The Sons of Thunder had it coming, not that Jesus owed it to them, of course.  But who among them really was going to argue that he had outdone James and John for zeal, for obedience, for faithfulness, for healings and deeds of power?  James and John would never themselves have said so, but they were like super-apostles.  Jesus kept telling all of them that he was going away.  They didn’t like that, but if it had to be . . . who was going to be in charge, then?  They were all auditioning for the position: some felt tolerably sure they’d get the part; the others were deeply resentful that they were probably right.

But, always, that anxiety.  Maybe they were overrating themselves.  Maybe it wasn’t such a sure thing, after all.  Maybe they should hedge their bet.  “Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. ‘Teacher,’ they said, ‘we want you to do for us whatever we ask’” (10:35).  So, is this like a prayer?  Well, no . . . more of a request—you see the difference, don’t you?  I’d already be a little suspicious: before we ask you, just say you’ll do it, whatever it is.  –Oh.  Okay.  John remembered how Jesus more than once had told them that whatever they asked of God, God would do it for them.  Whatever they asked of God in Jesus’ name.  What does it mean to ask something in Jesus’ name?  We end many of our prayers with words along the lines of, “in Jesus’ name we pray.”  What does that mean?  Is the name Jesus like our magic talisman, or the guarantee that our prayer goes straight to God rather than to heaven’s Dead Letter Office?  Hey, this one’s from Jesus, get it to the Father right away!

To ask, to pray, in Jesus’ name is to pray in his character, to pray just as Jesus would.  For what does Jesus pray?  What does a prayer of Jesus sound like?  And what doesn’t such praying include?  But we don’t want to have to think about things with that degree of discernment or care; we just want God to do things for us; He can, after all: we know that, we believe it, and oh do we ever want to receive it.

Jesus doesn’t say he will—smart guy!  He asks them, “What do you want me to do for you?” (10:36).  Tell me, and then I’ll tell you.  Maybe he’s telling them to think about what they want to ask before they ask; maybe they need to pray about what they want to pray about.

“They replied, ‘Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory’” (10:37).  Right beside you, Lord.  The others, of course, can be there too, just not as close as the two of us.  To be at the right and the left is also to be in the position where no one can come to Jesus except through one or the other.  It’s not just prestige James and John want, it’s power.  If I’m the one you need to see in order to see the one with the power, that gives me power.  Catholics get this: praying to saints and angels and Mary—to get to the one with the power, you’ve got to go through the ones with power.  I mean, who goes to God directly?  He’s busy, doesn’t have time for you!  It pays to have friends in high places.

“‘You don’t know what you are asking,’ Jesus said” (10:38).  Oh, they know in some way that they’re not just asking for pride of place.  Jesus is telling them they don’t understand, yet, still.  Throughout this block of Mark’s account, it isn’t rivalry among the apostles so much as the thirst of each one to exercise power, more power, most power.  They had been given authority to drive out demons, to heal the sick, to proclaim the kingdom, proclaim the Word.  They had done all of that.  They had never seen or experienced anything like it before.  It was . . . wonderful!  It was . . . practically addictive.  Power is.  Not many who have power voluntarily, cheerfully relinquish it.  If you thought you saw all that so clearly in January of 2021, just take a look, now, too.  Once you get power, you hold on to it, for dear life—forever, if you can.  Isn’t that just what Jesus had been showing them?

Jesus had told them not to be amazed at the power God was pleased to apply through them, through their ministry, but rather to rejoice that their names were written in heaven (Lk 10:20).  Perhaps they thought these acts of power they were doing were the proof that their names were so written.  It wasn’t the deeds of power.  It was knowing Jesus, accepting Jesus, loving Jesus.  No one can serve two masters.  Power or Jesus: which will it be?

Oh, Jesus, of course!  Loving Jesus.  But what does that mean?  We’ve got to think, just like those apostles had to think.  It means something to love Jesus.  There’s a way of life involved with that.  It’s not so easy.  It can make us look like weak fools, here below.  Loving Jesus means sacrifice, relinquishing, a radical change in how and why we live these lives.  It’s much easier, actually to be in love with power—even if you never get any—than to love Jesus.

