“Getting Ahead of Yourself”

Rev. Chris Snow

North Hill Christian Church

February 25, 2024

Mark 10:32-45

Have you ever been so focused on an end goal that you completely ignored the process? Of all the examples that came to mind one stands out to me, the 2019 comedy/murder mystery movie “Knives Out.” It is a movie that highlights a large family that seems to be overly obsessed with themselves, and their main interaction with the patriarch that ends up dying, is concerned with money and by the end of the movie what they will get from the will. Yet, there is a lone figure Marta Cabrera who was the Patriarch’s caregiver, and also friend, who based on the healthy relationship she had with the man was the one who gained everything in the end. 

In many ways I recognize a similar attitude in the actions of the disciples, in a previous narrative arguing about who was the greatest, the rich young man from last week, and James and John from our text today; we hear people wanting to get the glory or jump to the end without doing the work. Without considering the sacrifices they are going to have to make. Without considering what makes for a healthy and uplifting relationship, as James and John, in an almost demanding voice, ask to be placed at Jesus’ right and left hand when he comes into his glory. 

All of this after Jesus, for the third and final time tells the disciples, plainly, that they are headed to Jerusalem where he is going to die. Even more than than, this third time of telling them what is going to happen, Jesus adds the visuals “they will mock him and spit upon him and flog him and kill him.” Highlighting the abuse that he is about to endure. But all James and John can think about is what they will get when Jesus comes forth in all of his glory. 

This brings to mind a theological stance I have heard from my youth and is still present today. It is a concept that all one needs to do to enter into heaven is to be baptized and call themselves a Christian…without any discernible change in their lives. I’ll become a member of the family, and I am good to go, without any sense of healthy relationships. 

Now, I intentionally left out a phrase that is also often used with this belief system. “Accept Jesus into your heart.” In my mind it is a phrase that is overused to the point that it has lost its meaning. At one point I am sure the phrase had the implication that when we bring Jesus into our hearts, we are forever changed. That our behavior and actions within the world are changed because of our belief. But I have witnessed that phrase be used in toxic and abusive ways, that it has become more cliché than a defining statement of one’s faith. 

After James and John make their ask, Jesus responds by asking if they are “able to drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” I hear Jesus asking them something that may seem to be simple and easy. Being baptized and drinking from a cup. Images reflecting commitment and covenant. A covenant that is evidenced in Jesus foretelling of his death in Jerusalem, and continuing to make the journey to Jerusalem for the sake of the Gospel. A commitment found within a baptism that behaves more like a conversation, as the one being baptized makes a commitment and repents for their actions, while the act of a baptism is an outward sign of God’s grace, giving the imagery of purification and forgiveness. 

The disciples still don’t get what lies in store for them yet. As I imagine the conversation going a bit more in depth, in naming that they too will endure great hardships for the kingdom of God. That their lives won’t be easy as they continue on in the path that has been laid before them. 

All along the the way, as Jesus has taught the disciples about the nature of the Kingdom of God, he has time and time again named the importance of being a servant to others. Caring for the sick. Tending to those in need. Communing with the sinners. Feeding the hungry. All along the way Jesus has warned them that things will not always be easy, and now they are starting to hear, and about to see, how bad things can get. But they continue to follow. 

Jesus has named time and time again that the Kingdom of God is a topsy, turvy, upside-down kingdom, and that was a threat to the status quo. Instead of those with power, prestige, wealth, and authority being the ones seated in places of honor. It is instead those who have been servants of all. The kingdom of God isn’t built on the idea of wealth and power, but rather uplifting one another, especially the lowly. 

As we have each found ourselves following and learning about the kingdom of God, I hope that we have each been changed. Much in the same way as the followers of Jesus. Changed, because we believe in a kingdom where the lust for power isn’t the determining factor, but rather love for one another. Changed because we have found a sense of belonging within community that seeks to serve those around us. Changed because we are a part of something far bigger than our individual selves. 

But sometimes we forget ourselves like James and John. We want to jump straight to the reward. Rewards based on selfish goals. Desires that want to bypass the work that we are called into. Work where we are actively called to build community with others. When we want to jump to the reward, like James and John, it seems like we want to bypass those acts that change the world for the better, simply for our own benefit. 

As we make our way through this season of lent. This season of self reflection and repentance, let us consider our own motivations in life. Let us be mindful when we let our selfish desires get out of control. Let us be mindful of our calling to be servants within our lives instead of hoping to jump to the end.