I know that we have a number of teachers in our congregation, as well as retired educators. So I suppose many of you will be able to relate when I tell you that sometimes when I teach confirmation class I wonder whether my students “get it”. I question myself whether my explanation was too abstract for them or whether the lesson was too far removed from the place in life they currently occupy, whether the lesson was too monotone, the language too complicated, the material too difficult, or something else. Maybe they were just tired from school or from the stress of life that night… I suspect that many teachers wonder about these things from time to time, because sometimes you get those starry looks from your students, and that does not spell success. Or you get the easy answers that reveal they’re only scratching at the surface of the subject matter. Or you get an answer that tells you positively that the students did not get the lesson at all. As when James and John approached Jesus and asked him for “a little favor.”
Now, I must say it makes me feel a tiny bit better to know that Jesus had the same struggles as a teacher that I sometimes experience. The truth is, he was not very successful at getting his points across to his students, despite the fact that he had them under his wings 24 hours every day. So teachers, keep that in mind when you are having a rough day in the classroom… Jesus, as evidenced in the gospels, did not get through to his disciples, despite the fact that his language wasn’t overly complicated, his lessons full of everyday examples, his teachings repetitive enough so that one should be able to get it after the third or fourth time. And yet, the SAT scores in today’s lesson aren’t very good. James and John, two brothers who are mentioned more often than most others in the gospels, display a shocking lack of understanding. They ask their teacher for a favor. And the Lord answers the way we all would if we are smart. Jesus said, “It depends on the favor my friends.” Always a good answer! It turns out, James and John want certain seats at the table, special seats. They say, “When Mrs. Allen has her retirement party on December 1 we want to sit right next to her, one on her right and one on her left.” And Jesus’ answer is: “Sorry, that I cannot do. Those seats for Mrs. Allen’s retirement party are very special and it’s not up to me to give them away…” Yes, Jesus said that!!!
James and John want certain seats at the table. They want recognition and – remember, they were called “sons of thunder,” – they want some influence in the new kingdom, the nature of which they still don’t understand, not by a long shot. With this request they demonstrate that they either didn’t pay much attention to Jesus’ teachings, or they had an astounding ability to ignore their teacher’s most important lessons. It is as if a student of Mahatma Gandhi had approached the Indian Saint and asked him to be the one who carries the gun against the English. Or if a student of Mother Theresa had asked to be the one who lives in a luxurious home above the slums of Calcutta. Or if a student of Steve Jobs had asked to be the one who sells the company and gives up the creative innovation part. Or if a student of famous jazz musician Mile Davis had asked for the master to write all his music down ahead of time, measure by measure. And Miles would have said, “Pal, that’s not how jazz works. Find another teacher!”
Frankly, that’s what Jesus could have said here to James and John and I don’t know why he didn’t do it. He could have said, “Brothers, you just don’t get it! Find yourself another rabbi! Obviously I am not the right fit for you.” But Jesus didn’t do that. Why? I think because he felt that we learn best from our own mistakes and shortfalls (not from the mistakes of others). Learning from the mistakes of others is overrated, because we are usually bad at it. Yes, we learn best from our own mistakes, because we have felt the pain those mistakes caused and in some cases we still feel the pain! So Jesus hangs with them and gives them an opportunity to learn from their misconceptions. In Lutheran language, Jesus treated them with grace.
I also think he embraced James and John despite their ridiculous request because he knew that this conversation transcended time and space and needed to be recorded for posterity. I mean, we all tend to misunderstand the kingdom of God. It’s so different from the hierarchical power structures and reward systems that run our world. James and John are an exaggerated copy – of us. If we are honest, if we are really honest, we will admit that very often we don’t get what Jesus is saying about the kingdom of God, and that includes religious leaders, theologians and clergy of all stripes. I can tell you that because I am one of them. The kingdom of God, the spiritual world that opens our eyes to God, is not easy to recognize. God is hidden in this world. And our eyes are glued to the obvious. And if we don’t get it right away we say to ourselves, “Maybe I’m not spiritual. Maybe this is not for me.” And Jesus hangs with you in the same way he hung with James and John, and he says, “I am staying with you even if you say and think the most ridiculous things. Would you stay with me a while longer?”
What did James and John learn here? See, we all have the capacity to do things out of the goodness and goodwill of our hearts, and so many of us demonstrate this capacity every single week. I can tell you numerous occasions when the people of St. Peter’s soared to the occasion when someone needed help. And people here gave generously of their time and sometimes their money and sometimes both, and more.
Yet, it is also true, when we are asked, time and again, to do things, we sort of want to get rewarded for it, right? We want to get paid or recognized or at least receive a little perk. Such is human nature and believe me, I don’t say this to be critical. I think it’s just how we are all wired, with some exceptions maybe, but most people I know, including myself, “tick” that way. So did James and John. They come to Jesus, essentially saying, “We gave everything up, we left our dad in the boat, we left our families behind and followed you, now can you do us a little favor? How about some special seats in the kingdom you keep talking about?” (Or at least seats at Mrs. Allen’s retirement party…) They are wondering, “There has to be a perk in all of this!” What are the perks of following Jesus? What are the rewards of being a Christian? That’s the larger question here. And let us be honest, there has to be some perk, right?
Jesus answer is, “You don’t know what you are asking for.” That’s an interesting reply. It reminds me of the scene at the cross when Jesus prayed, “Father forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing.”
It is as if Jesus lives in a different world and is inviting us into this world, but we simply can’t comprehend it. “You don’t know what you are asking for,” Jesus says to the brothers, and then he follows up with, “Can you drink the cup that I drink?” And of course, that also reminds us of the cross, referring to his suffering. In his prayer in the garden of Gethsemane Jesus asked to be spared to drink “this cup.” So, Jesus asks James and John, “Can you drink the cup that I drink?”
One of the perks of being a disciple, Jesus says, is to gain access to the deeper meaning of life, to stay connected with God even when you suffer, to be able to grow inwardly as you grow up, and most of us don’t grow up until we are old. To drink your cup of life and not reject it, to refrain from saying “it’s unfair,” which it very often is by our standards. Are you able to drink your cup? Jesus enables us to make peace with our life and our own issues. Drink the cup! And my interpretation is: once you do that, once you accomplish the greatest task of life, drinking your cup, you will have no more need to ask for “special seats” in the kingdom of God. You have been healed. And that’s the perk of being a disciple! Amen.