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We recently learned from Jesus' interaction with the rich young man that the Kingdom of God was not about worldly riches, but rather the treasure one would have in heaven as a result of following Jesus. Peter then asked Jesus how he and the other disciples would be compensated for what they had given up to follow Jesus. There were certainly real benefits in the present life and eternal life in the age to come. But there were also, it was hard to ignore, persecutions as part of the package. No wonder "those who followed were afraid" at this point. Jesus had already predicted his own death twice before now and it really did begin to appear to he wasn't joking or using some kind of metaphorical teaching device.
"Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man
will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes,
and they will condemn him to death
and hand him over to the Gentiles who will mock him,
spit upon him, scourge him, and put him to death,
but after three days he will rise."
Even on this third prediction of the passion the disciples did not seem to come to grips with the reality Jesus was describing. Rather than taking note of the distress that their friend surely felt and trying to comfort him and support him they seemed to double down on the self-protective tactics of their egos. In the face of the cross their demands for what they could get or salvage from their commitment to Jesus became increasingly pronounced.
"Grant that in your glory
we may sit one at your right and the other at your left."
The Sons of Zebedee tried to ask for compensation in terms of earthly glory, like worldly rulers seated at the right and the left of an earthly king. But the throne of Jesus was otherwise from that paradigm. His reign began upon the cross, and the positions on his right and his left were not those envisioned by James and John. To share the glory of Jesus required that those who wished to share it must also share in his chalice and in his baptism, in other words to share in his cross. To follow Jesus was not to be exempted from a world of trial and suffering in order to receive blessings instead. It was rather to have a different experience of suffering, offering it for others, and being transformed thereby.
Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink the chalice that I drink
or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?"
They said to him, "We can."
They did not know what they were asking when they asked to reign with Jesus. And they did not know what they were answering when they responded with such gusto that they could obviously drink any drink and receive any baptism that Jesus offered them. And yet, the response of Jesus is heartening. He did not tell them that they had it all wrong and would need to start over from the beginning to have any hope of following him. He didn't upbraid them for their selfishness and their failure of compassion toward him. He seemingly might well have said, 'You've missed the point entirely', but did not. Rather, there was still something in the zeal of James and John that could be salvaged.
Jesus said to them, "The chalice that I drink, you will drink,
and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized;
but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give
but is for those for whom it has been prepared.
This is good news for all of us. When talk of the cross arises most of us instinctively try to come up with ways where we can make this inevitable necessity work out in such a way that it is somehow entirely painless consolation. We imagine that we can take the cross out of the cross, receiving it only as a lovely symbol, defanged of all danger. But this is our ego resisting the necessity of dying to our old self. It is our reluctance to give our lives for the sake of others. But we need the cross, the real unvarnished cross, so that we too can experience the power of the resurrection. Yet even our avoidance behavior will not necessarily prevent Jesus from having his way in us and transforming us into who we were meant to be. His example will show us the way and the grace purchased by the ransom of his own blood will give us the power we need to imitate that example.
Realize that you were ransomed from your futile conduct,
handed on by your ancestors,
not with perishable things like silver or gold
but with the precious Blood of Christ
as of a spotless unblemished Lamb.
The precious Blood of Christ can transform us so that we too can seek to use our lives to serve others and bring them freedom. When his Blood covers us we can get beyond the need to get what we can get for ourselves so that we can instead begin to consider what we can get for others. Then we will avoid such pitfalls as the jealousy demonstrated by the disciples as each desired to maximize their worldly return on their investment in Jesus. Instead of rivalry and envy we will begin to experience the supernatural reality promised by Jesus to those who gave up all they had to follow him and poignantly described by Peter in today's first reading.
Since you have purified yourselves
by obedience to the truth for sincere brotherly love,
love one another intensely from a pure heart.
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