What Happens When You Get to the Top? (Mark 10:35-45)
A few years ago, someone introduced me to a book entitled hope for the flowers, with the subtitle, “a tale—partly about life, partly about revolution, and lots about hope for adults and others…” It is an analogy about humanity’s quest to get to the top in life, and the tendency to push out of the way anyone who gets in front of you. The back cover has this statement: “a different sort of book for everyone except those who have given up completely…”
The story is about caterpillars becoming butterflies, the empty feeling of reaching the top after stepping on anyone who gets in your way, and the realization that we are made for more than living only for self. Centuries ago, Plato expressed the same truths about living that way in Phaedrus, when he observed, “many are lamed, and many have their wings all broken, and for all their toiling they are balked, every one…”
It all reminds me of James and John asking Jesus for the prominent positions when he achieves his “glory.” In asking this honor before the other disciples did, they made all of them “indignant,” because they wanted the same status of honor. And that realization challenges me because I, too, want to be honored for my work.
When you see a group picture that includes you, whose face do you look for first? If someone calls names of individuals for recognition in a group that includes you, whose name do you listen for? No one wants to be picked last on the schoolyard baseball team.
Jesus defined following him as a quest for roles of service, not superior standing over others: “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
As we look around us, exploring new situations, new opportunities, and new challenges, we can notice the way others approach similar circumstances and do as they do. The outcome will be something like “win at all costs,” or “promote yourself because no one else will do it,” or “put yourself out there, and too bad about the ones who don’t get the recognition.”
Or—we can follow the example of Jesus, who came to serve. The Son of God came to serve us! He came with the authority of God, and he acted always in humility as he knew our needs and worked to accomplish God’s will for us. That is the nature of belonging in his kingdom, of doing kingdom work, and of sharing in his glory.
It is easy to see the error of James and John in requesting exclusive positions of honor. But before we get too critical of their short-sighted approach, we need to remember that this scene from the Gospel is intended to guide us in our walk with the King who was, first of all, a servant and “a ransom for many.”