James and John—whatever were they thinking? “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” Did they believe Jesus when he predicted that the Son of Man would suffer and die? Didn't appear to. Did they figure his statement, “and after three days he will rise again,” was the only important point Jesus was making? Perhaps.
The writer of Mark's gospel reported three instances of Jesus' saying the Son of Man—a Messianic title—would suffer, die and rise again. Mark also reported that Jesus' disciples misunderstood what he was saying or rejected it all three times. And all three times Jesus corrected their misunderstanding and taught them what a true disciple is. The passage we heard today from 10th chapter of Mark contains the final dialog about this issue. In the next chapter, the 11th chapter, Jesus enters Jerusalem to begin the last week of his life.
Why was it so hard for them to simply believe what he was telling them? The simplest explanation might be that they had bought into the cultural expectation of a militant Messiah who would throw off the oppression of the Roman empire and re-establish the throne of David.
But I think we have to go deeper—because Jesus was explaining something that we still have trouble articulating today. The disciples of Jesus—and even we today—have trouble understanding the meaning of what happened that week we call “holy.”
The theological term for what went on is “atonement.” But we have difficulty clarifying what “atonement” means. John Burgess, a professor of systematic theology, describes atonement as being “at the heart of Christian faith” and “so deep in meaning and mystery” that our explanations cannot capture the fullness of its meaning. But that has not stopped folks from trying!
The writer of the letter to the Hebrews talked about Christ being a high priest appointed by “the one” who claimed him as a son. And Jesus' behavior during the time of his suffering allowed him to become “the source of eternal salvation of all who obey him.” He became the source, because he modeled obedience to the path he had explained to his disciples as being his destiny.
Theologians in the early church decided that the paradox of Jesus' suffering and death defeating the power of death over humanity defined “atonement.” Death defeating death brings life to humankind!
In medieval times, “atonement” theology focused on Jesus, as fully God and fully human. Only a God-man could satisfy God's anger at human beings' sinfulness. There was nothing we could do to make ourselves right with God, but Jesus, as both being divine and human and without sin, could die in our place and satisfy God's anger. This point of view creates difficulty, because it neglects putting God's love for humanity into the “atonement” equation.
More recently theologians have tried to correct that omission. Prof. Burgess notes that “Christ's sacrifice on the cross demonstrates a complete, self-giving love that inspires us to likewise.” God's love for us seen in the Incarnation--God's self coming to live as one of us--becomes our exemplar. We learn how to minimize our tendency to sin, by becoming as much like Jesus as we are able, emptying ourselves of self-centeredness and practicing self-giving love. God acted through Jesus Christ to save us, and we respond to God's love with love.
But what should our loving response really look like? I think Jesus described what self-giving love looks like as he taught the disciples to reject the system of domination by tyrants—think Roman empire, here. Jesus said, “. . . but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all.”
The Greek words used by Mark for servant [diakonos, from which we get our word “deacon”] and for slave [doulos] show how significant a social reversal Jesus advocated. Doulos was the lowest status possible in the Greco-Roman world. And Jesus expected—and still expects—no less from his disciples: “For the Son of Man came not be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” This is the cup that Jesus drank; this is the baptism with which he was baptized.
Jesus faced physical death in expressing self-giving love; we probably won't. But we must die to self-centeredness and become Jesus' followers who find ways—and I paraphrase Matthew, chapter 25—to feed the hungry, to give clothing to those who have little, to visit those whom society has rejected or ignored, and to give a cup of cool [and clean] water to the thirsty. And we must find ways to lead others to care for those who live in need. [I described the lives of St. Marianne Cope and Sr. Constance and her companions of Memphis, Tennessee.]
So now we come back to James and John—whatever were they thinking? They experienced Jesus and heard his words, but they missed his meaning. Please God, help us, who have come to know Jesus through scripture, to understand—to really get what Jesus means—and to be his obedient servants.
Quotes from John P. Burgess can be found in Feasting on the Word, Year B, Vol. 4, Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009. p. 182-186.
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