Matthew 20:20-28 Common English Bible
Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus along with her sons. Bowing before him, she asked a favor of him.
“What do you want?” he asked.
She responded, “Say that these two sons of mine will sit, one on your right hand and one on your left, in your kingdom.”
Jesus replied, “You don’t know what you’re asking! Can you drink from the cup that I’m about to drink from?”
They said to him, “We can.”
He said to them, “You will drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left hand isn’t mine to give. It belongs to those for whom my Father prepared it.”
Now when the other ten disciples heard about this, they became angry with the two brothers. But Jesus called them over and said, “You know that those who rule the Gentiles show off their authority over them and their high-ranking officials order them around. But that’s not the way it will be with you. Whoever wants to be great among you will be your servant. Whoever wants to be first among you will be your slave— just as the Human One didn’t come to be served but rather to serve and to give his life to liberate many people.”
Last week we talked about having to make choices in our lives.
As you heard, earlier, the SPRC has chosen to accept Pastor Rachel as your new Lead Pastor, and Pastor Rachel has discerned and chosen that Meridian Street Church is the right place for her.
I trust that you too will choose Pastor Rachel and welcome her into the life and family that is Meridian Street Church.
Nancy and I also made some choices this past week.
Sunday afternoon we put an offer on a townhouse in Bloomingdale, IL and on Friday I went up for the home inspection.
We anticipate closing on our new home toward the end of the month.
NOW, we must get this house ready to sell --- just the thought overwhelms me!
Last week, our focus was on CHOOSING to follow Jesus --- EVERY DAY.
Today, I want to take the next step and invite you to ponder with me, how we can give our whole selves to building a community of mutual blessing.
We put that into action earlier this past week.
On Tuesday morning, this sanctuary was filled, as if it were Christmas or Easter,
as we gathered to remember a young man who died tragically.
I said to you last week that the friends and family of this young man asked about having a “non-religious service” for their dear friend.
And I and others noticed some of you rolling your eyes at that suggestion.
I can assure you --- the funeral liturgy was used --- scriptures were read --- and Christ’s love and hope was proclaimed.
And the best news --- the family felt that love and welcome
THANK YOU!
Especially, I want to say thank you to those who came that morning and gave their time being the hands and feet of Jesus.
Through your presence and actions --- you were Jesus to those who gathered.
I say that --- because they told me that!
You epidemied what we talk about in our inclusion statement and through our signage --- THANK YOU!
Over the last 40 years, I have noticed our culture moving into some worrisome directions. We have become a society that “sees” everything as a transaction.
Everything is about WINNING
About being BETTER than others.
We judge people if they are winning by
Their wealth
The home the live in
The car their drive
The school they went to
The job (and salary) that they have attained
We sort everything --- and it seems --- everyone --- as good or bad
We --- like the sorting hat in Harry Potter --- categorize everything and put them into a tidy box.
A few years ago, I attended one of the mega churches up in NW Indiana. The pastor was preaching from our text this morning.
I found his approach rather intriguing.
In the sermon, he praised James & John’s mother as the hero of the story.
He suggested that she truly believed that her sons were special and that they therefore deserved to sit at a special place at God’s banquet.
The pastor went on and said that all mothers should be just like her.
That it is good for kids to know that they always have their mom in their corner.
And to that I agree --- all parents should believe that their kids are special and be in their corner.
BUT --- Believing they are better than everyone else??
I cannot find that interpretation anywhere in this story!
Actually, I find the story to be trying to teach us the exact opposite.
There is no doubt, that James and John’s mother wanted her children to be seen as “successful” in the eyes of Jesus and his band of followers
But instead of praising her for this desire --- Jesus offers these words:
“You don’t know what you’re asking! Can you drink from the cup that I’m about to drink from?”
{James & John} said to him, “We can.”
Jesus said to them, “You will drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left hand isn’t mine to give. It belongs to those for whom my Father prepared it.”
Remember, how last week we talked about “the cup” being representative of our lives
Of our lot in life?
Jesus’ asks the disciples --- can you drink from MY cup?
We all want to believe that we can indeed follow in the way of Jesus.
I love how Amy Jill Levine responded to following Jesus in a podcast when she was asked if we understood what Jesus was inviting us to.
She said that we indeed know that Jesus wants us to feed the poor, but when push comes to shove --- we have a golf game tomorrow --- so sorry --- I can’t help.
Following Jesus isn’t easy.
Anybody who tells you otherwise is lying!
And just to make sure we understand the cost --- Jesus called all the disciples together --- because they were ragging on James and John for wanting to be seen as special.
I like how Peterson in the Message translated this:
“You’ve observed how godless rulers throw their weight around, how quickly a little power goes to their heads. It’s not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not be served—and then to give away his life in exchange for the many who are held hostage.”
Servant
SLAVE
Give away life
Jesus not only calls us to follow --- Jesus calls us to be disciples.
The word disciple means both to be a student of someone and to be an adherent or follower of someone.
It involves both learning and relationship.
To be a disciple of Jesus, means to share in the love and salvation of God
BUT IS ALSO MEANS that we must share in Jesus’ suffering and humility.
By humility I mean the giving of ourselves --- what might be called servant leadership.
Or inconvenient service
You may remember we dug deep into what discipleship means two years ago during Lent as we studied Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s classic book on discipleship known simple as “Discipleship” or “The Cost of Discipleship”
Bonhoeffer reminds us
“The cross is laid on every Christian. The first Christ-suffering which every {person} must experience is the call to abandon the attachments of this world. It is that dying of the old {person} which is the result of his encounter with Christ. As we embark upon discipleship we surrender ourselves to Christ in union with his death—we give over our lives to death. Thus it begins; the cross is not the terrible end to an otherwise god-fearing and happy life, but it meets us at the beginning of our communion with Christ. When Christ calls a {person}, he bids him come and die.”
That doesn’t seem to be Jesus saying --- we all deserve to sit as his right or left!
We are loved and welcome --- but to follow --- to become a disciple --- requires that we change.
Being first, best, greatest (sitting at Jesus’ right hand) is not the goal of discipleship.
Rather, we are called to care for one another and serve one another, not as if we are better than others but in awareness that we need each other and belong to each other.
That's the love of the Spirit connecting us, empowering us to serve each other.
Many of us GIVE UP something for lent --- and it is a wonderful practice to give up things we love as a sign of piety.
But what if Jesus was calling us to “give up” --- to set aside our own comfort for others’ sake?
What would it look like to “give up” the desire to be perceived as good and find a way to serve someone else?
Cesar Chavez, when he ended his 24-fay fast for Justice in 1972 was quoted as saying:
It is possible to become discouraged about the injustice we see everywhere. But God did not promise us that the world would be humane and just. [God] gives us the gift of life and allows us to choose the way we will use our limited time on this earth. It is an awesome opportunity.
That is servant leadership!
As we walk these last few weeks of Lent --- I invite you to take up the cup that Jesus offers you.
Take up the cup of humility
Take up the cup of justice
Take up the cup of kindness
Take up the cup of Jesus so that we can build a community of mutual blessing.
In 1979, one of the great poets of our time wrote and performed a song that sums up Jesus’ invitation to us in Matthew 20.
Bob Dylan released his Gospel Album “Slow Train Coming” and the single “Gotta Serve Somebody”.
He reminds us that we have no choice but to serve SOMEBODY and asks who that is going to be.
He runs through a litany of the people he is talking about --- All of us --- and then reminds us in the refrain
It may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody
So, Take up the cup of humility
Take up the cup of justice
Take up the cup of kindness
And serve Jesus and humankind as we build a community of mutual blessing for all!
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