Lent 4 (Series: "I Can't, But He Can!")

            Have you ever been embarrassed by your Mom?  You know, like when she licked her finger and cleaned your face – in front of your friends?  Or when she made you wear silly clothes to school?  Or when she told baby stories about you to someone you were trying to impress?  Or when you and your brother would get in trouble, and she would drag you all the way home by the ears?  Or when she would have one of those “meetings,” lecturing your teacher because she thought he wasn’t doing his job when really you weren’t doing yours?  Mothers! Can you relate?

            Our family has always been about success.  My father, Zebedee, has a pretty successful fishing business.  Most people know our family.  Even the big wigs on the Sanhedrin.  The High Priest himself invited us to all the important functions.  My brother and I have found it hard to keep a low profile, and I think my mother feels it’s her life’s mission to make sure we succeed.

            I don’t know if becoming disciples of Jesus was exactly what she had in mind in her plan for our success.  But she saw the same things in Jesus that we did.  So once she saw those things and accepted the path we had taken, she wanted us to be the best of his disciples, and for us to get the most out of the experience.

            My name is James, by the way.  As I’m sitting here today, of all the things I could possibly be thinking about, I’m thinking about a day ten years ago when my mother REALLY embarrassed John and me.  As only a mother could.  Jesus had been talking about his kingdom.  And at my mother’s insistence, we began talking about it a little bit at home.  So, John and me were aware of what she was going to do, and I will have to admit, wanted what she wanted for us.  But she talked us into going and having this little “talk” with Jesus.  I wish we never had!

            I can remember it like it was yesterday.  We came up to Jesus, and she kneeled down in front of Him to ask Him a favor.  “What is it you want?” He asked her.

            “What is it you want?”  Can you imagine being asked that question by the Lord of the universe?  What is it you want?  What do YOU want?  If God asked you that, what would you answer?  What would be the first things popping to mind?  Wealth?  Everything you need for a comfortable life?  Success in your career?  Would you ask for fame?  To be well known?  Or power?  To have others under you?  How about time?  More time?  Or freedom from stress?  Or happiness?  What would you ask for?  What would be your heart’s desire?

            Here is what my mother requested when Jesus asked her that question:  “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”  Now for some reason, this didn’t sound the way it did when we talked about it at home, and I wanted to crawl into a corner.  Especially when Jesus responded: “You don’t know what you are asking.”

            But then He said, “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”  Hey, I thought, here was hope!  He was interviewing us for the job!  Maybe He was saying, “OK, if you can do this, maybe I will give you these positions of honour.”  So without thinking, John and I answered in unison: “We can!”  “Yes, Jesus, we can drink the cup you are going to drink.”  Ouch!  Those words still really echo in my ears.  And they make me sick.

            Because at that moment Jesus looked right at me, right into my eyes, and said, “You will indeed drink from my cup.”  He was looking right at me!  That’s what I am remembering now.  And now, I know why He was looking at me too.  He kept me locked in his gaze while He explained to us that He wasn’t hand out places of importance to those who asked for them.

            Can you say “embarrassed”?  Wow, I wanted to crawl into a hole!  Because now the other disciples were listening in to what was going on, and they got angry with us!  Oh, not because we were trying to bring worldly politics into the spiritual kingdom Jesus was establishing with his life and death.  No, this is embarrassing for all of us, but they were upset because we beat them to it!

            So, that was enough, as far as Jesus was concerned.  He called us all together, sat us all down, and gave us a halftime speech to turn us around in a way I will never forget.  He explained to us that his kingdom doesn’t work like kingdoms of this world.  To get ahead in the world, you need to command greatness by commanding others.  You need to be able to compel other people to do things that they wouldn’t normally do.  You need to exercise authority and control.

            But in God’s kingdom, you “get ahead” or become “great” by being a servant.  Real greatness comes when you subject to, when you submit to, when you yield your will to that of another person.  True greatness comes in serving others.  Putting their needs first.  You are actually happiest doing what others want you to be doing!  Even being a slave, if that is what it takes. That is what God considers to be great!

            Whoa!  That caught us off guard!  We always thought that success and prominence and being respected by others because of position determined true greatness.  And in our family, as far as mom was concerned, we were destined for it.  What about you?  I mean, isn’t that what you have wanted in life too?  For others to show you respect?  For other people to listen to you?  To do what you ask?  To serve your needs?  To make your life easier?  To not question your wisdom?  Then you are great, aren’t you?  You want your employees, your friends, your children, and your spouse to listen to you, do what you want, and serve your needs.  I sure did.

            I did, but Jesus didn’t.  Jesus said true greatness comes through service.  And here is where I was truly humbled.  Let’s admit it, there has never been anyone greater than Jesus.  Who else should be served more than He?  But He told us that even He came to serve us this way!  “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  Wow, even Jesus is great by serving.  Even Jesus, Lord of the world, serves us!

            And He would serve us by giving us his life.  That is what He meant by the cup He had to drink.  He drank the cup of suffering and death.  The death that would ransom us from the captivity of our sinful state.  Jesus drank the cup that we couldn’t!  I can’t believe we had said: “We Can!”  Because, friends, WE CAN’T!  There is no way you or I could drink the cup Jesus had to drink!  We couldn’t go through what He went through.  We could not make ourselves right with God by giving up our lives in suffering and death.  We could not make peace between God and every person on earth by serving the world with our lives.  We Can’t, but He Can! 

            And friends, He did!  He drank that cup we couldn’t drink!  The cup of suffering on the cross.  He gave his life as a ransom price for the whole world.  He lowered Himself to serve us this way!  He died on that cross, just like He said He would!  I was there!  I saw Him drink that cup!  We couldn’t do that.  But He did it!  And then, just like He predicted, He rose again three days later!  I know, because I saw Him alive!  We couldn’t do that.  But He did it!  He served us with his life and death!  He became poor so we would be rich!  Rich in life with Him forever!

            Friends, this overwhelms me now, because I know this:  no matter how embarrassing a thing I did back then, in looking for prestige and prominence, I know that He has forgiven me.  That’s why He died.  He died for me.  He died for you, too.  To take your sins away.  And He rose again to assure you that He is preparing a wonderful kingdom for you!  He drank that cup we couldn’t drink.  He died and rose.  Just like He said He would!  To serve us.

            That was ten years ago.  And here I am, drinking from his cup, just like He said I would.  Yes, I got what I asked for.  Funny how that works, isn’t it?  I told him I could drink his cup.  And He looked right into my eyes and said: “You will indeed drink from my cup.”  And here I am, in Herod’s prison, and they are coming for me today.  They are coming with a sword.  My execution has been scheduled for today.  I can hear them in the hallway now.  I will be the first disciple to be killed for being a disciple of Jesus.

            So yes, I got what I asked for.  But so much more.  How blessed I am!  I am the first one of our group who gets to see Jesus again!  Today, I will be with Jesus in paradise!  I will be with Him there in eternal bliss all because HE came here to serve ME.  Because HE ransomed me from my sins.  Because He, the greatest, became the least, so that I, the least, would be given the greatest!  So now, what is it that I want?  To drink his cup.  All I want now is a chance to serve Him with my life!  What is it you want?  You think about that.  I will see you in heaven!  Amen.

Back to the Lent page
Back to the Pastor's Messages page