Glory Hunters
John F. Kennedy famously said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” That is the sentiment Jesus is trying to get across to his followers in today’s gospel reading. Not so very long after the conversation about who is the greatest, James and John want to ask Jesus a favour. They want to know if they can sit at either side of him, when he is in glory. They have missed the point again. They think following Jesus is about receiving glory. He reminds them that it is actually about serving others, looking for what they need – not what we would like. Not what you can get, but what you can give.
The story goes that a woman accompanied her husband to his doctor’s appointment. After his checkup, the doctor wanted to talk to the wife alone. He said “Your husband is suffering from a very severe disease, combined with some horrible stress. If you don’t do the following your husband will surely die.
“What you need to do is each morning, fix him a healthy breakfast. Be pleasant, and make sure he isin a good mood. For lunch, make him a nutritious meal. For dinner, prepare an especially nice meal for him. DON’T burden him with chores, as he probably had a hard day. DON’T discuss your problems with him. It will only make his stress worse. You must satisfy HIS every whim. If you can do this for the next 10 months to a year, I think your husband will regain his health completely.”
On the way home, the husband asked his wife: “What did the doctor say?”
“You’re going to die,” she replied.
It’s not easy learning to serve others. That might be an amusing story, but it gets across the point. We are not always so keen on doing what is good for others – especially if it costs us. That works right across life, for home life, church life, work and community living. We cannot always have what we want. Sometimes we need to think about others and what is good for them. In the words of Graham Kendrick, “To bring our lives, as a daily offering, of worship to the Servant King.”
Greatness is actually about giving. Jesus proved that. He gave everything, even his life , to bring forgiveness and hope to the world. Greatness is not about getting the best place to sit for eternity, or having an easy life; it can involve pain, suffering and sacrifice.
The other side of that of course is that we can all be great – because we call all seek to serve others.
Let’s do something great today.
Pam's Perambulation 