Lent 4 (2)

(NIV): 17 Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, 18 “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death 19 and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!” 20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. 21 “What is it you want?” he asked. She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.” 22 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” “We can,” they answered. 23 Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.” 24 When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. 25 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

We find ourselves in a unique period of history which can be described as a crisis — turning point — which began with a shocking announcement that will have a long term impact on our lives for who knows how long of a time before things seem normal again. Few of us lived through the dramatic and traumatic events of World War II which has such a profound impact on the “Greatest Generation”. Millions of men and women served in the armed forces. Women entered the work force as never before. In the United States rationing and shortages were experienced. In the countries where the battles were fought, millions had their homes destroyed and were displaced. Almost every family in the world seemed to have been affect by casualties of war.

More recently we may recall the impact that the news of the assassination of our president (John F. Kennedy) had on the nation, the emotional impact the explosion of the Challenger caused, and certainly the way the 9/11 attacks impacted our lives.

But the recent government mandated social distancing in response the COVID-19 virus is unprecedented. For active members of Christian congregations, we are forbiddend to gather together for worship and other church related activitie of over ten people. This is in addition to the many other changes that are affecting our freedom of movement, work and liesure activities, and for many of us crippling financial strain. But although we cannot meet together, we still have the wonderful opportunity to hear the word of God and to worship Him through the printed and electronically transmitted venues available to us.

The impact that unexpected news has on people is certainly profound. The larger the audience the more profound the impact. Jesus’ disciples were not immune to such news. In fact, in our text Jesus is the one to makes the announcment: (NIV): 17 Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, 18 “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death 19 and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!”

This news is announced several other times as well.

(NIV): 21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

(NIV): 22 When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. 23 They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.” And the disciples were filled with grief.

Matthew 26:1–5 (NIV): 26 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, 2 “As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” 3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4 and they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. 5 “But not during the festival,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”

It is a good time of the year to reflect on this. We are midway through the 40 days before Easter known as Lent. During this time we reflect on the final days of Jesus and his sufferings and death for our sins. It may seem hard to focus on that now with everything that is going on in our lives but we do well to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our souls. Here he foretells what would happen. We can ponder on how it did happen. The first part of the announcement was filled with bad news. Jesus would be arrested, condemned to death, and be crucified. Normally, this would have been the end. But Jesus also gave them hope. He promised that he would rise again which we realize was the promise that he would return to life and live forever to rule his people from heaven.

What impact did this news have on his disciples? They were filled with grief. Parts of it they did not understand. Peter tried to stop Jesus. Matthew’s next narrative seems somewhat out of place but there is logic to it. James and John saw this as a seguay (sp?) into a new era in world history. They were still leaning toward Jesus establishing an earthly kingdom. Jesus would need chosen followers to rule with him. What better choice than two of his closest disciples? They requested (through their mother) that they be in positions of power and leadership in the new kingdom.

But Jesus teaches that in his kingdom, those who are true leaders aren’t those who exercise authority over others but who take the lead in serving even if it mean that they would have to suffer. The cup that Jesus weas going to drink was that of suffering. James and John would suffer as leaders in the future. James would be martyred and John would be exiled to the island of Patmos in his old age. In the mean time, they would serve others. Jesus also teaches why he was willing to suffer and die. He did this to give his life as a ransom referring to his sacrifice of himself on the cross for the sins of the people of the world. Jesus stands out as one who served and not who ordered people around.

As we follow Jesus, and even at times are in positions of leadership, our goal is not to order people around or insist on our own way but to serve the Lord and others in humble acts of obedience. This is how we love God above all else and love our neighbor as ourselves. Later Peter would apply this teaching to the leaders of the church, but his encouragement would apply to all of us in our interaction with others.

1 Peter 5:1–4 (NIV): 5 To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: 2 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

Even though this may be our way of acting as Christians in general, we are given new and unique opportunities to do this in the face of the current crisis.

Application: We are already hearing about the “new normal” and speculating how recent events will or will not have an impact on our way of doing things socially. What opportunities will this have for those in leadership? Will there be a chance for some of us to aspire to new roles of leadership and control? Will others use this to exert more control on us? Regardless of what happens, Jesus teaches a timeless truth about interacting with others. “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.”

Out of concern for the health of others, especially those most vulnerable, we do well to change our routines and distance ourselves phyically from others and to practice good hygiene.

We can pray for those forced to make the tough decisions in trying to combat this disease.

We can pray for and support as much as possible those who must work tirelessly in harms way to provide crucial necessities and medical care for those most affected by this.

In many ways we can do for others instead of insisting on our rights.

Conclusion: The news that Jesus gave to his disciples was hard and it brought about fear and misunderstanding in their minds. But the news was also filled with hope. Looking back, we can see how the most devastating events of all times (the rejection and murder of God’s Son) resulted in eternal life for all who believe because Jesus came to serve and give his life to save us. We are still reacting to current events and may be hopeful that this too shall pass. In the mean time, may the Lord use us to serve one another in love. Amen