Text used – Mark 10:35-45

• Ahhh … that childhood spirit of competitiveness that has given birth to the age-old playground chants:
  • “We want a pitcher, not a belly-itcher!”
  • “See ya … wouldn’t wanna be ya!”
  • As well as the ever-classic, “Na na na na na na!”
  • And, inevitably when your team came in second at something, you touted out that tried and true chant: “First is the worst, second is the best, third is the one with the hairiest chest!” Not that we knew anything about that as elementary school kids, but hey … it rhymed, right?
    • At the core of this particularly playground gem = reality that nobody likes to lose, right?
    • Lots of different things motivate competitiveness
      • Intrinsic factors: self-worth, desire to master a task/skill, desire to be accepted
      • Extrinsic factors: presence of a rival, potential future effects of event (e.g. – being selected for a team/role or college scouts in the stands at a sporting event), desire for others to find your own contribution valuable
      • Article from ZME Science: Just as with many behavioral traits, competitiveness is not an absolute quality but instead exists on a continuum. Some individuals are highly competitive, others less so, and a select few appear to be constantly compelled to outdo others. Our perception of competitiveness also varies, with most individuals acknowledging a line between healthy and unhealthy competition. Yet, drawing this line within any specific context can be a contentious task.[1]
• And trying to draw this particularly contentious line between healthy and unhealthy competitiveness is where we find James and John in our gospel story this morning.
  • Take a minute – remind ourselves who James and John are
    • Mk’s own descr. of their call story with Jesus: As Jesus passed alongside the Galilee See, he saw two brothers, Simon and Andrew. They were fishermen, so they were throwing fishing nets into the sea. “Come, follow me,” he said, “and I’ll show you how to fish for people.” Right away, they left their nets and followed him. After going a little farther, he saw James and John, Zebedee’s sons, in their boat repairing their fishing nets. At that very moment he called them. They followed him, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired workers.[2]
    • Mk = also the only gospel that gives James and John their infamous nickname: the Sons of Thunder – Mk 3: [Jesus] appointed twelve: Peter, a name he gave Simon; James and John, Zebedee’s sons, whom he nicknamed Boanerges, which means “sons of Thunder”; and Andrew; Philip; Bartholomew; Matthew; Thomas; James, Alphaeus’ son; Thaddeus; Simon the Cananaean; and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus.[3]
      • Scholars speculate that this particular moniker – this “sons of Thunder” – has to do with James’ and John’s personalities
        • Boisterous
        • Loud
        • Brash
        • Quick to act before thinking
  • Certainly sound like the kind of traits that could have led to today’s uncomfortable gospel situation: James and John approach Jesus à “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”[4] → Okay … timeout for a second. Any parent … any teacher … any babysitter … anyone who’s ever been around kids for more than 5 minutes could tell you that an opening like this is a RED FLAG!! “Mom, whatever I’m about to ask you to do … could you just, you know, say ‘yes’ to it?” Never. Gonna. Fly. Flox!! Okay, James and John … we’ll pretend we didn’t hear that … continue à next comes The Big Ask: They said, “Allow one of us to sit on your right and the other on your left when you enter your glory.”[5] → Woah woah woah woah!! Lay it all out there, why don’tcha, James and John!? Sheesh!
    • Ask = audacious because they are asking for the two seats of greatest power
      • Two seats closest to power
      • Two seats on both sides of the throne = Jesus’ 2^nd and 3^rd in command
      • Two seats generally reserved in the culture for those deserving the greatest honor and glory and respect
    • Ask = even more audacious when we consider what Jesus said in the verses just prior to what we read today: Jesus and his disciples were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, with Jesus in the lead. The disciples were amazed while the others following behind were afraid. Taking the Twelve aside again, he told them what was about to happen to him. “Look!” he said. “We’re going up to Jerusalem. The Human One will be handed over to the chief priests and the legal experts. They will condemn him to death and hand him over to the Gentiles. They will ridicule him, spit on him, torture him, and kill him. After three days, he will rise up.”[6] → So Jesus has just foretold his own horrible arrest, torture, death, and resurrection … and directly following that, James and John sidle up to him and say, “Hey, Jesus … can you just say yes to whatever we’re about to ask you?”
      • Scholar: To ambition and vanity, Mark adds dramatic irony. Jesus has just foretold his coming condemnation, humiliation, and death, but James and John are still dreaming of power and position. … Eager to ease into positions of power and glory, the brothers do not realize that they will soon be called upon to sacrifice everything for their cause.[7]
  • Jesus clearly isn’t thrilled with this ask – response: Jesus replied, “You don’t know what you’re asking! Can you drink the cup I drink or receive the baptism I receive?”[8] (referring to the torment and death that await him)
  • Other disciples are also definitely not thrilled with this little side conversation – text: Now when the other ten disciples heard about this, they became angry with James and John.[9] → And it’s this conflict that brings about Jesus’ often-quoted phrase about how important it is to not be first.
    • Mk’s language isn’t quite the same as the “first shall be last and the last shall be first” that we’re probably most familiar with (that language comes out of Mt’s gospel) – text: Whoever wants to be great among you will be your servant. Whoever wants to be first among you will be the slave of all, for the Human One didn’t come to be served but rather to serve and to give his life to liberate many people.[10]
