Matthew 20:20-28 | Philippians 3:4b-9a | Gospels in Lent Track: John 11-12
Do you identify with the request of James, John, and their mother? It’s easy to look back and ridicule them for it: “Selfish jerks!” The rest of the disciples do as much.
Maybe asking to be the right/left hand men of the King is a bit much, but we do what we have to do to get along sometimes, right?
Truth be told, Jesus does seem to have a special spot for James & John (along with Peter). Only they are selected to go up the mountain for the transfiguration. And the three of them are again asked by Jesus to go deeper into the Gethsemane garden to pray the night before he’s crucified.
But Jesus has a larger point in response to the Zebedees. Take a read.
Matthew 20:20-28
Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus along with her sons. Bowing before him, she asked a favor of him.
“What do you want?” he asked.
She responded, “Say that these two sons of mine will sit, one on your right hand and one on your left, in your kingdom.”
Jesus replied, “You don’t know what you’re asking! Can you drink from the cup that I’m about to drink from?”
They said to him, “We can.”
He said to them, “You will drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left hand isn’t mine to give. It belongs to those for whom my Father prepared it.”
Now when the other ten disciples heard about this, they became angry with the two brothers. But Jesus called them over and said, “You know that those who rule the Gentiles show off their authority over them and their high-ranking officials order them around. But that’s not the way it will be with you. Whoever wants to be great among you will be your servant. Whoever wants to be first among you will be your slave— just as the Human One didn’t come to be served but rather to serve and to give his life to liberate many people.”
Philippians 3:4b-9a
If anyone else has reason to put their confidence in physical advantages, I have even more:
I was circumcised on the eighth day.
I am from the people of Israel and the tribe of Benjamin.
I am a Hebrew of the Hebrews.
With respect to observing the Law, I’m a Pharisee.
With respect to devotion to the faith, I harassed the church.
With respect to righteousness under the Law, I’m blameless.
These things were my assets, but I wrote them off as a loss for the sake of Christ. But even beyond that, I consider everything a loss in comparison with the superior value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have lost everything for him, but what I lost I think of as sewer trash, so that I might gain Christ and be found in him.
Prayer1
God,
From the desire of being esteemed, Deliver me.
From the desire of being loved, Deliver me.
From the desire of being extolled, Deliver me.
From the desire of being honored, Deliver me.
From the desire of being praised, Deliver me.
From the desire of being preferred to others, Deliver me.
From the desire of being consulted, Deliver me.
From the desire of being approved, Deliver me.
From the fear of being humiliated, Deliver me.
From the fear of being despised, Deliver me.
From the fear of suffering rebukes, Deliver me.
From the fear of being calumniated, Deliver me.
From the fear of being forgotten, Deliver me.
From the fear of being ridiculed, Deliver me.
From the fear of being wronged, Deliver me.
From the fear of being suspected, Deliver me.
Help me to serve as Christ did,
By your Spirit and in him,
Amen.
Adapted from the Litany of Humility, Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val.