When the 10 disciples heard about James and John’s request to Jesus – “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” They were angry at them. Was it because the other 10 disciples were so humble that they were upset that James and John didn’t understand Jesus’ call for humility? I am going to go out on a limb here and say “no”. I reckon they were angry because they didn’t think of it first. They were angry because James and John got a head start on what they also wanted – to sit right next to Jesus in Heaven and receive that prominent glory.
Peter was quick to point out to Jesus last week that he had left everything to follow Jesus. And again Jesus spells out to them that they need to understand that God works differently to human understanding of power and authority. He reminds them of how ruthless earthly authority can be: You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them.
And so, again, Jesus spells out what God’s call to humble servanthood looks like: Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.
This is really important for all of us to understand as we journey through this life to our life in the Kingdom of God. Granted that we may not be looking for positions of authority in God’s Kingdom. Like you, I presume you would just be happy being in heaven as Psalm 84 says: Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
Whether or not we are sitting at Jesus’ left or right, we need to remember that God knows us all intimately even the very hairs on our head are numbered. So as we wait for that glorious day for our entry into heaven we are asked to have that same humility that Jesus showed and in our Hebrews reading we are given a description of what that looked like. In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.
Our Hebrews reading reveals to us a very deep mystery. That suffering is part of our humility. It says that Jesus learnt obedience through suffering. And that he became perfect and the source of salvation through his suffering and our suffering not because he was he Son of God.
St Paul says a very similar thing in Philippians chapter 2 when he describes Jesus’ humility. Firstly he describes his humility in giving up his heavenly glory – the glory that John and James were asking for when Paul says: Jesus, who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he emptied himself by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a human being, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!
Again, Paul is linking obedience and suffering. And it was through his humility – through his obedience – through his suffering that Jesus revealed true greatness as God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name. So, as our Hebrews reading says about Jesus’ greatness was that Christ did not glorify himself but was appointed by the one who said to him, You are my Son.
So James and John’s search for greatness began wrongly. They wanted highly designated seats in heaven – one at Jesus’ left and one at his right. But Jesus reveals that true greatness is hidden. True greatness in God’s Kingdom is not measured by human standards as we saw throughout Jesus’ life from the moment he was born. Born in a feeding trough in a barn. Rejected by his hometown. Calls for his crucifixion by his own people. And then humiliated before dying a gruesome and shameful death.
But all this was hidden greatness which will be revealed when Jesus returns. And when Christ returns then his true glory will be revealed and so will ours. Until then our glory and greatness is hidden behind the suffering of the world. Both the suffering of the world and our own personal suffering.
It is not a nice time when we go through periods of suffering but somehow there are hidden blessings that the world cannot comprehend and neither can we, except through faith in God; Again, as St Paul discovered in 2 Corinthians 12. There Paul describes the suffering that he experienced which he believed was a hindrance to the work he was doing for God. 3 times he pleaded with God to take the suffering away – to which God responds – “my grace is all you need for my power is made perfect in weakness – in suffering. So Paul, instead of pleading for the removal of his suffering now boasted gladly in his suffering as the power of Christ was revealed in him.
And in Romans he further discovers the hidden glory revealed in his suffering: He says: We glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Not everyone can attain worldly greatness. Look at the example of John and James. They wanted the 2 seats available – one on the left and one on the right of Jesus. That’s it. There are no other seats next to Jesus. So worldly greatness is limited. We can’t all be number one – someone has to be number 2 – someone has to be last.
I’m not sure if the story is true but – A reporter once asked the celebrated orchestra conductor Leonard Bernstein what was the most difficult instrument to play. To the reporter’s surprise, Leonard Bernstein replied without any hesitation whatever: “Second fiddle! I can always get plenty of first violinists, but to find one who plays second violin with as much enthusiasm is not easy.
We need to discover the greatness that God has placed in all of us. As Paul says, we are God’s masterpiece created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God has prepared in advance for us to do.
As we continue to journey through this pandemic and beyond let us keep trusting in God as it is in that trust during times of suffering that we discover God’s presence with us. In the Old Testament we hear that when Moses ascended Mt Sinai to speak face to face with God it says that Moses entered the cloud of thick darkness where God was. So in this time of prolonged darkness let us continue to offer up our prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who is able to save us from death, and we can be confident that God hears us because Jesus is our great high priest.
We don’t need to be at his right or left hand side because wherever we are Jesus is at the right hand of God praying for us.
