To Serve

They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles; they will mock him, and spit upon him, and flog him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise again.”

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.” And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” 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?” 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; 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.”

When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. 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. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:32-45 

I learned very early in life how to shine shoes and to iron clothes. In a large family, everyone had to pitch in and help. We needed to learn to clean house, do laundry and wash dishes as well as cook and serve company. I grew up in a clergy household, of limited means, who opened our home and lives to others. I still remember the smell of the shoe shine box, that held the brushes and pastes, and the wooden foot on top to hold the shoe. The memory makes me smile with the small tasks that brought great joy.

The disciples are anxious about their future, since Jesus is telling them that things will change soon. They want the promise of secure footing and permanence. His answer to them is to live life as servants. It is not something they wanted to hear, nor is it something we like to hear. We want guaranteed comfort and rewarded for our hard work. Yet God invites us today to deeply embrace the role of servant so that we can find deep love and permanence.

Today, I ask God to help me serve fearlessly and without expectations. May we trust that we never walk this road alone and that abundant love will accompany us as we serve.