Letting Go of Earthly Glory
Mark 10:35-45
Through the written word, and the spoken word, God help us to hear your Living Word, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Jesus, let us sit at your right and your left!
James and John ask to sit right next to Jesus in the heavenly realm. They want thrones near their teacher and savior. In some ways, it is a request that makes sense AND in other ways, it is a request that is completely contrary to the message Jesus has been preaching. I sort of wonder if the other disciples secretly wanted this honor but didn’t say it. Either way, James and John ask, and James and John get a talking to!
Jesus reminds the disciples YET AGAIN that the last shall be first and the first shall be last. We have witnessed a whole series of reminders like this one. Jesus has talked about the place of women and children and the place of the poor. Jesus is reversing assumptions of power and glory.
Jesus reminds the disciples of the importance of children—the innocent and powerless. When talking about divorce, Jesus actually elevates women. Divorce left women abandoned—to condemn divorce in an ancient world is to protect women from poverty and destitution. Then in the passage we heard last week, Jesus tells the rich man to sell his possessions and give the money to the poor. In other words, the rich are being brought down and the poor brought up.
Jesus is questioning a status quo of stratification. A status quo of reaching and straining for power and of not letting said power go once you have it. Adult men with money are being challenged. Women, children, and people in poverty are being intentionally brought into the reign of God.
Yet the disciples still have the nerve to ask for a seat of power and glory. The disciples don’t get it. They have heard all these teachings and still don’t get it.
Mind you, these are men who have left their lives behind to follow Jesus. In some ways, they have already given up everything for the sake of God. And yet… they have not let go of their hope for glory. They don’t get it.
And guess what… We don’t get it either.
Even on our best, most generous, most Jesus centered days, I would bet we still want glory. We want to be liked, we want money, we want power, we want beauty, we want and want and want.
Even when do not ask in those words, we want to join Jesus on the throne even though, as Jesus reminds, we do NOT know what we are asking…
What we know is that we want glory in some kind. Our inability to let go of this desire is the root cause of racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, and all kinds of hate, exclusion, and judgement. Raising ourselves requires minimizing and marginalizing others. Sadly, that a big part of Christian history.
We have continued those structures that Jesus condemned. We are having the same struggles the disciples did.
You see, early Christians were persecuted for their faith. Faith in our one God prevented early Christians from swearing allegiance to the emperor—which of course resulted in exclusion, torture, and martyrdom.
Enter Constantine! Constantine’s conversion to and acceptance of Christianity made Christianity in line with the empire. Over time Christianity became the religion of the empire…and we took that to the ends of the earth. There are of course many threads of Christianity, but those Christians with historical power tied that power to their faith, assuming it must be from God. Then there is a long history of colonialism, manifest destiny, and hatred of those in other religions. The underdogs took power and loved it! Christians in much of the world have soaked up that power and refuse to let it go!
I want to be really clear that there are plenty of Christians in the world who are still persecuted for their faith and Christians in the world, especially in the global south, who have sought to liberate their own faith from the religion of the colonizers.
We in the United States bear the heritage of colonialist Christians. And we have somehow created a version of Christianity that furthers the divide between the powerless and powerful. Jesus taught of a way of life that brought people together and reduced this stratification. And still Christianity has become a religion of deep separation. Sunday morning is the time of the week when segregation is most present. The church at large tends to people of all levels of power and privilege, but we don’t often meet in the middle. Most people find it easier to relate to people in the same tax bracket, culture, and race.
All this separation while we hear Jesus saying, “whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant.” Our search for greatness comes to a sudden halt before God. Our history as well as our day to day lives allow us to believe in a false sort of greatness that divides, separates, and harms. The systems around us that keep people in poverty, that divide races into classes, and that make the world feel like a constant competition are in direct opposition to the Word of God.
Now is where I remind you that good news is not always easy news. Sometimes good news is really hard.
The good news here is twofold.
For those who have been excluded, marginalized, pushed out and judged by society, it is good news to know you will be brought up. You will be right there in the front row as we enter the kin-dom of God. And I am so glad. People who have endured hurts that should never have to be a part of a person’s life experience get to skip right to the front of the line. That’s good news. That is redemptive and liberating news.
Now for the hard good news. For those of us with power and privilege, it is hard to let go of systems that help us maintain that power and privilege. It is hard to let go of the things that make our lives more comfortable than necessary. It’s hard to do the internal work of disentangling our internalized biases. God calls us to do that work. That’s hard. And it is also redemptive and liberating news.
We don’t have to cling to and claw at a life of glory, power, and privilege. Letting go of those desires and trusting in God is so much easier. While it is certainly hard to deconstruct our systems and ways of life, it is harder still to live a life that is obsessed with always moving up in the world. It is taxing on our souls and bodies to think our worth is attached to our production and wealth. It is challenging for our souls to put others down so that we may rise up. It is exhausting to always want to be the best.
God promises of a world where fellowship wins the day. God’s reign is not stratified and segregated. That’s the world I want to live in. That is the kin-dom of God and is our call from God. We have a lot of work to do.
Rather than asking if we may sit at Jesus’ right and left, might we ask how we can be truly present to our neighbor? Might we hear God’s word through the stories of those around us. Might we loosen our grip on the things that bring us comfort, so we are ready to grab the hand of someone near us who is struggling. Might we learn to serve one another. Might we truly follow Jesus and give up our hope for glory.
© 2021 The Rev. Adelyn Tyler
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church – Fayetteville, Arkansas