Mark 10:35-45
October 21, 2018
First Presbyterian Church, Sterling IL
Christina Berry
The gospel reading for today comes from the tenth chapter of Mark. Mark’s gospel was written first, before the other three gospels, and provided source material for Matthew and Luke. His spare, urgent style moves us forward briskly through Jesus’ life. Mark’s stories engage us in such a way that we can see ourselves in the story, and if we are open to it, we can identify with the disciples. In this story, James and John, who have followed Jesus from the start, are looking ahead to the future, and wondering what their roles will be. They want to secure a promise from Jesus – not the promise of life abundant, or grace and mercy, but the promise that they will achieve greatness. They seek not a savior, or transformation, but to be made great. Jesus makes it clear that to be great in him is not what they hoped for. Let’s listen for the good news in Mark 10:35-45
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him,
“Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.”
And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?”
And they said to him, “Grant us to sit,
one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”
But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking.
Are you able to drink the cup that I drink,
or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”
They replied, “We are able.”
Then Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”
When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John.
So Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; 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. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
The author C.S. Lewis once gave an address to King’s College in London. The address was titled “The Inner Ring,” and in it, Lewis warned his listeners about the quest for power, and the very human tendency to seek to be an insider:
“the desire to be inside the local Ring and the terror of being left outside.” [1]
This dangerous human tendency is not new, as we see from the gospel reading. James and John have every reason to believe that they should have places of honor when Jesus comes into his glory. After all, they’ve left everything behind to follow him.
They have stuck by Jesus, even when they were rejected.
They have listened to Jesus, even when they were baffled.
They have done what Jesus asked, even when it made no sense.
What would make sense now, now as they are going up to Jerusalem, is that Jesus would appoint them his cabinet members. Their request would make sense, now that Jesus is preparing to enact the grand finale of his life to demonstrate that he is the Messiah, the promised one.
James and John naturally want to be part of the inner ring of Jesus,
the insiders who sit, one on the right and one on the left.
They want a special, intimate position with Jesus.
They want to be insiders.
As C.S. Lewis discusses this human desire, he warns:
“It is the very mark of a perverse desire that it seeks what is not to be had.
The desire to be inside the invisible line illustrates this rule.
As long as you are governed by that desire you will never get what you want….
Until you conquer the fear of being an outsider, an outsider you will remain.”
Jesus knows this, of course, and the request that James and John make is transparent to him. He sees what they are requesting. Jesus also knows that they do not understand at all what they have asked. James and John think they are asking for positions as Jesus’ Chief of Staff and Secretary of State.
So Jesus shifts the conversation:
do you think you can drink this cup that I will drink?
do you think you can undergo the baptism I will undergo?
They think they can. They believe they can rise to the top, to the inner ring.
In the power structures of this world, as in that world, those who want to rise must locate the inner ring, and identify the power brokers who inhabit it. Having done that, they must ingratiate themselves with the members of the inner ring, by demonstrating their loyalty and their willingness to conform to the group norms. Even then, as most of us know, the ambitious are not necessarily admitted to the inner ring.
In true hierarchical systems, the levels and the path to advancement are clear and formalized. If you want to advance in the military, or in the corporate world, at least theoretically all you have to do is follow the rules of the system.
But in the Inner Ring, as Lewis says,
“There are no formal admissions or expulsions. People think they are in it after they have in fact been pushed out of it, or before they have been allowed in: this provides great amusement for those who are really inside.”
That striving for power can start as early as kindergarten, with the kids who decide who can and cannot play with them. By middle school, such systems have become a way of life, and in high school they are almost entirely institutionalized.
You’ve seen the inner ring operate in all kinds of places, even churches. Exclusive clubs are a mild example. The Inner Ring operates in the cliques and social circles of small towns, where power is wielded and protected by the deployment of carefully guarded systems of restricted information. The Inner Rings of politics and multinational business are immoral, if not downright criminal.
Lewis describes the imperceptible and almost inevitable moral slide made by those who strive for the power of the Inner Ring: “To nine out of ten of you the choice which could lead to scoundrelism will come, when it does come, in no very dramatic colours. … you will be drawn in, if you are drawn in, not by desire for gain or ease, but simply because at that moment, when the cup was so near your lips, you cannot bear to be thrust back again into the cold outer world.
