July 9, 2015: Matthew 20:20-28

Matthew 20:20-28

²⁰Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, and kneeling before him, she asked a favor of him. ²¹And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” ²²But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” ²³He said to them, “You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” ²⁴When the ten heard it, they were angry with the two brothers. ²⁵But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. ²⁶It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, ²⁷and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave;²⁸just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

Reflection:

                I run for exercise. A more accurate description might be that I “wog” for exercise; it’s a combination between a walk and a slow jog. I am not fast, but I enjoy it and I feel better on days that I wog- although those days are sometimes few and far between. A friend of mine asked me to run a race with her. We thought this would be a good way to motivate ourselves to be more disciplined in our exercise routine.  As the race approached we had not been any more disciplined in our running in anticipation of the race. If anything, we had slacked off due to bad weather and busy work weeks. In the end we did not run in the race. Although the t-shirt, the free goodies, and the accolades of completing the race sounded appealing, we knew that we were not ready. With more practice and discipline we would be ready and able for another race.

                The sons of Zebedee wanted the grandeur, the recognition, and the reward of sitting at the right and left hand of Jesus, but they were not prepared for the effort and the sacrifice of drinking the cup of Jesus. Jesus knew that they were not yet ready and had no understanding of what they were asking, but Jesus did not give up on them. He said that one day they would drink the cup and then he explained to them and the other 10 disciples what it really means to follow him: it is not about receiving honors and high ranking positions, it is about serving, humbling yourself, and even sacrificing for God. These are skills we can exercise and improve just as we can improve an athletic skill. It is easy to get caught up, like the sons of Zebedee, in who is the best or most talented volunteer, but instead we should focus on our attitude when we give and seek to serve Christ and others first.

Questions:

1.      What motivates me to serve God or my church? What do I let stop me from serving?
2.     How can I become more disciplined in my service and spiritual practices so that I can continue to grow as a Christian?
3.     What is an unseen job in my church for which I can volunteer to serve without recognition?

Prayer:
Lord, use me as a tool to spread your love, justice, and peace throughout creation. Use me in whatever areas and ways that I am needed. Mold my heart so that I will not seek recognition and accolades, but only seek to serve you better. In Christ’s name I pray. Amen.