WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO FOR YOU?
Mark 10:35-45
The celebration of St. Patricks Day a couple of weeks ago brings to mind
the old legend of the leprechauns which, if caught, are obligated to give
you their pot of gold. And weve all heard the story of Aladdin and his
magic lamp, where the genie offered Aladdin three wishes. Such stories,
obviously, are fairy-tales. But, imagine what it would be like to have that
opportunity for realto be able to ask anything you wanted from the one true
source that really is able to fulfill any of your wishes.
That is the opportunity that was granted to the two brothers, James and
John, in our Gospel reading today. They approach the Son of God and say,
Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you. And he said to
them, What do you want me to do for you? And there it is! The door is
wide open. They have been given the opportunity of the lifetime! Jesus has
just granted them the chance to have their greatest wishes fulfilled.
And what do they do with that opportunity? Well, you heard it. They
squander it. Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left,
in your glory.
Now, to many, that would hardly seem like squandering. To be granted such
positions of glorious honor would no doubt have its perkspower, prestige,
wealth, and so on. To ask to sit and the Lords right hand and at His left
was a calculated request on their parts. It was an opportunity to get
everything that they ever wished for all rolled up in one simple request.
Im sure that it was something to which they gave a great deal of thought.
And, in fact, based upon the other Gospel accounts we hear that their own
mother was in on the idea as wellfor those other accounts have her actually
making the request to Jesus on behalf of her sons.
But the three of them had no idea of what they were asking; because they
didnt understand what it meant to be a part of the Lords kingdom. All of
the kingdoms that they were used to were the kinds, as was mentioned before,
that were replete with power, wealth, and majesty.
And its not like Jesus hadnt clarified the state of His kingdom. In the
verses that immediately precede todays text, we hear Jesus telling His
disciples, 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. And they will mock him
and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will
rise. How in the world the disciples missed that is beyond our
understanding.
But, miss it they did; and not just James and John, but all of Jesus
disciples. For, we are told that, when the ten heard it, they began to be
indignant at James and John. The other disciples resented them for
itprobably because the very same thought had crossed their own minds as
well, but James and John simply beat the rest of them to the punch with
their greedy request.
And, so, Jesus had to lead them back to the basics once again. He had to
remind them that His kingdom bore absolutely no resemblance to the kingdoms
which they were used to. You know that those who are considered rulers of
the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over
them. 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.
And, once again, we have to wonder whether or not those words had about as
much impact upon them as Jesus previous words concerning His suffering,
death, and resurrection. Did they get it? Do we get it?
It would be interesting to see how we would respond if we were granted the
same opportunity to ask anything of Jesus. It wouldnt be surprising if our
initial request fell within the realm of immediate concerns. A petition
concerning our health or the healing of a loved one? A prayer for a new
form of employment? The request for a better relationship with a loved one
or family member?
Thats not to say that there is anything wrong with such requests. For
certain, we should bring all of our concerns before our heavenly Father
because He is the Source of all of our needs.
But, as Jesus told us elsewhere in Scripture, Seek first the kingdom of God
and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you, (Matt.
6:33). Meaning, that when Jesus said to James and John, What do you want
be to do for you, it would have been music to the Lords ears to hear them
reply, get us to heaven. Just do that, Lord
get us to heaven. Because,
the only way that worldly, selfish, jealous, greedy guys like ourselves are
going to get thereis if You, Jesus, get us there; because we certainly
wont get there under our own righteousness.
Dearly beloved, that must be our first and foremost request of God. If you
could ask anything of the Lordanything at allthat must always be our most
heartfelt pleaget us to heaven, Jesus. For all of our wildest dreams
fulfilled in this lifetime wont mean a thing if we arent assured of life
everlasting. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and
forfeit his soul? (Mark 8:36).
And the way in which Jesus gets us to heaven
is by Him drinking the cup
which His Father gave Him to drink and by being baptized into the baptism my
which His Father ordained for Him. It was a cup of suffering. It was a
baptism in blood. Only Jesus could offer the holy sacrifice that was
necessary to secure our redemption.
And that is what characterizes the Lords kingdom in contrast to all worldly
kingdoms. The world seeks glory; Jesus sought the cross. The world seeks
to be served; Christ came to serve. And what does that say for you as a
member of that same kingdom
? Humility, yes. Self-sacrifice, most
certainly.
But, also, a faith that believes that Christ may very well have something
designed for us in this life that doesnt quite match up to our own magical
wishes but, rather, is designed to compel us to rely upon His wisdom and
strength every step of the way.
James and John found that out first-hand. Youve heard the old expression,
Be careful what you ask for because you might just get it? Well, thats
exactly what happened to them. Jesus said, 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? And they said to him, We are able.
And little did they realize that they would get what they asked for. What
God had designed for them was about as far as they could possibly get from
their own silly notions of glory. For, Jesus informed them, The cup that I
drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you
will be baptized.
James would become the first of Jesus apostles to be martyred, slain at the
hands of King Herod; and though the Bible does not specifically tell us when
it happened to John, we know by Lords own testimony that James brother
would meet a similar fate.
In their weakest moment, its not difficult for us to imagine what their
final request was. Receive us, Lord, into Your Kingdom. And it is safe
to say that there wasnt the trace of any vain stipulation on their part as
to what particular position of glory they might occupy. "Just get me there,
Jesussustain my faith so that I do not fail to trust in Your grace in my
final moments.
Just as it must be for usand not just in our final moments, but in every
trial and temptation throughout our lives. How blessed we to have a Savior
Whose compassion and forgiveness are such, that He would say to sinners such
as we, What do you want me to do for you?and not only that He would
invite us to ask of Him, but that He would go to the cross to fulfill that
request as well.
Pastor William Kilps
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Two Rivers, WI
___________________________________________________________________________
'CAT 41 Sermons & Devotions' consists of works that are, unless otherwise
noted, the copyrighted property of the various authors; posting of such
gives members of this list implied consent for redistribution _with_
_attribution_ unless otherwise specified by the author, as well as
for quoting or use in a congregational setting
_with_or_without_attribution_.
Note: This list's default reply is to the *poster*, NOT the list.
Do *not* reply to the list with your comments, but to the poster.
Subscribe? Send ANY note to: [email protected]
Unsubscribe? Send ANY note to: [email protected]
Archive? <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/>
For more information on this or other lists offered by Confess And Teach
For Unity, you can contact the CAT 41 list administrator at:
Rev. Fr. Eric J. Stefanski <[email protected]>