… And then, if you are drawn in, next week it will be something a little further from the rules, and next year something further still, but all in the jolliest, friendliest spirit.
It may end in a crash, a scandal, and penal servitude; it may end in millions,
They replied, “We are able.”
Then Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”
When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John.
So Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; 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. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
The author C.S. Lewis once gave an address to King’s College in London. The address was titled “The Inner Ring,” and in it, Lewis warned his listeners about the quest for power, and the very human tendency to seek to be an insider:
“the desire to be inside the local Ring and the terror of being left outside.” [1]
This dangerous human tendency is not new, as we see from the gospel reading. James and John have every reason to believe that they should have places of honor when Jesus comes into his glory. After all, they’ve left everything behind to follow him.
They have stuck by Jesus, even when they were rejected.
They have listened to Jesus, even when they were baffled.
They have done what Jesus asked, even when it made no sense.
What would make sense now, now as they are going up to Jerusalem, is that Jesus would appoint them his cabinet members. Their request would make sense, now that Jesus is preparing to enact the grand finale of his life to demonstrate that he is the Messiah, the promised one.
James and John naturally want to be part of the inner ring of Jesus,
the insiders who sit, one on the right and one on the left.
They want a special, intimate position with Jesus.
They want to be insiders.
As C.S. Lewis discusses this human desire, he warns:
“It is the very mark of a perverse desire that it seeks what is not to be had.
The desire to be inside the invisible line illustrates this rule.
As long as you are governed by that desire you will never get what you want….
Until you conquer the fear of being an outsider, an outsider you will remain.”
Jesus knows this, of course, and the request that James and John make is transparent to him. He sees what they are requesting. Jesus also knows that they do not understand at all what they have asked. James and John think they are asking for positions as Jesus’ Chief of Staff and Secretary of State.
So Jesus shifts the conversation:
do you think you can drink this cup that I will drink?
do you think you can undergo the baptism I will undergo?
They think they can. They believe they can rise to the top, to the inner ring.
In the power structures of this world, as in that world, those who want to rise must locate the inner ring, and identify the power brokers who inhabit it. Having done that, they must ingratiate themselves with the members of the inner ring, by demonstrating their loyalty and their willingness to conform to the group norms. Even then, as most of us know, the ambitious are not necessarily admitted to the inner ring.
In true hierarchical systems, the levels and the path to advancement are clear and formalized. If you want to advance in the military, or in the corporate world, at least theoretically all you have to do is follow the rules of the system.
But in the Inner Ring, as Lewis says,
“There are no formal admissions or expulsions. People think they are in it after they have in fact been pushed out of it, or before they have been allowed in: this provides great amusement for those who are really inside.”
That striving for power can start as early as kindergarten, with the kids who decide who can and cannot play with them. By middle school, such systems have become a way of life, and in high school they are almost entirely institutionalized.
You’ve seen the inner ring operate in all kinds of places, even churches. Exclusive clubs are a mild example. The Inner Ring operates in the cliques and social circles of small towns, where power is wielded and protected by the deployment of carefully guarded systems of restricted information. The Inner Rings of politics and multinational business are immoral, if not downright criminal.
Lewis describes the imperceptible and almost inevitable moral slide made by those who strive for the power of the Inner Ring: “To nine out of ten of you the choice which could lead to scoundrelism will come, when it does come, in no very dramatic colours. … you will be drawn in, if you are drawn in, not by desire for gain or ease, but simply because at that moment, when the cup was so near your lips, you cannot bear to be thrust back again into the cold outer world.
… And then, if you are drawn in, next week it will be something a little further from the rules, and next year something further still, but all in the jolliest, friendliest spirit.
It may end in a crash, a scandal, and penal servitude; it may end in millions,
a peerage and giving the prizes at your old school. But you will be a scoundrel.
… Of all the passions, the passion for the Inner Ring is most skillful in making a man who is not yet a very bad man do very bad things.”
Jesus knew all of this, knew what James and John were grasping for.
Jesus knew also that they would be great, but not in the way they hoped.
James and John would drink the cup, and undergo the baptism:
the cup of sorrow, and the baptism of suffering.
But sorrow and suffering alone would not lead to their greatness.
