The Mystery of Jesus 10-20-24

The Mystery of Jesus

Job 38:1-7, 34-41; Mark 10:35-45

Job 38:1-7, 34-41

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind: “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up your loins like a man, I will question you, and you shall declare to me.

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone when the morning stars sang together and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy? “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, so that a flood of waters may cover you? Can you send forth lightnings, so that they may go and say to you, ‘Here we are’? Who has put wisdom in the inward parts, or given understanding to the mind? Who has the wisdom to number the clouds? Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens, when the dust runs into a mass and the clods cling together? “Can you hunt the prey for the lion, or satisfy the appetite of the young lions, when they crouch in their dens, or lie in wait in their covert? Who provides for the raven its prey, when its young ones cry to God, and wander about for lack of food?

Mark 10:35-45

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him 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.”

Prayer –

Last Sunday, on the road with Jesus, we noted that a rich man came to Jesus wanting a theological discussion. But Jesus responded by telling him to go, sell, give, and follow. The man walked away, deciding the cost of following Jesus was too great. He couldn’t imagine giving up all of his possessions and following this street preacher.

This Sunday, we are still on the road with Jesus (and we know where this road will lead). Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem and the cross. But this time, Jesus becomes even more explicit about the costs of loving a world that doesn’t know how to love him. Just before this week’s gospel (10:32-34), we have Jesus giving the last and most detailed prediction of his trial, suffering, death, and resurrection.

So, Jesus reiterates the stunning news that he is walking toward his cross. And yet, the disciples did get the point. Can we blame them? Even though Jesus is repeating the words about the cross, James and John ask for places of honor to Jesus’s right and left! By asking for places of honor, the sons of Zebedee reveal that they don’t have the foggiest notion of what Jesus has been talking about – the mystery of servanthood and the cross. Son of God Jesus may be, but not as the disciples expected. 

         The way that Jesus walks is a way that’s so counter to our ways that we have to keep being reminded of its strangeness. Why else does Jesus keep repeating that he is on his way to his cross, where he will suffer and die? This Sunday, we have the third passion prediction in Mark. Three times, Jesus reiterated that he was walking toward the cross.

Can you blame the disciples for their lack of understanding? A suffering Messiah? Jesus has been introduced to us in the first verse of Mark’s Gospel as the “Son of God.” God? God is all-powerful, high, and lifted up. God can do anything God wants. God is always in control. 

It’s, therefore, a jolt to be told by Jesus that he “didn’t come to be served but rather to serve and to give his life to liberate many people.” Like the disciples, we must learn and relearn that Jesus Christ is God with us, but not as we had expected. Just like the ancient people of Israel, we want a God to be all-powerful and fix what’s wrong with us and the world. But the God we receive in Jesus becomes powerless and submits to the injustice and violence of others as a suffering servant. 

So, three times throughout Mark’s Gospel, Jesus teaches his disciples that he is among them as the God they didn’t expect. A God of mystery who comes “to serve and to give.”But in this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus doesn’t leave things there. He doesn’t only say that he has come not to dominate and seize power but to serve and to give, but he says that we must serve and give as well. 

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward and said to Jesus, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” (Rather brash of them, don’t you think?) And Jesus to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” They respond, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”  

In asking this, and in asking this way, James and John show they don’t have the foggiest notion of who Jesus is and what he expects of them. With Peter, these two have been Jesus’s closest companions. And yet, as they get closer to Jerusalem, their request shows that they still think of Jerusalem as a place of glory rather than the place of the cross. Earlier, Peter was rebuked for this glory-thinking. Now, John and Andrew are rebuked by Jesus. They just don’t get it. The unexpected outcome of Jesus is part of his mystery.

Jesus responds, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” They replied, “Sure, bring it on! If some baptism and a little communion is the ticket to glory, we are fine with that.” 

Jesus responds, “You don’t know what you are asking.” They don’t know. Sure, they want to be close to Jesus but are clueless about what that means. “The cup” often indicates suffering and judgment. And sometimes “baptism” is used metaphorically to indicate immersion in some trouble or evil. So in saying, “cup,” or “baptism,” Jesus is talking about his death. 

The rest of the disciples were angry with James and John. But Jesus patiently taught them, “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. Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first must be a servant to all. Why? Because I came not to be served but to serve and to give my life for the freedom of many.” 

Jesus corrects his disciples’ misunderstanding by referring to himself and his work. This is how I am; this is what I’m about to do. If you want to hitch on to what I’m doing, the only way to do that is to follow me by doing what I do. The disciples have signed on to follow God's glorious, powerful Son. They get service in the name of Jesus, the Suffering Servant. 

And we know enough about ourselves to know that we shouldn’t be too hard on James and John. They had only had maybe a year or two on the road with Jesus; most of us have been with Jesus longer than that. Because we ought to know Jesus better, it makes it all the more sad that we keep thinking like the clueless disciples believe. We know, when we are honest, about our relentless ambition, our desire for earthly (that is, “Gentile”) status and power. 

I think today’s gospel implies that it’s hard to remember who we are because we keep getting confused about who Jesus is. Jesus is the One who has come among us who surprises and disrupts our notions of God. Jesus is the one who comes among us as a servant to those in need, so much so that he ends up serving us sinners by dying on the cross because of us. It’s as if God said, “You want to know who I am and what I’m up to? Then look upon the cross, and you see me at my most godly.”

Jesus is the One who keeps patiently teaching us, putting up with us, transforming our notions of what is and what isn’t. Jesus is the One who healed the sick, fed the hungry, gives an open-handed invitation to all the suffering, sick, sinful ones. The One who serves us by going to the cross because of us, then rising from the dead and returning to us to keep teaching us, healing us, and inviting us to take up the cross and live lives of service. 

So how do we move on with this Jesus person? We are to dare to take this mysterious, unexpected Jesus as our model and let go of our ceaseless scramble for power, honor, and glory. We are to serve as he served, to work with him in his continuing salvation of the world by showing the world a different path than the world walks. Want to be with Jesus and learn more about him? There’s no way to be close to Jesus without getting down with him in humble service. You’re here today in church to worship, to learn from, and to listen to Jesus. I think this Sunday’s gospel says the way to do that is to go forth from church and serve as he served, doing our part to hitch on to what he is doing in the world, serving those in need, embracing and protecting the most vulnerable, loving even when folks are unloving and unlovable.

Over the past few Sundays, we have focused on Jesus and his call to his disciples, “Follow me.” I observe that many people are attracted to Jesus, admire his love and concern, and are glad to follow him. But then, as in today’s gospel, Jesus talks about the peculiar shape of lives caught up in discipleship. Humility. Service.

At the beginning of Mark’s Gospel, the disciples responded positively to Jesus’s call to follow him. And yet, midway, the disciples revealed they had no idea that Jesus’s way meant the way of humble, self-sacrificial service. So, in following Jesus, the challenge is not just to walk with Jesus but with Jesus—the Son of God who humbly walks the lowly way of service to his cross. It is an unexpected and mysterious path – and it mysteriously leads to the kingdom of God – thanks be to God – amen.