Scripture Nugget 4.15.2017
Scripture Read Mark 9 - 10
Nugget Mark 10:32-38a, 43b-45
“They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, ‘See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles; they will mock him, and spit upon him, and flog him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise again.’ James and John, the sons of Zebedee came forward to him and said to him, ‘Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.’ And he said to them, ‘What is it you want me to do for you?’ And they said to him, ‘Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.’ But Jesus said to them, ‘You do not know what you are asking’ . . . ‘whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.’”
Devotional Thought: Those who worshiped on Good Friday just heard this story played out. Here Jesus, on his way into Jerusalem, again tells his Disciples what is about to happen, it is an ugly story even in its brevity. The rest of the story is even uglier than its introduction – we heard the fullness of it as we lived the story with Jesus and his followers from the Last Supper, to the Garden, in his arrest, his suffering in many ways, the trial, physical abuse, emotional and mental abuse and ultimately the crucifixion. James and John, come forward and ask to be a part of the glory. Little do they know that as they ask to be on Jesus’ right and left; they are asking to replace the two thieves who will be crucified with Jesus. How many of us are willing to serve others, even to the point of being crucified with Jesus? There can be no Easter resurrection without the cross. Jesus had to die on the cross to overcome the sin of the world, before he could “die”, he had to die and be buried before he could be resurrected. I/you must go to the cross, die at the cross, give up our sins at the cross before we can receive the gift of life available in the resurrection. Imagine you are James and John, standing at the foot of three crosses, Jesus in the middle, two thieves on his right and left. Do you think the words of the conversation we read this morning became overwhelming to them? From Thursday through today we experience the darkness of the world, but tomorrow is EASTER, the LIGHT overcomes darkness, LIFE overcomes death, the GOD’S LOVE overcomes sin. God wins!