Chocolate, Pigs, and Greatness

I read Mark 10:35-45 the other day and it absolutely crushed me. Are you ready?

The passage starts off hilarious. "Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to [Jesus]. 'Teacher,' they said, 'we want you to do for us whatever we ask.' "

What?

Where do you get off making such ridiculous demands to anyone like that?

It sounds like something my two year old son would say to me. The other day he came running up to my wife and threw his hand at her and demanded, "Mommy, I want choco-lot." He repeats his original demand and begins to use his free hand to point to the center of his outstretched hand, "Right there Mommy, put it right there." Not even a 'Hello'. Not a 'Please.' Heck, he didn't even try to butter her up with something cute.

My son's message was plain and simple, "Give me the chocolate and no one gets hurt."

John and James swagger up to Jesus, thrust out their hands, "Jesus, give me the chocolate right here. Put it right here Jesus."

I imagine Jesus had to summon some supernatural power in order to suppress his laughter. If a snort didn't sneak out he at least had to crack a smile as he replied in verse 36, "What do you want me to do for you?"

The brothers go on to ask for a seat at the right and left hand of God. Now that's some serious chocolate.

A few lines later, the other disciples get ticked off at James and John. They have good reason for it too right? Surely the other disciples get it, surely they know better than speak to Jesus in such a way, to ask for such things, right? Apparently not; Jesus stands in the midst of a pack of chocolate hogs all squealing, ruttin', and snorting about who should get the chocolate. (Similar scenes re-enacted in Luke 9:46-48 and 22:20-30.)

Jesus's response is stunning. Like a caring parent and teacher he gently raises his hands to hush the snorting beasts and motions them in. The piggy pack trots over and Jesus says, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. No so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all."

Then he delivers the coup de grâce.

"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Ouch.

The silence in the room must have been deafening as Jesus cut with surgical precision to the heart of the matter, greatness.

Pork and sweets aside, I don't know if this made Jesus laugh or mad or something else entirely. And I don't really think so lowly of the disciples as if I have something figured out. Truth be told, I am the child with an outstretched palm to God making ridiculous demands. Most days I have the spiritual understanding and maturity of a two year old. Tears rest upon my eyes as I type; I confess that with utmost sincerity.

Entire books could be written about this passage but I think the main issue here is greatness: God's greatness, what I like to call Kingdom Greatness (KG), versus Worldly Greatness (WG).

Let's look at what John and James originally ask for (v37) "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory." Because we already briefly discussed the end of the passage we know that John and James are not after KG but WG. They want what we all want, or at least what we secretly fantasize about (or not so secretly for some) - to be the next American Idol.

Now the folks that I really admire on that show are the rejects. Now I am not talking about the ones who may have a decent voice but aren't quite superstar material. I am talking about the screeching train wrecks that we all love to watch crash and burn. Now they have guts.

They actually get up in front of God and everybody and let it all hang out. I can barely do that in the privacy of my own truck as I barrel down the highway each day. I may fantasize about being the next American Idol as I belt out the latest tune in my pickup but you wouldn't find my crow-voice singing for anybody, much less millions of Americans only to be forever memorialized as a singing whack-job on YouTube.

Seriously though, it's not just American Idol but there is a cult in our culture devoted to celebrity and fame. Pick up any magazine or check out the top news feeds on any major news site like CNN. There is this obsession with other people's lives, an obsession with greatness. I'd love to throw my nose up in the air and declare my superiority over this craze for greatness but I can't.

I have the most bizarre fantasies about being great. In all seriousness, I, the great cackling crow of the pickup truck, actually fantasize about being some superstar on American Idol. (I thought about including a MP3 of my 'talents' but withdrew it over fear of being targeted by Al-Qaeda; yes, I'm that bad.) My fantasies don't stop there. I dream of becoming somebody great that will change the world, become filthy rich in the process, and have a throng of loyal followers, devoted to me, I mean my noble causes, of course.

If I'm honest, I have this deep seated desire to be 'great'. I am not talking about doing a good job and being the best you can be. But the desire to be distinguished, eminent, noticed, affirmed, desired - to be greater or 'better' than other people and for those 'other' people to recognize it.

John and James asked to 'sit', to share in 'God's glory.' Jesus hits the nail on the head at the end of the passage though. They weren't after KG, they were after WG. In the Jewish culture, in that period of time, many Jews anticipated the coming of a leader to free them from the Romans who ruled over them.

And that's exactly what John and James were driving at. They wanted to ride in on the big war horses galloping next to Jesus as he stormed the Roman Empire with cold steel and hard blows. But Jesus's idea of greatness was exactly the opposite.

In verse 38, he flat out tells them, 'You have no idea what you are asking for.' John and James were thinking of glory and honor. Jesus had a different 'cup' of tea in mind.

"Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with? (V38 continued) " Jesus has already established that they are clueless. The brothers greedily elbow each other in the side and exchange eager glances, "Oh yeah, we can drink it baby! " (V39, with a slight paraphrase.)

