Background:
The apostles simply didn't get. No matter
how many times Jesus told them that the kingdom he was restoring was not the
old military and nationalist kingdom that the people wanted, but a kingdom in
which humans reflected God's forgiving love, they never got the point.
What other kind of kingdom was there
besides one like David and Solomon ran? OK, Jesus was David or Solomon or maybe
even someone better.
What kind of jobs would they have in the
new nobility of this new kingdom? They had made a lot of sacrifices for Jesus,
what were they going to have in return. In the immortal words of city politics,
they asked, "Where's ours?" Jesus told them what it would be, but
they still didn't understand.
Story:
Once
upon a time, a widow in her early 70s began thinking about moving from the big
family home to a smaller, more manageable residence. One day when youngest
daughter was visiting and began playing the piano, the mom told her that when
she did move, this daughter could have the piano.
Now
when the other children heard this, they began to worry among themselves about
how their mother would split up the family treasures. Several of them thought
they should have been consulted about the piano. After all, they had children
who would like to have a piano.
Eventually, the widow got wind of her
children’s concerns and decided to f ace the issue head on. She called them
together and told them, in a gentle way, that her things were hers to decide
how she wanted them distributed. What she did with these things had nothing to
do with her love for each of them and she was disappointed that they felt that
was the case. She had promised the piano to their youngest sister because she
was the one who had been most dedicated to practice and seemed to love music.
She hoped they knew that she loved each of them and that they would not
consider who got what of her things as the sing of her love.
After they left, the widow sadly wondered what
more she had to do to help her children know of her love for them.
It is a remarkable fact that in Mark, the
first of the gospels, one of the consistent themes is that of the
incomprehension of the disciples. Again and again they fail to understand what
Jesus is talking about and they are also portrayed as being afraid to ask him.
They are presented as somewhat self-seeking and dull and at times even Jesus
becomes exasperated with them (8:14-21). In choosing to present them this way,
perhaps Mark was trying to tell us something: take time to recognise yourselves
in this portrait of the disciples. The good news is indeed good but it
challenges the values that we take for granted and are very much part and
parcel of the world we live in. So when we choose the way of the gospel we
should not be surprised that it involves a steep learning curve and we may well
turn out to be slow learners!
Michel DeVerteuil
Textual comments
There are two distinct sections in this
passage:
- verses 35 to 40: the encounter between Jesus and the sons of Zebedee; and
- verses 41 to 45: his teaching on service.
The dialogue wit the sons of Zebedee is very dramatic, with plenty of significant details. As usual with gospel stories, fee free to focus either on Jesus or on the people who come to him.
- verses 35 to 40: the encounter between Jesus and the sons of Zebedee; and
- verses 41 to 45: his teaching on service.
The dialogue wit the sons of Zebedee is very dramatic, with plenty of significant details. As usual with gospel stories, fee free to focus either on Jesus or on the people who come to him.
James and John are typical of young,
enthusiastic followers of any cause – very ambitious, but also very committed
and ready for everything. Note how they are confident: they can accept the
challenges, even if they do not see clearly what they entail.
The portrayal of Jesus is very touching:
his respect for the young men, the way he takes them seriously, the way he
challenges them and reassures them simultaneously. His humility is remarkable
as he disclaims the authority to give final rewards.
As in last week’s passage, Jesus is the
model for civil as well as religious leaders, and the two brothers can be the
church community or the nation.
Verse 45 is very deep and can be read by
itself. Enter into the metaphor of the ransom, asking yourself how this ancient
practice of buying back slaves is lived today when people give themselves to
the work of human liberation, with the life of Jesus as the model.
*************************************
Thomas O'LoughlinToday we reflect on how Jesus came among us. He came as the one sent by the Father to bring us new life, yet he came among us as seeking to serve rather than to be served. We reflect also that for us, his followers, his way of life sets us a pattern for how we should live. In a world filled with the suffering caused by power struggles Jesus reminds us that our community here must display a different way of being human: 'Anyone who wants to become great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be servant of all.'
----------------------
Sean Goan
The story of the apostles James and John continues with the theme of discipleship in this section of Mark. To appreciate what unfolds here it is important to remember that in the two chapters before this Jesus has consistently challenged his disciples with the core values of the kingdom.
