“Journey to the Cross: Cup to Bear” Mark 10: 32-52

I love to travel. I’ve been to eight different foreign countries, and nothing thrills me quite as much as loading up the car for a road trip. While I enjoy traveling alone, most of my journeys are taken with other people, which creates deep bounds that cannot be shaken. When you go on a long trip with someone you get to know them in ways that are different if you only see them a few hours each day. Going on the journey with someone lets you know what makes them them - what they like and dislike, what irritates and soothes them. 

The disciples were on a journey with Jesus. A three year journey were they slept where he slept, walked where he walked, ate what he ate. They were with Jesus every day, listening to his teachings as they went from town to town. And yet, the disciples didn’t quite understand Jesus - what made him tick. Last week we discussed how they didn’t understand his teachings about his own death and resurrection. This week, we find the disciples, chiefly James and John not understanding what his kingdom is about. 

James and John stated out with a statement that I think many of us make in one form or another as well, “we will do whatever you ask of us, Jesus”. “Whatever you need”. “Wherever you want us to go.” Of course they had another goal with their statement - we will give you what you want, if you give us what we want. We make much smaller versions of bargaining when we are on a journey with someone. You pick the restaurant we stop at this time and I’ll pick it next time. You drive now, I’ll drive later. We live in a world where we think we deserve for things to be equal and balanced, but that isn’t always the case - especially in our faith journeys.

We seem to have bought into this lie, that simply isn’t Biblical, that if we are a good enough person or serve Christ enough with our lives, then we will avoid suffering. If we tell Jesus what he wants to hear, that we will do whatever you ask of us, Jesus, then our lives will go smoothly. But that isn’t the way, it works. It wasn’t that way for James and John and it isn’t that way for us. 

Jesus catches on to their intent with their promise right away and turns in back around on them - what do you want me to do for you? And of course they had a response ready to give him - let us sit beside you in your glory. Even with all of the talk of suffering and death, they still thought that Jesus had come to be a military leader to conquer Rome and that they could be beside him, in all his glory, when the final victory is won. They mis-understood Jesus’s Kingdom being about political authority instead of the Kingdom of God. 

But Jesus, instead of chastising them, Jesus responds by once again telling them that they missed the point - they don’t realize wha they are asking for. Their quick response to Jesus’s deep question show that the did not slow down to truly reflect upon what he was asking or to pray about their response. We too, can get caught up in this cycle. We hurry past the question in order to make our answer known. We bypass the thoughtfulness of the question with our quick response. All because we don’t understand what Jesus means, and that makes us uncomfortable.

But Jesus confronts the uncomfortable nature of the questions, answers, and conversation head on with another question. Jesus led through his stories and questions and he provoked people to look deeper into their hearts, no matter how uncomfortable it made them feel. He asked if they could drink from this cup - the cup of pain and suffering - and be baptized with the baptism of death - not for the sake of their glory, but so others may come to know the Lord. He essentially asked them if they had the courage to suffer for the sake of God’s glory alone. To which, once again, they quickly answered, we can. 

Then the other ten heard about the conversation and became even more upset. Jesus took the moment to teach them about servants hearts and giving one’s very self, sacrificially for others, but the moment was still lost. Jesus was trying to model for the disciples, both with his teachings and how he lived his life what it meant to be a servant. But like those disciples so long ago, we miss the point today. We want all the glory and not the work. We want things to run smoothly without the sacrifice. We want to be the idea people and not the servants. We want the public honor without the suffering.

Jesus was trying to show his disciples, so long ago and us today, that authority is earned with service and suffering. And we are to live lives not focused on being honored by human standards, but instead focused on Kingdom things - things we never considered as noble before - like suffering and servanthood. 

The journey to the cross is a hard one. It is marked with trials and tears. We cannot bargain our way out of it - telling Jesus that we will only follow him so far before he does exactly what we want. And we cannot look for the riches of the world at the foot of the cross. But Jesus does tell us that if we make this journey, a servant’s journey, we will be able to watch Christ ransom others, trading his own life for their salvation. Is this a journey you are willing to go on, not just this Lenten season, but every day? Is this a cup you can drink from? Amen.