Diakonos-service,
minister (free willing)
Doulos-slave-obligatory
The climax of the gospel
story is approaching. Somewhere on the road to Jerusalem Jesus, for the third
time, Jesus predicts what will happen to him, his death and resurrection. After each of the three
predictions of Jesus' death, there is a discussion between Jesus and his
disciples in which he corrects their misunderstanding of what he's come to achieve view and of their role as
disciples and this passage is the final example. Having just predicted in some
detail the fate that awaits him in Jerusalem, Jesus is approached by two of the
inner circle of disciples, who have their eyes only on their status in heaven!
Servanthood=discipleship=love.
Conventional models of status
and self-esteem are reversed here, with Jesus himself as the role
model. This is a new way of being and a strong disregard for status.
They were on the road which goes up to Jerusalem In Australia going up refers to going North.
Jesus has set his face
toward Jerusalem and his fate and he now strides out in front of them. The
others follow and were afraid. They
were afraid of what was going to
happen which possibly prompts this silly discussion because often when we are nervous we say the wrong things.
The disciples James and John want to
serve with him in the coming kingdom, the next world, that’s how real it was to
them. So they ask for a special
request. They wanted to sit next to Jesus in heaven!
Ambition
doesn't sit well with Jesus values!
The request reflects the
tradition that the leading disciple of a Rabbi stands/sits at his right hand
and the next in line at his left.
Mark does not specifically
say that the disciples are looking to share the Jewish Messiah's reign, although the
idea is certainly present elsewhere in the gospels, cf., Matt.19:28.
Jesus asks them “Are you
able to drink of the cup that I am to drink of the cup?" This was a bitter
cup, containing the dregs of the wine. This image was often applied to God’s punishment, the bitter experience through which we all pass.
The "cup" and
"baptism" belongs to Jesus alone,
But the right to sit on my
right and left hand is not his to give.
left =
"lucky side", right = "unlucky side".
Jesus response is, "I'm not really into
organizing the seating arrangements in heaven!"
Jesus gathers the disciples
together and gives a brief description of the new way of being which is about serving and
sacrifice for others. Apparantly the non-Jews, he Gentiles acted in a
tyrannical way.
The revolutionary ethics of Jesus's teaching reverse our normal experience, and leadership is
characterized by service. Its an upside down world to our own!
“If anyone among you should
wish to rank high then he must be your servant”.