They are to become like children, like
servants; they are to give up all attachments; they are to be willing to take
up their cross and follow and all this in the context of three predictions of
the passion. So it is with that backdrop that James and John coming looking for
special status in Jesus' future glory. The extent of their complete
incomprehension is baffling but Jesus shows great patience with them and points
out that they will indeed share his future but the glory they seek is not his
to give. It would be heartening to think that the other ten were annoyed with
James and John for the folly of their question but it might be more realistic
to believe their concern was that they might have been upstaged by the other
two. So when Jesus gathers them around him it is to tell them once again that
in the kingdom of God the exercise of power bears no resemblance to what takes
place in the world around them. True greatness lies in service and their model
for this is Jesus himself.
Homily Notes
1. The values of the kingdom are exactly opposite to those of the world of power politics, social climbing, and vain display. We all know this, yet generations come and generations go by, and we still import titles of honour, displays of prestige, and even the jargon of imperial Rome, the cursus honorum, into the church. The pope may take the title 'servant of the servants', but a look at the pomp and circumstance surrounding the papal ceremonies suggests that the need for a power display outweighs theology. Bishops are to be servants, but 'for the people's sake' they wear the last remnants of imperial purple. Clergy are called to take on extra ministry over and above the ministry of the baptised, but in exchange they get a range of titles all suitably graded so that everyone from a newly ordained deacon to Vicar General knows exactly which rung each is on.
1. The values of the kingdom are exactly opposite to those of the world of power politics, social climbing, and vain display. We all know this, yet generations come and generations go by, and we still import titles of honour, displays of prestige, and even the jargon of imperial Rome, the cursus honorum, into the church. The pope may take the title 'servant of the servants', but a look at the pomp and circumstance surrounding the papal ceremonies suggests that the need for a power display outweighs theology. Bishops are to be servants, but 'for the people's sake' they wear the last remnants of imperial purple. Clergy are called to take on extra ministry over and above the ministry of the baptised, but in exchange they get a range of titles all suitably graded so that everyone from a newly ordained deacon to Vicar General knows exactly which rung each is on.
Reading this Gospel should make us all
mightily embarrassed!
3. Given that the gospel should make any
cleric uncomfortable, and anything one says about the gospel is likely to be
taken as hypocritical self-justification, a better commentary on the gospel is
to actually perform the action Jesus carried out and wished us to carry out in
imitation of him.
Therefore, introduce the actual practice of
foot washing —many in any average congregation will never have seen it or will
not remember it from Holy Thursday — and then wash the feet of a group of the
community.
Meanwhile, have these words from John read
as a commentary on the action taking place: When he had washed their feet, and
taken his garments, and resumed his place, he said to them, 'Do you know what I
have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am.
If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash
one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do as
I have done to you.
Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is
not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent
him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them' On 13:12-17).
Then, while the action of foot washing continues, have the shorter form of
today's gospel re-read.
4. Apart from one action being worth
several thousand words, by making a community more familiar with the action of
foot washing one is enriching the repertoire of the community's liturgical
experience and helping the community appreciate the action on Holy Thursday
more fully.
Many people grumble that no matter how short a homily is, it is still too long — words have become cheap. An action like foot washing will make people sit up — no doubt you reading this think the idea daunting (so too did St Peter) —and hear today's gospel on its second reading in a way they did not when it was first read!
Lord, we
remember with gratitude the spiritual journey we have made.
At first we were like the sons of Zebedee,
very anxious to become loyal and to do great things for you.
Truly we did not know what we were asking.
You did not reject us, but rather guided us gently,
- some of us through prayer and bible reading;
- others through a guide who was Jesus for us.
You made us understand that spiritual growth
is setting out on the path of Jesus,
drinking whatever cup of suffering you send us,
and entering deep waters as he did.
As the challenge came, we said “Yes”,
and you certainly took us at our word.
Today we find that we are not interested in success of any kind.
We know that sitting at your right hand or at your left in your glory
is not something that anyone can give us,
or that we can earn for ourselves,
and we leave that to you to allot to whoever you will.
At first we were like the sons of Zebedee,
very anxious to become loyal and to do great things for you.
Truly we did not know what we were asking.
You did not reject us, but rather guided us gently,
- some of us through prayer and bible reading;
- others through a guide who was Jesus for us.
You made us understand that spiritual growth
is setting out on the path of Jesus,
drinking whatever cup of suffering you send us,
and entering deep waters as he did.
As the challenge came, we said “Yes”,
and you certainly took us at our word.
Today we find that we are not interested in success of any kind.
We know that sitting at your right hand or at your left in your glory
is not something that anyone can give us,
or that we can earn for ourselves,
and we leave that to you to allot to whoever you will.
Lord, we
thank you for young people,
especially those of us who work with youth in schools,
church communities or families.
