1.
The natural human concern with status
and importance is clearly one of the most fundamental instinct which must be
unlearned by those who belong to God’s kingdom.
2.
Whether the mother herself misguided by
pride in her sons, made the request or from the personal ambition of the two
disciples, the request was made with the brother’s full consent.
3.
This story is also an indication that
there were people other than the twelve travelling with the Lord during his
ministry. The mother of the sons of Zebedee will be named among the women at
the cross) 27: 56), and is presented there as one of ‘many women who had
followed Jesus from Galilee and looked after him (27: 55)
4.
The place on the king’s right is
traditionally that of highest honour and authority, but where two people are
concerned that on the left is necessarily also included without any sense of
inferiority (2 Kgs 22: 19). But true nature of Jesus’ kingship is such that
they are ready to be crucified along with him one on the right and the other on
the left.
5.
Servant here means to be subservient,
dependent on the master, owned, lacking any self-determination, at the mercy of
their owner, expected to obey, powerless, with few legal rights, beaten,
alienated from any legitimated social existence, without honour, despised by
the elite etc.
I remember reading an
anecdote from the online sermons of one of my professors. ‘It was in the
afternoon, Stephen came running to his friend Mark who was having his lunch in
the office and started gasping and panting heavily. ‘What happened to you’
asked Mark. You know after having a plate of Biryani (South Indian delicacy), I
was coming out of the shop, a car stopped in front of the shop. A group of men
with masks on their faces, started firing on all sides. Many got killed and
very soon we were in the pool of blood. By God’s grace I was saved and I am
here alive now’ told Stephen without a break. After a brief moment of silence
Mark said to Stephen ‘So you went out to eat Biryani without me’ Jesus openly
tells His disciples about his fate, which is the sole purpose of going to
Jerusalem. There was no one among them who felt bad about what Jesus told them.
Several times we are concerned with topics and issues which are very mean. The
decision of our Holy Father to step down from the seat of greatest honour is
one clear example of practicing humility and counting on things that really
matter.
Reference
The Gospel of
Matthew – R.T France
Matthew and the
Margins – Warren Carter
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