Then James and John, the sons 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.” Mark 10:35–37
James and John were feeling quite bold. Their boldness may have
come, in part, from the fact that they had become very familiar
with the goodness of Jesus. He was unlike any other, and His
genuineness was very evident to them. Therefore, they allowed
themselves to slip into the trap of taking Jesus’ goodness for
granted by seeking a selfish favor from our Lord. Jesus’ response
is gentle and thoughtful, and, in the end, James and John are
somewhat humbled by their attempt to obtain this selfish favor when
the other disciples become “indignant” at their request.
Jesus summarizes His response to these disciples this way:
“...whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.”
Jesus, of course, was especially speaking about Himself. He was the
greatest and the first among them. And for that reason, Jesus
humbled Himself as their servant and the “slave of all.” Normally,
the idea of being a slave has very negative connotations. Slavery
is an abuse of the dignity of another. It’s a way of discarding the
dignity of the person. But, nonetheless, Jesus says that the ideal
way to be truly great is to become a slave of all.
When literal slavery is imposed upon another, this is a grave
abuse. But there is another form of holy slavery of which Jesus is
speaking. For Jesus, a holy slavery is one in which we give
ourselves to another in a sacrificial way out of love. And this is
what Jesus did to perfection. His death on the Cross was a true
physical death. It was a sacrifice of His earthly life, but it was
done freely and for the purpose of setting others free. In
referring to Himself, Jesus explains His holy “slavery” when He
says, “For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Jesus’ greatness is first found in the simple fact that He is God.
But His greatness is made most manifest in His human nature when He
gives His life “as a ransom for many.” It is the Cross that becomes
the greatest act of loving service ever known. The fruit of His
selfless sacrifice is the salvation of all who turn to Him. Thus,
Jesus turns slavery and death into the greatest act of love ever
known.
Reflect, today, upon your own calling to live a life of holy
slavery. How is God calling you to sacrificially give yourself to
others out of love? From a purely human point of view, the idea of
sacrifice, servitude and even holy slavery is hard to comprehend.
But when we use Jesus as the model, it becomes much clearer. Look
for ways in which you can give yourself to others selflessly and
know that the more you can imitate our Lord in this holy endeavor,
the greater your life will be.
Lord of all holiness, Your greatness was made manifest in Your
human nature by Your act of perfect servitude when You freely chose
to die for the sins of those who turn to You for redemption. You
humbled Yourself, taking on the form of a slave, so that all could
be set free. Help me to always trust in Your great love and to
continually open myself to the gift of redemption You offer. Jesus,
I trust in You.
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Featured image above: Jesus and his Disciples on the Sea of
Galilee By Carl Oesterley, Wikimedia Commons
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