Mark 10:32-52 “They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him. 33 "We are going up to Jerusalem," he said, "and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, 34 who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise." 35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. "Teacher," they said, "we want you to do for us whatever we ask." 36 "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked. 37 They replied, "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory." 38 "You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said. "Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?" 39 "We can," they answered. Jesus said to them, "You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, 40 but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared." 41 When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. 42 Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 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." 46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" 48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" 49 Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called to the blind man, "Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you." 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. 51 "What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked him. The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see." 52 "Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.”
The problem is: if I was successful, I wouldn’t be me. I wouldn’t be able to spend time with my suddenly larger family the way I do now. I would be too busy speaking at large conferences. If I was successful, I wouldn’t have my cherished study time every week – instead, I would be in meetings all day. If I was successful, I would have to interact with large numbers of people for days at a time, and anyone who knows me understands how much of a strain that would be for me. I honestly want to be successful, in all the worldly ways, but, in equal honesty, I really don’t think that is where God is going to take me. I don’t have the skillset to be successful. I don’t have that CEO/workaholic personality that seems to be the basic requirement for the major leagues of ministry fame and fortune. I may want success, but I don’t think I am going to get it.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “When Christ bids someone to follow Him, He bids him to come and die.” On the road to torture and death, two of Jesus’ closest friends are asking for success in the new kingdom. They don’t comprehend yet what is the cost of success. Authentic success in the new kingdom means suffering torture and death like the King Himself. James and John later learned what Jesus meant in response to their desire for fame and fortune. James was an early martyr of the church, while John was boiled in oil, and having survived, cast away in exile on Patmos. He must have been frightening to look at, with all those scars. They wanted to sit at Jesus’ right and left in the new kingdom, but instead they followed Jesus into pain and death.
Perhaps it is the poor and wretched Bartimaeus that sits at the King’s right or left. Maybe it is Bartimaeus that endorses newly written books, speaks at large conferences, and is consulted by others in the new kingdom. He deserves it more than I. I am the true beggar, and my only job is to show other beggars where they can find bread. In that, I will be truly successful. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment