29th Sunday In Ordinary Time, Year B, By Rev. Fr. Lucas Binnah Junior

First Reading: Isaiah 53:10-11/Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 33:4-5.18-19.20 and 22 (R. 22) Second Reading: Hebrews 4:14-16/Gospel Acclamation: Mark 10:45/Gospel: Mark 10:35-45

Theme: Service Is The Christian Standard

Many are of the view that the real problem of this world is leadership. A significant number of people want to lead; they desire power, but do not want to serve. There is a disconnect between leaders and the led. Some literally demand or command service using the authority given them by others. They walk on them and do very little or nothing for those from whom authority properly belongs. Many a time, the authority muscle is flexed based on might is right and this usually brings untold hardships on those who must benefit from it. What an irony! What a paradox! Today, Christ solves this problem with a paradigm shift, namely, servant leadership! What? Is that not too revolutionary and demeaning? How can a leader be a servant? However, this is the wisdom, the panacea and the bitter pill which when swallowed, will set the world at ease, fix our society and restore life and joy. We now turn to the liturgical readings to see how this is possible.

In the first reading, Deutero-Isaiah (author of Isaiah 40-55) highlights the role of the Suffering Servant. According to him, the servant will redeem people through suffering. Particularly, he states: “By his suffering shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous; and he shall bear their iniquities” (Is. 53:11). The servant in this context refers to the prophet himself, prophetically to Israel as a nation, and messianically to Jesus but not limited to them. By implication, it also refers to all who through baptism, share in the prophetic role of Jesus. Consequently, it is through service to humanity marked chiefly by the difficult challenges and sufferings which prophets go through daily, that the redeemed redeems the redeemable. Such suffering is vicarious, that is, it brings salvation and wholeness to others for their own sake.

One may hasten to ask whether it is reasonable, necessary and profitable for the servant of God to undergo suffering. The second reading gives us enough reasons to believe so. According to the Letter to the Hebrews, the role of the Suffering Servant is superior, incomparable and perfect. We are exhorted: “Brethren, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession” (Heb. 4:14) . The high priest is a go-between, a bridge, representative, one who ushers people into the presence of God and also communicates the word of God to them. For this to happen, the ideal high priest must know God and also, perfectly know what it is to be human. He must identify with the people and act on their behalf before God. This picture fits Jesus the Son of God who died for us very well! Through his Incarnation, he became human like us, but unlike us, was able to overcome temptations such that he did not sin. We read: “For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sinning” (Heb. 4:15). With this assurance, we are invited and encouraged to approach God with confident trust: “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16). Thus, because Christ knows us, shares our humanity and perfectly understands the human condition, he is the best person able to feel for and help us. By his passion and death on the cross, Christ himself has gone through what we all go through everyday even beyond the limits of what we ourselves are able to endure.

If Jesus is able to do this, then his followers are expected to do same. It is by so doing, we will be called great. Therefore, in the Gospel, Jesus is emphatic: “But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all” (Mk. 10:43-44). Greatness lies in service. The number of lives we touch and lift up is the number that will bring us happiness and eternal joy. Christ invites us to follow him in his self-emptying service to God and humanity. Rather than use authority to demand service from others, we are called to use it to serve others: “For the Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mk. 10:45). It costs the life of Jesus to bring about our redemption. He endured the cross to the end and paid the ransom with his own dear blood.

We see in our day and age, the negative effects of misconstruing the true meaning of leadership. Those who have been voted into power feel it is their right to commit people to their service instead of dedicating themselves to the service of others. It is not about what people can do for us, how much we can extract from them and how often we can lord it over them. Instead, it is about the service we can render to them; the support we can give them and what we can do to improve their lot. It is about spending ourselves on their behalf. This is Jesus’ teaching today!

A very fine opportunity came for Jesus to make this teaching clearer. James and John, two of his disciples, initially motivated by selfish ambition, asked for places of honour in the kingdom of Christ. By this time, Jesus had told the disciples of his impending suffering three consecutive times (see Mk. 8:31, 9:31 and 10:32-34). Yet, while their master faced Jerusalem, the way to the cross that will eventually lead to his death, the duo were only thinking of sitting on his left and right in his glory. What insensitivity! Being a good leader, he never insulted them for their apathy but lovingly taught them the essence of selfless service to others. This is leadership by example, and we are to do well to imitate him as leaders in families, groups, societies, politics and religion.

Christ asked them a question: “Can you drink the cup that I drink or receive the baptism that I am to receive?” (Mk. 10:38). Jesus speaks metaphorically using cup and baptism. It was the custom for kings to hand the cup, as it were, serve wine to their guests at royal banquets. By so doing, the king was offering life to them. Therefore, according to W. Barclay, the cup became a metaphor for the life and experience that God handed out to people. Thus, when David says: “My cup overflows” (Ps. 23:5), he meant the life and experience of happiness given to him by God. On the other hand, when the Psalmist and the Prophet Isaiah say respectively: “In the hand of the Lord there is a cup” (Ps. 75:8) and “… who have drank at the hand of the Lord the cup of his wrath” (Is. 51:17), they are thinking of the fate awaiting the wicked and the disobedient. Hence, the cup speaks of the experience allotted to people by God. Again, the term baptism in this context refers to being submerged in any experience. In effect, Jesus was asking James and John whether they could go through the terrible experience of suffering the pain and shame of the cross; whether they could bear being submerged in difficulty for the sake of serving humanity and God. Perhaps, this question must be asked of anyone intending to occupy leadership position.

Even though the Zebedee brothers were selfishly ambitious, their answer to Jesus’ question and the exemplary life they lived afterwards showed they were deeply converted and we must learn from them. Even in their little or no understanding of Christian suffering, they still believed in Jesus and accepted him on his terms. They took the challenge that without the cross, there is no crown. Eventually, James drank the cup when he became the first martyr among the Twelve Apostles (cf. Acts 12:2). John also suffered much, yet, both still hoped in the glory beyond pain and suffering. We too must hope in the glory beyond suffering and pray with the Psalmist: “May your merciful love be upon us, as we hope in you, O Lord” (Ps. 33:22). Let this be our prayer.

Beloved in Christ, the Christian standard is that of loving service to God and humanity. That is the way to glory even though it is a path that demands sacrifice, all we are and all we have. It is a painful one. We will be hated, scorned, rejected and insulted. We will attract enemies and they will plan evil against us. Even our closest friends may sometimes hurt and bruise us. However, that is the path charted for us by Christ. If we can accept Christ’s challenge and believe that he is capable of leading us home safely, the crown of glory will be ours and we will become great in God’s kingdom. Nonetheless, we must remember that the test of greatness is selfless service to God and humanity. The authority given to us must be used to serve and not to command others selfishly! This is our mission and standard as Christians. We are simply servants, and the earlier we understood this and practised humble service, the better! May God warm our hearts with love and bless us abundantly!

Happy Sunday! Remember: # Service-Is-The-Christian-Standard#