Hi everyone, welcome back to the Daily gospel exegesis podcast.
We're going to get straight into today's episode because we have
a longer reading. So this is the reading you would
here today at Mass Mark. Chapter 10 verses 35 to 45 James
and John, the sons of Zebedee approach.
Master. They said to him, we want you to
do us a favor. He said to them, what is it?
You want me to do for you? They said to him, allow us to
sit one at your right hand and the other as your left in your
glory. You do not know what you are
asking. Jesus said to them.
Can you drink the cup that I must drink or be baptized with
the baptism with, which I must be baptized?
They replied, we can. Jesus said to them, the cup that
I must drink. You shall drink and with the
baptism with, which I must be baptized, you shall be baptized.
But as for the seats at my right or my left hand, these are not
mine to Grant. They belong to those to whom
they have been allotted. When the other 10 heard this,
they began to feel indignant with James and John.
So Jesus called to them called them to him and said to them,
you know, that among the pagans their so-called rulers, Lord it
over them and their great men, make their Authority, felt.
This is not to happen among. You know, anyone who wants to
become great among you must be your servant and anyone who
wants to be first among you must be slave to all.
For the son of man, himself did not come to be served, but to
serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.
So let's start by thinking about the context.
So Jesus is on the way to Jerusalem.
He's getting towards the end of his life now and he's just taken
the 12 Apostles of side and he's given them another prediction
about his death. And he's been quite specific
about how his death is going to come about.
Verse 35. Now the things change a little
bit, James and John, the sons of Zebedee approached him.
So these are the fisherman, James and John, and Matthews
version clarifies. That actually what happens here
is that their mother approaches Jesus to ask on their behalf,
but Mark simplifies it here and says, it's James and John
themself Master. They said to him we want you to
do us a favor. Actually what it says.
They're more literally is we want you to do for us, whatever
we ask of you. That's a pretty audacious thing
for them to say to Jesus. So it looks like they want Jesus
to agree to their request before they actually tell him what it
is, which is pretty sneaky. Maybe James and John are relying
on their status as some of the closest Apostles.
And they just hoping that Jesus will grant their request.
Verse 36. He said to them.
What is it? You want me to do for you?
They said to him, allow us to sit one at your right hand and
the other at your left in your glory.
Now. It's likely that James and John
are thinking that the kingdom will arrive very soon.
When they reach Jerusalem. That was the Jewish view that as
soon as the Messiah reaches Jerusalem publicly.
Then the kingdom will come. So maybe they're perceived, the
kingdom is about to arrive, and that's why they've said, can we
sit at your right hand and your left hand as you come in your
glory because they think it's about to happen.
So the phrase here, just sit at your right hand and your left
hand. It sort of conjures up these
images of a throne room sitting next to a monarch or a king was
a tremendous privilege in the ancient near East.
So to sit at the right and the left hand of a king would be the
two most important people in his kingdom.
So they're asking Jesus. Can we be your right-hand, man?
Can we be your most important people in your kingdom?
Now apparently, if you think about it, Jesus has actually
already assigned this role to Peter at least in a sense.
But of course James and John don't really understand that
verse 38. Jesus says, you do not know what
you are asking. So Jesus says, they don't
understand what sitting at his right hand and left hand would
actually entail. What does it mean to be greatest
in the Kingdom? Well, Jesus is going to clarify.
It means you're going to suffer. Jesus said to them.
Can you drink the cup that I must drink?
Now drinking a cup was a common Jewish metaphor for experiencing
suffering suffering. Particularly experiencing God's
Wrath in particular that was considered to be drinking the
cup of God's Wrath. So we see this in Psalm 75.
It's in Isaiah 51. Jeremiah 25.
Ezekiel 23 all through the Old Testament.
There's this imagery of God's Wrath being like drinking a cup.
So Jesus, he says that in order for someone to have a high
position in the Kingdom. He must experience.
Suffering, we need to keep this in mind.
As 21st century, Christians to be great.
In the kingdom of God is not to know about Jesus, or to do lots
of theology or something. It's to suffer for his sake.
And then Jesus at the second phrase, a parallel phrase, or
can you be baptized with the baptism with, which I must be
baptized. So baptism was sort of a common
Jewish way of describing immersion.
So it didn't just refer to water immersion.
It could refer to any emergency. Asian.
And in this case, it's suffering.
