Sermon preached on October 21, 2012.
The "Bandidos" and the "Hells Angels" are all well-known American motorcycle gangs. But have you heard about the "Sons of Thunder?"
That's the nickname given in Mark 3 by Jesus to James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They are two of the first disciples called by Jesus, a couple of guys in his inner circle.
But now a couple of chapters later these two brothers think that it would be even better to be known not as the Sons of Thunder but as "the Great." So they walk up to Jesus and say, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you."
We might want to shake our head at their arrogance, but the request they make is really not surprising. Presumptuous behavior is all around us, so although we may think James and John are audacious to say to Jesus, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory." When we believe that we are doing well, when we have been learning and ready for the next step, we are naturally going to not only make demands with the danger of being caught up in our own illusions or confusion.
For example about 170 years ago a Hungarian doctor named Ignaz Semmelweis (Ig-nahts Zem-uhl-vahys) was working in Vienna, Austria. He was in charge of two birthing clinics that offered free birthing services to poor or single mothers.
However, in his work Semmelweis was troubled because he noticed that one out of every ten women who gave birth at his clinics died from something termed "Childbed Fever." Then in 1847 a close friend of Semmelweis died after being accidentally poked with a scalpel during a procedure. When they examined his body, they found many similarities to the mothers who had died of Childbed Fever. Semmelweis made the connection that something was being transmitted from mothers to birthing mothers on the very hands of the doctors.
So, Semmelweis had a revolutionary solution: have the doctors wash their hands and instruments in a chlorinated solution. The result of the new policy was astounding. The death rates at the clinics dropped 90%.
But here comes the tragedy. When Semmelweis suggested to the larger medical community that the reason for these deaths was a lack of cleanliness, his hypothesis was dismissed. The medical community felt insulted because the implication was that THEY were causing these deaths. After all, they were gentlemen, they were not unclean.
So, let us not be too harsh on James and John and instead consider what this lesson teaches us. This lesson teaches us of at least two challenges that hinder us from living fully and healthy lives as disciples. The first challenge is a life of illusion, and the second challenge is a life in a state of confusion.
History is full of men and women who are described as "the Great." For example, Alexander the Great was the Macedonian king and general who took control of a vast empire in the 4th century B.C. Tutored by Aristotle, he went on to achieve an undefeated record in military battles. But Alexander was not invincible --- he was probably brought down by a lowly mosquito. Evidence suggests that he died of malaria at age 32.
This example simply points out that greatness can be linked to a life of illusion, one which causes people to believe that we are more invincible, powerful and righteous than we really are. Although a man could conquer countries, Alexander was vulnerable to a mosquito.
That leads to a second challenge in our lives; we can live lives in a state of confusion, namely, confusion about the true meaning of importance. This second challenge is one that Jesus addresses in the gospel of Mark. "You do not know what you are asking," says Jesus to the aspiring great ones, James and John. "Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" Jesus senses that the disciples are confused about what they are getting into, and he makes clear that the path goes straight through the wilderness of suffering.
Nevertheless, John and James reply, "We are able." The two come across as supremely confident, but you have to suspect that they do not know what they're talking about. They're still confused about the path that lies ahead.
Jesus however, does not shoot them down. Instead, Jesus nods in agreement. "The cup that I drink you will drink," he promises; "and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized."
Later in the book of Acts we learn that James was put to death by the sword, on the order of King Herod Agrippa (Acts 12:2), the first of the apostles to be martyred for the faith. As for John, he too suffered under the persecution of Herod Agrippa, but did not lose his life. Tradition says that he lived for a time in exile and died of natural causes in Ephesus. Yet both suffered. They drank the cup and experienced the baptism.
But as for positions of honor, Jesus says: "to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant." Jesus can promise suffering, death and new life to all who follow him in faith, but the granting of special places in the kingdom of heaven? That's God's call.
What does this mean for us? Well before we get ahead of ourselves we need to follow the story further for when the 10 other disciples hear what John and James are asking, they blow up at the Sons of Thunder. In response, Jesus uses this squabble as a teaching opportunity, and attempts to clear up any confusion, any illusion, about the true meaning of what it means to live a praiseworthy life. Jesus begins by pointing to the way that the leaders of the Gentiles act as tyrants, lording it over their people, "But it is not so among you," he says; "but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all."
Since Jesus refuses to preach what he will not himself practice, Jesus reveals that he is the model for this approach: "For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve." Let there be no illusion or confusion about who is "the Great," the one who is great is the one who serves. Let there be no illusion or confusion about life as a disciple.
We all know that the reality we live in, with winners and losers, what is a triumph and what is a failure, it can be easy to lose sight of Christ's approach to life. Jesus reminds us that the admirable life among us is the one who serves --- not the one who simply wins an election, or conquers an empire, or teaches doctors to wash their hands.
Rather, Jesus teaches that for us to lead healthy lives in Christ, it means recognizing that a life of illusion is unhealthy; we are fragile human beings. The truth is that we can die from a mosquito bite, but we serve a Great God. With Christ's forgiveness and inspiration, we can have a powerful impact --- especially if we serve others through our support and our skills. And rather than enduring in an unhealthy state of confusion, of what is important, we are to know the true meaning of a worthwhile life built on service to others.
So that begs the question, when the world looks at us, our community, what do they see now? Do they see a community of people all welcoming the kingdom of God as toddlers? Or do others see in us a community that presumes to argue about who is greatest, or presumes to argue about who is biggest, who is best, and who is worst? Do those outside this door see us as a group of people who live lives of illusion or confusion or do they see fragile human beings, warts and all, responding in service? I am thankful for our senior nutrition center, our facility that houses so many. I am thankful for our worship open to all and the support our offering provides, but yet I recognize that we are challenged to respond in even new and various ways. As Sons of Thunder, let us continue to find new ways of service. Amen.