The disciples were on the way, going up to
Jerusalem, and Jesus went ahead of them. They were amazed, and those who
followed were afraid. Taking the Twelve aside again, he began to tell them what
was going to happen to him. “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son
of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will
condemn him to death and hand him over to the Gentiles who will mock him, spit
upon him, scourge him, and put him to death, but after three days he will
rise.”
Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to
Jesus and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of
you.” He replied, “What do you wish me to do for you?” They answered him,
“Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your
left.” Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink
the chalice that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”
They said to him, “We can.” Jesus said to them, “The chalice that I drink,
you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be
baptized; but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give but is for
those for whom it has been prepared.” When the ten heard this, they became
indignant at James and John. Jesus summoned them and said to them, “You know
that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them,
and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be
so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your
servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of
all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give
his life as a ransom for many.”
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Reflection:
Are you a real follower of the Lord?
Real followers or those who want to truly serve will
not care if they are seen or noticed. They quietly serve without ulterior motives
for they know that Jesus knows everything that they do and think about.
When James and John asked Jesus if they can sit
beside Him in His glory. Jesus told the two that those premium seats had
already been reserved, for whom? It is for the humble ones, for those who are
not seeking self-glorification and for those who are willing to silently toil
in the vineyard of the Lord.
Obviously, James and John were seeking glorification
without putting forward humility and sacrifice. The paradox of serving Jesus is
this: we must first be willing to be a servant and we must be willing to die to
ourselves.
This does not mean that we have to pretend to
be humble so that we will be exlted. No! When we decide to serve in the
vineyard of the Lord we must rid ourselves with any form of pretensions and
false expectations. We serve because it originates from the pureness of
our desire.
There will be no heavenly glorification for us if
we will not first embrace humility. And the pure desire to serve and sacrifice
our very selves in the name of Jesus. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
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