March 18, 2018 Text: Mark 10:35-45
Dear Friends in Christ,
Do our perceptions always line up with reality? Do we ever mistake a person’s identity? If I say General George S. Patton and General Omar Bradley you have certain thoughts about both men. Or maybe you know one better than another and that is part of your perception.
In the movie Patton, George C. Scott who played Patton was vain, brash, a brilliant general, bold tactician, leader of men. Throughout World War II the Germans viewed him as the most dangerous American opponent. But he was also willing to gamble the lives of his troops to make a name for himself, as when he was try to beat his ally and rival, British Field Marshal Montgomery, to capture the city of Messina.
On the other hand, General Bradley played by Karl Malden, was a skilled officer who didn’t seek the headlines. He just wanted to win the war and go home. During the very same drive to Messina, Bradley asked to be with his troops, dodging shrapnel, risking his own life, because he cared about the boys. Patton would always be the star. But in the end – and in the judgment of history – Bradley was the greater American hero. Bradley’s nickname? “The Soldier’s General.”
Today it is Jesus and the disciples and a teaching moment. How do they want to be identified? How will Jesus answer in this . . .
“CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY”
James and John badly mistake their identity. They want Jesus to grant them whatever they ask. At times we feel that way. Think of your birthday or Christmas list. Maybe we should consider the cumulative results of a world full of people all trying to get they want while ignoring what God’s will is. Further, us getting “our way” are short-lived. The world is forever telling us we are behind or out-of-step.
The disciples selfishly want a place of power that was earned selflessly by another. Can they really have the glory when they are just thinking of themselves?
Can they really drink the cup? Of course not. Only Jesus could drink down all that life requires of a person; perfect obedience to divine Law and absolute condemnation for failure. James and John don’t really want that cup. They have mistaken their identities!
How about the other ten disciples? They are just as mistaken about their identity. They have not learned from James and John’s mistake. Are we making the same mistake? Are you ever incensed at the selfish behavior of others while unaware of your own? All twelve disciples are taking their lead from the world rather than from Jesus. Man’s selfish orientation has been inherited from Adam.
Here is the sad truth of humanity since the fall: the harder people try to make a life for themselves at the expense of others, the less they experience the real life they are seeking. How rewarding is it to buy things for yourself that you don’t really need? What lasting pleasure does a person have for taking affection selfishly from another? Do children have a better life because they disobey curfew set by their parents? Do we want to sit next to Jesus in glory or at least in your own house?
Thank God that Jesus’ identity restores us to our identity in Him. Jesus’ matter-of-fact explanation to James and John is remarkable, but consistent with his love for his disciples since that love requires patience in order to reach its goal. The cup and baptism were more than the disciples understood Jesus would take. Jesus would be completely awash in the burden of our condemnation and the weight of restoring our lives. This love is his glory and what he properly affects from the right hand of the Father. Jesus is submitting to the Father and he explains that to the disciples. He trusts his Father absolutely and is obedient all the way to the cross.
Jesus’ word to the twelve likewise shows the love that is always his identity. Jesus inverts the pyramid. Since ancient times, people have recognized that the more people you have supporting you, the less you have to do for yourself. However, Jesus inverts the pyramid, teaching us that real authority and power are demonstrated in putting oneself at the bottom of the heap. Jesus is our foundation both for our identity and for our life. Into this, Christ’s identity, we are baptized. His identity has become our identity.
Our selfish ways are many. The disciples wanted the glory, which is only one letter away from gory – which is how many of them died. Beheadings, torture, jailed and beaten for preaching Christ crucified. What about our future? Is your identity secure? Through the Holy Spirit let go of living for self only. Focus on the selfless giver. The One who thought of you from the foundation of the world. The One who came to serve and give his life as a ransom for many. Live in self-sacrifice through the sacrificial Lamb and their will be no case of mistaken identity.
Amen.