B, Pentecost 21 Proper 24 - Mark 10:42-45 "Victoriously Conquered"

 

Mark 10:42–45 (ESV) And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.  But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,  and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

The sons of Zebedee ask the Son of Man to give them seats of power in heaven.  But Jesus doesn’t have the authority to grant James and John their wish.  Yet he promises they will drink the cup the cup Jesus drinks and be baptised with the baptism Jesus will endure at the cross; namely suffering and death.

All believers endure suffering and the death of self during this life which ends in physical death.  Imagine how James and John would have been corrupted if Jesus had granted them their wish before his work was done on the cross.  If Jesus gave them eternal life and position in heaven through their request, why would they need Jesus’ death on the cross?

And although not asking first, what about the other ten disciples?  What about us too?  Jesus takes the wish of James and John as well as the resentfulness the other ten disciples, along with their displeasure they hadn’t asked first, and turns their perception of power upside down. 

Jesus doesn’t give victory to James and John through their request, nor does he fuel the indignation of the other ten by giving James and John the positions which they want.  Instead, he repeats what he told the twelve when they were arguing about who would be the greatest.  This is recorded back in Mark chapter nine.

“And they (Jesus and the disciples) came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?”  But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest.  And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” (Mark 9:33–35 ESV)

Now, Jesus teaches the same thing yet again. Once more, he puts servanthood before James and John, and the rest of the twelve, but now takes the picture of servanthood and adds the language of slavery and being unbound from bondage.

He says, “Whoever would be great among you must be your servant,  and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:44-45 ESV)

Jesus says those who would be first must be bound or tied up for everyone, and the Son of man came to die on the cross to untie or unbind many.  There was no way Jesus had authority to give the sons of Zebedee the positions for which they asked. His sole duty was to be the first to serve them, untie and save them, so they might later drink the same cup as Jesus and be baptised with the same baptism as the Son of Man.

This is the victory Jesus sought to give James and John, together with the other ten disciples.  Jesus pursued freeing and saving all people through his death and resurrection, not just James and John or the twelve disciples. 

Through the cross, Jesus is victorious.  He conquered the sting of sin and death at the cross when it appeared as though he was conquered. He unbound humanity from sin, when through our sin he appeared to be bound and finished at the cross. 

But he was not finished!  Rather, the curse of sin was finished! For those who trust Jesus, we welcome him unbinding us through the giving of his life as a ransom for ours. Believing forgiven sinners are truly thankful for this.

Many years after James and John asked Jesus to sit beside him in his glory.  Long after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension.  And years after Herod killed James, the brother of John, (Acts 12:2) Jesus speaks to John and he records what he says to the seventh church in Asia Minor.

He says to the church in Laodicea, “The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne”. (Revelation 3:21ESV)

Now that Jesus has conquered through the cross, he invites John and the hearers of Jesus’ revelation to John, to sit with him on his throne. You and I are also the hearers of Jesus’ revelation to John. Therefore, we are invited to sit with Jesus on his throne!

How can this be that we are invited to sit with Jesus?

Just as Jesus did for James and John and the other disciples, he has done for us and all who trust in him.   He has served and saves us through the cross by giving us his life as a ransom.  Jesus has become the slave of all and has freed us from the bondage of slavery.

So, if we too have conquered because we have been conquered in Jesus’ death and resurrection, what does Jesus teach us about our victory, today?  What does being conquered look like for you and me?

Just as Jesus conquered in his death, we conquer too because we have been conquered for eternal life with Jesus.  And we continue to be conquered!  In his revelation to John, he tells us what remaining in this victory does for us. 

“To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” (Revelation 2:7b ESV)

“The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.” (Revelation 2:11b ESV)

“To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.” (Revelation 2:17b ESV)

Jesus says, “I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star. The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations… And I will give him the morning star.” (Revelation 2:16,26,28 ESV)

“The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.” (Revelation 3:5 ESV)

“The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.” (Revelation 3:12 ESV)

Jesus said to John and he promises you and me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.  The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.” (Revelation 21:6–7 ESV)

Because you and I have conquered and have such a wonderful gift waiting to be revealed for us in eternity, let us hold fast to Jesus Christ our first love.

Let us endure suffering for Jesus’ sake, with our eyes fixed firmly on the prise he has in store for us. 

Let us cast off the idols that promise a false salvation, enslave us, and bind us.  But rather, let us use God’s gift of wealth to shrewdly serve others to the glory of Jesus our true wealth. 

May we allow the Holy Spirit to subdue our human spirit, so our faith is strengthened in these days. And because we have such a wonderful gift in store for us, let us seek every opportunity to share the wealth of this eternal gift with others. 

Let us pray that, as we come to a deeper knowledge of our salvation in Jesus, we don’t become apathetic to the  growing familiarity of Jesus’ servanthood amongst us.

And may the Holy Spirit kindle the fires of Jesus’ love in our hearts, hindering us from becoming lukewarm in our willingness to serve others as Jesus served and continues to serve us. Amen.

B, Pentecost 20Proper 23 - Mark 10:17-22 "The Rich Young Man"

Mark 10:17–22 (ESV) And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”  And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.  You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honour your father and mother.’ ”  And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.”  And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”  Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 

Why did the rich young man refer to Jesus as good?  Jesus says, “no one is good except God alone”.  Was the rich young man so full of the knowledge of God that he knew Jesus was God, God the Son from eternity unto eternity? 

