James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” He replied, “What do you wish me to do for you?” They answered him, “Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.” Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” They said to him, “We can.” Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink, you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared.”
When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John. Jesus summoned them and said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Gospel Trivia:
The message of this gospel account is quite clear: the way to lead is to serve the needs of others (servant leadership). The following "trivia" may help us appreciate the passage even more:
- The setting of this gospel account is on the way to Jerusalem, the royal city, and the disciples must have remembered what Jesus previously said (as narrated by Matthew and Luke) that they would sit on twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel. So it was an opportune time to bring up the topic on who will have more authority and power among them. The concept of reward for effort was also a prevalent notion among Jews and the disciples were, understandably, expecting something for all their hard work.
- Jesus does not rebuke the disciples, but reminds them of the requirements of leadership:
a. drinking the cup - the "cup" is a symbol of both joy and suffering in Jewish culture
b. baptism - this is often used as a symbol of water, and water is associated with calamity or of being flooded with calamities.
Discipleship is both a privilege and a commitment to stand for Jesus' principles of unconditional love, forgiveness, and justice for the least, last and lost.
Reference:
- Nil Guillemette, SJ, A Kingdom for All (Manila: St. Paul Publications, 1988), p. 84.
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