This is weird. This is counter-cultural. This goes against the grain. It defies everything we know. It goes against every instinct.
The process of human evolution, thus far, has favored the strong, the powerful, the rich and the paranoid.
This text raises what I think is a good question. Were the disciples really-truly a cohesive group, looking out for one another…or were they a bunch of renegades looking out for their own self and best interest?
This text would certainly speak to the latter.
So the question remains, the disciples are all connected to Jesus (as the central person) but are they connected to each other in some kind of meaningful way?
We know we have two sets of brothers in the “Apostolic Band” Peter and Andrew and James and John. We do not hear much about Peter and his brother. Andrew seems to always live in the shadow of his brother Simon Peter. Outside of originally being fishing partners we do not hear much about them together. Peter was married, Andrew was not. Peter owned a home, Andrew did not. Peter was the leader, Andrew was not.
Peter plays a front and center role, while Andrew loves the furthest corners of the background in the darkness and in the shadows.
James and John are constantly together. They are even referred to as being “the sons of thunder.” They, like Peter, are a part of Jesus’ inner circle of three disciples. The three of them are with Jesus at all of the most important points in his ministry. Andrew, Peter’s brother is not a part of that inner circle. He is left out!
James and John are seemingly disregarding the interests of others. That is why they blatantly and boldly approach Jesus to request the “highest status” and the “closest connection” for themselves.
They together, are attempting to pull something over on the other ten. They act first. They ask first. They are out for their own self interest…they strike, first!
Their action provokes the envy and the anger of the other disciples. They are indignant. James and John were angling for positions that the others hoped to obtain for themselves…
This is just another one of the many ways that Mark the Gospel writer shows us again, how the disciples do not get it.
Jesus and his group were never about power and authority. It was not about greatness. It was not about selfishness. It was not about dominance and oppression. James and John have disregarded the interests of others and are seemingly “out” for their own self interest.
If this is any kind of gage, it would seem that the disciples were not of “one like mind,” nor were they united or unified. It is not the way – we normally think of them as being!
And. More importantly, it is not the way that Jesus wanted them to be. He wanted them together, of one mindset, on the same page, together in spirit. He wanted them to be of ONE BODY. With ONE MISSION…
He expected that “they” would not be about position, rank or privilege. There would be no “power tripping” among the twelve.
Instead they would care for one another, be supportive of one another and have each other’s back.
Jesus, one more time had his work cut out for himself. It was back to school time. Back to the drawing board…back to the beginning…back to the basics…
We are to be about “one another” sharing our joys and our sorrows, our accomplishments and our failures. We are to be here (present) for one another.
It is not a hierarchy. No one is better, no one is lesser. We are to be servants of one another…
And the way Mark writes his gospel – he is clear. Our servant-hood is not limited to any group. Whoever wants to be first, must be last of all and the servant of all.
I tell you: This is weird. This is counter-cultural. This goes against the grain. It defies everything we know. It goes against every instinct.
The process of human evolution, thus far, has favored the strong, the powerful, the rich and the paranoid. They who “lord” it over others…
We are to be the exact opposite.
We are to walk humbly with our God and with our brother and our sister. We are here to serve, to do what we can, while we can.
This is the way of the cross. This is the way of Jesus.
Amen.