Jesus tries to tell them, tries to help them understand: “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” (10:38).  “We can,” they answered” (10:39).  I really have the sense that James and John have no idea what they are saying: just anything to get Jesus to give them what they asked for.  We’ll say anything!  Just let us have power—oh, how we love this power!

Most of us don’t get the opportunity to have much power in this life, though we’ve experienced it in our lives often enough.  We say we don’t care that much for it, but consider what life without power would be . . . no power?  Really?  No power to think?  No power to feel?  No power to move?  No power to breathe?  Well, no—all that, of course: we just don’t care much for abusive power, bossy power.  But what makes power abusive?  Power itself?  What makes power abusive is the one wielding it.  With how much power would you trust yourself?  With how much would I?  Oh, loads!  Yes, gimme.  Just see all I would do with it: you’d be amazed!  All that power, but only with the wisdom we have right now?  All that power, but only with the knowledge we have right now?  All that power, but only with the faith we have right now?  All that power, but with all the residual sin we have in our hearts right now—and, with all that power, the way to indulge it all, entirely, repeatedly?  Vanity of vanities.

The cup Jesus drinks.  The baptism with which he is baptized.  His purpose.  The reason he came.  Oh, he came to give power to the powerless, yes!  Salvation power, cleansing power, healing power, wholeness power, holiness power.  That power is given to those who receive Jesus, accept Jesus, love Jesus . . . and who then live for Jesus.  To live for Jesus is to die to self, and if you die to self, why, what good is all that power?  Jesus came to offer himself, and, for him, that meant a whole lot of difficulty, trouble, sorrow, and pain.  Sounds like life, with or without Jesus!  But life without Jesus truly is powerless, and life in Jesus, with Jesus, is empowered life, to know the power of Life Himself.

Those apostles, all of them, have much yet to learn.  We know.  But, like them, we have a Teacher, a Helper, an Advocate.  “Jesus said to them, ‘You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with’” (10:39)—the faithful always will!—“‘but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant.  These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared’” (10:40).  The apostles weren’t just sure what Jesus meant by the first part: the drinking the cup and being baptized with Christ’s own baptism.  Learning that takes time, a lifetime; God gives a lifetime for just this purpose.  If we’re going to know the glory and grace of Christ, we must also know something of the sufferings and sorrows of Jesus, know them in our own lives.  We must know pain, hurt, and sorrow in company with the heart of Jesus to help, with the mind of Christ to counsel and to guide.  Suffering and sorrow needs must be in this imperfect, broken, beautiful life, and those in company with Christ are promised joys and such peace!

Jesus says it is not his office, not his purpose, to arrange the seating chart at the heavenly banquet.  He says that the seating has all been arranged, already.  A much bigger plan, far older than we can imagine.  He didn’t come to assign places in the kingdom but to call people into the kingdom, to make the way open for them.  I want to live that way.  How glorious life here will be, when we live that way, as we keep directing ourselves at living that way.

“Jesus called them together and said, ‘You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.  Not so with you.  Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all” (10:42-44).  The least and lowest, like . . . like children.  You may or may not have noticed that, after I serve the bread to the elders during Communion, I take bread for myself.  I don’t do this because only I am worthy to serve myself!  Never.  The servant of the servants is not served but serves.  It is a timely, healthy reminder for me of humility, accepting the lowest, least, and last place, with glad faith.

Authority, power, isn’t for lording it over others, bossy power, remaking people and the world my way.  Authority, especially in the Church, is for upbuilding.  To upbuild others is to serve others—to seek their benefit and blessing, to strive to be a benefit and blessing to them.  We benefit and bless as we call to righteousness and keep striving to live by God’s righteousness.  It’s no help to anyone to endorse and approve sin, or to be silent about it out of some notion of Christian kindness.  No, it’s not our aim to hurt anyone, and it’s going to hurt the wounded, broken one, when we try to lift him to help, lift her to safety.

Life in the Church is never about what I get out of it or what’s in it for me or having my needs met—important though all that be, as we know.  Life in the church, as the Church, is about loving one another by serving one another, encouraging one another, counseling one another in humility and keen awareness of our own faults and failings.  Life in the Church is about Spirit and truth, grace and love.  All this may be summed up in one name: Jesus Christ.