Lectionary for Oct. 20, 2024
22nd Sunday after Pentecost
Job 38:1-7 [34-41]; Psalm 104:1-9, 24-35b;
Hebrews 5:1-10; Mark 10:35-45
The Indiana-Kentucky Synod has a new bishop, Tim Graham. As a former synod staff member, I watched the balloting process closely and was struck by Bishop Graham’s openness to the process. He hadn’t put his name forward and didn’t fill out a biographical form in advance of the ballot. But when people started to vote for him, he was open to the calling—even though he had not sought it. This humble openness to calling is exactly what the lectionary passages are discussing this week.
The author of Hebrews is at it again, quoting Psalms to make Christological arguments. Just as a human high priest should be humble, having received the office rather than taking or earning it, a humble Jesus did not take for himself the office of the Great High Priest. Rather, God granted it to him, saying, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you” (Psalm 2:7 and Hebrews 5:5). This calls to mind the early Christ hymn of Philippians 2, which reminds the reader that Jesus didn’t consider equality with God something to be stolen/grasped at, but instead humbled himself. It was then that God exalted Jesus to the highest place (6-9).
The author of Hebrews argues that Jesus, though always the Son, learned obedience and offered faithful prayers in reverent submission to God (5:7-8). Just as he learned obedience, so Jesus leads his disciples into obedience and eternal salvation—again, acting as Great High Priest who covers over sins (9-10). Jesus didn’t seek this honor or role, but having been called to it, was faithful to follow God in the divine plan of salvation.
The rulers of the Gentiles were domineering and loved to exercise authority in their high positions. But this was not the way that Jesus followers were supposed to act.
Jesus’ disciples, on the other hand, did seek out roles and honor. James and John, the sons of Zebedee and two of the inner three disciples, sought to convince Jesus to give them what they wanted—seemingly without even telling him what that was! “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you!” (Mark 7:35). Don’t we all, James and John?! Jesus was a little circumspect and asked what they wanted from him.
The disciples then asked to sit at Jesus’ left and right when he came into his glory. This already takes a lot of hubris to ask, never mind that whoever sat at Jesus’ left would be sitting in God’s lap (that is where Jesus sits: Mark 16:19, Hebrews 12:2)!
Of course, the other disciples felt indignant with James and John. Probably no one more so than Peter, who the other disciples tried to displace in authority and position. Jesus tried to dissuade the glory-seeking disciples by suggesting that they might not want to do what it would take to attain such lofty positions. Nevertheless, they pressed Jesus, who told them that they would, indeed, pay the price with him but that the Father alone would hand out positions of honor.
Jesus was faithful to his mission to save us all.
Jesus then turned to the rest of his disciples and told them what he had learned from his recent sojourns among the Gentiles. The rulers of the Gentiles were domineering and loved to exercise authority in their high positions. But this was not the way that Jesus followers were supposed to act.
Jesus could have demanded privilege and honor. With his miraculous powers he certainly could have made a name for himself. He could have had myriad legions of angels to serve him and fight his battles, had he chosen to be a warrior messiah (Matthew 26:53). That is not who Jesus was or the kind of messiahship that God called him to embody. Jesus didn’t come to be served but to serve (Mark 10:45). If God’s Son behaved thusly, how much more are we called to serve one another?
Jesus didn’t relish the call to allow himself to be murdered by the Romans, to lead a raid into the realms of sin and death to free all of us held captive therein. Yet, he was faithful to his mission to save us all. There are those of us who would use our proximity to power in the church to garner honor or riches, power or privilege. Certainly that is the way of the kingdoms (whether national, economic or culture) of this earth. But it’s not to be this way among us. Instead, it should be a race to the bottom—to serve the most and be the most humble and open to God’s call. That is the way of Christ, and the way of all those who would follow him.
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