I am amazed at the audacity of James and John in today’s Gospel, asking…no, telling Jesus that they want him to “do for us whatever we ask”! Who do they think they are? Better yet, do they really understand who Jesus is?
The audacity to demand that Jesus do whatever they ask of him is unbelievable. And of course, it ignites the ire of other disciples, I think most likely because, on a very human level, the others thought that James and John might be getting something more than they would get.
Jesus calls them all together and explains, once again, that to be a leader in the Reign of God is to be a servant…it is to make oneself available to the other. He says that the one who wishes to be the greatest among them must be a servant to the rest, and the one who wishes to be first must be slave to all.
This image of the Reign of God that Jesus gives us turns our vision of the world on its head because it proclaims to us that the most important among us is to act as the least and to serve the others -- especially the poor, the social outcast, the marginalized, and those in need.
In Jesus’ world, as in ours today, servants were considered to be on the bottom rungs of the ladder of society. They were and are considered by many to be the invisible ones, the expendable ones of our society, and they are often treated in the most undignified ways. Those who work as domestics and in actual serving roles are most often subjected to maltreatment, lack access to decent healthcare, are not paid just wages, have no paid family leave or sick leave and are denied job security. So, somehow, we have missed this central core message of Jesus on what we should be building, as we work to build up the Reigh of God in the here and now!
In the Reign of God, the servants are truly the special ones. By their service to others, they follow Jesus Christ’s example, and through their actions proclaim their citizenship in the Reign of God and put their discipleship into action!
So let us reflect this week on our own place in the world and in the Reign of God. As a disciple of Jesus, who am I being called to serve? Who are the people who serve me in one way or another in my daily life, and how do I treat them? How do I make myself available to the poor and the marginalized; to those in need of help in my life so that I might reflect Christ’s love to them and more fully live out my discipleship?
Blessings,
Fr. Tim
The audacity to demand that Jesus do whatever they ask of him is unbelievable. And of course, it ignites the ire of other disciples, I think most likely because, on a very human level, the others thought that James and John might be getting something more than they would get.
Jesus calls them all together and explains, once again, that to be a leader in the Reign of God is to be a servant…it is to make oneself available to the other. He says that the one who wishes to be the greatest among them must be a servant to the rest, and the one who wishes to be first must be slave to all.
This image of the Reign of God that Jesus gives us turns our vision of the world on its head because it proclaims to us that the most important among us is to act as the least and to serve the others -- especially the poor, the social outcast, the marginalized, and those in need.
In Jesus’ world, as in ours today, servants were considered to be on the bottom rungs of the ladder of society. They were and are considered by many to be the invisible ones, the expendable ones of our society, and they are often treated in the most undignified ways. Those who work as domestics and in actual serving roles are most often subjected to maltreatment, lack access to decent healthcare, are not paid just wages, have no paid family leave or sick leave and are denied job security. So, somehow, we have missed this central core message of Jesus on what we should be building, as we work to build up the Reigh of God in the here and now!
In the Reign of God, the servants are truly the special ones. By their service to others, they follow Jesus Christ’s example, and through their actions proclaim their citizenship in the Reign of God and put their discipleship into action!
So let us reflect this week on our own place in the world and in the Reign of God. As a disciple of Jesus, who am I being called to serve? Who are the people who serve me in one way or another in my daily life, and how do I treat them? How do I make myself available to the poor and the marginalized; to those in need of help in my life so that I might reflect Christ’s love to them and more fully live out my discipleship?
Blessings,
Fr. Tim
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