Greatness

" James and John, son of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to Him, 'Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of You.'  He replied, 'What do you wish me to do for you?' They answered Him, 'Grant that in your glory, we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.' Jesus said to them 'You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink?'  They said to Him, 'We can.'
When the [other] ten [disciples] heard this, they became indignant at James and John. Jesus summoned them and said to them, 'You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.' " --[ Mark 10:35-45].

There is a human tendency to treat God as the "Answer Man." We ask Him, as Janis Joplin did, for a Mercedes Benz. We ask Him to pave the way for a promotion at work. We ask that He bring us a designer wardrobe or a bigger house.

But, God is not like a genie, granting us three wishes.

Sometimes, what we want is not what is good for us. Sometimes, God has other plans, and a far different timing.

We believe that what we want is greatness. James and John believe that they want to be seated at the right hand and at the left hand of Jesus. But these disciples do not understand the cost involved.

Our society -- and Jesus' society -- believe that greatness is Power. Whether at work, as a parent, or as a neighbor, or family member, we humans believe that success means having the ability to judge, and ultimately, to control others. This is what Jesus accused the Gentiles of.

Yet, we read the Ten Commandments, and we see that each Commandment is written to lead us to humility, and ultimately to Love.

We read the First Commandment, "I am the Lord your God"-- and we need to ask ourselves, Do we believe that we are in charge of this world and this life? Do we worship at the altar of human achievement? Do we think we are greater than God?

We read the Second Commandment, " You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in Heaven or on earth below . . You shall not bow down to them or worship them."  We need to ask ourselves, Do we idolize amassing vast wealth, or coveting expensive items? Do we think that greatness is defined by owning more or better things?

We read the Third Commandment, "You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God." Do we think that we are great when we do not get what we think we are owed in this life; and then, we curse the God who does not supply us these things?

We read the Fourth Commandment, "Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy." We need to ask ourselves, Do we believe that Sunday is just like any other day, a day to indulge ourselves in luxury? Do we believe that we do not need God?

We read the Fifth Commandment, "Honor your father and mother." We need to ask ourselves, Do we honor the institution of marriage, and honor the man and woman who gave us life and raised us? Or, once out of the family nest, do we believe that we are greater than the family we came from?

We read the Sixth Commandment, "You shall not murder." We need to ask ourselves, Do we hate others, criticize and harshly judge? Do we think that our greatness lies in being rulers over all, lording our quick judgments over all, and making our authority felt? Why do we believe that we are greater, just by tearing our neighbor down?

We read the Seventh Commandment, "You shall not commit adultery." We need to ask ourselves, Are we made greater, by sneaking around, misleading others to believe that they are the only ones in our hearts?

We read the Eighth Commandment, "You shall not steal." We need to ask ourselves, Are we greater when we believe we are owed the paper goods and office supplies that we steal from our employer -- all because we feel entitled to a bigger raise and more employee recognition?

We read the Ninth Commandment, "You shall not give false testimony". We need to ask ourselves, Are we made greater when we gossip about others, spreading lies or half-truths and sitting in judgment over what they may or amy not have done?

We read the Tenth Commandment, "You shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his possessions." We need to ask ourselves, will we be made greater if we had what our neighbor has? Or, would our feelings of longing be the same, since what we truly long for is God?

We cannot be great, and at the same time, live a life that is "all about us."

This greatness that Jesus is talking about means being humble and serving others. This greatness comes at a cost.

It is a hard road, to take the knocks of life and realize that we are here to work for others, not to aggrandize ourselves.

We convert to this humility each day of our lives. The path is long and steep and narrow. But the reward is great -- it is an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ Himself.

[Related Postings: "Hate = Murder", 2/17/11;  "The Servant Life", 9/21/15; "And the Lowly Shall be Exalted", 9/1/13; "The Humble Shall Be Exalted", 11/14/11].

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