Can You Drink the Cup?
In today's Gospel, after Jesus gives us the third of his great prophecies of the Passion, there follows immediately the request of the mother of Zebedee’s sons for a high position in the Kingdom. Perhaps it was a bit bold of her to ask that of Jesus, but it was clearly a mother’s love that was behind her request. In Mark, it is the disciples themselves who asked Jesus for this favour. But did they understand what she and her sons were asking? No, if they did realise what they were asking, they may not have asked Jesus for this “favour” at all. Instead, the mother would have asked her sons to remain faithful to Jesus, carry their crosses and follow Jesus promptly in order for them to be able to sit at the side of Jesus in his kingdom. They were only thinking in worldly terms, taking Jesus as a political Messiah.
Little did they know that Jesus was to undergo suffering in order to save humanity as a Messiah which was contrary to the understanding of the Messiah among the Jews. The mother's and even disciples' understanding of the kingdom of God was a worldly understanding, that is, power over others, authority over all the Earth and where the people in power are to be served. However, the kingdom of God to Jesus is different, it involves drinking the cup of Jesus. That's why Jesus asks the disciples, can you drink the cup which I am going to drink? Sitting at the right or left of Jesus in his Kingdom involves drinking the cup which he drank, that is to do the works which Jesus himself did, suffer like him for his sake and even accept death as he accepted it on the cross. It is not a matter of saying Yes and not acting. On top of this is being a servant to all the people, as Jesus himself was for He came to serve and not to be served.
Christ had to suffer as the other servants of God suffered and we too have to suffer; we have to be ready to drink the cup. As we see in today's first reading, the people wanted to kill Jeremiah because of speaking in the name of God. John the Baptist suffered for preaching repentance and believing in God and was killed. David had to flee from his own son into exile. Moses was prevented from entering the Promised Land. Elijah ran headlong into the desert to avoid the wrath of Jezebel. And many others. Down through the church history, many saints and Christians have suffered and even died for the gospel; they drunk the cup of Christ. Are we ready to drink the same cup? With the benefit of the Gospels and the teachings of the Church, let us reaffirm our faith in our suffering Savior and embrace our own suffering in imitation of Christ this Lent.
What kind of cup might the Lord Jesus have in mind for each one of us who are his followers? For some disciples such a cup will entail physical suffering and the painful struggle of martyrdom - the readiness to die for one's faith in Christ. But for many followers of Jesus Christ, it entails the long routine of the Christian life, with all its daily sacrifices, disappointments, set-backs, struggles, and temptations. A disciple must be ready to lay down his or her life in martyrdom for Christ and be ready to lay it down each and every day in the little and big sacrifices required as well. Most probably, people will plot to kill us or to bring us down, as they did to Jeremiah in the first reading, because of our servantship and standing for the truth, but one who persists up to the end, will be saved.
Jesus also gives us another secret of being great in the kingdom of God, that is, servant leadership. At the end of today's gospel, Jesus out laws titles of honour like ‘Rabbi’ and ‘Father’, and underlines that the only dignity in the Christian Church is service. Ministry of a priest or bishop is not a dignity but a service, for they are called to participate in the same ministry of service like Jesus. The titles of honour, ‘My Lord’, ‘Your Eminence’, etc., have no validity in the Church except insofar as they indicate a sharing in Christ’s ministry of service. The glory of ministry in the Church, whether it be archbishop, Eucharistic minister, catechist, altar-server or church-cleaner, is to be alert to the needs of others and help them come closer to our heavenly Father. A clean floor is a real help to tranquil prayer!
Let us Pray
Lord God, tend my humility and sevantiship so that I will be able to drink the cup of Jesus with love and service and then inherit and sit beside Jesus in your kingdom. Amen
Blessed Lenten Season
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