We thank you for their enthusiasm and their great desires.
Don’t let us become cynical
just because they do not know what they are asking.
Help us rather to be like Jesus and walk with them,
challenging them, but also reassuring them
that they can in fact make the sacrifices which their desires imply.
especially those of us who work with youth in schools,
church communities or families.
We thank you for their enthusiasm and their great desires.
Don’t let us become cynical
just because they do not know what they are asking.
Help us rather to be like Jesus and walk with them,
challenging them, but also reassuring them
that they can in fact make the sacrifices which their desires imply.
Lord,
leaders are afraid to ask sacrifices of their people;
they like to promise great rewards in some future kingdom
even though these rewards are not theirs to give.
We pray that they may be like Jesus, honest with their people.
But of course, if they ask a sacrifice of their followers,
they must go that way themselves,
the cup they ask others to drink
must be one they drink themselves,
and if they ask others to receive a baptism
it should be one they have received themselves.
they like to promise great rewards in some future kingdom
even though these rewards are not theirs to give.
We pray that they may be like Jesus, honest with their people.
But of course, if they ask a sacrifice of their followers,
they must go that way themselves,
the cup they ask others to drink
must be one they drink themselves,
and if they ask others to receive a baptism
it should be one they have received themselves.
Lord,
forgive us that as a church
we promise people heavenly rewards if they fulfil certain requirements.
Remind us that places at your right hand or your left
are not ours to give
but belong to those to whom they have been allotted.
we promise people heavenly rewards if they fulfil certain requirements.
Remind us that places at your right hand or your left
are not ours to give
but belong to those to whom they have been allotted.
Lord, it
is not easy to work for the liberation of oppressed people.
We would like to do it the easy way,
giving hand-outs or making nice speeches.
But Jesus has shown us that this kind of work is always costly.
It is like the ancient practice of buying back salves,
except that for us the money we have to put out is our own selves,
our security and our need to be successful,
allowing ourselves to be hurt
and in that way healing the hurts of others and helping them go free.
We would like to do it the easy way,
giving hand-outs or making nice speeches.
But Jesus has shown us that this kind of work is always costly.
It is like the ancient practice of buying back salves,
except that for us the money we have to put out is our own selves,
our security and our need to be successful,
allowing ourselves to be hurt
and in that way healing the hurts of others and helping them go free.
Lord, we
remember the time that jealousy arose in our church community,
our parish council, the choir, the youth group,
some trying to get places of honour and others indignant with them.
Then you sent someone who called us together
and showed us how we were no different from the other rulers in our society,
or other important people who like to make their authority felt.
We realised at that moment that this should never happen among us
because for us to be great or important is to be at the service of all.
our parish council, the choir, the youth group,
some trying to get places of honour and others indignant with them.
Then you sent someone who called us together
and showed us how we were no different from the other rulers in our society,
or other important people who like to make their authority felt.
We realised at that moment that this should never happen among us
because for us to be great or important is to be at the service of all.
Lord, we
pray for those who are about to get married,
that they may understand what they are asking of each other,
which is that whatever cup of suffering one has to drink
the other must drink it too,
and whatever baptism life demands of one
the other must enter into that baptism too.
that they may understand what they are asking of each other,
which is that whatever cup of suffering one has to drink
the other must drink it too,
and whatever baptism life demands of one
the other must enter into that baptism too.
Illustrations:
1)
"Before Cell-phones?"
How many of us here this morning were born
BC? By "BC" I mean "Before Cell-phones?" The first cell
phone was invented in 1973 by Martin Cooper. My kids were born AC, but I was
born BC. In a world of 7 billion people, there are now 5 billion cell phone
subscriptions. Pretty amazing for something under 40 years old.
In the last forty years the cyber-cellular
age has changed the way we do business, the way we get our education, the way
we socialize. The world has never been so closely connected, and there has
never been this much immediately accessible information as there is with our
new online universe. Each cell phone is almost the equivalent of having the
Library of Congress in our hands.
Unfortunately
all that easily accessed info has also led to an epidemic of a new kind of
crime - identity theft. With just a few bits of our personal information, an
online burglar can electronically hijack anyone's identity and drain bank
accounts, take out huge loans, run up mountains of credit card debt. Once your
identity is stolen your name is no longer your own. No matter your name, your
name is mud...
