Mark 10:35-45, Psalm 91.9-16, and Hebrews 5.1-10
Experiencing and learning something new requires energy, which is very enjoyable and worthwhile. I am very curious, so I enjoy the fun of visiting new areas and learning new things. On the one hand, experiencing changes in the environment is developmental, but it can also be challenging, so some people have difficulty with this.
When I think of the disciples of Jesus, I believe their lives are dramatic. Before they met Jesus, some were fishermen. Some were disciples who loved studying the Bible. Some were construction workers, some were tax collectors, and some were zelotes. They met Jesus and had a short but impressive three-year period of learning. They followed Jesus without any convenient means of transportation, walking from place to place and sometimes taking a boat. Life with Jesus is thankful, but it is a time of physical training that is not easy.
Amidst all this, a minor incident occurs in Mark 10:37. James and John ask, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” Every time I read this verse, the thought that comes to mind is, “They are not so sense, so considerate.” However, if we read the Gospel of Mark carefully from the beginning, we may make the following guess. That means, “On the one hand, they were impatient and anxious. On the other hand, they were probably excited to see Jesus performing miracles.” This is truly an interesting part. Mark, the gospel writer, recorded the negative aspects of the disciples.
The disciples saw it. They saw Jesus healing Simon’s mother-in-law with fever, a man with leprosy, a paralyzed man, a dead girl, a sick woman with bleeding, a deaf and mute man, and a blind man at Bethsaida.
They saw miracles such as casting out demons, calming a storm, feeding five thousand, walking on the water, feeding four thousand, and the Transfiguration of Jesus.
They also watched Jesus argue theologically with authority with the Pharisees. Sometimes, he used parables to make things easier for his disciples to understand. And Jesus again predicted his Death. I haven’t even told you a third of what happened between Jesus and the disciples. But this alone is enough to cause a huge shock. If I could do one of those episodes or see it with my own eyes, my life as a pastor would be different. However, among the disciples who experienced and learned all of this together, James and John, mentioned relatively often in the Bible, requested that the seats immediately to the left and right of Jesus’ glorious seat be assigned to them. These people were originally wealthy fishermen. Was it because of the psychology of compensation? They proudly demand a position as the closest person to Jesus. Of course, Jesus said, “You don’t know what you are asking.” And the other ten disciples watching this also became angry. They are disciples who are very similar and have many shortcomings.
But let’s consider the time when this was written. Jesus died, and Christians were persecuted by the Jews and the Romans in the first century. They believed in Jesus, but the Lord was no longer with them. Now, the disciples, including Peter, are the church leaders spreading God’s word. Church leaders are encouraging them to overcome this ordeal together.
Yes. The disciples tried to do their best, but they fell into the test. Also, they did not correctly understand the test Jesus would face. They were Jesus’ collaborators, but they were also hinderers. So, why did Mark describe the shameful past of the disciples, the church leaders of the time, so realistically?
It is to convey the fact that the disciples who were with Jesus in the past also failed and fell into temptation. They were weak, had many shortcomings like us, and were greedy like ordinary people. However, the disciples who experienced the resurrection have become church leaders. They obey and submit to God’s will. That is why Mark shows the disciples the most negative but also, paradoxically, the most positive present. Therefore, it gives the strength to overcome the trials, crises, and tests that the church members faced at the time.
We can see Jesus’ request and prayer in Hebrews 5:7. “7 During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.”
Jesus offers up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears. And because of his reverent submission, his request and prayer are answered by God. Through suffering, he learns obedience and becomes the source of salvation for all who obey him. Although he is the Son of God, he suffers without sin. But because of his piety, he receives answers.
There are some differences between the disciples’ and Jesus’ requests and prayers. They are piety, obedience, and service. Jesus’ request has a life of purity. He is entirely obedient to the will of God. Unlike the disciples, he does not desire to be greater than others. Instead, he has a love to serve all mankind. He even endures all kinds of insults and hardships because of that love. Therefore, God made him the source of salvation. God even calls him a high priest. He is a mediator who belongs to God and worships for people.
I hope that our prayers will soon resemble Jesus’ prayers. I hope you and I will live a life of piety, meditating on and obeying God’s will. So, I hope we will serve our neighbors with love and enjoy the joy of salvation together in our daily lives. We will enjoy God’s protection through this piety, obedience, and service, which the psalmist sings. We will experience God’s protection and salvation. Also, like Jesus, God will answer every time we ask. As Psalm 15 and 16 say, “We will call on God, and God will answer us; Creator will be with us in trouble, Savior will deliver and honor us. The Lord will satisfy us with long life and show us his salvation.”
Dear brothers and sisters, we are sometimes weak like the disciples. Our requests and prayers are often like those of James and John. However, I hope our faith and prayers grow and mature as children grow. I hope we can pray and serve like Jesus and be recognized by God. So the words of Psalm 11, “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” May God bless you and allow you to live under God’s protection and grace.