Jesus here is basically saying can you be immersed in the
suffering that I'll be immersed in verse 39.
They replied, we can now in all likelihood James and John, of
course, they don't fully understand what Jesus means, but
it seems that they're willing to experience suffering for the
kingdom. They're actually, they say here.
We're willing to do that for you.
Jesus. Of course, they don't understand
the full extent that would be required.
So Jesus says to them. Cup that I must drink.
You shall drink and the baptism with, which I must be baptized,
you shall be baptized with. So, Jesus here confirms the
James, and John will indeed experience suffering for the
kingdom. And we know from history, that
both James and John were persecuted, and it looks like
both of them were martyred. Depending on.
There's mixed Traditions there about John, but certainly James
was martyred. In fact, James was the first
Apostle to be martyred. It's in a d44 only about 10
years after. This that James has killed.
And we see this in Acts chapter 12 verse 2.
It actually talks about James being martyred.
So in a sense here, you could say that a lesson we can learn
from. This is be careful what you ask
Jesus for, because he might give it to you.
So Jesus says that, but then he qualifies and in verse 40, but
as for my seats, at my right hand or my left, these are not
mine to Grant. Now, Matthews version adds hear
a phrase that helps make it clearer in Matthews version.
Jesus says these seats have been allotted by my father.
So from this, we learned that rewards and positions in the
kingdom of God will exist. There will be high positions in
the Kingdom, but they're going to be allocated by the father.
So here we learn some You're seeing things about the Trinity,
the Son, and the father have different roles in Salvation
history. The one who's going to assign
rewards and positions is apparently the Father, the Son
is sent by the father to help bring the father's Kingdom to
Earth. But once it's accomplished at
the end of time in the final kingdom of God, when a finally
comes in its fullness, Jesus turns all authority to the
father. So, in that final Kingdom
rewards will be assigned by the father.
They belong to those who have the to those to whom they have
been allotted or more literally, for whom it has been prepared.
So Jesus says, there will be people who have the highest
positions in the Kingdom, but they've already been allotted to
people, or they belong to those to whom the father will allot
them. Now, interestingly NT Wright,
the famous New Testament scholar, has an interesting view
about this verse, and he could be right.
So he says, let's think carefully about what James and
John asking for their asking to sit at his right and left hand.
In when Jesus comes in his kingdom.
Now, when does Jesus come in his kingdom?
Well, arguably, that happens at different times, but certainly,
one of the key moments. And certainly, Jesus moment of
being thrown meant is on the cross when he dies on the cross,
that's in a sense when Jesus comes as king.
So NT Wright says that the seats on his right, and his left have
actually been allocated to the criminals on the right and left
of Jesus. When he's on the cross, those
who were crucified on either side of him, which kind of makes
sense because This comes as King when he dies on the cross,
certainly, he's presented as Kingman.
And there's people who are literally on his right and his
left at that time. That's an intriguing
possibility. Maybe Jesus here is thinking of
the criminals who were going to be crucified on either side of
him. It's an interesting view.
It could be right. I'm not sure that it's the right
view personally because at least one of the criminals who were
crucified with Jesus, is apparently a destined for
Eternal damnation because he insults Jesus on the cross.
And so it's still interesting to think about though, verse 41,
when the other 10 heard this, they began to feel indignant
with James and John. So the other Apostles get
annoyed here at James and John either because they think James
and John are being rude or because they themselves, want
the positions of being at the right and left hand of Jesus
verse 42. So Jesus called to him, to call
to them and said to them. So Jesus is going to call them
again the 12 and he often does this He perceives that there's
some sort of problem or misunderstanding among the
apostles. So he's going to clarify
something. He says to them, you know, that
among the pagans the so-called rulers Lord it over them and
their great men, make their Authority felt you can trains
like this. The Great Men exercise authority
over them. And basically, this is how the
Roman rulers worked. They were very authoritative.
They were quite brutal. In fact, that's how most rulers
in the ancient world worked. So Jesus says to them, you know,
what the The most rulers are like, but then in verse 43, this
is not to happen among you. So Jesus, here is using this as
a teaching opportunity to describe what he wants
leadership to look like in the kingdom of God.
Basically, it's servant leadership, Jesus.
He says there's no place for self-promotion or rivalry among
his Apostles, which is what they're currently doing.
He says, if you're going to be the Future Leaders of my church,
there's no place for this kind of attitude.
