Lent 5
22 March
2018
Series B
Almighty God, by Your great
goodness mercifully look upon Your People that that we may be governed and
preserved evermore in body and soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Jesus catechizes His disciples.
Instructing them. In the way of the cross. Revealing that He will be condemned
and put to death “and after three days he
will rise.” Mark 10:33–34
But the Twelve do not understand.
Instead, they argue among themselves about who will be the greatest, with James
and John requesting the places of honor on either side of Jesus in His glory.
Jesus has come to make Himself
the “slave of all” and “give his life as a ransom for many.” He
shares the true glory of His cross. With all who are baptized with His Baptism
and with those who drink His cup of salvation; the New Testament in His blood. By
these Holy Sacraments, the Lord makes Himself known to all His people,
forgiving their sins “from the least of
them to the greatest.” [1]Though
He is the very Son of God, “he learned
obedience through what he suffered”[2]
and so became our great High Priest, that we may enter His glory by the way of
His sacrifice.
Jesus predicts His death for the third time...
And they were on the road; going
up to Jerusalem. And Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed. And
those who followed were afraid. And
taking the twelve again, He began to tell them what was to happen to him. -
Mark 10:32
Jesus is leading them to
Jerusalem. Remember, throughout Jesus’ passion He's always in charge. As for
the disciples, they follow begrudgingly. There is fear and confusion in the
ranks. They know what is happening...He's leading them to their death. He's
talking about it. They, at least, are willing to die with Him. This is the message of the cross.
Jesus reminds them, "See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the
Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and
they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. - Mark 10:33
These disciples. They don't need
to reset their gaze. “Look, right now.”
Says Jesus, “It’s happening!”
“And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And
after three days he will rise." -
Mark 10:34 This is how Jesus replaces fear with faith.
Jesus is being specific with the
spitting and scourging. He's said it already before - “And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many
things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and
be killed, and after three days rise again.” -
Mark 8:31
The request of James and John
James and John, the sons of
Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." - Mark 10:35
We request of You to do for us. They are taking Jesus at His word, "whatever you ask in My name I will grant it." To wag our finger at James and John places us
with the ten. Their request is sincere. Even if they don’t know exactly what
they are asking. They are being honest and truthful. But not fully cognizant of
what they are asking.
Jesus was going the way of the cross. But not by means
of glory. This kingdom is won by loosing. The leader goes ahead as the troops
desert. Abandon. Abscond and flee. Jesus points to glory by doing it backwards.
The world says, "Come back with your shield or on it!" This was supposed to be
the parting cry of mothers to their sons as the Spartans went off to war. Mothers whose sons died in battle openly rejoiced,
mothers whose sons survived hung their heads in shame.[3]
James and John desire to sit in glory. They desire their best life now. They
covet glorious living. Jesus defines
glory. Glory is gained through the cross and suffering.
And He
said to them, "What do you want me
to do for you?" - Mark
10:36
Jesus gives the unexpected
answer, 'what do you want?' Jesus
responds to this request spoken in faith.
And they said to him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and
one at your left, in your glory." - Mark 10:37
Was this an ongoing discussion?
Certainly it was. Earlier, Mark reminds us, “And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them,
“What were you discussing on the way?” But they kept silent, for on the way
they had argued with one another about who was the greatest.” - Mark 9:33-34
Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you
able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with
which I am baptized?" - Mark
10:38
Jesus shows us the character of
His kingdom. “Wait until you see what I'm
talking about.” He alone will drink the cup and be baptized. So, no, they
can't be granted a glorious reign. But yes, they will reign in glory. But first
they must enter the valley of suffering.
Notice the Sacramental overtones
of drinking and baptism. You participate also with Jesus. James would remind
us, Consider it pure joy, my brothers,
when you encounter trials of many kinds,”[4]
while St. Paul will explain, but we also
rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces
perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not
disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the
Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.[5]
“That is why, for the sake of Christ, I delight in weaknesses, in
insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak,
then I am strong.” [6]
And they said to him, "We are able." And 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,” - Mark 10:39
Jesus’ words will be fulfilled in the lives of these sons of Zebedee. James will be the first of the twelve to be granted martyrdom. John will be the last disciple standing – exiled on an island.
Jesus’ words will be fulfilled in the lives of these sons of Zebedee. James will be the first of the twelve to be granted martyrdom. John will be the last disciple standing – exiled on an island.
As for you. Yes, you! You will suffer these
things also. This suffering. These crosses. Will come to you. It will happen. As you
have been baptized into Christ you were buried with Him in His death. In
baptism you were raised to life. And you also glory in your current sufferings.
They may only last for a season. Yet you will experience these tests and trials.
The way of the cross is a time of testing, trials and suffering.
As a fellow partaker of Christ's suffering,
Peter would encourage us, “Humble
yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time
he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary
the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist
him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being
experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have
suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his
eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and
establish you.”- 1 Peter 5:6-10
Remember who you are and whose
you are. As children we can come to our Father and ask, "Why?" As
children ask their parents, “why is this
happening to me?” so you too can come to your heavenly Father asking
Him. Read the Psalms. They are replete
with such cries of lament. If you have been taught to put on a happy face, to
let a smile be your umbrella, to keep your complaints to yourself, then the Psalms
offers a welcome corrective. It’s worth noting that the book of Psalms contain
more psalms of lament than any other form. So cry out to your heavenly Father.
Ask. Seek. Knock. This is also the battle within each of us.
“…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." [7] - Mark 10:40
Remember – the
Father is the director of Christ’s Passion. He is the invisible hand behind the
scene. Yet, He sustains your life. He orders your days. He directs your path.
The response of the ten.
Jesus will yell at the rest of
the disciples for being indignant. But not John and James.
“And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John.”
- Mark 10:41
The ten are indignant but Jesus
answers positively. The ten have false humility. Which is pernicious pride.
The ten are indignant of James
and John. It's the same response as Farris
Bueller’s sister. “Why should he get to
do whatever he wants, whenever he wants? Why should everything work out for
him? What makes him so special?”[8] The ten are angry because James and John
dared to ask of Jesus in faith.
Jesus called them to Himself and
said to them, "You know that those
who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great
ones exercise authority over them. - Mark
10:42
The one's considered chief lord
it. “This is how you are acting,” warns
Jesus - wanting to exercise and achieve authority. “But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you
must be your servant, and whoever
would be first among you must be slave of all.” - Mark 10:43-44
“Not thus among you” warn Jesus. Whoever wants to be great shall be
your deacon. The great ones among us must be slave of all.
“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give
his life as a ransom for many." - Mark
10:45
The Psalmist reminds us, “And he will redeem Israel from all his
iniquities.” - Psalm 130:8 Search
the Scriptures. They speak of a suffering servant - One who will die for the
sins of men.
Christ came to be an atoning
sacrifice for men. His death is payment for your sin. You are joined with
Christ. Thus you can say with St. Paul, “I
have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I that live, but Christ
living in me. That life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the
Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me.” –
Galatians 2:20
Words -1,830
Passive sentences -5%
Readability -83.8%
Reading level – 4.3
Image © Higher
Things
[1] Jeremiah 31:33–34
[2] Hebrews 5:8–10
[4]
James 1:2
[5]
Romans 5:3-4
[6] 2
Corinthians 12:10
[7] the word “prepared”
is passive
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