THE VERY SMALL REQUEST OF GIACOMO AND GIOVANNI: "LORD, ALLOW US TO SIT, IN YOUR GLORY, ONE ON YOUR RIGHT AND ONE ON YOUR LEFT"

Many things could be highlighted about this Sunday's Gospel passage, also important, ranging from the mention of saving death such as drinking a cup or receiving a Baptism, to Jesus' response: «But among you it is not like that; but whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you will be the slave of all".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.

PDF print format article

 

.

.

From the Gospel according to Mark: "During that time, James and John approached Jesus, the sons of Zebedee, telling him: “Maestro, we want you to do for us what we ask of you". He told them: “What do you want me to do for you?”. They answered: “Allow us to sit, in your glory, one on your right and one on your left”. Jesus said to them,: “You don't know what you're asking. You can drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized in the baptism in which I am baptized?”. They answered: “We can”. And Jesus said to them,: “The cup that I drink, you too will drink it, and in the baptism with which I am baptized you also will be baptized. But sitting on my right or my left is not up to me to grant it; it is for those for whom it was prepared”». The other ten, having heard, they began to get indignant with James and John. Then Jesus called them to him and said to them: ""You know that those who are considered the rulers of the nations rule over them and their leaders oppress them. However, this is not the case among you; but whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you will be the slave of all. In fact, even the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and give one's life as a ransom for many." (MC 10,35-45).

To understand the well-known scene that today's Gospel presents us we will have to take a step back and reread the three verses that precede it: «While they were on the road to go up to Jerusalem, Jesus walked ahead of them and they were dismayed; those who followed him were afraid. I took the Twelve aside again, he began to tell them what was about to happen to him: "Here you are, we go up to Jerusalem and the Son of man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes; they will condemn him to death and hand him over to the pagans, they will laugh at him, they will spit on him, they will scourge him and kill him, and after three days he will rise again"" (MC 10, 32-34).

This is the third prediction of his Passion from Jesus as he proceeds walking towards Jerusalem and these words, introduction to today's text, highlight a narrative pattern: a) announcement of the Passion; b) misunderstanding on the part of the disciples; (c)) further teaching of Jesus on being his disciples. They also allow us to understand the theological value of Jesus' words remembered in the evangelical passage. In it it stands out how totally the disciples are aligned with what the world is, even today, that is, he prefers honor, respect and a high social position. The two responses of Jesus (MC 9, 33-37 e 10, 41-45) they highlight on the one hand how far these disciples were from the way of understanding the mission for which He had been sent and how grossly they had misunderstood it. On the other hand, in a positive sense, the disciples' blunder favored the memory and transmission of a very significant saying of Jesus on the way of understanding power in the Church, valid for all times.

In particular it is highlighted from the Lord his example which becomes paradigmatic for the community of believers, a special way of serving that benefits many (anti-pollution, instead of many) described as "giving one's life as a ransom for many" (v. 45). This term used by Jesus, «ransom» (in Greek: lytron), it is singular and needs to be explained a little to avoid misunderstandings with the current way of interpreting it, i.e. as a payment in money for the purpose of freeing a kidnapped person to get him out of the prison in which he is being held. On the lips of Jesus it has a theological meaning. It is also found in the parallel passage in Matthew: «And whoever wants to be first among you, he will be your slave. Like the Son of Man, who did not come to be served, but to serve and give one's life as a ransom for many" (Mt 20,27-28).

«Ransom», scriptural and theological background of this word, he is the figure of the "Suffering Servant" of which the prophet Isaiah speaks. In this Sunday's First Reading we read: «My righteous servant will justify many (my lord in Hebrew), he will bear their iniquities" (Is 53,11). A concept that will also be taken up by the First Letter of Peter: «He bore our sins in his body on the wood of the cross, Why, no longer living for sin, we lived for justice" (2,24). So too wrote Isaiah: «He took on our sufferings, he took on our pains and we judged him to be punished, beaten by God and humiliated. He was pierced for our crimes, crushed for our iniquities;. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with his stripes we are healed " (Is 53,4-5). When Christians, after the death of Jesus, they attempted in various ways to interpret that tragic event in a salvific sense, they used different languages. Among the various types, that of sacrifice, of the atonement, of satisfaction or merit, there is also that of "ransom". This “means that the work of liberation was burdensome for Christ; not that he paid the price to God as to an greedy creditor. Indeed, the initiative starts precisely from the love of God and is absolutely free, like the liberation from Egypt" (Catechism for adults, the, no. 254). That language, that Jesus used by comparing himself to the suffering Servant, in fact it expresses a great love, the one for whom the Father sent the Son, to the point of allowing him to die for us: «For God loved the world so much that he gave his only begotten Son, because anyone who believes in him is not lost, but have eternal life " (GV 3,16).

From this Sunday's evangelical page many things could be highlighted, also important, ranging from the mention of saving death such as drinking a cup or receiving a Baptism, to Jesus' response: «But among you it is not like that; but whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you will be the slave of all". However, I would like to conclude by highlighting a significant detail that becomes exemplary for us, because it shows us how from a wrong position we can instead move to a right one. Unlike Marco, Matthew has the mother of Zebedee's sons ask Jesus the offending question (Mt 20,20), a woman who remained anonymous. Several interpreters have dwelt on this inclusion to talk about the status society of women at that time or to say that the first evangelist perhaps wanted to avoid putting the two important apostles in a bad light. But when it comes to describing the scene of passion, the moment when almost everyone abandoned Jesus, even his disciples, for Matteo, however, she is present: «… Mary Magdalene was there, Mary mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee's sons" (Mt 27,56). Marco, instead, shows that he doesn't know her, because he places a certain Salome in his position: «There were also some women, who watched from afar, including Mary Magdalene, Mary, mother of James the Less and Joses, and Salome" (MC 15,40). In the symphony of the Gospels this woman performs a fundamental function for us. In fact, if Matteo is aware of Mc 15,40, the replacement of Salome with "the mother of Zebedee's children" is desired and serves precisely to complete the definition of her role and the process that began in the chapter 20 of his Gospel, mentioned before, when he asked Jesus the question. That is, it becomes a symbol: he followed, with other women, Jesus, since Galilee, and is now preparing to go with him to Jerusalem. To his request for primacy for his children, Jesus also addresses her, together with their children, and invites her to drink the cup he is about to drink. However, the children won't do it, «lei, surprisingly, that he had inappropriately made that request, in the end he will drink that cup, standing at Jesus' side, to its execution" (A.J. Saldarini).

From the Hermitage, 20 October 2024

 

.

 

.

Visit the pages of our book shop WHO and support our editions by purchasing and distributing our books.

.

______________________

Dear Readers,
this magazine requires management costs that we have always faced only with your free offers. Those who wish to support our apostolic work can send us their contribution through the convenient and safe way PayPal by clicking below:

Or if you prefer you can use our
Bank account in the name of:
Editions The island of Patmos

n Agency. 59 From Rome
Iban code:
IT74R0503403259000000301118
For international bank transfers:
Codice SWIFT:
BAPPIT21D21

If you make a bank transfer, send an email to the editorial staff, the bank does not provide your email and we will not be able to send you a thank you message:
isoladipatmos@gmail.com

We thank you for the support you wish to offer to our apostolic service.

The Fathers of the Island of Patmos

.

.

.

.

.