You need to be servant. And then Jesus gets even
stronger in verse 44. He says to them anyone who wants
to become great among you. So Jesus says anyone who wants
to have a position of authority in the kingdom of God, must be
your servant and anyone who wants to be first among you must
be slave to all. So Jesus says, if you want to be
great in the kingdom of God and indeed, there will be people who
are great in the kingdom of God. You need to serve others
selflessly, not Lord it over them.
M. Now to be a slave to all that's
a pretty tall order. Jesus says, you have to be the
servant of all men that would not be easy for them to swallow.
But Jesus says that's how meerut before God is gained in the
kingdom. And in fact, Paul himself in the
later New Testament letters would describe his own Ministry
in similar terms. He describes himself as a slave
to all he says that in 1 Corinthians 9 verse 19 in also,
Second Corinthians 4, verse 5, So certainly, the early
Christians did understand their Ministry to be kind of like a
universal servanthood. And then, in verse 45, Jesus is
going to explain why it's important that they're like
servants. He says, for the son of man,
himself did not come to be served, but to serve, and to
give his life as a ransom for many.
So, let's pull apart this phrase.
It's quite a famous One. So the first word here is for,
so Jesus is going to explain that, what he's just said about,
what the apostles need to be. Like he says the Apostle should
act like this because the very King of the Kingdom himself acts
like this. The son of man himself did not
come. So the son of man means the
Messiah. Jesus here is going to say the
Messiah came from God, but he did not come to be served like
the Earthly rulers that they were familiar with.
Rather. He came to serve.
This is pretty profound. If you think about it, the
Messiah came not to be served but to serve the common Jewish
View at the time. Was that the Messiah would
basically be kind of like an authoritative ruler.
Jesus says, no, he's come to serve.
Jesus came to heal people and deliver them from bondage not to
make people slaves. In fact, the word here for serve
is dire Konya, which of course is where we get the word Deacon
from Jesus himself is the first Deacon, which is interesting.
And he says, even further, the son of man came to give his
life, which of course, happens on the cross as a ransom for
many. Ransom is an interesting term.
It's a legal metaphor to pay a ransom in that culture.
Basically meant paying the captur a sum of money.
In order to set the captives free.
This has been interpreted different ways in terms of
atonement for eulogy. Certainly, the starting point we
need to think about is, how is this used in the Old Testament?
Well, God himself says that he has ransomed his people in the
Old Testament. He says his Ransom them from
slavery in Egypt. That's in Deuteronomy chapter 7
and also, So, Isaiah 35:10. So God himself is the one who
ransoms his people in the Old Testament.
He's the one who gives of himself to redeem his people
from their slavery. So there must be a similar thing
going on here. Jesus himself is giving of
himself in order to set his people free.
So Jesus here is saying that by his death.
He will set people free. So, the question there is, what
is he setting them free from? Because they're not really in
Exile in A sense they are but that's not really the big issue.
What he's doing is he's setting them free from their exile to
sin his. The Israel that the Israelites
the Jewish people were currently in bondage to sin and Jesus has
come to set them free from that on the cross.
Who is he paying the debt to? So, normally, with this idea of
paying a ransom, you usually paying to a particular person.
So, you could interpret this to say that Jesus is paying a debt
to God himself. God, the father.
That's who Jesus pays the debt, to, on the cross, to set his
people free. That's certainly possible.
You can interpret that in, in a good way.
That's possible. But I think it's more likely
that if Jesus is paying a debt to anyone on the cross, it is
Needed to Satan in a sense by living a life and death of
obedience Jesus. In a sense wins the right to
redeem people from Satan and bring them into the kingdom of
God. Now, even if we take that
interpretation, that he's paying a debt to Satan.
It's not because Jesus owes anything to Satan because Jesus,
of course, ranks, higher than Satan a far higher than Satan,
but you could see it is his voluntarily laying down his life
in order to take them out of the kingdom of Satan and the kingdom
of sin. In into the kingdom of
righteousness. That is certainly the New
Testament view, of course, all of this would link to the image
of the suffering servant in Isaiah 52 and 53.
We're in that. In those chapters of Isaiah, the
servant. The Messiah is going to make
many people righteous. It actually says there.
He'll make many righteous and remit the sins of many by
bearing their afflictions. Clearly.
