Too many Christians have exchanged the proclamation of the Gospel for the pursuit of one political agenda or another, especially in North America. Rather than calling men and women to repent and believe the same Gospel preached by Jesus and his apostles, they prefer imposing their views and visions via the corrupt political systems of this fallen age. And “impose” is the correct term, or do we not understand what political power is? But this is NOT the way of discipleship as exemplified in the words and deeds of Jesus of Nazareth.
After predicting
his trial and execution, two of his disciples approached Jesus to request positions
of political power and prestige in his coming kingdom. As he was approaching Jerusalem,
the very center of the Jewish nation and religion, even his closest followers demonstrated
their failure to grasp what it means to exercise sovereignty in his domain.
But he
took the opportunity to teach them that “greatness” in his Kingdom necessitates
a life of self-sacrificial service on behalf of others. Self-denial
rather than self-promotion or dominion over others.
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| [Photo by Jürgen Scheeff on Unsplash] |
James and John asked him to install them at his right and left hands when he came “in his glory.” They remained incapable of hearing his words and learning from his daily deeds of service.
But Jesus would
soon show just what it meant to become his disciple when he fulfilled the role
of the ‘Suffering Servant’ described in the Book of Isaiah by giving
his life as a “ransom for many” on a Roman cross.
HIS CUP
And so, suffering
and death must precede glory. As the disciples were approaching the city, they
expected the Messiah of Israel to manifest his royal glory for the world to see,
and to impose his reign over the Earth and depose the foreign overlords of
Israel and their Jewish collaborators. They had yet to understand just what
kind of Messiah Jesus of Nazareth was and is.
- (Mark 10:35-40) - “And approaching him, James and John, the sons of Zebedee are saying, ‘Rabbi, we desire that whatever we ask of you, you will do for us.’ Now he answered them, ‘What is it you are wishing me to do for you?’ Now they said to him, ‘Grant to us that we may sit in your glory, one on your right and one on your left.’ But Jesus said to them, ‘You know not what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I, myself am drinking, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I, myself am being baptized?’ Yet they said to him, ‘We are able.’ But Jesus said to them, ‘The cup that I, myself am drinking you will drink, and the baptism with which I, myself am being baptized you will be baptized, yet to sit on my right or left is not for me to give, but for those for whom it has been prepared.’”
In the
passage, the two disciples address him as ‘Rabbi’ or “teacher,” a title of respect but
one common enough among the Jews. This shows that James and John did not yet understand
who he was.
In the Old
Testament, the “cup” often symbolized something given or allotted by God,
and usually in the negative sense of receiving judicial punishment.
Though not
stated by Jesus, the idea of drinking the “cup” points to his partaking in
the wrath of God on account of sin. Likewise, the context indicates a similar negative
sense for his metaphorical use of “baptism” - (Psalm 11:6, 16:5, Isaiah
57:17-22, Jeremiah 25:15-28).
When James and John declared they were indeed prepared to drink from this “cup,” his response indicated they had no idea what they had just said. But eventually, they would drink that same “cup” when they also suffered for the Kingdom. And so, his followers also should expect to endure persecution for his sake.
In the
translation above, “I, myself” represents the emphatic pronoun in the
Greek text (egō), and it occurs four times in the Greek text of the passage.
Egō here stresses his messianic role - the death of the “Son of Man”
is the event that inaugurated the promised kingdom of God.
SERVANT AND SLAVE
Contrary
to the ways of this world, for his disciple, “greatness” is measured in self-sacrificial
service, not in political power or rank. In his realm, the one who wishes to be
“great” must become the “servant” of all.
The term rendered
“servant” translates the Greek noun diakonos, which is used
elsewhere in the Greek New Testament as a general term for “servant” or
“minister.”
- (Mark 10:41-45) - “And hearing this, the ten began to be indignant concerning James and John. And having summoned them, Jesus says to them, ‘You know that those considered rulers of the nations, lord it over them and their great ones take dominion over them. Yet not so is it among you, but whoever desires to become great among you, he will be your servant, and whoever desires to be chief among you will become the slave of all; For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his soul a ransom instead of many.”
In ancient
Greek, diakonos referred to servants who waited on tables,
and it is the term from which the title ‘deacon’ is derived. The Gospel
of Luke uses it in this manner - “For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who
serves? But I am among you as the one who serves” - (Luke 22:26-27).
Thus, Jesus
defined his mission as the one who comes, “not to be served, but to serve
and to give his soul a ransom instead of many.” The Greek verb rendered “served”
is the verbal form of the noun diakoonos, and most often in the New
Testament, it refers to slaves.
THE RANSOM PRICE
Thus, the “Son
of Man” became the servant and slave of all when he gave his “soul”
to ransom others. And here, Jesus uses “soul” in the Old Testament sense
for his entire person, both the physical and non-physical aspects. Thus, he sacrificed
his entire being or “life” for others.
The
preposition rendered “instead of” is anti, meaning “instead of,
on behalf of, for, in place of, in exchange for.” Behind the saying is the
passage about the ‘Suffering Servant’ in the Book of Isaiah:
- (Isaiah 53:10-12) - “He shall be satisfied with his knowledge, a setting right when set right himself shall my Servant win for the many since of their iniquities he takes the burden. Therefore, will I give him a portion in the great, and the strong shall he apportion as spoil because he poured out to death his own soul, and with transgressors let himself be numbered, Yea, he the sin of Many bare, and for transgressors HE interposes.”
In Mark’s
account, Jesus refers to the “many.” This does not mean a limited
or exclusive company. It is a verbal link to the passage in Isaiah where
“the many” refers to the “transgressors.” Moreover, the contrast is
not between “many” and “all,” but between the one “Son of Man”
who gave his life and the many beneficiaries of his self-denying act.
The
passage in Isaiah also provides the term “soul” found on Christ’s
lips in the passage n Mark. Just as Isaiah’s Suffering Servant “poured
out his soul,” so the “Son of Man” offered his “soul” to
ransom the “many,” namely, his entire being.
In first-century
society, very often a monetary “ransom” was paid to purchase the freedom
of a slave. And so, Jesus gave his life as the ransom price to free a great
many others from slavery to sin and death.
While his disciples are not called to give their own lives as
ransom prices to save sinners like Jesus did, they are summoned to emulate his
example of self-sacrificial service for others, especially for sinners and
“enemies.” They are certainly not called to use the political powers of
this sinful world to impose correct belief or proper conduct on anyone whether
friend or foe.
The Gospel preached by Jesus is NOT nonpolitical. The
declaration that a kingdom is coming that will replace all existing realms and
regimes is inherently political. Nevertheless, in his realm, sovereignty and power
are exercised in ways that are alien to the political systems and ideologies of
this world.