St. Mark 10:35-45
Dearly beloved, The Lord made men to be disciples, and, then, He made some to be apostles. The twelve disciples were very important for the witness of the church because they saw and heard all that Jesus had done and taught. James, the son of Zebedee was one of those men. At the start of Jesus’ earthly ministry and sojourn, Jesus comes upon two brothers, James and John sons of Zebedee in the boat with their father, mending their nets. Jesus calls them and they leave the boat and their father, as they begin to follow Jesus. Today we commemorate one of those brothers, James. The altar paraments are red to highlight his martyrdom for the sake of Jesus Christ. James (along with his brother) were privileged to see very important events in the earthly life of Jesus. On a couple of different occasions, it was Peter, James and John who were with Jesus. The first occurrence was on the mount of transfiguration, where Jesus shined in glory, as the three disciples looked on. A true testimony this was, giving James the opportunity to see one side of things. How many of us desire to see the Lord and to partake of His majesty! One could perhaps think that this transfiguration moment on the mount shaped the thinking of the three men, for we see in the gospel that James and John asked the Lord for something that was not there’s to ask: they wanted to sit one on each side of God in His heaven. They liked the way glory looked. This sounds like a reasonable request except for the fact that the right hand of God is reserved for Jesus, whereas the left hand of God is unspeakable. James and his brother did not understand service in the church at that point. This is a warning for us. We can become so comfortable in the church that we take too much ownership. We can become so accustomed to things that we lose sight of the true mission of the church. I have seen it happen. People become so comfortable in their roles in the church that they don’t need Jesus. Instead, they look to themselves. They rule as they see fit, rather than looking to the scriptures. They exchange humble service for lordship. While James and his brother may have had good intentions, they wanted to be exalted in their positions. They wanted people to be in awe of them. They wanted to dictate and be above their brothers. Naturally, the other disciples were angered at the request of the sons of Zebedee. Jesus reminded them and us that the way of true service in the church is much different. Jesus said quite plainly, “you know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever shall be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.” Jesus is speaking about the life and character of the church. Jesus is giving us insight into the way the mission of the church is to be carried out. A different James, the brother of the Lord, writes in his epistle in similar fashion. Speaking of the character of the church, James writes, “...the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere”(James 3:17). St. Paul in like fashion exhorts the church in Thessalonica to live quiet lives in faith. He speaks of the importance of love in the church along with quiet living(1 Thessalonians 4:9-11). Service in the church is unassuming. This is important because gossiping and judging in the church has sin as its source. If you talk bad about others and tear down the reputations of others, then you are, in a different way, doing what James and John were doing by asking to sit on each side of the Lord in glory: you attempt to exalt yourself over others. This is precisely why Jesus tells all the disciples in the gospel reading that whoever will be great among you shall be the servant of all. The sort of mission work and mercy work that is pleasing in God’s sight is the kind of service that is done in faith and humbleness. Why is it this way? Because the way of the church is patterned after the way of Jesus. Quiet, suffering, humble, giving.....these are adjectives that mark the way of Jesus. While James was no doubt amazed by the transfiguration, Jesus was to show James another perspective that was just the opposite of the transfiguration. James the son of Zebedee, along with his brother John and Peter, were granted another special moment with Jesus--in the garden of Gethsemane. This was not a scene of exaltation, but a scene of humiliation. James would be so overcome by all that was around him that he would be unable to stay awake in the garden but would succumb to sleep like his partners. But James would come to see the agony of His Lord in the garden. James would see with his eyes what Jesus is saying in Mark 10. “Servant of all” is Jesus. Jesus, God, gives up His throne and hides His majesty in order to suffer wrongly for the sins of the world. This is true service my friends. This is the way of the church. The church and the saints are to be quiet, meek, humble, merciful and loving because Jesus the Lord of the church is all of these things, and He is the pattern. So when you want your way in the church, think of Jesus in the garden. When you make yourself feel better because you tear down others, think of Jesus in the garden. When you hate, think of Jesus’ love in the garden. It is for all of these sins of yours that Jesus died. It is for all of your sins that Jesus became the servant of servants. You are forgiven in Jesus’ name. You dwell in His peace. All is well cared for by Jesus, which means you as Christ’s church rest in His peace. It was no doubt this second scene that James saw that prepared him for what was ahead. Later, James found himself to be in a position of relevance in the church at Jerusalem, not as a lord but as a servant of servants. James would be martyred by Herod with the sword as he was out preaching the gospel. James’ martyrdom pleased the Jews and more persecution followed. James followed the pattern that he saw of Jesus in Gethsemane. The Lord sustained him all the way. In like manner, the Lord shall sustain you. James left his father’s boat immediately and journeyed with Jesus from mountaintop, to valleys, to gardens of suffering, but all the while the Lord sustained James on the journey through the word and sacraments. As you journey with Jesus, you will find yourselves on mountains and in valleys. You may even suffer for the faith, but the Lord shall sustain you, your sins forgiven, as you live in His grace and serve Him without end. Amen. -- Rev. Chad Kendall Trinity Lutheran Church Lowell, Indiana www.trinitylowell.org
