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“A Great Reversal”

Isaiah 53: 4-12; Mark 10: 32-45

 

          “Grant us to sit one at your right and one at your left, in your glory.” As James and John make that request of Jesus, they are seeking self-promotion.  They think Jesus’ glory will include a political throne, a gold scepter in Jesus’ hand and a crown of gold upon his head. They want Jesus to appoint them to positions of authority on his royal cabinet. They want a share of his royal power.

          The other disciples become infuriated when they hear James and John’s request.  I suspect their anger is driven not so much by righteous indignation as by deep seated jealousy.  They want the seats of honor and prestige for themselves.    

          All the disciples seem to be in a dense fog of confusion. 

          In spite of Jesus’ thrice repeated prediction of his suffering and death, in spite of Jesus’ instructions that those who would be his disciples must deny themselves, take up their crosses and follow, that those who want to save their life must first lose it, the disciples do not understand.   They simply do not get it!

          Jesus’ glorification, by necessity, will entail crucifixion.  Jesus’ throne will be an “old rugged cross”.  His crown will consist of thorns.  Two bandits will occupy the places to his right and left. 

          Jesus responds to James and John’s request, “You don’t know what you are asking…”  The last shall be first and the first shall be last.  “The ones among you who are great are least of all and servants of all.”  It is what I (and others) call the great reversal of the scriptures.    

          Biblical scholar, Lamar Williamson points out that Jesus does not rebuke James and John.  Instead, he “accepts them as they are, but firmly points them in a new direction, in the way that he himself is going.”[1]

          The way that Jesus is going is the way of service and sacrifice.

For those who follow Jesus, the question is not “How can I be first in monetary possessions?”  Or, “How can I gain for my own self the most notoriety and prestige? The question is “How much of myself am I willing to give for the sake of Jesus and his kingdom?”  How much of my money, time, and talents am I willing to share?  Our greatness as Christians depends on the depth of our sacrifice and the magnitude of our giving.  

          In the eyes of the world, Lee Atwater had acquired the status of greatness.  As many of you will remember, he once was national chairman of the Republican Party.  He had a reputation as an astute politician.  As Atwater rapidly was climbing the ladder of success and prestige, a brain tumor developed.  As the disease moved across Atwater’s body, he began to seek out those whom he had offended with his political hardball tactics, asking their forgiveness.  Not long before Atwater’s death, a Washington Post journalist interviewed him.   Here is what Lee Atwater said in that interview: “The eighties were about acquiring-acquiring wealth and power and prestige-and I acquired more than most.  But you can acquire all you want and still be empty.”[2] 

          James and John’s pursuit of status and notoriety is empty and shallow. “Grant us to sit one at your right and one at your left, in your glory.”  The summation of Jesus’ response is that the opposite of emptiness, fulfillment, is to be discovered through a life of service and sacrifice.  

The great medical missionary Albert Schweitzer once said to a group of college graduates, “I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found a way to serve.”  The only ones among us who will find fulfillment as followers of Christ are those who have sought and found a way to serve.[3] 

One of the most powerful movies I have seen is Schindler’s List, set in Nazi Germany. 

At the beginning of the movie, Oskar Schindler is a member of the Nazi party, an entrepreneur who views ethnic cleansing as a way of making a financial profit.   

He begins the operation of a factory that makes pots and pans.  As his only labor force, Schindler employs a number of Jews, manipulating them for his own selfish climb up the ladder of power and wealth.  He pays them little or nothing, using all the revenue to pad his own wallet. 

But as Schindler spends time with the workers and as he witnesses the terrible, wretched torture and persecution of the Jews, his heart begins to change.  His selfish spirit is transformed into a spirit of compassion and love.  Along with a change of heart there comes a change in his life’s activity.

As the years of World War II continue, Schindler seeks to save as many Jews as possible, risking his status and power, risking his own life.

          He bribes high-ranking government and military officials in order to bring to his factory those who, otherwise, would be killed.  For the Jews, his factory is a place of sanctuary and refuge.  To them, Schindler is a heroic Savior. 

          At the end of the movie, after the surrender of the Nazis has been announced, Schindler stands outside the factory, embraces his accountant, his friend:  “I could have sold it and saved ten more people.”  Taking off his ring, he holds it in his hand and says, “With this, two lives could have been saved.”

          His friend responded: “But, Oskar, you saved over a thousand of us.”

          “But, I should have done more.”[4]  I should have done more.

          Is there more that we could be doing, should be doing? Should we be giving more money than we are for the purpose of growing God’s Kingdom?  Is there more time that we should be sharing, more talents that we should be using?  Is there more we could do to nurture one another in the faith?  Are there more sacrifices and risks we should be making and taking in order to promote the glory of him to whom we owe all of our hope? 

          I will close now with a prayer of David Livingstone, that great missionary to Africa in the mid 1800s. I invite you to make this prayer your prayer.

          [Dear God], “Send me anywhere, only go with me. Lay any burden on me, only sustain me. Sever me from any tie but the tie that binds me to your service and to your heart.”  Amen.