• What I find most interesting about the way Jesus frames this discussion here in Mark’s gospel is him emphasis on serving. And in this emphasis, Jesus is teaching us an important lesson about serving, and that is that the attitude behind the serving matters.
  • Poor sons of Thunder gets used as the “what not to do” example here: portrayed as serving (at least in this particular moment) for the sake of the glory it will bring to them, not for the sake of the service itself → Now, I don’t think we can paint James and John with a brush broad enough to say that’s the only reason they followed Jesus from day one or that that’s the only reason they stayed with Jesus to the end and continued to spread the gospel message long after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension. We just happen to have caught James and John in this particular moment of imperfection for which they’ve become a little bit infamous.
    • Something I think “doubting Thomas” could probably understand
    • Also important to notice that James and John are more than likely not alone in this particular moment of imperfect motivation – scholar: James and John are not alone. The other disciples do not fare any better. Hearing what has happened, they get angry, and one can imagine the ensuing squabble among the disciples, which Jesus must counter with his teaching about greatness and servanthood.[11]
  • So maybe all the disciples were in a less-than-charitable mood. Maybe they all needed a refresher on why they were doing what they were doing in the first place. Maybe they all needed a bit of a spiritual and service-oriented reset. And that’s okay. I think that in the world today – even in the work of the church today – we often find ourselves in a similar place.
    • E.g. – Operation Christmas Child run by Samaritan’s Purse
      • Pack shoeboxes with small gifts for children around the world → Sounds like a great thing, right? Except when you find out that these boxes also end up including a wide array of highly fundamental religious pamphlets and tracts, and that those who receive boxes are later pressured/guilted into participating in further “religious education”/rigid indoctrination.
      • Also doesn’t take into account anything about who the children receiving these boxes are, what they or their communities actually need, how to best support their families and/or their communities, or where they might be located
        • (Admittedly tame) e.g. – shoebox with warm hat, mittens, scarf, etc. being given to a child who lives someplace where it never snows
        • Less tame e.g. – any of the ridiculous “white idea of beauty” dolls (oh … say, Barbie, for example) being sent to countries where their idea of beauty is vastly different
      • Do I believe that those sitting and filling those shoeboxes with various toys and trinkets for children are doing so out of malice or apathy? Of course not. They’re doing it because they want to help. They want to feel good about helping … but is there a true spirit of service behind that help – a spirit that seeks out the actual needs of those being served as opposed to just imposing whatever is easiest for helpers and gives that quick “Look at the good I did!” moral boost?
  • Often a pitfall for the church – has been for centuries àBut this idea of helping without truly considering the attitude behind that service and the most genuine way to go about that service can lead to some pretty atrocious things.
    • Doctrine of Discovery
    • Indian/Aboriginal Boarding Schools
    • Colonization “for the good of the natives”
    • And so on. And so on.
  • As Christians, we have the perfect example of service in Jesus Christ.
    • Jesus … who met people where they were at, not where he thought they should be
    • Jesus … who asked people what they needed of him instead of simply assuming he knew best
    • Jesus … who served those who needed it first before ever turning to those who already had enough
    • Jesus … who reached out to those whom the rest of society had long since left behind.
  • Now, I will say that service has always been something this church strives to embody. It’s something that’s at the core of who we are as this particular body of Christ here in Oronoco. It’s even part of our mission statement: “We are a community of believers whose mission is to share God’s Word, show God’s Love, serve God’s World, and strive for God’s Peace.” And I know that a lot of you are involved in various service acts and organizations within this community and beyond. And that’s great! Jesus literally calls us to serve!
    • Mt 25: “I assure you that when you have done it for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you have done it for me.”[12]
    • I just want to be sure that as we continue in this life of service to which we have been called – through this church and out in the wider world – that we remember to ask and to keep asking ourselves two questions:
      • Why am I serving?
      • How is this service helping someone today?
      • Amen.

[1] Tibi Puiu. “Why are some people so competitive? The psychology of competitiveness” from ZME Science, found at https://zmescience.com/feature-post/health/mind-brain/why-people-are-competitive/. First posted July 20, 2023, edited January 4, 2024, accessed October 20, 2024.

[2] Mk 1:16-20.

[3] Mk 3:16-19.

[4] Mk 10:35.

[5] Mk 10:37.

[6] Mk 10:32-34.

[7] James J. Thompson. “Proper 24 (Sunday between October 16 and October 22 inclusive) – Mark 10:35-45 – Theological Perspective” in Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary – Year B, vol. 4. (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009), 188, 190.

[8] Mk 10:38.

[9] Mk 10:41.

[10] Mk 10:43b-45.

[11] Charles L. Campbell. “Proper 24 (Sunday between October 16 and October 22 inclusive) – Mark 10:35-45 – Homiletical Perspective” in Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary – Year B, vol. 4. (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009), 189.

[12] Mt 25:40.