3/11/51

Scripture: Mark 10: 35-45.

Text: Mark 10: 44; “Whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.”

During the Lenten season of this year, we have turned our attention to some of the people in Jesus’ inner circle of friendship -- those men who were not only disciples (“learners”) but apostles, called to be the teachers and preachers of Jesus’ faith. On the first Wednesday of the Lenten season, I discussed the one who turned traitor -- Judas Iscariot -- in connection with “thirty pieces of silver” as a symbol of Jesus’ passion. On these Sundays since then, we have considered Andrew, as a rank-and-file Christian, and the one who led others to the Master, beginning with his own brother. We have considered Peter as the impulsive fisherman who became a rock of dependability and persuasion. We next thought of Nathaniel, the man without guile, who could be shown. And then Thomas, who had honest doubts, was slow to be convinced, and then a solid believer.

Today, let us give some thought to two brothers. Of course we have already, on succeeding weeks, examined a pair of brothers -- Andrew and Peter. But today I want to consider these two -- James and John, the sons of Zebedee. Like Peter and Andrew, these two, James and John, were fishermen, as was also their father, Zebedee. These four fishermen, two pairs of brothers, were the first to be called by Jesus for his special mission.

Crowds had been following Jesus about. And one day by the lake shore he stepped into an empty boat and asked to be pushed out just far enough to be able to see the crowd clearly, and speak to the people, without being too closely hemmed in by those who crowded too closely on the beach. Probably the boat belonged to one of these fisher families we have mentioned. At any rate, James and John one day sat with their father mending their nets after a night of fishing. Doubtless they were discussing the One about whom people were talking everywhere (Jesus). Probably the young fellows had taken time off to go where he taught and had come to admire him. They were adventurous men, these fisher folk; and life could offer no more exciting adventure than to go along with this new teacher, seeing him at work, hearing his teaching at first hand and learning the power of his way.

Great voices at a stirring time had been heard in their land. But the mighty Herod kept watchful eye, and took stern measures to see that these people he was sent to rule did not get out of hand. John the Baptist was imprisoned in Herod’s castle, and the crowds could no longer throng to hear him speak. Herod might, at any time he chose, seize Jesus himself. But the Kingdom of God must be proclaimed. People’s souls and bodies must become fit for it. If the new teaching was to spread in spite of the tyrant, it must light a fire in the minds of many young friends.

So Jesus decided to call these fellows who had probably already heard John the Baptist. It was to do this that Jesus came down to the beach that morning. Before he left, four fishermen had left their boats and nets to others to tend, while they set out, with Jesus, to learn how to be “fishers of men.” It was a call to service. It was not long before they saw how greatly Jesus served. People who had been sickly were made well, and their minds as well as their bodies became healthy.

After a while, Jesus sent these close disciples of his out, two by two, to teach and preach the good news in Galilee. James and John were among them. They may have shown considerable promise. Jesus had at one time called them “Sons of Thunder.” And they needed the same practical experience that the others needed, later to come back and report their successes and failures.

There came times when Jesus, for his own reasons, took only a few along with him in some special experience. It usually boiled down to three of the apostle-disciples -- Peter, James and John. When Jairius pleaded with the Master to come and heal his daughter, it was those three who went along to see the wonder of her restoration. When Jesus went up Mount Hermon to pray, it was Peter, James and John who went along. It was they who saw him, after he had been long in prayer, transfigured, as it were, in the divine presence. From that experience, they came down the mountain again to see greater healing than ever before. The three had not much wanted to come down. They would have liked to stay up there and build a shrine. But Jesus made it clear that such an experience of vision and renewal is a prelude, not to withdrawal, but to service. They were to come down again and share their renewed strength. [Luke 9: 28-36].

There was that incident, recorded only by Luke, in which Jesus and the twelve were traveling through the unfriendly province of Samaria. It was a short cut from Galilee to Jerusalem. And Jesus sent messengers ahead to find a place to stay overnight. It was the custom of the country to give hospitality in homes to travelers, since there were no hotel facilities. The usual hospitality was refused, however, when the people of the Samaritan village saw that the travelers were on their way to Jerusalem. This so angered the two brothers, James and John, (“Sons of Thunder”) that they asked if they might call down fire from the heavens to burn up the village. Jesus told them to put the thought out of their heads, and they went to another village. [Luke 9: 51-54].

