32 As they were going up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading them, they were astonished. And as they followed, they were afraid. Al -Athan took ten times and started to say to them what he will happen to him: 33: “We are ascending to Arshilim, and I am Taba, and they will judge him with death, and they will hand him over to the nations, 34, so they mocked him, and they will help him, and they will be blessed.
35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him and said, “Teacher, we want you to do for us everything we ask.” 36 Then he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” 37 Then they said to him, “Grant us that we may sit, one at your right hand and the other at your left, in your glory.” 38 Then Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” 39 Then they said to him, “We can.” Then Jesus said to them, “You shall drink the cup that I drink, and you shall be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized. 40 But to sit on my right and on my left is not mine to give, except to those for whom it has been prepared.”
41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be angry because of James and John. 42 Then Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and that their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 Let it not be so among you. But whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first among you will be the servant of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

the explanation:

At the beginning of this Gospel chapter comes the third and final news of the Passion in the Gospel of Mark. It is more detailed than the first two news in that it mentions the ascension to Jerusalem. In fact, Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, which is the beginning of his suffering, is mentioned in the Gospel of Mark after this passage.

The issue of Jesus' suffering and death as a condition for his Messiahship is a fundamental topic in the Gospel of Mark, as it seems that this Gospel is trying, by presenting the gospel of Jesus, to remove from the minds of a wrong idea that people, including Jesus' disciples, had, which is that Jesus will be the Messiah, that is, a powerful king, and that he will restore the kingdom. Ground for Israel. But Mark rejects this and shows, in his narrative, that Jesus will suffer, be tortured, and die, and that this is the path he will take to be the Lord’s Messiah, and that his kingdom is not of this world. From here we understand why Mark foretells about the Passion three times in his Gospel. In his view, it is important, even essential, for understanding the so-called “Messianism” of Jesus. This is clearly apparent at the beginning of our Gospel chapter, where Mark uses the phrase “Son of Man” meaning Jesus, and it is known that this phrase includes the meaning of glory and rule. Jesus says: “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death...” The main problem here lies in the fact that the “Son of Man” in the Book of Daniel is the one who judges and judges and is not judged or judged: “I saw in the visions of the night, and behold, with the clouds of heaven one like the Son of Man came and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him near before Him. So he was given authority, glory, and dominion, so that all peoples, nations, and tongues should worship him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom will not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:13-14). Contrary to this, Jesus says that the Jewish leaders are the ones who will sentence the Son of Man to death. According to Jesus, if this does not happen, the Son of Man will not have the glory, authority, and kingdom that Daniel mentioned. Jesus receives glory, authority, and kingdom from God, the Ancient of Days, as He fulfills His will to the end, to the point of death.

The disciples did not understand this until after Jesus' death and resurrection. Here we see two of them asking Him to separate a place for them on His right and on His left “when He comes in His glory.” They understand that this sentence refers to his receiving some earthly leadership as a powerful king, and therefore they try to reach councils of honor with him. As for him, he leads them to another understanding of it: “Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” The cup and tincture here are the cup of suffering and death, and the tincture of blood. This means that the glory Jesus receives from God when he drinks this cup and is baptized with this baptism. There is no doubt that Mark here is writing from a clearly forgotten background that witnessed persecution of Christians, especially the martyrdom of James in Jerusalem.

The Lord Jesus Christ told the matter of his suffering to the twelve only and not to the crowds, hoping that they would understand the nature of the work that he was doing to save people. Three times in a row he told them about the Passion, and each time “the disciples did not understand anything about it” (Luke 18:34). After the first time (Mark 8:31-33), the Lord Jesus rebuked Peter, saying to him, “Get behind me, Satan, for you do not care about the things of God but the things of men.” And after the second time (Mark 9:30-31), “the disciples did not understand what he said and were afraid.” To ask him,” and today’s Gospel passage shows us, after the third time, that the disciples are still far from awareness of the reality of the work of the Lord Jesus.

After this speech, a debate takes place among the students about who will be first among them. Jesus' answer is categorical: The first is the one who serves everyone and is crushed before everyone. Power is fought over by “the leaders and great men of nations.” “But as for you, this shall not be yours.” Jesus absolutely rejects the model of authority that we see in the world of politics. He gives a model for his disciples to follow, and this model is Jesus himself, who came into the world “to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” This is the only way to true glory, glory given by God and not by people.

The Evangelist Luke mentions that Jesus spoke about his suffering while he was near Jerusalem, and the people “thought that the kingdom of God would appear immediately” (Luke 19:11). As for this kingdom, according to the Jewish concept, it was a national Jewish nation free from slavery that subjected all nations under its control. This prompted the two sons of Zebedee to approach Jesus, asking him to “sit, one on his right and the other on his left, in his glory,” that is, in the kingdom that they believed would soon be achieved in Jerusalem. But Jesus warned them that they “do not know what they are asking for,” because the glory that will appear in Jerusalem will only come through the Via Dolorosa, as the Lord Jesus explained to the disciples of Emmaus after the Resurrection, when He interpreted the Scriptures to them, saying: “Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and enter into his glory?” (Luke 24:26).

The cup of Jesus is the cup of suffering that He will endure from and for people in order to save them, and the tincture is the immersion in death and its passage to resurrection in completion of the work of salvation. The two sons of Zebedee endured severe suffering for the sake of the good news, but after the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and in this sense, they drank from the cup and were baptized with the baptism of Jesus. But salvation was accomplished by Jesus alone, and no human being participated in it. Therefore, only those who bore the martyrdom and accepted the cross share with him in glory. As for the saying that sitting to the right of the Teacher and to his left belongs only to “those for whom it is prepared,” it means that our participation in divine glory is not the fruit of struggle, no matter how great, but rather the gift of grace in its free form.

Human glory comes from authority and sovereignty, that is, from controlling people’s destinies, and this is not a reason for glory in the Kingdom of God, as glory is linked to service, giving, sacrifice, and in one word, humility. “The Lord Jesus Himself came “to serve, not to be served, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” And when He wanted to plant this spirit in the souls of the disciples, He rose and washed their feet at the Last Supper, “and gave them an example, that as He had done they also might do” (John 11:13).

Today's Gospel reflects the reality of humanity as it has been since the beginning, where there is a craving for power and false glory out of selfishness and pride. It also reflects divine mercy and love, where sacrifice and effort are given to the point of death. This shows that God is always suffering from humans and there is no end to this suffering except when the human soul is spiritualized by the Spirit of God and acts based on the inspiration of the coming kingdom.

About my parish bulletin
Sunday, April 16, 2000