We have been in this cycle of readings from Mark’s Gospel, for the last several weeks where Jesus keeps predicting his own death and telling the Disciples what is expected of them, after he is gone. Today’s admonition is what my grandma from Forney, Texas used to say: “ Don’t get above your raisn’ boy.” There is absolutely no doubt that Jesus was using the first century version of that saying in this morning’s reading.
A number of years ago, a friend sent me an email with a link to a new web service called “YouTube.” I followed the link and found this new video service. And when I clicked “play,” on the video, a story from Sports Illustrated began to play. It was about a father and son, Dick and Rick Hoyt. Rick was born in 1962, with the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck. His brain went without oxygen long enough for him to have been born with cerebral palsy. He has never been able to use his limbs and he cannot speak. But His mother and father never gave up on Rick. They didn’t institutionalize him when they were told to. They eventually took him to Tufts University and convinced the engineering department there to help them find a way for Rick to communicate. They created a computer whose keyboard is activated by his pushing the side of his head against a single button. With this giant “mouse,” he could actually type.
Not long after Rick began to communicate this way, some kids in his high school organized a race to try to raise money for a classmate who had become paralyzed in an accident. Rick typed out, “I’d like to do that.” and his dad decided to make it happen. Even though Dick was in very poor, “middle aged man shape,” he loaded Rick into a wheelchair and pushed him in the race. Rick told his dad, about that day, “when we were running, I felt like I wasn’t disabled anymore.” And the pattern was set. After that, they ran in countless races, even qualifying for the prestigious Boston marathon many times. Their best marathon time in Boston was only 35 minutes slower than the winner of the race. That led to triathlons, including the grueling Ironman in Hawaii. They competed in more than 2000 triathlons.
Rick ultimately graduated from college, went to work and got an apartment on his own, where he is assisted by a caretaker. He enjoyed competing with his dad. After Dick suffered a heart attack during a race – which he might not have survived had he not been in such good shape – Rick told the Sports Illustrated writer that the thing he’d like most to give his dad for his birthday was something that would remain a dream. He said, “what I’d most like would be to let my dad sit in the chair while I push him for once.” Dick Hoyt was a servant in the truest sense of what Jesus talked about.
Recently there has been a round of stories about a new “space race,” between Jeff Bezos, the billionaire owner of Amazon; Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of Tesla; and Richard Branson, the billionaire owner of Virgin Airlines. These three men, whose combined $400b in wealth – the equivalent of the gross domestic product of the nation of Ireland — puts them in the upper echelon of wealthy and powerful people across the world, have been engaged in a competition to … I really don’t know what it is that they are trying to accomplish. The news media says that they are trying to get people and cargo into space, cheaper and more reliably. But the only thoughts that come to my mind in response to that are: Why? And Who asked them to?
No, I really don’t think that any of the three billionaires is called to do this for some noble purpose. Nor do I think that any of them seriously believes that winning this space race will bring their company increased profits – as if any of the companies needed increased profits. No. This is all about ego and prestige. This is about the world holding these men up and telling them that they’re great. It is about little boys who dreamed of being astronauts now having enough money to fulfill those dreams. And it is about the hero worship that comes along with being – or paying for the work of – astronauts.
Our Gospel lesson today has James and John (Jesus’ sibling-disciples) coming to ask that he allow them to sit with him at the head table when he comes into his kingdom –– one at Jesus’ right hand and the other at his left hand. Jesus and his disciples were headed for Jerusalem, where the disciples thought that Jesus would become king. When that happened, James and John wanted to sit at the head of the table with Jesus. They wanted the two most honored seats.
Jesus had three disciples who were the closest to him. Those three included James and John. The third member of that favored group was Peter. In an organization, three is a dangerous number. When you get three people together, typically two of them will bond and the third will be the outsider. James and John were brothers, there was a bond there. Peter was the outsider. By asking Jesus for the seats at his right and left, James and John were, in essence, trying to push Peter to the side. Pretty smart, huh? Only two people could sit next to the boss, so James and John were trying to ensure that they were the two –– and that Peter would have to find a chair somewhere further down the table.
Naturally, Jesus knew exactly what was going on, so he asked James and John a question: “Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” Jesus was asking James and John if they were able to share his fate. Showing incredible ego, they answered, “We are able.” Jesus explained that they would share his fate, but he could not control who would be on his right and left in the Kingdom.
As an aside, do you remember who shared the places at Jesus’ right and left? It turned out to be two thieves. That was God’s way of saying that in God's Kingdom, the old rules –– the world’s rules –– won’t apply. In the Kingdom, there is a whole new set of rules. Jesus tells the disciples –– and us –– exactly who the great people will be in the Kingdom of God. “Whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all.”
Many people spend their lives trying to become rich and famous –– or rich and powerful –– or maybe just rich. Only a few people get there. They hope and expect the rest of us envy them. But Jesus tells us that we need not envy them, because God judges by different rules:
–– God doesn’t honor the people who make the most money, but the people who give the most of themselves.
God doesn’t admire takers, but givers.
–– God doesn’t honor the people who wield power, but people who love their neighbors and help those who are in need.
–– God doesn’t reward the people who are famous, but rather people with great hearts.
You don't have to be rich or famous to qualify for the honor of sitting at God’s right or left hand. There are people in this congregation that I expect to see sitting pretty high up at Jesus’ table. Those people may never be known much farther away than the Tensas Parish line. Folks like that don't think of themselves as great.
The people in this congregation who give of themselves rather than worrying about being rich and famous, are the people whom God has sent to show the rest of us the way. The people who give of themselves rather than trying to work toward being on the news – people like Dick Hoyt – those who show up whenever there is a need at the church or elsewhere in the community –– those who lend a hand to their neighbor when needed –– those who help the homeless or the hungry –– those who give generously for disaster relief; they are the people who will have the seats at the head of the table. And won’t Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Richard Branson be surprised to find all of “those people” in the seats of honor.
In the name of one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
[Proper 24B Sermon 101721, Isaiah 53:4-12; Psalm 91,Hebrews 5:1-10; Mark 10:35-45]
No comments:
Post a Comment