it for me? That’s the big question today: what is in it for me? If I am going to sacrifice and give up other options, what is in it for me? If I am going to be your friend what is in it for me? If I am going to have a relationship with you what is in it for me? If I am going to go to church here what is in it for me?
What is in it for me? I cannot imagine a more common or a more dangerous question. This is the question that ruins friendships, strains and breaks relationships, and turns church goers into Christian consumers. Think about it. Life becomes transactional. The question is all about me, me, me. Life is lonely and there is never enough. The hole in one’s chest becomes impossible to fill. Nothing, and no one, is ever good enough.
As usual Jesus has a better idea which he models for us. His question is completely different. Rather than asking what is in it for him he asks a better question. “What is it you want me to do for you?”
Now before we go on, we must remember that Jesus was not an open check book. When the brothers asked Jesus to be beside him, he told them it was not his to give. On the other hand, when those truly in need told him what they needed he gladly gave it to them. He discerned the needs of each person and gave what he was able, and called to give, each time. Jesus was an incredibly intelligent and brave man. He was not a sucker. I am quite certain if he felt the loving answer was no that is what he said. Jesus would ask nothing more or less of us.
Jesus invites us to leave the life of never-ending deals and grasping and take up another life, a life of service. If we can step on board with Jesus, even for a little bit at first, we discover another world opening in front of us.
I think most of us realize that service as a way of life is far more meaningful than a transactional lifestyle. Great good comes from emptying oneself rather than grasping and hoarding. Giving away and helping leads one to feelings than cannot be experienced in any other way. Through this way of living, we discover that abundance already exists. The cosmos refills us with goodness and joy faster than we can empty ourselves. We find that through giving what we have away, somehow, we wind up lacking nothing.
Yes, it’s counter-cultural. Yes, we must test the waters some before we dive into the deep end of the pool. But when we do get our feet wet, we discover a feeling of satisfaction that cannot be found in any other way.
What do you want me to do for you?