There was yet a further incident which illustrates how close these brothers were to the Master. It was in the garden of Gethsemane, after Jesus’ last supper with his close disciples. As they came into the garden, Jesus told the company to sit down there, while he went on farther to pray. Then he took three of them and went on for a short distance. It was the same three intimates, Peter, James and John, who were there with the Master in his spiritual agony before he was taken by the soldiers and by the mob. [Mark 14: 32-33].

If anybody could have expected real privilege and influence in the coming Kingdom, it was these three. So, summoning their resolve, James and John had once asked Jesus if, when the time of triumph and glory came, they might sit on either side of him in the places of honor. That is how Mark tells it. Matthew says that it was the mother of James and John who asked the privilege for them. The rest soon heard about it and were really disgruntled. Judas may have been especially angry. But Jesus wanted no bickering among his followers. Nor did he want that kind of “following.” When he heard their request, his first response to the two brothers was a question: “You don’t know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink?” They thought surely they were able, and told him so.

Patiently he assured them that they should share the cup that he was to drink -- the cup of suffering, and rejection; of hardship and misunderstanding and martyrdom. As for the honor they sought, he assured them that that was not his to give. Only God can give the honors to those of his Kingdom according to the divine purpose. The scramble for places of honor, prominence and authority was about to disrupt the small band of apostles. In one way or another it disrupts much of human society on every level of organization. Jesus showed no interest in it except to deplore it among people and to leave it to God, to whom it belongs. He addressed himself to the spiritual task of the Kingdom in his replies to James and John and his talk to all of them. [Mark 10: 35-45; Matthew 20: 20-28].

1) The first consideration is this: “Are ye able to drink of the cup that I drink?” Can you be so devoted to what is true, what is just, what is merciful, what is the will of God, that you will deal in love rather than in personal ambition with all sorts of people?

To put the will of God first in one’s life demands everything that one has or is or may become. Life is seen in its entirety as from God, and we its stewards -- to spend its energies, resources and influence as we believe God wills. In a world with so much of perversity, greed, self-seeking, this sometimes involves serious risks --- as it did with Jesus himself, and with many of his first disciples, and many indeed of the early Christians and those hosts of devoted folk who have suffered pain, and even martyrdom, for the faith in ages since and even now.

There came a time when James and John did drink much of “the cup” of which Jesus had drunk. For James seems to have been the second one of the early disciples to be slain. Stephen was the first Christian martyr. The second was James who was “put to death by the sword” by the Roman ruler. His brother, John, is believed by scholars to have been martyred by the opposing Jews somewhat later.

The brothers did “taste of the cup” that Jesus drank, in inspiring ministry, in proclaiming the faith, in finding hatred directed against them and eventually in violent death. And still it was not for any such reward or recognition as they had requested on that day. That, in the most profound spiritual sense, is for no one but God to give. Up to that point, James and John, and probably the rest of them as well, had misunderstood the nature of the Kingdom. They were inspired, hopeful, on fire with a new faith. But they were not beyond the maneuvering that brought out mutual jealousies in the desire for position.

Jesus made it apparent that, in any case, the cup of spending and devotion and even of suffering is for each of those who truly want to follow him in promoting the Kingdom of God.

2) Another thing He taught them with emphasis. “Whosoever will be chief among you shall be servant of all.” At a later date, he had occasion to underline this truth again, with emphasis, in a simple vivid act. One of the acts of courtesy and comfort offered each guest by a proper host, was to see that a servant washed the visitor’s dirty feet. It was important, in a country of foot travel, dust and an open sort of sandals. When the disciples gathered together in the room before the Passover, there was no entertaining host, no servants, no one but Jesus and his chosen ones. No one was washing anybody’s feet. It was Jesus who laid aside his outer garments, tied a towel about his waist, took a basin of water and started to wash his followers’ feet. They were at first dumbfounded, and clearly ill-at-ease. The Master, the Rabbi, the leader, does not do such a thing! Anyone else in the room should be washing his feet, in the absence of any servant. Peter was the one who immediately said so. Jesus told him firmly that he had no part with the Master unless it should be so that night. Whereupon Peter, with his mood in petuosity, exclaimed, Lord, not only my feet, but my hands and my head also! [John 13: 3-9].

It takes up so long to learn Jesus’ lessons, and we have to re-learn them repeatedly!

Long before the foot-washing incident, Jesus, after disposing of the request of James and John for preferential honor, had said to them, and to the others, “Whosoever will be chiefest among you shall be servant of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister [to serve] -- and to give his life, a ransom for many.” It takes personal service -- even sacrifice -- to redeem the selfish greed of mankind. There isn’t any other way.

