Reverent Submission II

Mark 10:35-45, Hebrews 5:1-10

In the gospel of Mark, James and John ask Jesus if they could have the high status of sitting next to Christ in glory. In answer Christ asks the question of whether they can drink the cup – basically go through the same suffering Jesus will go through and be metaphorically baptized by fire like Christ will be. To this they reply yes. Jesus confirms that they will actually do so – little do they realize what this will mean. However, he can not appoint who will sit next to him, only God can.

The other ten disciples when they hear of this arrogance of James and John become angry with them. Jesus turns this into a teaching moment turning the hierarchy of the world upside down. He says he who wants to be great must be a servant. In regard to James and John wanting first place in the seating Christ says who ever wishes to be first must be a slave of all. He hits them with a surprising sentence – something they didn’t expect. It is that he, the Son of Man, came not to be served but to serve and give his life for a ransom for all. This is not the powerful leader they were expecting to save them from Roman rule –but one sent to give the highest service of giving up his life on the cross to save us spiritually from our sins and from death.

The writer of Hebrews makes it clear that Christ did not appoint himself to being a high priest to save us, but that he was appointed by God. It tells of the cup he would have to drink in how Jesus offered prayers with loud cries and tears to God who could save him from death. We see his prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane where he asks for the cup to be taken from him. But Hebrews says he was heard because of his reverent submission. He reverently served God by drinking the cup – learning obedience through what he suffered.

By perfectly carrying out God’s plan of salvation he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him. Hebrews reminds us again that God designated him to be a great high priest to bring salvation, one according to the order of Melchizedek – a priesthood of God’s most high. Melchizedek literally means “my king is righteous.”

We as Christians are called to have this reverent submission Christ showed us. We are to seek to serve, not to be served. Greatness in the kingdom of God doesn’t come from us having powerful positions like sitting near Christ in glory but from us serving Christ by serving others. May we have this reverent submission that Christ modeled for us. Amen.