"Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before Jesus she asked Him for something. And He said to her, "What do you want?" She said to Him, "Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom." Gospel of Matthew
Most of us lead lives in which we are always wanting something. The reason for this is because that's how we think we are going to find happiness. We want to better ourselves and those we love. We want for them and for ourselves better jobs, better clothes, better homes, better security, better relationships, better friends, more recognition for what we do, more acknowledgement and more status in our families and communities. As members of our Western culture, we are very much conditioned into believing that this is the road to freedom and personal realization. As a result, most of the time of our lives is consumed in meeting this end.
So why are we so surprised and even critical when the mother of James and John approaches Jesus, bows low to Him, and make a request: "My two sons are sacrificing a lot in following you. Promise me that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom." In other words, I would like you to give my sons the top two positions in your kingdom.
Are we surprised when we hear that the other ten disciples are very disgruntled and indigent towards James and John when they hear about this request. After all, have they not given up as much?
This very request, and the response to this request by the other disciples show clearly that they do not yet see clearly what Jesus is all about. Is Jesus surprised by this request? I don't think so. In fact, He dismissed it quite quickly. "I'm sorry, you do not know what you are asking. Such decisions are not mine to make." But then He goes on to explain again this upside-down world of God's Kingdom, which is a pure reversal of the way we normally think. Jesus contrasts the way we think in a worldly sense with the way God thinks in building his Kingdom. And this must have been as difficult to understand for His disciples as it is to us.
The value of life in God's Kingdom has nothing to do with self-assertion or self-aggrandizement. It has nothing to do with personal status or position. It is measured strictly in terms of one's value for the other. The greatest in God's Kingdom does not carry an image of a person of importance as we normally understand it. The greatest in God's Kingdom carries the image of a servant. They take on the image of a child, without class or self-importance, of one who is unable to impose their will upon another, but a willingness to serve.
In order to instill this image in the minds and hearts of His disciples, Jesus creates a contrast between true Christian leadership and what we normally see as the leadership model in our society. Leaders of nations lord it over their subjects. They have absolute authority over them. This must not happen to you.
Jesus is not judging the use of worldly power nor does He condemn it. He is simply describing it. But He makes clear the fact that such a type of power is not to be used by Christian leaders. The value of a Christian leader is determined by the value he/she places on others, and their willingness to serve others in building God's Kingdom.
Jesus asks James and John a question: "Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink? In asking this question, I believe He is asking if they are able to let go of their engrained conditioning of being overly concerned with "self" and all of self's desires and needs. The primary purpose of prayer, fasting and almsgiving is to assist us in this relinquishment. Letting go of "self" is not an easy task.
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