It is always on peril that we hunger for place more than character; for position more than disposition; for control over others more than for self-control.

When James and John asked for the positions of honor and influence on either side of Jesus, they had little concern for their worthiness for the posts. Fireworks eclipsed stars! They wanted to be great, prominent, important. Their Lord wanted them to be pure and guileless, and good for the task. They wanted to be Prime Minister. He wanted them to be happy and willing, servants of all --- not debased slaves, but ministers to the needs of others. They wanted to be King’s cup bearers; He wanted them to drink of His cup. They called for sovereignty; He called for sacrifice. They hoped for sweetness; He warned them of bitterness to bear. They sought a life of getting; He insisted on a life of spending, of giving. Who has a cup of bitterness to drink? Go share it with him! “Whosoever shall lose his life -- spend his life -- give his life -- shall find it!”

How tremendous is the contrast between our common notion of greatness and God’s standards as taught by Jesus! Not in proud erudition, but in child-like teachableness; not in the might of physical strength and tactical advantage, but in the power of love and service is the world to be made better. The present contests of strength will in no way make the world better of itself. The only thing that will really transform the peoples of the world is the kind of attitude, in hosts of hearts, that Jesus spent the whole of his life teaching.

The test of our loyalty to Him; and the hope of any better world, lies in the willingness of Christ-inspired folk to serve rather than demand service; and to drink, with Him, the cup of necessary sacrifice, so that truth, right, and great love, may prevail over every evil devised by man’s perversity.

Albert Einstein has made the appalling observation that there are far too few people of real honesty and goodwill to warrant trusting mankind with the mighty secrets uncovered by science. The only hope for humanity --- and it is a true and great hope -- is to be realized only in devoted, active, service by people on fire with the spirit of Him who left glory in the hands of God alone and set all his followers to serving in faith and gladness.

Amen.

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Delivered in Wisconsin Rapids, March 11, 1951.

Also at CWMA (at Wisconsin Rapids) March 12, 1951.

Also at Waioli Church, April 4, 1976.

[The following prayer was given on 4-6-75, and at the Waioli Church service with the above sermon on 4-4-76.]

O God, we seek Thee not so much to secure what we desire as to open our hearts to the gifts which Thou art ready to bestow. Through another week we have imposed our wishes on our world to get our will, and we confess before Thee the unwisdom of some of our craving. Give to us now not just what we ask, but what Thou art ready to bestow.

We seek easy and fortunate and pleasant circumstances, while Thou hast in Thine hand courage for us to face ill fortune, and difficult times. If this be Thy gift for any of us, let us receive it eagerly so that we may hope for shining victory against hardship and adversity. Let Thy will overcome where ours is insufficient.

We seek happiness and pleasure. Do Thou give us those tasks that must be done according to Thy wisdom. Let our satisfactions be in the performance of those duties which may honor Thy name and dignify our own existence. Let us seek Thy sanctuary here not to present our own unwise wishes, but to put ourselves at Thy disposal. Release Thy power in us. Reveal Thy wisdom to us and through us.

We pray for the release of Thy power not alone through our single souls, but through our families, through our church and community. We bless Thee for homes of fine tradition, high affection and fidelity; and we beseech Thy grace for those who would build better. Grant that Thy will, Thy purpose, Thy love, may be known through the families of this church and other churches. Make our homes, and our church fellowship, to be centers of joy, were Thy goodness and leading are not forgotten.

Release Thyself into the world through Thy church, O God. If we are receivers of a great heritage, let it be shared abroad where lie so many opportunities for understanding and willing service.

We pray for those who are discouraged, lonely, cast down by evil circumstance, humiliated by moral failure, distressed by the sorry estate of so much of man’s public life. Deliver us from pessimism. Increase our understanding of others. Give us an understanding of the ways in which Thou canst use a minority, or even one of us, to effect Thy kingdom on our part of the earth.

Cast down the barriers that shut us away from the good that we can receive and share, from and with, many others. Let us see all the people not as classes, nationalities, races, religionists, so much as persons. Lead us out of our personal sins and social injustices to integrity of living, and the righteousness in which alone is hope. We put ourselves in Thy hands. We would be channels for Thy grace and instruments for Thy good will to use. Thy will be done, O Lord.

Lord’s Prayer.

Amen.