Jesus wanted to help them see – and help us to see
that the road to greatness is that of the servant:
devotion to others, disregarding your own interests.
… Of all the passions, the passion for the Inner Ring is most skillful in making a man who is not yet a very bad man do very bad things.”
Jesus knew all of this, knew what James and John were grasping for.
Jesus knew also that they would be great, but not in the way they hoped.
James and John would drink the cup, and undergo the baptism:
the cup of sorrow, and the baptism of suffering.
But sorrow and suffering alone would not lead to their greatness.
Jesus wanted to help them see – and help us to see
that the road to greatness is that of the servant:
devotion to others, disregarding your own interests.
There’s a lot of talk these days about making America great, and it’s a natural human desire, to be great. But the true path to greatness – no matter what your political leanings is an entirely different matter for a Christian.
If your road to being great involves excluding others,
insulting and belittling those with whom you disagree,
repeating untruths and encouraging violence,
sneering at others and demanding unthinking loyalty,
you can bet that that path is to the Inner Ring,
and not to the kind of greatness Jesus desires for us.
It is not the path Jesus is on.
In the Inner Ring your membership is always uncertain, and your position is always subject to downgrading, based on the fashion or whims or malice of the group.
In the community of faith, you are embraced by grace and elevated to be one of God’s people, even in your imperfection.
The road to greatness with Jesus is to follow the commands he gives:
to love our neighbors, put ourselves last,
to give up our own desires and do what Jesus asks.
You’re not going to be a Prime Minister or a President, Jesus says.
You won’t be the CEO of Christianity.
You might not be very popular.
You will be a waiter, serving at the table.
You will be a slave, doing the bidding of others.
There will be suffering, and grief.
The path will not always be easy.
Sometimes following Jesus will be downright painful.
But here’s the breathtaking, transforming, and beautiful reality of that:
If your road to being great involves excluding others,
insulting and belittling those with whom you disagree,
repeating untruths and encouraging violence,
sneering at others and demanding unthinking loyalty,
you can bet that that path is to the Inner Ring,
and not to the kind of greatness Jesus desires for us.
It is not the path Jesus is on.
In the Inner Ring your membership is always uncertain, and your position is always subject to downgrading, based on the fashion or whims or malice of the group.
In the community of faith, you are embraced by grace and elevated to be one of God’s people, even in your imperfection.
The road to greatness with Jesus is to follow the commands he gives:
to love our neighbors, put ourselves last,
to give up our own desires and do what Jesus asks.
You’re not going to be a Prime Minister or a President, Jesus says.
You won’t be the CEO of Christianity.
You might not be very popular.
You will be a waiter, serving at the table.
You will be a slave, doing the bidding of others.
There will be suffering, and grief.
The path will not always be easy.
Sometimes following Jesus will be downright painful.
But here’s the breathtaking, transforming, and beautiful reality of that:
You will be a joyful slave.
You’ll be a willing servant.
You won’t have to wonder when the other shoe will drop,
or worry about when you’ll get kicked out of the group.
The fear of exclusion will go away.
You will not be alone in your suffering.
You’ll be a willing servant.
You won’t have to wonder when the other shoe will drop,
or worry about when you’ll get kicked out of the group.
The fear of exclusion will go away.
You will not be alone in your suffering.
Moreover, you’ll receive the baptism of water and be claimed by God,
and you’ll drink of the cup of salvation at the table of the Lord.
You will have the community of faith around you –
to support you, and uphold you,
to teach you and to love you,
to encourage you and to pray for you.
and you’ll drink of the cup of salvation at the table of the Lord.
You will have the community of faith around you –
to support you, and uphold you,
to teach you and to love you,
to encourage you and to pray for you.
In service to Jesus, your tasks are not to gain status or power,
but to love as Jesus loves.
but to love as Jesus loves.
In the arms of Jesus, you are made a citizen of his realm.
In the company of Jesus, the slaves and the servants
the humble and the lowly,
the kind and the loving
are the great ones.
Amen.
[1] http://www.lewissociety.org/innerring/
In the company of Jesus, the slaves and the servants
the humble and the lowly,
the kind and the loving
are the great ones.
Amen.
[1] http://www.lewissociety.org/innerring/
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