The 'cup' Jesus spoke of and the 'baptism' he spoke of was much more than his death. Fast-forward to Mark 14:35-36, the hours before Jesus's death, Jesus prays that if it is his father's will that 'this cup' may pass from him. Jesus is asking to be saved from death.

Think of the most painful and horrible moments in your life. Without fail, every single one of them centers on some aspect of a relationship gone wrong (be it with God, someone else, or yourself). The wounds we receive and dish out in relationships are the most devastating, darkest, and most forsaken parts of our hearts and existence. That was the 'cup' that Jesus is talking about.

Jesus immersed (i.e. baptized) himself into everything that is wrong with the world - everything that is broken in our relationships. On the cross He baptized Himself, He immersed Himself in the wretchedness and horror of every child abuse, the forsakenness and plague of fatherlessness, the scraping desperation of loneliness and depression...every shattered and bleeding corner of relationship that is marred by sin, Jesus covered Himself with, He immersed Himself in that gulf of darkness like a man plunged to the darkest and deepest depths of the Pacific. Not only did He immerse and cover Himself with our problems and our brokeness, He did so knowing that it would cost Him everything with His own dad. He would not only be covered in our mistakes and become wretched and disgusting but he would have to go it alone. That was his cup.

This was not the cup that James and John were asking to take a sip from. They still wanted the chocolate. They wanted WG.

It's hard for me to go on because this is me! I kneel and pray, "God use me to do something great for your kingdom!" What I really mean is, "God I want the glory. I want to win. I want to be the hero on the shining white stallion that everybody adores. I want a beautiful happy and healthy family. I want to be rich, I want to be powerful."

But sometimes I really fool myself into thinking that I really do mean it. That I am really saying, "Lord! Help me to do something 'great' to change the world," while I harbor dishonest notions that I don't really want fame or fortune. What I really do is kneel and spit on God's feet and ask for the cup of Worldly Greatness.

I have never asked that God would hand me the cup that Jesus drank from. I have never asked or meant for God to 'baptize' me into the 'baptism' of Jesus. We think that suffering and hardship is for missionaries and super-spiritual-saints in far-off lands. But that is not the via delarosa, the Way of Suffering, i.e. the path that Christ blazed for us to follow. Christ said point blank, "He who would follow me must deny himself, pick up his cross, and follow me." If you're going to follow Jesus there is a 'cup' you must drink from.

You have to deny the cup of WG, immerse yourself into the death and wretchedness of broken relationships that is the cross, and follow Christ into a new and different kind of life. My prayers are pathetic. My requests and demands to Jesus are much baser and dumber than anything John or James ever said or thought.

Does Jesus tell us to drink that same cup he drank?

Jesus goes on in the following verses and sets up the comparison between Worldly Greatness versus Kingdom Greatness. In their day and especially within the Jewish culture, greatness was a function of your position of power, e.g. the religious/political leaders of the day. Jesus notes that brand of 'greatness' (i.e. fame, fortune, and power) exists and you can chase after it but 'not so with you' v43.) Not so for those who would be apart of the kingdom and embrace kingdom greatness.

All that to say, 'greatness' aint about being 'great'. At least, not for a Christian. Kingdom Greatness is about something else entirely. Kingdom Greatness is about being servanthood. "Whoever wants to be become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all." (vv43-44.)

KG means serving the needs of others. This is so simple on the surface but so incredibly hard to apply. At work when someone cuts you down to size in front of the group, does it serve the needs of that group, of that person to respond in kind or to respond in Truth? That doesn't mean we become weak or pushovers. In fact I think it means the exact opposite.

How much harder and how much more courage does it take to say what needs to be said to someone or to a group of people in a situation? It is dang tough. That is real strength, not cowardice or 'playing nice'. What about when a group of co-workers start bashing what you believe and they don't know you're a Christian? Easier to go along with the jokes or controversy or easier to stand up and speak 100% Truth with 100% Love? As my coach used to say in high school, T-U-F,, 'TOUGH!"

Does your friend who's heading the wrong way in life need you to look the other way? Does he need some half-hearted and unrealistic encouragement? Or does that friend need you to cry with him? Does she need you to confront her? Does he need you to pray for him and with him?

Service to others comes in every relational situation. What about your spouse? Does it serve your spouse when you watch 4 hours of television when you get home and dont take time to make a meaningful relational connection? What about your children, how are you serving their needs for a meaningful relationship with a Father or a Mother?

Kingdom Greatness, is about looking into the heart of relationship and asking, "What does this person need?" And that is, usually, never easy to do. So to answer the question above, I think that being a Christian does mean drinking from the cup of Jesus and immersing ourselves into the hurt, the wretchedness, the loneliness, the bitterness, and the hard and forsaken places of relationship and to bring the healing, the love, the forgiveness, the grace, and the Truth that Christ has for those situations. Talk about a stiff drink.

The 'service' that Christ slaved himself to, what He saw as our greatest need was redemption of our relationship with God, with each other, and ourselves. He knew we would be best served if He would redeem relationship and break the powerful curse and grip of sin that reigns down terror and destruction on our relationships. And because He saw that great need in our lives, He took that cup, drank, and gave "His life as a ransom for many" (v45.)

That's greatness.