The mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons
and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something.
The exchange followed immediately upon Jesus predicting his passion for the third time, explaining that his entry into Jerusalem will not be to conquer and to reign, but rather to suffer and to die, and only after to be raised. James and John were not outliers in not understanding these predictions, and probably they did not wish to understand. Probably they still desired for Jesus a throne like the other kings of the earth, and for themselves the chief places of honor on his right and on his left. That the request, which originated in their own desires, came through their mother could only have reflected her concern and solicitude for her children. They probably knew that Jesus had a soft spot in his heart for mothers. And perhaps they had some sense of the way their request would look in the eyes of their fellow disciples and thought having their mother ask would soften the edge somewhat.
She answered him,
“Command that these two sons of mine sit,
one at your right and the other at your left, in your Kingdom.”
These places at the right and the left of Jesus were not what James and John had imagined. It was actually as though they unknowingly asked to be crucified on his right and his left, drinking the chalice of the Father's will. Rather than positions of honor and pride and power they actually asked for ignominy, suffering, and death, together with Jesus. They did not realize this. They were thought they were referencing the promise made earlier by Jesus, who told them, "you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (see Matthew 19:28). They had already heard indications of the primacy of Peter and sought to protect and promote their own self-interest before the available positions were filled by others. But in truth the positions of honor in the Kingdom were given not given to those obsessed with authority like the rulers of the Gentiles. Authority in the Kingdom was only given to those who had already been purified by the partaking of the chalice of Christ.
You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?”
They said to him, “We can.”
James and John did not let their mother speak for them here. They were full of confidence and self assurance, no doubt misunderstanding precisely to what chalice Jesus referred. Nevertheless, Jesus did not flatly contradict them or tell them no. Their aspirations lacked perfect understanding, but nevertheless desired something fundamentally good: to be near to Jesus in his Kingdom, to have pleased him enough to be worthy of honor. That this intention was still mingled with pride was a reality that could be purified over time as they more and more completely embraced the chalice of Jesus.
My chalice you will indeed drink,
but to sit at my right and at my left, this is not mine to give
but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.
The positions at the right and the left of Jesus would not be given arbitrarily on the basis of a system of favoritism. Rather, they would be given to any and to all who abandoned themselves to the will of the Father as Jesus did. They could not be had by seeking them but only by surrender, following in the footsteps of Jesus himself. The ten should have interpreted this as good news, that those thrones might still be open for them. But instead, perhaps unsure at this point if those thrones were worth the price, they took offense at James and John for trying to take them for themselves and to be honored above the others.
When the ten heard this,
they became indignant at the two brothers.
The cross and the chalice are realities in the lives of all Christians. Often they make us consider what there will be for us, what we can get out of it, or how it is worthwhile to embrace such realities. Even our imperfect understanding of the rewards in store for us is enough for the Lord to draw us on. But let us learn, if we can, to seek the rewards found in servanthood rather than in greatness, to seek to be first by first seeking to be last, just like Jesus himself who "did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."
We hold this treasure in earthen vessels,
that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us.
We should learn that we too are earthen vessels and that it is not ultimately all about us. We have all sorts of defects and difficulties, but it doesn't matter as long as we allow the surpassing power of God to manifest in us. This happens when we don't insist on the importance of the vessel so much as the quality of the content.
always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus,
so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body.
Like Saint James, we may even experience being "given up to death for the sake of Jesus". But if we embrace the reality that we are merely the vessels for the surpassing power of God we too might embrace this fate in a way that makes "the life of Jesus" to be "manifested in our body". When this is how we follow Jesus we discover a reward that is no longer limited to only a few but is available for ourselves and, without being diminished, for all people.
Everything indeed is for you,
so that the grace bestowed in abundance on more and more people
may cause the thanksgiving to overflow for the glory of God.
Darrell Evans - Trading My Sorrows
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