Fellow Pilgrims,
Moms demand respect, don't they? In the animal world, the mother moose is one of the most protective and deadly mothers in nature. Mess with her little ones, and she will make sure it is the last thing you or i would do. But mothers also have a way of making sure that not only are their kids safe, but that the world respects and honors her children, right? In the movie the "Goonies," the mother was the leader of the gang of robbers, and she was the most protective. She did all she could to ensure her kids, even though they were convicts, made a way in the world.
Moms demand respect.
So it shouldn't surprise anyone that Zebedee's sons find themselves standing before Jesus answering questions about whether they can or cannot face a life of pain, challenge, and persecution. In fact Jesus asks them, "Can you drink of the cup that i must drink of?" They answer with the affirmation they could. But how did they get there? Their mother, like any other good mother, goes to Jesus and asks Him to let her boys sit beside Him for eternity. Their mom has the audacity to implore Jesus for special treatment for her kids. Jesus doesn't rebuke her, because He knows the power of a mother's love, but He does ask the boys if they could face death.
They could, so they said. But Jesus isn't finished teaching.
A mother wants whats best for her children, and she asks Jesus what is natural. "Can you give my sons preferential treatment?" Jesus points to what is true about the world. The world wants the limelight. The world wants the best seats in the church. The world wants recognition for doing works. The world wants red carpet introduction. The world wants the right and left of Jesus in eternity.
But no so for Jesus and all who follow Him. For Jesus and all of Jesus' followers, throughout the history of humanity, we are to seek no limelight, great seats in the house, or even rewards for our good deeds. Instead we are supposed to lift up the less than, be servant of all, take a back seat to others, simply make strangers more important than ourselves.
Is this fair? Is this possible? Or yet another question comes to mind, why does it matter if we get the limelight? Attention? Rewards?
Because in the world it is all too easy and natural to make the work about us and focus on getting to the top, but in the process forget about the people God/Jesus seem to love most--the least of these. It is hard to work, care, minister, or love the least of these when we spend all of our time looking out for number one, staring at the mirror like Stuart Smalley, obsessing on how we can move ahead. When we are blinded to the plight of the other, we are guilty of a horrific sin: negligence. Negligence brings the wrath of Jesus. Ministry and acceptance and recognition of the other brings the applause and support and love of Jesus.
Which do we want? The world waits for our response.
Amen.
Shalom,
jerry
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