2)
Everybody Wants to Be Somebody
Everybody wants to be somebody. Since the
dawn of history, human beings have been trying to move up the scale of
importance. The clincher used by the serpent to tempt Adam and Eve was
"when you eat of [the tree of good and evil], your eyes will be opened,
and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" (Gen. 3:5). Henri Nouwen
says that ever since then, we have been tempted to replace love with power.
"The long painful history of the church is the history of people ever and
again tempted to choose power over love, control over the cross, being a leader
over being led." This is a theme running through the Bible, through human
history and through our own psyche.
Kenneth L.
Carder, The Call to Downward Mobility, The Christian Century, Oct. 8, 1997, p.
869
3)
One Positive Thing
"There are many negative things that
can be said about James and John," writes William Barclay. "They were
nakedly ambitious and proud: they wanted, and believed they deserved, places of
honor in Jesus' kingdom. They were ignorant and insensitive: their request for
places of honor came right after Jesus had told of His coming suffering and
death. But there's one positive thing you can say about James and John: they
believed in Jesus. Here was a poor, homeless, persecuted carpenter and yet
James and John believed Jesus was a king. They believed that He would conquer
the power structure of Rome." Even their crude ambition reflected their
faith in Christ.
William
Barclay, The Gospel of Mark, pp. 254, 255.
4)
Looking for an EZ Pass
On many of our nation's toll roads, rather
than stopping at a toll-booth to toss some change in a hopper, you can now
purchase a transponder, sometimes called an EZ-Pass, and zip through in the
left lanes without even slowing down to the acceptable speed limit. Instead of
cash, tickets and paper receipts, it's a microchip tag placed on your
windshield containing pertinent data which eases your way. Your data is quickly
read by a tollbooth electronic antenna as your car zooms on through. It
automatically deducts your appropriate toll tax. This computerized collection
system then sends a monthly statement to your home with tallies of times and
places for your records. EZ-Pass is like a debit card for your car, only
quicker. No more stopping at the tollgate, the narrow gate.
Jesus says, I am the narrow gate. There's no quick way in. There's no shortcut. If he wasn't the Christ himself already, he'd be the perfect patron saint of tollgates.
Sometimes it seems that everybody wants the easy way to the front of the line,
a quick way to glory and fast track to success. Including James and John, the
brothers Zebedee, who want front-row seats numbering two and three. Put
yourself in their shoes for a moment and see if you can identify with their
self-centeredness. These guys gave up everything to follow Jesus. They followed
Jesus when nobody knew him. They followed Jesus before his miracles. Now that
he was popular, James and John were feeling the swell of fame. After all, they
were Jesus' best friends, his disciples! So we can understand why two of them
came to Jesus with their request.Jesus says, I am the narrow gate. There's no quick way in. There's no shortcut. If he wasn't the Christ himself already, he'd be the perfect patron saint of tollgates.
David Beckett, EZ-Pass
5)
"Others"
In just a few short weeks we will begin to
see people in uniforms in shopping malls ringing bells collecting donations for
the poor. They are doing the work of the Salvation Army.
In 1878, when the Salvation Army was really beginning to make its mark, men and women from all over the world began to enlist. A man who had once dreamed of becoming a bishop in another denomination crossed the Atlantic from America to England to enlist in the Salvation Army instead. His name was Samuel Brengle. Brengle left a fine pastorate to join William Booth's Army. At first General Booth accepted his services reluctantly and grudgingly. Booth said to Brengle, "You've been your own boss too long." So in order to instill humility in Brengle, he made him work by cleaning the boots of other trainees.
Discouraged, Brengle said to himself, "Have I followed my own fancy across the Atlantic in order to black boots?" Then, as in a vision, he saw Jesus bending over the feet of rough, uneducated fishermen. "Lord," he whispered, "you washed their feet; I will black their shoes."
Samuel Brengle went on to establish the Salvation Army in America. At the time of his death, the Salvation Army was thriving in both the United States and in Canada. Just before his death Brengle sent out a short memo to all of his top leaders. This memo had one single word written on it: "Others."
In 1878, when the Salvation Army was really beginning to make its mark, men and women from all over the world began to enlist. A man who had once dreamed of becoming a bishop in another denomination crossed the Atlantic from America to England to enlist in the Salvation Army instead. His name was Samuel Brengle. Brengle left a fine pastorate to join William Booth's Army. At first General Booth accepted his services reluctantly and grudgingly. Booth said to Brengle, "You've been your own boss too long." So in order to instill humility in Brengle, he made him work by cleaning the boots of other trainees.
Discouraged, Brengle said to himself, "Have I followed my own fancy across the Atlantic in order to black boots?" Then, as in a vision, he saw Jesus bending over the feet of rough, uneducated fishermen. "Lord," he whispered, "you washed their feet; I will black their shoes."
