"Jesus says that his followers are to treat one another as they would treat their own family: meeting each other's needs without concern for pay back."
Year B, Season of Pentecost
Proper 24, Ordinary Time 29
Sunday Between October 16 and October 22 Inclusive
20th Sunday After Pentecost 2009
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Perhaps the authors of the Lectionary have gotten tired of hearing Jesus lecture us on the topic of his impending betrayal, arrest, degradation, brutal execution and rising again, but omitting Verses 32-34 completely removes the context for appreciating the shocking display of stupidity and arrogance by James and John. Jesus has just said, "The Romans are going to kill me in a way that they have perfected through practice to cause the maximum possible amount of shame and pain for the longest possible time." And James and John then ask, "Well, after that's all done with, could you give us the best seats in Paradise?"
Malina (Page 193, foot note below) helpfully comments on the interpersonal dynamics in this passage.
As with other factions, the disciples are connected to Jesus, the central person, and not to each other. But James and John, who are connected to each other as brothers, disregard the interests of the others, and approach Jesus to request the highest status and the closest connection - at his side. This action provokes the envy and anger of the others.
The request of James and John provokes the question, "How are followers of Jesus to relate to one another?" We are not blood relatives. For example, we are not literally brothers as James and John are. Does that mean we should treat one another as we treat everyone else who is not part of our family?
This is the issue that Jesus addresses in Verses 43-45.
It is unlikely that any of the 12 had servants or slaves in their own households. They were not wealthy enough. However, Jesus' teaching that:
whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all
would certainly come as a shock.
They were already almost at the bottom of the social ladder. As Jesus' followers, they had expected to share in his glory and honour - to climb to the top of the ladder and beyond it. But it turns out that Jesus identifies his mission ("The Son of Man came ..."), not with the elites, but with those who were even lower than them - with the servants and slaves.
And since servants and slaves did function within the family household, Jesus also says that his followers are to treat one another as they would treat their own family: meeting each other's needs without concern for pay back.
Aside. It may seem like a picky point, but please note that Verse 45 ends with:
give his life as a RANSOM for many.
A ransom is a political-economic exchange that pays for the release of hostages. A sacrifice is a ritual to facilitate the transfer of a favour from the Divine to the human. The Gospel of Mark does NOT describe the death of Jesus as a sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins.
As I have written elsewhere, because Jesus was celebrating the Passover when he shared his last supper with them, the reference to wine being his blood "being poured out for many" (Mark 14:24) does NOT refer to the sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins that is made in the Temple. It refers to the Passover lamb whose blood protects the households of the Hebrew slaves in Egypt and enables them to escape their bondage in Egypt for the milk and honey of the promised land. Which is to say, the Passover lamb gives its life as a ransom for many.
Now you might say I'm just being picky, because whichever lamb it is, and whether it's a ransom or a sacrifice, Jesus' mission is still about obtaining our freedom from our sins. But I think that an open and fair reading of Mark does not support this view. Jesus is very clearly focused on political-economic issues, and practices healing and reconciliation in ways that do not require sacrifice.
David Ewart,
www.davidewart.ca
* Link to Amazon.com Bibliography for Bruce Malina, et. al., Social Science Commentary on ... The Synoptic Gospels; The Gospel of John; The Book of Acts; The Letters of Paul; The Book of Revelation; and others.
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