MATHEW 20:17-28
At that time:as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem ,he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them"behold,we are going to Jerusalem; and the son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes and they will condemn him to death,and deliver him to the gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified ,and he will be raised on the third day. " Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him, with her two sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something, and he said to her, "what do you want ?" she said to him, "command that these two sons of mine may sit, one at your right hand and one at your left,in your kingdom".but Jesus answered, "you do not know what you are asking, are you able to drink the chalice that I am to drink? " they said to him, "we are able" He said to them, " you may drink my chalice, but to sit at my right hand and my left hand is not mine to grant, buy it is for those to whom it has been prepared by my father ."And when the Ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, "you know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,and their great men exercise authority over them.it shall not be so among you;but whoever would be great among you must be your servant,and whoever would be first among you must be your slave; even as the son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as ransom for many".
REFLECTION.
Jesus is going to Jerusalem where he will accomplish his mission. He has been through all the surrounding districts of Jerusalem and especially in his native Galilee whence he began his ministry. He also preached outside of Jewish cities such as the Decapolis, Tyre and Simon. Everybody comes to know about him. Now it is time for Jerusalem where he will be crucified. And he intimates his disciples about that. Those teachers of the law and the Pharisees he denounced will be the ones to condemn him and hand him over to foreigners (Roman authorities) for torture and eventual death. But, for the mother of James and John, the opportunity for elevation for her sons had come .so she made the demand that they both sit by his side, one at his left and the other on the right. This is raw ambition. The other disciples were but naturally indignant. However, this provided Jesus the platform to talk about Christian leadership, which he summed up as service. If you are a leader:SERVE... As Mahatma Gandhi once said "the best way to find yourself is to loose yourself in the service of others ".
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