Do you remember being in school and the teacher would begin to ask a question, and a hand would shoot up before the teacher had finished talking? There was always someone ready to jump in, eager to impress but not stopping to listen to what was being said.
James and John, even though they’re grown men, are like those overly excited school children tugging on Jesus’ robes, urging him to choose them, to bless them, to give them the influence or authority - the power - that he has.
Telling Jesus, “We want you to do whatever we ask of you”, they are oblivious to the weight, or burden, of the yoke – the responsibility - that comes with their desires. They cannot see past their own egos to understand what they are asking Jesus to do.
The self-centeredness that James and John display is at the very center of what Martin Luther defined as sin. He called it “incurvatus in se”, or being "curved in on ourselves".
And CS Lewis in his preface to Screwtape Letters writes,
We must picture Hell as a state where everyone is perpetually concerned about his own dignity and advancement, where everyone has a grievance, and where everyone lives the deadly serious passions of envy, self-importance, and resentment.
Self-centeredness and self-importance are the enemies of servanthood, and service to others is central to discipleship and following Jesus.
Two thousand years hasn’t changed the human condition all that much. We see the same patterns or behaviors far too often in modern life.
Most recently, here in western North Carolina, there have been stories that spotlight the sinful human condition that Luther and Lewis describe.
Well-intentioned donors dumped piles of clothing in places like Burnsville and at IAM, trying to help, but creating a flood of textiles that has only made it harder to organize resources. Making a plan that doesn’t include talking with the people we’re trying to help isn’t serving others; it’s only boosting our own egos in the name of “helping.”
And, while those folks missed the mark, others weren’t even trying to help. They simply seized on the stories of loss and created scams to benefit from the generous donors willing to pitch in and help neighbors financially. Others began soliciting work they never plan to finish, targeting vulnerable residents who aren’t sure where to find help.
In these places, no one was asking, like Jesus did,
“What is it you want me to do?”
Instead, they were acting out of their own interests, priorities, and charitably, their own ignorance.
When James and John come to Jesus, he tries to tell them they don’t know what they are asking, and then he addresses all the disciples, as a group, talking to them about what it means to be a servant and a disciple.
First Jesus talks about sacrifice, and the cup that he will drink. And with his words, because we are on this side of the crucifixion, we recall the cup of sour wine or vinegar that the soldiers gave him at the crucifixion. When he speaks about the right and the left, we are reminded that, at the crucifixion, those who are on his right and his left will be a robber and a thief, and most of the disciples had deserted him and hidden themselves out of fear of the authorities.
Jesus then contrasts what the world calls leadership to what leadership in God’s kingdom looks like. He acknowledges that the world expects rulers to be heavy-handed and they expect great leaders to be tyrants. And then he offers the disciples a different way to lead. A different way to be.
Selfless instead of self-centered.
Self-effacing instead of self-important.
Self-sacrificing instead of self-aggrandizing.
It is a way of being that lets someone else write the story.
For us, as Christians, we submit to God.
We surrender our ways for God’s ways.
And we ask God, “What is it You want me to do?”
And then, hopefully, we stop and listen.
When we raise our hand,
when we step forward to volunteer,
when we agree to lead,
hopefully we do so with the humility modeled by Jesus.
Thankfully, there are many stories of good work and generous volunteers responding well and effectively to the wreckage of Tropical Storm Helen in our community and throughout our region.
Many businesses are finding ways to help neighbors whether it was
feeding neighbors Brunswick stew, giving away tomatoes, offering free laundry
or hosting live music when the lights first came back on;
teams of volunteers are being coordinated through Habitat for Humanity
to help households clean up and make repairs;
many, many volunteers are helping IAM and Manna Food Bank box and
distribute the supplies they have;
congregations from other parts of North Carolina, as well as the
Midwest and South have sent their quilts, blankets and winter coats to us to give
to neighbors who may not have what they need as nighttime temperatures fall
into the thirties;
Children & Family Resource Center and others have been making sure
families have what they need to care for children and babies now;
and Storehouse
has begun intake for their annual “Blessings in boxes” Christmas distribution,
so that children will have as bright a Christmas as possible;
and many people are giving financial gifts that help provide funding
for recovery well into the future.
As we look ahead at where God is calling each of us, and our
congregation, in the future, may we enter into conversation with God and with our
neighbors and community, listen well, and ask,
“What is it you want us to do?”
Let us pray.
Good and gracious God,
Thank you for your son Jesus who shows us what being a servant looks like.
Help us follow Him and set aside our egos and our desires so that we can listen to You and know Your will.
We pray in the name of our Lord and Savior.
Amen.
