You have probably heard of patronage jobs. We see this a lot in bigger cities and many county governments. Someone does a politician a favor, helps in his campaign, or contributes money, and they or someone in their family is then given a job. Usually these are good jobs, often with a pension, sometimes even a “no show” or “no work” job. This sometimes happens within big corporations, where favoritism and nepotism play a lot in who gets promoted or given certain jobs rather than the hard-working fellow. There is the old saying “It’s not what you know, but who you know” in getting certain jobs. In our Gospel passage today we see a couple of the disciples looking for some patronage positions. Did they get their request? Let’s take a look.
As our Scripture opens, the two brothers James and John came up to Jesus with a request. They had something to ask Him, and they didn’t beat around the bush or hesitate, but came right to the point. They believed that Jesus was going to come to Glory one day, and at that time they wanted the prized positions of sitting at His right and left hand (vs. 35-37). There was no shyness or reticence with these two!
Historically, the positions of sitting at the right and left hand of a king, a pharaoh, or an emperor, were special positions. It was a spot of power and of trust. These mighty rulers would not just give them to anyone. Instead they were usually given to good friends of the monarch, hopefully someone who was wise. They might have a lot of money to help finance the monarch, and might also have some military power. Just like with a political or corporate patronage job, these brothers James and John felt that they could get these two enviable positions. After all, they were part of Jesus’ inner circle of closest disciples, which also included Peter, who witnessed the Transfiguration, and a few other private miracles, such as raising the daughter of Jairus.
Jesus questioned the two brothers. Were they capable and willing to suffer and die for their faith, for their Lord? Could they “drink the same cup” that Jesus was about to do? They quickly stated that they could (vs. 38-39). Jesus promised that they indeed would, but that those positions were not for Him to give out but instead were for those who the Father had prepared it for (vs. 39-40). The other disciples were angry with the two for thinking they should be given special spots, possibly quietly thinking that instead they should get those spots (vs. 41).
The Lord used this opportunity to teach the twelve that, contrary to what the world thinks, if one wants to be great, they need to become a servant to others (vs. 42-45). The world thinks that being great is having a lot of money, a lot of power, a lofty position. However in God’s sight, the greatest are the least, those who are humble and lowly in spirit, those who are willing to take the lowliest spots, and are servants to others.
A popular philosophy and teaching is to think about yourself first and foremost - do something for yourself, or with yourself, or to yourself. That is different from the model and message that Jesus gave us. He said to be a servant, and give yourself to others. Paul echoed that in Philippians 2:3-4. Don’t let selfishness and conceit control you. Instead, have humility of mind.
Jesus modeled that, by giving of Himself, both throughout His life, and then in His death for our salvation. Salvation has three “s’s”. Sacrifice - salvation comes through the death of Jesus. Substitution - Jesus died instead of us. Satisfaction - Jesus’ death fulfilled the justice of God, as God’s justice was “satisfied”.
Did the brothers James and John live up to their claim that they could drink the same cup that the Lord Jesus would? Were they willing and able to suffer for their Savior? As we read in the Book of Acts, aside from the betrayer Judas, James was the first of the apostles to die. King Herod Agrippa had him put to death by a sword (Acts 12:1-2). His brother John, on the other hand, was the only apostle besides the betrayer who did not suffer martyrdom. After a lifetime of ministry and serving others, as Jesus had instructed His followers to do, John was banished to the island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea, which was used as a Roman penal colony at the time. It is there that John is believed to have died. Like these two brothers, are we willing and able to give our all for the Savior?
No comments:
Post a Comment