3/21/10 “Are You Ready To Send Someone Else to the Winners Circle?"

In Matthew 20: 17-19, Jesus and his disciples are heading towards Jerusalem for Jesus’ last visit before his death and resurrection. At that point in scripture, Jesus uttered an announcement about what would transpire in Jerusalem which was totally lost on his twelve disciples. Simply stated, Jesus was repeating what he had said to them on earlier occasions (e.g. see Matthew 16:21-28) that He would be arrested, falsely accused, abused and murdered. And on the third day he would rise again. Luke specifically states in his coverage of the same story, that such pronouncements simply didn’t register with his inner circle of friends: “..they did not know what he was talking about” (see Luke 18:35). But Matthew at this point inserts another anecdote from the life of Christ that illustrates Luke’s point (Matthew 20:20-28).

John and James the reputed “Sons of Thunder,” (Mark 3:17) seem more like “momma’s boys,” at least on this one occasion when they accompany (implied especially if you compare this with Mark’s version, see Mark 10:35-45) their mother who approaches Jesus as per Matthew with a rather extravagant request. She wants her sons to be Jesus’ “right and left hand men” when Jesus inaugurates his glorious kingdom. Such close association with Jesus would undoubtedly have them share in Jesus’ preeminence and authority. But when the rest of the “guys” heard about this they jealously “blew their top.” They too, along with their buddies, James and John, are entertaining thoughts of high position, fame, and power. Jesus is on a collision course with an old rugged cross while they are primed to bask in the limelight of success. They were all headed in the same direction but only Jesus was headed in the right directions.

Jesus went on to remind them that the path to “greatness” is through servant hood and that whoever among them aspires to be first, must be slave to them all. This is radical stuff that hits one between the eyes especially since we live in a culture similar to that of the apostles which admires celebrity and disrespects meekness and servant hood. This hard nosed attitude of toughness, protection of turf, and grasping of power, has insidiously penetrated the church causing brother to mistrust brother and sister to compete with sister for position, power and prominence. But the “great ones” in the church consider the needs of the many over those of the one. That is the essence of servant hood. Jesus did that on Calvary. Are you ready to send someone else to the “winners circle.”