Samuel Brengle went on to establish the Salvation Army in America. At the time of his death, the Salvation Army was thriving in both the United States and in Canada. Just before his death Brengle sent out a short memo to all of his top leaders. This memo had one single word written on it: "Others."
King Duncan,
_____________________
6)
Caring Service and Its Impact
A room-service waiter at a Marriott hotel
learned that the sister of a guest had just died. The waiter, named Charles,
bought a sympathy card, had hotel staff members sign it, and gave it to the
distraught guest with a piece of hot apple pie.
"Mr. Marriott," the guest later
wrote to the president of Marriott Hotels, "I'll never meet you. And I
don't need to meet you. Because I met Charles. I know what you stand for. ... I
want to assure you that as long as I live, I will stay at your hotels. And I
will tell my friends to stay at your hotels."
Roger Dow and
Susan Cook, Turned On, (New York: Harper Business, 1996).
7)
Power
On May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens in the
Cascade Range of Washington exploded with what is probably the most visible
indication of the power of nature that the modern world has ever seen. At 8:32
A.M. the explosion ripped 1,300 feet off the mountain, with a force of ten
million tons of TNT, or roughly equal to five hundred Hiroshimas. Sixty people
were killed, most by a blast of 300-degree heat traveling at two hundred miles
an hour. Some were killed as far as sixteen miles away.
The blast also leveled 150-foot Douglas
firs, as far as seventeen miles away. A total of 3.2 billion board-feet of
lumber were destroyed, enough to build 200,000 three-bedroom homes.
Michael P. Green, Illustrations for
Biblical Preaching, p. 269
____________________
G. Curtis
Jones, "1000 Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching" p. 291
8)
Power Verses Service
Alexander, Caesar, and Hannibal conquered
the world but had no friends....Jesus founded his empire upon love, and at this
hour millions would die for him.... He has won the hearts of men, a task a
conqueror cannot do."
Napoleon
____________________
9)
I wouldn’t do that for all the money in the world
A well-dressed European woman was on safari
in Africa. The group stopped briefly at a hospital for lepers. The heat was
intense, the flies buzzing. She noticed a nurse bending down in the dirt,
tending to the pus-filled sores of a leper.
With disdain the woman remarked, "Why,
I wouldn't do that for all the money in the world!"
The nurse quietly replied, "Neither
would I."
Donald L.
Deffner, Seasonal Illustrations p. 130
10)
Service
"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."
Albert
Schweitzer
11)
I Hate To Leave This Church
A Methodist pastor once wrote about power
and politics in his denomination. Methodist preachers, he notes, are under the
care of a bishop. Bishops, in turn, are Methodist preachers who are elected by
fellow Methodist preachers after an extensive campaign for the office in which
the candidate tries not to be caught campaigning. As he observes, It is a
long-standing Methodist tradition that bishops must not appear to have sought
their office and, once elected, the new bishop must make a public declaration
that "I didn't seek this office and I didn't want it but, once the Lord
calls" ... Methodist preachers take all of this with a grain of salt, the
same way Baptist congregations have learned to be somewhat skeptical when one
of their preachers moves on to a better church claiming, "I hate to leave
this church and I would rather stay here, but the Lord calls." Baptists
note that the Lord rarely calls someone out of one church into another church
unless that church has a higher salary. Methodists have likewise noted that
there have been few preachers who, once they are elected bishop, turn the job
down.
"Teacher, we want you to put us on
your right and on your left. But keep it quiet. Don't make it too obvious.
Others may become offended that we asked first." By telling us this story,
Mark knows what you and I know: we are prone to the same desire for privilege
and protected status. We want a Jesus who will give us what we want, a Lord who
can shower a little power on us, a Savior who can make us better than we are.
William G.
Carter, No Box Seats in the Kingdom, CSS Publishing.
12)
What's In It For Me?
A number of years ago, a small book
appeared for ministers. Titled The Penguin Principles, it attempted to help
naive clergy get a handle on the people of their congregations. Most of the
material in the book was written with tongue in cheek, so it has some truth in
it. According to the book, the first principle of church life goes like this:
"Despite the pious things we say, at any given time, less than five
percent of any group in the church is operating with purely Christian
motivation. The other 95 percent is asking, 'What's in it for me?'"
William G.
Carter, No Box Seats In The Kingdom, CSS Publishing.
