October 21 NOTES FOR REFLECTION Ordinary 29

October 21                             NOTES FOR REFLECTION                         Ordinary 29

Texts:  Isaiah 53:4-12; Hebrews 5:5-10; Mark 10:35-45

Theme:  Something about ambition, power games, boys behaving badly?  I'm going with "They Did not Understand".

Introduction.  At first sight it seems a little odd to be starting with the major "Servant Song" when we are still 5 months shy of Good Friday.  Similarly, the tone of our second lesson would suggest it belongs somewhere nearer the Cross.  It's only when we focus on the context of our gospel passage that we may get the point the Lectionary is trying to draw to our attention.  For the second time, the disciples are playing power games and for the second time they are doing so immediately after Jesus has been talking about his forthcoming Passion.  The purpose of our two lessons today is surely to spell out in graphic detail the full horror of what was then weighing heavily on Jesus' mind and contrast it with what was going on in the minds of his chosen disciples.  More about this anon.

Background.  Somewhere in the dark ages of my misspent youth I saw my share of third-rate horror films; and included among them were some involving the invasion of the earth by aliens from faraway galaxies.  For some reason the advance guard of the invading force would always point their strange looking weapons at some hapless earthlings and demand, "Take us to your leader!"  About the only thing of any possible interest in this is the assumption that any community must inevitably have one or more leaders, even the relatively un-evolved people discovered on this strange planet.  [It was never explained to the aliens that the average inhabitant of Britain at the time probably had no idea who their leader was, and certainly would not have been able to provide the aliens with access to him.]

Last week I read of the annual meeting of representatives of local chambers of commerce, and was interested to read their slogan for the conference was "Leading the Leaders".  Think about that for a moment.  Does it mean ANYTHING, and, if it does, what?  If you were the hapless soul held up at ray-gunpoint, wouldn't you rather assume that the leader you were being urged to introduce was the Prime Minister – doesn't the expression "the leaders" bring to your mind members of the political power elite?  So at the conference of these worthy titans of the commercial world, were they discussing how to lead the leaders, and, if so, where to?  Or by which part of their anatomy – were they, perhaps, discussing how to lead our leaders by the nose?

Of course, even in politics views of what leadership involves vary considerably.  Bill Rowling (remember him?) was derided for being too nice; Muldoon (you certainly remember him!) was ultimately unmasked as a bully; Helen Clark was too controlling and John Key is now said to be paying the price for not exercising enough control.  Outside of politics we find different ideas of leadership.  Richie McCaw is lauded for leading by example, putting his body on the line, etc. and rarely trying to tell the other team members what they should or shouldn't be doing.  Ross Taylor is too quiet, and what the Black Caps need is someone like Brendon McCallum who tells it as it is.

And then there are Bishops!  If they try to lead from the front they are ungodly and power- mad: if they sit back and wait for consensus to emerge they are weak and vacillating.  So what is leadership about, and, come to that, what is "followship" about in the context of the Church?  Jesus undoubtedly exercised leadership; he called others to follow him; he set the agenda for discussion; and he was always in control of the day's itinerary.  Yet we do not see him as power-hungry or despotic, do we?  We see him as setting the standard in all aspects of life, by example and by teaching.  Included in that, indeed, at the centre of it, was sacrificial service of others, ultimately on the Cross, but before that in time, attention and sympathy.  When we see those qualities in someone we know that we are in the presence of a true leader, one whose calling is to lead others by serving their best interests, not his or her own.

And finally, here's another lovely bit of liturgy (from page 487): Blessed are you, most holy, in your Son, who washed his disciples' feet.  "I am among you," he said, "as one who serves."  How many leaders have you come across who could say that with a straight face?

Isaiah.  This is part of the fourth and longest of the so-called "Servant Songs" we find in Isaiah.  (The others are to be found in chapters 42, 49 and 50.)  Although somewhat mysterious, the Servant can at least be recognised as Israel in ideal form.  The people of Israel were called to be a nation of priests [Exodus 19:6].  The Servant, soon recognised as the Messiah who was to come, was to be the High Priest who would atone, not just for the sins of Israel, but for the sins of the whole world.  In verses 4-6 we have the classic theology of the Cross expressed in terms of Christ's death in substitution for ours.  We are not spared the awful agony of that death, even in this prophecy some 750 years before the event.  The whole idea of the religious practices associated with the Day of Atonement underlie this passage, including laying the sins of Israel on a scapegoat that was then driven off into the wilderness to perish.  But suddenly the whole mood and content of the imagery changes as verses 11 and 12 look ahead to the Resurrection.  Here the central image is of the King who has won the war and is now sharing out the spoils with his top brass.

Taking It Personally.

