You do not know what you are asking for
“James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him and said to him, Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” (cf. Mk 10:35)
James and John are chosen witnesses of the resurrection of Jairus' daughter
(cf. Mk 5, 37-43), the transfiguration on Mount Tabor (cf. Mk 9, 1-13) and agony in Gethsemane (Mk 14, 32 - 42), together with Peter. Together with Peter and Andrew, they will also become confidants of Jesus' eschatological speech. Luke calls them Boanerges - sons of thunder (cf. Lk 9:54), when they wanted to send fire to a Samaritan town, which did not want to host Jesus on his way to Jerusalem. They want to achieve their own goals without hesitating beyond the other apostles, asking Jesus on the site to carry out their plans. Perhaps they still heard the promise of a hundredfold reward now and future glory in God's Kingdom for abandoning everything and following Jesus (Mark 10: 28-31). Their impetuous characters and the passion with which they followed the Master so far made them take care of a suitable place in the future. They already belonged to the close circle of the Lord, why should they not care of it in the future? "We want.” And what Jesus said about his Passion vanished, as if it had never been spoken or heard. It is a constant phenomenon: a person rejects what he does not like. In the face of the announcement of the weakness of the Son of man, the ever-present longing in us, the desire for power and glory, becomes evident, which is, in a way, a natural reaction to the weakness and fragility that man constantly experiences.
“He replied, “What do you wish [me] to do for you?” (cf. Mk 10:36)
Jesus did not ignore them, although He knew what was in their hearts (cf. Jn 2: 24-25). He asked them the same question he asked Bartimaeus, a blind man from Jericho: “What do you want me to do for you?” (cf. Mk 10: 51). In this way, he allowed them to express their desires, their deepest expectations. In this way, he reached the depths of their hearts, so that his word would finally fall there and produce a hundredfold harvest (Mk 4:20).
“They answered him, “Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.” (cf. Mk 10 37)
Great honesty! Without any embarrassment, they wanted to overtake the other disciples, including Peter. They wanted to be closest to Jesus, they had such hot hearts and they had such great love for their Lord (cf. Jn. 21:20) that in the competition for the first place with the Lord they went as far as to - "slyness" and protection. In parallel to our text in Matthew 20:20, it is their mother who presents the request of the sons. It looks like a family alliance, thanks to which they want to achieve their own goals without hesitating beyond the other apostles, asking Jesus on the site to carry out their plans. (cf. Mt 20:20-28).
Let me go for a moment to Zebedee’s Mother: “Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached him with her sons and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something. He said to her, “What do you wish?” She answered him, “Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom.” (cf. Mt: 20:20-21)
We are embarrassed when we compare the petition with which the mother of James and John came to the Lord Jesus (cf. Mt 20: 20-28) with the petitions of other parents recorded in the Gospels. "Lord, Jesus, the synagogue ruler named Jairus, is begging - my daughter is dying, come and lay your hands on her, that she may stay and live" (cf. Mk 5:23).
The royal official from Capernaum addresses the Lord Jesus with an equally dramatic request: "Lord, come before my child dies" (cf. Jn. 4:49). And when the Lord Jesus puts his faith to the test and hears his prayers differently than he had imagined, the begging father immediately believed that the Lord Jesus really healed his child, even though he did not go to his house at all.
All three synoptics recorded the event of parents bringing their little children to Jesus so that he would at least touch them. We remember that the Lord Jesus was indignant then at his disciples who tried to protect him from these requests. It was then that he said the unforgettable words: “Let the children come to me, do not disturb them; for tothem belong the kingdom of God."
In addition, the Gospels noted the parents' requests that the Lord Jesus would free their child from the evil spirit. Immediately after Jesus descended from the Mount of Transfiguration, a father begged Him for his son who was tormented by an evil spirit. When the Lord Jesus told him that he expected faith from him, the father exclaimed: "I believe, Lord, but help my unbelief" (Mk 9:24).
The most famous is the Canaanite's women request for her daughter: “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented badly by the evil one. We remember that the Lord Jesus gave her a very difficult test of her faith and that she passed very well this exam.
And when we compare all these maternal and paternal pleas with that of the mother of Zebedee's sons, we feel embarrassed. She has access to the Lord Jesus, and instead of asking Him for something really important for her children, she only asks for her sons to make a great political career.
Mother, Father, what are you asking the Lord for your children?
You do not know what you are asking for – Jesus’ replay to John and James and to their mother "you do not realize what awaits you if you ask to share in My glory." Jesus slowly makes them realize that they did not listen to Him, as He spoke about His Passion, and did not understand the path that His Father had predicted for Him, even though He spoke about it many times.
This evangelical pericope destroys our whole approach to life. We are like the Apostles who hear from the teachings of Jesus only some of the contents that suit us. We have a closed ear to those related to the cross, persecution because of Him and the Gospel. On the other hand, we are eager to hear about rewards, elevations, kingship and dignity, putting our own content, desires and aspirations under these terms.
The lust for power is especially dangerous, there is something demonic about it: "I will not serve" and "you will be like God". These sentences reflect the fall of the angels and then the fall of the man tempted by him. The lust for power put itself in the place of God and forced to serve and worship itself as a benefactor, the guarantor of someone's happiness. Meanwhile, God subordinates everything to himself, immersing everything in his love, which led him in the place of sinful man, taking his death upon himself in man’s place.
Every day we witness scuffles similar to those that took place between Jesus' disciples. There are many fights around us for influence, for first places, for greater prestige, for dignity, in a word, to be great and the first among the others, to rule over them, to exercise power over them. If these are overt actions, they are less of a problem, because renouncing it, changing the mind is somehow easier. A much bigger problem is hidden an unconscious aspiration to be great and first, when they are additionally strengthened ideologically or religiously. Then it is easy to become a tyrant thinking that the action is taking in the name of service to the neighbors. Especially painful is looking for greatness and priority according to the world model in the family and church communities, where, by definition, we are expected to act animated by love.
Jesus patiently listens to the disciples who come to him with sincerity of heart, asking for privileges. They loved Jesus in their own way and wanted to be as close to Him as possible. They were not rejected, but Jesus directed their ardent thirst on a different track. They opened their hearts deeply, expressing their innermost desires, He entered deeply into these hearts, instilling the newness of his Gospel. The Gospel really turns our thinking upside down: "whoever wants to be great, let him become your servant, whoever wants to be first, let him be the slave of all." Greatness and primacy in the kingdom of God depend on the strength of love, so that by having ourselves, to give ourselves to everyone without exception.
Should a Christian not occupy managerial positions? Is a Christian Not Allowed to Be President? Shouldn't he strive for greatness and be the first? Should! However, he should first convert, i.e., change his thinking from worldly to that of the suffering Servant of Yahweh, having in front of his eyes - as St. Paul – Christ, the crucified Christ. Then the president will not use his presidency to exploit employees, make them feel his power, but will serve through the gifts he has received: the ability to manage, create jobs, inspire others, encourage people to work better in quality, join others in teams, first of all, protect the life of every human being and take care of its spiritual development etc. very hard service that requires constant intellectual, mental, spiritual and physical effort. Each of us is a greater or lesser "president". See what model do you "preside over" - world or Jesus?
Until Tomorrow
fr. george