It has here, the Messiah in View, and we always need to keep
in mind to you that Jesus on the cross.
Is acting as a representative of Israel.
Israel had become quite sinful and that's in a sense why they
were in Exile under the Romans and Israel them self represented
the whole world. So when Jesus is said to die for
the sins of the Whole World Hears, he can say that because
he is Israel's representative. And by extension his the
representative of all mankind. It's a really interesting
theology here. I'd encourage you to check it
out and I think the best book for this is NT Wright's book,
The Day, The Revolution began it.
He unpacks this idea of Jesus, being the representative
sacrifice on the cross and what that means in terms of Israel
and the world and redeeming them from the slavery of sin.
It's quite an interesting book. Notice here.
Jesus says, he's come to be a ransom to give his life as a
ransom for many. Now that's a Jewish way of
saying lots of people. Now it probably does mean
something like for the sins of the whole world has come to die
for the sins of the whole world. Of course, that doesn't mean
that everyone is saved. Really interesting passage.
We've looked at today. Let's now turn to the catechism
paragraph, 536 is about Jesus, own baptism, and here, it's
going to link to the suffering of Jesus death, which is in a
sense, a baptism, according to Mark chapter 10, the baptism of
Jesus is on his part, the acceptance and inauguration of
his mission as God's suffering servant.
He allows himself to be numbered among Sinners.
He is already the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the
world already. He is anticipating.
Painting. The baptism of his bloody death
already. He is coming to fulfill all
righteousness. That is he is submitting
himself. Entirely to his father's will
out of love. He consents to this baptism of
death for the remission of our sins.
So that's quite a nice paragraph about how Jesus baptism is a
foreshadowing of his own death. Again on the same theme,
paragraph 1 to 25 in his Passover Christ, open to all
man, the Fountain of baptism. He had already spoken of his
passion, which he was about to suffer in Jerusalem as a baptism
with, which he had to be baptized the blood and water
that flowed from the pierced side of the crucified Jesus a
types of baptism. And the Eucharist, the
sacraments of new life from, then on it is possible to be
born of water and the spirit in order to enter the kingdom of
God. See where you are, baptized see
where baptism comes from. If not from the Cross of Christ
from his death. There is the whole mystery.
He died for you in him. You are redeemed in him.
You are saved. Paragraph 618 is about how we
participate in Christ's sacrifice.
He calls his disciples to take up their cross and follow him
for Christ. Suffered for us leaving us an
example that we should follow in his steps.
So that they're, of course, links to what Jesus says about.
You need to suffer if you're going to be my disciple.
Paragraph 1551. This is about the priesthood.
The sacrament of the priesthood. The priesthood is ministerial
that office which the Lord committed to the pastures of his
people is in the strict sense of the term, a service.
It is entirely related to Christ and to men, it depends entirely
on Christ and on his unique priesthood.
It has been instituted for the good of man and the communion of
the church. The sacrament of holy orders,
communicates a sacred power, which is none.
Other than that. Christ.
The exercise of this Authority must therefore be measured
against the model of Christ who by love made himself, the least
and the servant of all. So here, when Jesus says, you
need to be the servant of all the Catholic Church teaches
that, that's how priests should be in their role as priests.
They are to serve all people just as Jesus did paragraph six
or eight is about the lamb who takes away the sin of the world.
And here, we're going to here mark.
Chapter 10 quoted after agreeing to baptize him along with
Sinners John, the Baptist look to Jesus and pointed him out as
the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the World by doing.
So he reveals it. Jesus is at the same time, the
suffering servant, who silently allows himself to be led to the
slaughter and who Bears, the sin of the multitudes and also the
Paschal Lamb, the symbol of Israel's Redemption at the first
Passover, Christ's whole life expresses his mission to Serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Last paragraph is a paragraph 1570.
This is about the ordination of deacons deacons share in
Christ's Mission and Grace in a special way.
The sacrament of holy orders, marks them with an imprint
character, which cannot be removed and which configures
them to Christ who made himself the Deacon or servant of all,
so, remember here in the Greek, it literally says that Jesus has
come to be the Deacon of all. So the deacons in the Catholic
church are too. Oh, Jesus.
So many interesting paragraphs that we've looked at today.
I'll try to include all of these in the show notes, which you can
find in the episode description. If you've enjoyed today's
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difference, will continue in Mark, chapter 10 in the coming
days.