Fifth Sunday of the Great Fast. Memory of Our Holy Mother Mary of Egypt

Divine Liturgy of St Basil

Ambon Prayer 17

Our Holy Mother Mary of Egypt; Our Venerable Father Alexis, Man of God; Our Holy Father Patrick, Enlightener of Ireland

Title

We Want Authority but We Need Sacrifice

Outline

James and John we typical Jewish men

That is they (of in another gospel, their mother, which would be culturally appropriate) wanted positions of authority in the kingdom.

That is, they believed that Jesus was bringing about the Messianic kingdom and would reign as king.

They had given up all to follow Jesus and he had appointed them among his vicars sent out to represent him and even included them as two of the three in his inner circle of witnesses.

They do not want separation in the coming kingdom, so they ask for one to sit at Jesus’ right and the other at his left, that is as his chief friends, counselors, or the like.

Their timing was triggered by Jesus’ going up to Jerusalem with his whole body of disciples. Surely the establishment of his kingdom would follow.

They are ready to pay the cost with Jesus that Jesus will pay to set up the kingdom - perhaps they think of hard battles as in the case of the Maccabees. They will share Jesus’ cup and his baptism. Fair and honorable enough.

But they had got gotten the point of the final passion prediction, the clearest of the three, that all but says “crucifixion at the behest of the status quo rulers” - the actual word “cross” or “crucify” was a vulgar word - they were thinking “going up to fight” perhaps (the group as a whole was amazed and afraid as if going to face battle). The dying and rising did not compute.

And the other ten were “indignant,” not because James and John were breaking up the idea of a community of equals, but because they wanted the chief position or perhaps thought it should be Peter’s.

(What would they have thought if they had known the early Church’s reading of “the Queen is at your right hand”?)

What they missed is that Jesus is transforming the very concept of authority

He has said that he was going up to be totally degraded and to die before rising.

What Hebrews tells us is that this death was a sacrifice, that Jesus the Anointed Messiah was the High Priest who would in his death and resurrection carry his own blood as sacrifice, as a sin offering, into the inner sanctum of the heavenly temple, offering himself through the eternal Spirit to God. And this was not for himself, since he had not need, but for them, they were in need of redemption. And this was an eternal redemption that would purify their consciences from dead works (the works of the dead) to serve the living God.

Now we get what Jesus means when he says that “those who are supposed to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them.” This use of force and power are among the dead works that belong to this age, but they were the very terms in which the Twelve were thinking and they already had a couple of swords to enforce that authority.

Jesus tells them they need repentance and redemption, for the great among them would be servants to all and the first among them would be the slave of all. They would indeed drink the cup and share the baptism of their Lord, for they would join him in giving their lives “as a ransom for many.” But first they needed his sacrifice along with repentance that would change their minds about authority forever.

Brothers and Sisters, we all need this transformation

We may not be called to serve others as they served others, but we all need to realizing that giving our lives for others is authority in the kingdom and seeking power and authority is seeking another kingdom.

Each of the last three popes has clearly felt the burden of serving and sacrifice at his election. St John Paul II’s response to his election was reportedly saying, “What have you done!” before he said “accept.” Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis put it with a request to an associate or the people, “Pray for me.”

If there are perks of office, they belong to the office, not the person. Hours of prayer, sacrificial service, silence when insulted, long days - being the servant of the servants of God are the marks of high authority. And this is and ought to be true of priests and every other position in the church right down to those in the domestic church. Listen to how Chris Stefenick speaks about how Christ used marriage to form this sacrificial attitude in him.

And that is why one should not seek office, including in the domestic church, but discern a call that one accepts humbly. And although the people may call “aksios!” the wise person, like St Seraphim of Sarov refers to himself as “my unworthiness”, knowing that the high priest’s sacrifice is still working itself out in transformation in his or her own life.

And that is a major reason for the Great Fast.