Wednesday 02 March 2011

Background

In this passage Jesus warns his disciples what is going tohappen to him as he travels towards Jerusalem. It is not the firstbut the third time he does it (Mark8:31; 9:31). Nothing that was going to happen wasgoing to take Jesus by surprise because he understood his vocationand the purpose of his life's ministry. But all of this was goingto be a shock for the disciples and they were going to strugglewith Jesus' focused thinking about his death, in much the same wayas followers of Jesus have struggled down the ages into our owntime.

The disciples James and John must have had a very different pictureof the journey to Jerusalem - a triumphal entry of the king inwhich they will have positions of status.

But Jesus gives a full exposition of the meaning of all that isgoing to happen - culminating in the Cross. He tries to explain tothe disciples that the Cross is not just about the forgiveness ofsins but about a total reordering of the world. And that reorderingcalls into question the ideas, the pride and the certainty of allthose who would be his followers.

Jesus is saying that following him demands a complete re-orderingof our human priorities, discipleship means a radical rethink ofour lives and ambitions.

James and John had a lot to learn, not least around the table atthe Last Supper, about what servanthood means for a disciple ofJesus.

To Ponder

Jesus' washing of the disciples' feet at the LastSupper (John 13:1-17) was a dramatic and profound actof servanthood. Should churches should integrate this ritual moreoften into our Maundy Thursday services? What do you think theeffect or reaction would be?

How can we try to ensure that the positionspeople hold in our churches are seen as 'servant roles' not 'statusroles'?