Commentary on the Gospel of
Give away what you have earned!
Jesus and the disciples are going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus wants to prepare them for what lies ahead. There are a few points that would puzzle us about today's Gospel. Jesus explicitly predicts that crucifixion awaits him in Jerusalem.
It is a profound teaching about suffering. When we try to avoid suffering at all costs, we will spend a lifetime running, but it will catch up with us anyway; then we will be the unwillingvictims of suffering. But when we choose to face the sufferings of our lives head-on, sustained by the example and the grace of Christ, we become heroes of faith.
The desire of James and John to have important positions ahead of the rest of the ten apostles raised a potential threat of division among them. Jesus grabs the opportunity to give a powerful teaching on humility.
If you want to be great, change your attitude: Quit thinking about your social status, intelligence, academic degrees, and ability to manipulate and control outcomes. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been a member of the church or even how much better you could lead than the men in current leadership.” Those things are all worth nothing without love and a heart to serve (cf. 1 Cor. 13)
If it is truly our desire to be great in God's eyes, we must recognise our inability to merit greatness, bow in gratitude for God’s graciousness, and, by way of thanksgiving, use our life to reflect God’s total gift of self on the cross.
Consider giving away something you have earned as part of your Lenten practice.