We know the young man was full of earthly riches and not so full of the knowledge of God, despite his proclamation that he had fulfilled the Laws from the commandments that Jesus lists.

Notice the commandments Jesus lists!  All are from the second table of the Law.  In the same account recorded in Matthew’s Gospel, Matthew also includes Jesus referring to the summary of the second table of the Commandments, saying, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself!”

The rich young man may have loved his parents, and his neighbour, and fulfilled these Commandments.  However, Jesus initiates an invitation of love by looking at the man, loving him and then invites him to follow him. 

It all sounds wonderful, doesn’t it?  Oh! By the way, you need to sell all that you have first, and then give what you’ve been paid to the poor.  Jesus answers the young man’s question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life? You must sell your life to get eternal life then you will get treasure in heaven, that’s what you must do!”

The answer the rich young man received was not a good answer.  The good teacher gave a bad answer.  One wonders what the fellow meant by “good”?  All his good at keeping the second table of the Commandments, was not good enough. 

We can only imagine what the fellow was thinking as his face dropped and he went away sad because he had great wealth in his goods. “The good teacher has told me to sell all my goods, but that doesn’t seem like a good idea, perhaps the teacher is not so good after all.”

What Jesus said was not lost on the disciples either.  They were amazed by his conversation with the rich young man. But we are told they were even more amazed, exceedingly astonished in fact, when Jesus says, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:25 ESV). Gob smacked they asked, “then who can be saved?” (v26)

Jesus is tearing up the script from two thousand years of Jewish practice.  The young man rich in his law practise experienced it.  Even the fishermen disciples could understand the implications of what Jesus was saying to them.

We hear in the text a familiar phrase, “Jesus looked at them.”  He looked at them just as he looked at the rich young man and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” (Mark 10:27 ESV)

Only God is good.  Salvation is only possible with God.  What one does is not good enough.  So, what do we make of what Amos says to the Israelites…?

Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said. Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. (Amos 5:14–15 ESV)

We know the remnant of Joseph, the Israeli kingdom of the north, did not seek good but continued doing evil in the sight of the lord and were exiled into captivity by their northern neighbours.  Comparably, the rich young man appears to be seeking to do good and not evil, but Jesus seems to tell him different!

But Jesus was not being contrary to the Law of the Ten Commandments, nor is his call for the rich young man to sell all that he has and follow him any different from Amos’s promise that the God of hosts will be with the Israelites when they seek or worship good rather than evil.

Jesus is good. He is God the Son. Only God is good, so following Jesus is good.  The young man’s question is quite stupid and foolish when you consider that gaining an inheritance is not something one does.  Rather, an inheritance is given or bequeath after death. 

But although it is stupid and foolish, it gave Jesus an opportunity to teach a fundamental fact that only God is good. In fact, the young man’s expression that Jesus was a good teacher was indeed a prophetic truth although he didn’t realise it when he asked his idiotic question.

If only he had followed the invitation of this Good Teacher.  Jesus would have led the young man to the cross and he would have received a rich inheritance through Jesus’ death.

Speaking of idiotic, Peter, the archetypal blunderer, after all the amazement of the disciples at knowing there was no way they could pass a camel through the eye of a needle, pipes up and says, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” (Mark 10:28 ESV)

We have heard this from Peter before, but this time Jesus doesn’t tell Satan to get behind.  Satan would be overcome and put behind soon enough at Jesus’ death at the cross and resurrection to life.  Jesus waits for now, but at his trial he needed only look at Peter, as the cock crowed. 

But here Peter’s insistence that they had left everything to follow Jesus, flies in the face of Jesus looking at them and saying, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” (Mark 10:27 ESV)

All things are possible for God! Despite Peter falling away at the cross, Jesus Christ, the Good Teacher reinstated Peter through his death on the cross.  Peter received Jesus’ resurrection love, the forgiveness of his sin.  The impossible was made possible through Jesus’ death and resurrection.

When Jesus looks at you what does he see?

When Jesus, the living and active Word made flesh discerns the thoughts and intentions of your heart, what does he see?   When you hear his call to pour out the richness in which you trust, all the idols you trust in for your life, like the rich young man, we might be tempted to walk away in despair, or, the opposite, become haughty and look down on Jesus and his Words of life.

Nevertheless, you are encouraged in his word. Despite being exposed for what we are, by the Word of God, just as the rich young man and Peter’s motives are also revealed by the Word of God, God calls you to follow him. Why? Because only through Jesus, our Great High Priest, the impossible is made possible!

Hear God’s encouragement in Hebrews chapter four…

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.  (Hebrews 4:14–16 ESV)

So, we hang onto the goodness of God, the goodness of Jesus together with the Holy Spirit whom both lead us and teach us in the Word of God and in the Sacraments that make and continue making us holy.

Let us pray.

Lord God, teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.  Return, O LORD! How long? Have pity on your servants!  Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.  Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil.  Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.  Let the favour of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!  (Psalm 90:12–17 ESV)

We ask this in Jesus’ name, trusting the Holy Spirit continues his holy work within us, to the glory of your holy name. Amen.