·       Read slowly through verses 4-10.  Notice the words of suffering: "despised and rejected"; "smitten and afflicted"; "pierced"; "crushed"; "oppressed and afflicted"; oppression and judgement".  Notice the loss of a chance of descendants, and the dishonourable burial.  The full horror of death is here.  Spend some time in silence – what is there to say?

·       Ponder verse 10: could it really have been God's "will to crush him and cause him to suffer"?  How do you feel about that?

·       Now enjoy verses 11 and 12.  [Recall that every time Jesus predicts his death he also predicts his resurrection.]

Hebrews.  We are now well into the writer's lengthy examination of the image of Jesus as "The Great High Priest."  Verse 4 should have been included in this reading: on it is based our doctrine of calling.  It is particularly important in the light of the fact that, at the time of Jesus, one family had bought the rights to the office!  Hence the writer's insistence that no one can seek or apply for the job, only God can call someone to that office.  The figure of Melchizedek (first met by Abram way back in Genesis 14) is a mysterious character to say the least: he may represent the old order – the mists of time – the pre-human organisations idea – a sort of mystical order that derives its authority directly from God and not from people or institutions.  The main text I have commented on recently.  It is another text that underlines again the biblical position that Jesus had to "grow up in Christ", so to speak.  He became perfect through perfect obedience to the will of God, tested and proven through extreme suffering.   Only then did he become the source of salvation for the rest of us.

Taking It Personally.

·       Spend some time calling to mind and reflecting upon your image of Jesus.  Think about his face.  How do you usually "see" his face?  Smiling?  Kindly?  Peaceful?

·       Now ponder verse 7.  Reflect how your image may differ from that outlined in that verse .  How does that image make you feel about Jesus?

·       Do you have any difficulty with the idea of Jesus having to "learn obedience" and "become perfect"?  Does that change your understanding of, or attitude towards, Jesus?  In what way?

Mark.  Here we go again!   Just one chapter after the last round of jockeying for position among the disciples, for which they were taken to task by Jesus, they're at it again.  What we might call their besetting sin – evidence of a deep-seated problem.  And all in the context of a series of misunderstandings between Jesus and his disciples that shows no signs of abating any time soon.  Consider:

9:31.               Jesus predicts his Passion.

9:33-37.          First power play – who among us is the greatest?

10:1-12.          Teaching on divorce – disciples seek further clarification.

10:13-16.        Disciples try to shoo away children – Jesus welcomes them.

10:17-31.        Rich young man – disciples astonished – seek more than clarification!

10:32-34.        Jesus again predicts his Passion.

10:35-45.        Second power play – James and John seek to book the best places.

All this when they are already on the way to Jerusalem!  The end is in sight and it is clear that the disciples still have not 'got' Jesus – they still have not 'changed their mind' from the material to the spiritual, from the kingdom of the world to the kingdom of heaven.  9:32 says it all: But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.

Today's episode is all the more poignant because it involves two of Jesus' inner circle, James and John, who with Peter had witnessed the Transfiguration.  Even that profound experience had failed to transform their inner selves.  Look at their outrageous opening line – "we want you to do for us whatever we ask"!  They have been called to follow Jesus, but instead they want him to follow them, to do their bidding.  Jesus puts to them the same question he will soon put to blind Bartimaeus on the road to Jericho (10:51) – "what do you want me to do for you?"  The beggar asks for sight – they ask for prestige and status.  Jesus tells them that they do not know what they are asking, perhaps a veiled reference to Peter's babbling nonsense at the Transfiguration (9:6).  To "drink the same cup" was a Jewish saying, meaning to "share the same fate".  Their boastful assurance "we can" looks forward, perhaps, to the blustering boasts of Peter prior to cock-crow.  When the other ten get to hear of all this they are indignant – as any caucus would be on learning of an attempted leadership coup that doesn't involve promotion for them.  Once more Jesus turns the whole concept of leadership on its head: we can be fairly confident that they didn't understand what he meant but were afraid to ask him about it.

Notice how Matthew re-writes the story – this time it's the boys' Mother who seeks the favour on their behalf: Matthew 20:20-21, but then he forgets to change the rest of the text accordingly!  A difficulty for the biblical literalists, no doubt, but a wonderful illustration of the way in which stories can get touched up when reputations are at stake.

Taking It Personally.

·       Take some time to reflect on how Jesus must have felt as he realised that he had failed to get across to his disciples his whole vision of "the Kingdom of God".  Try to experience something of his sense of disappointment, disillusion, defeat, - his sense of being fundamentally alone as he heads off the journey to the Cross.

·       Can you recall a time in your life when you felt misunderstood, isolated from those around you, unable to get through to them?

·       What do you want Jesus to do for you today?  Ask him.