September 22 2024 at Saint William Catholic Church in Naples, FL
Wisdom 2: 12, 17-20 + Psalm 54 + James 3: 16- 4:3 + Mark 9: 30-37
Jesus is slowly making his way toward Jerusalem. He knows what has happened to every prophet before him. Aware of the animosity and power of his opponents, he knows what is likely to come when they get to Jerusalem. He has left the safety of Galilee where his opponents have no power and moved into their territory. I think it is important to realize that Jesus Christ did not choose that cross. The choice he made was not to avoid it or fight it. Jesus did not want to die on a cross. His prayer after the last supper in that garden should make that clear to us. His Father did not want that either. But having set us free in this life, God does not use power to coerce or force us to do anything. God so loves the world that God will have nothing to do with coercion. God just makes the best of our mistakes and bad choices, and with love saves us sometimes in spite of ourselves.
So, here are the chosen twelve. They hear what Jesus says about what is to come. The first time he told them about it, Peter argued with him, and he got a scolding for it. So, it’s not surprising that this time, they all just keep quiet. Probably because they were beginning to understand what he was saying, they are afraid what it might mean for them. Their talk among themselves tells us what they were afraid of, giving up their ambition and dreams of glory.
Knowing their ambitions Jesus decides to redefine it. In place of ambition to rule others he substituted the ambition to serve others. For the ambition to have others do things for them, he substituted the ambition to do things for others. He did not tell them that they should not seek greatness. He simply showed them where true greatness was to be found not in being the master of others, but rather in being the servant of others, especially the weakest members of the community.
This tends to be a problem for us, because we sometimes define or evaluate people in terms of the job they do. If we learn that a person is a doctor, our estimation of the person soars. But if we learn that a person is mowing grass for a living, our estimation stays earthbound. It’s silly business because we know that there is something more important than the job, namely, the kind of human being behind the job.
The mistake the apostles made was to put the job, or the position, first. In their eyes, the greatest among them was the one who had the highest position still hanging on to their hope that Jesus would set up an earthly kingdom where they would be important and in charge. The message they get is that to earn the top spot, they had to go to the bottom. In order to be served, they would have to serve first. They would not be sitting on high thrones and soft cushions. They would be on their knees with a basin of water in one hand and towel in the other washing the feet of the little ones.
For all of us, it is not what I do but what I am that is important. We have to do things that we can be proud of. Feelings follow actions. Jesus tells us what they are. They are deeds of love and service. He set the example himself by never taking the easy way or avoiding the difficult way. He gave his life in the service of others. No one can go higher than that. He is the greatest in the Kingdom.