Pentecost 21

October 28, 2015 in Sermon by Scott Landrum

Mark 10:35-45
35 James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” 36 And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” 37 And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” 38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” 39 They replied, “We are able.” Then Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; 40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” 41 When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. 42 So Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. 43 But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

“For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many,” Jesus said. What in the world are we going to do with this Jesus, the disciples must have thought. What is he good for? Before he died, my father-in-law witnessed the election of the current Pope. Out of the blue he called to tell us the world had a new Pope. About Pope Francis he quipped, “I don’t know what we’re going to do with him; I guess we can look at him.” I suspect the disciples were beginning to feel the same way about Jesus. He had healed the sick, cast out demons, given sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf but he wasn’t a physician. In fact he downplayed all that and told people not to tell anybody what happened. He spoke with authority, challenged the powers that be, and taught a radical message about God’s kingdom but he wasn’t a politician, a general, or a community activist. He fed over five thousand people and turned water into wine but he wasn’t a social worker. Just who is this Jesus and what in the world is he good for? James and John, the sons of Zebedee, decided to take matters into their own hands. They had surmised that since Jesus and his band of misfits were headed to Jerusalem it wouldn’t be long before Jesus showed the world just who he was by establishing the kingdom of God. Look out Romans, run Pharisees and all the rest of you religious oppressors; Jesus was on the way they were thinking! By their request rule with him they would force Jesus to identify his plans and since they put their request in first, they would be rewarded with prime cabinet positions. Of course this angered the rest of the crew who were all eyeing the top spots in the Jesus administration and quite naturally a fight broke out. Jesus sat them down and taught them again the greatest in the kingdom of God is the weakest, the first are last and the last are first, the powerless are the powerful and I’m certain the disciples just sat there like a cow staring at a new gate. “Don’t know what we going to do with Jesus, I guess we can look at him.” Then turning to James and John, Jesus gently tells them they don’t have a clue what they are asking. You see if they had been listening, if they had truly understood, if they had been paying attention instead of crafting an idol out of Jesus, they would have seen how absurdity of their request. Three times Jesus had told all the disciples quite openly that he was going to die for the sins of the world. Every time his words went in one ear and right out the other. Hindsight is 20/20 and we know that James and John wanted no part of Jesus when he finally came into his glory. The right and left hand positions were occupied by thieves and sitting squarely in the center was the biggest sinner the world has ever produced. “Cursed is everyone who is hung on the tree,” Moses wrote.
What in the world is one to do with a curse? Well run, run far away because God damns those he curses and you don’t want any part of that. And what do you do with one cursed and damned by God? You throw them in the garbage and that is exactly what they did to Jesus and rightfully so. Remember, he came not to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. He came to be used up, poured out like a cup of stale wine, thrown away like dirty rags that have served their purpose. Jesus is not a moral example for us to emulate. He is not a miracle working guru who heals all our hurts, solves all or problems and makes us rich. He is not a crusader for social justice. He is not a rebel who stands and speaks truth to power. He is nothing other than the cursed sin itself. So the disciples question is our question, “what in the world are we going to do with this Jesus?” Well I have news for you this morning. You are not an innocent bystander and as much as we may want to “just look at him” we can’t. You see it was your sin that he became and that makes him the only way of salvation. That means it’s all over for you. There is no chance for you to do anything to save yourself. That is why Jesus is not an example for you to follow. He alone has taken your sin meaning there is nothing you can do to make amends or improve. Therefore, you have died. “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized,” is how he said it. That would be the end of the story except it pleased the Father to resurrect the curse and highly exalt him to the right hand of God placing all authority in his hand. It is by this authority that I declare unto you the entire forgiveness of all your sin because Jesus took it from you and it is no more. Bread and wine and water and words are the means through which this promise is given. So what are we going to do with this Jesus?
Well listen to him, “For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom,” for you. Amen.