13)
Service
Have you heard the beautiful children's
story about the three trees? The trees were talking in the forest one day about
their dreams for the future. The first tree said it would like to be made into
a cradle, so that it might go on living as a support for the fragile life of a
tiny new baby. The second tree wanted to be made into a big ship, so that it
might go on living, carrying important cargo and influential people to exotic
new lands. The third tree longed to stay right where it was, existing only as a
tree, but growing ever taller, and pointing ever higher, to remind everyone
that there is a God in heaven who loves them. Those were their dreams: One
wanted to be a cradle, one wanted to be a mighty ship, and one wanted to be a
tall tree, pointing people toward God.
But then one day the woodcutters came and
chopped down the three trees...and destroyed their dreams. The first tree was
not made into a cradle, but into a simple feeding trough, a manger for animals.
But the manger was sold to a family in Bethlehem, and on the night Jesus was
born, that simple feed box became the cradle for the Christ Child.
The second tree was built into a boat, but
not the kind it had dreamed of--not a mighty ocean-going vessel--but a tiny
inexpensive fishing boat. A man named Simon Peter bought the boat, and on one
warm afternoon when the crowds pressed in, Jesus himself climbed aboard that
small fishing boats that he might preach good news to the multitudes.
The third tree also was deprived of its
dream...
14)
Support your
senator doing free service:
A priest went
into a Washington, D. C. barber
shop for a
haircut. When
the barber
finished, the priest asked him what the
charge was and the barber responded, ―No charge, Father, you
are
serving the
Lord and
I
consider my
service rendered to you as a service to the Lord.‖ The next morning when the
barber arrived at his shop he found at his front
door a stack of usable Christmas
cards and a note of thanks from the priest.
A few days later, a police officer went to the same barber for a haircut. When he went to pay, the barber
said, ―No charge, officer. I consider it a service to our community because you serve our community.‖ The next morning when the barber arrived at his shop there
were
a dozen donuts at the front door and a note of thanks from the policeman.
A few
days
after this
an influential senator came in for
a
haircut. ―No charge, Senator, I consider it a service to my country.‖ The next morning
when the barber arrived at his shop there were two
congressmen waiting for their chance for the barber’s free service, carrying a note of thanks from the Senator! (L/12)
15)
"I
discovered that Service
is Joy":
It may
sound unbelievable,
but it is true that Asia's first Nobel Prize winner in
Literature (1913), Rabindranath
Tagore, was behind the three great national anthems of three great nations, viz. Bangladesh, India
and
Sri Lanka. He was also the first non-westerner to win the Nobel Prize in literature. He did so in 1913. He wrote this short poem:
I slept and dreamt that life was Joy;
Then I awoke and realized
that life as Service.
And
then I went to work -
and, lo and behold, I discovered that
Service is Joy.
Today’s gospel teaches us that true happiness
comes from surrendering ourselves completely in humble service to God through Christ. And all we need
is a
servant's heart, mind, eyes and touch. So, "How's Your Serve?"
16)
"Sir, I
am a Corporal!"
During the American
Revolution, a man in civilian clothes rode past a group of soldiers who were busy pulling out a horse carriage stuck in deep mud. Their officer was shouting instructions to them while making
no attempt to help. The stranger who witnessed
the
scene asked the officer why
he wasn't helping. With great dignity, the officer
replied, "Sir, I am a Corporal!" The stranger dismounted from his horse and proceeded to help the exhausted
soldiers himself. When the job was completed, he turned to the corporal and said, "Mr. Corporal, next time you have a job like this, and don’t have enough men to do it, inform your commander-in-chief, and I will come and help you again." Too late, the proud Corporal recognized General Washington. Where did Washington learn such leadership
skills? I have no doubt he learned them
here, in these words of Jesus: ―Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.”
The young
corporal had these words
modeled
for
him by the man at the top. Jesus' disciples, likewise,
receive from their leader a picture
of
servant hood.
17)
Muhammad Ali
the greatest.
Muhammad Ali, the boxer, used to call himself the greatest!" There was something comical about
his arrogance.
Once he declared: "I float like a butterfly, I sting like a bee."
The story is told of him that once when he was on an airplane about to take off, the flight steward said, "Sir, would you please fasten your seat belt?" Muhammad Ali replied, "Superman doesn’t need a seat belt." The steward replied, "In that case, Superman doesn’t need an airplane to fly."
Today’s gospel tells us of two of Jesus’ disciples who wanted to be supermen—to sit at the right hand and the left hand of Jesus in his messianic kingdom-- to be the greatest, to be the first.
