PRAYER

Lord Jesus, You are worthy of all honor and praise. Help us to love as You do and to act wisely so that others will be drawn to Your salvation and hope. May we build each other up and encourage each other today as we give you all the glory!

READING

Matthew 20:17-28

²⁰ Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.

²¹ “What is it you want?” he asked.

She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”

²² “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”

“We can,” they answered.

²³ Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”

²⁴ When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. ²⁵ Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.²⁶ Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— ²⁸ just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

REFLECTION

Have you ever sat at the airport gate for a flight and felt the tension rise amongst passengers once the first boarding is called? Even though their section has not been called, people will queue no matter what. It is a bit strange considering passengers have assigned seating, the plane cannot leave unless everyone is on board and there is storage all over the plane for carry on luggage. Why the rush to be first on (and off) the plane?

As seen in the Scripture reading, there seems to be a natural urge to be first; to get priority over others. James and John's eagerness to be first causes the other disciples to become "indignant". To be indignant is to show annoyance or anger at what is perceived as unfair treatment. Have you ever felt indigant? I confess I have. I was at a rummage sale at another church in the Diocese and a lady asked if I'd like to enrol my kids in popular community program. I declined and said we're too busy. She replied, "Well, we all have our priorities". I wanted to respond with, "Don't you now who I am? I'm a pastor! My kids are busy doing church programs! How dare you!" We all know how well it goes over when a pastor loses their temper, at another church. Of course, I just smiled and nodded and fumed. Then I felt the shame of my indignance (after a week or so, I confess).

Jesus quickly sets things straight before divisiveness finds root in His disciples and explains to them that if they want to be great, they must become servants. Jesus leads by example, and says He came not to be served but to serve. We see this in action when Jesus washes the disciple's feet. Peter is indignant, Jesus is loving. It is hard to show humility and to serve others especially when we are convinced it should be the other way around. God's Kingdom is an upside down kingdom where the first are last and the last are first. Service and servanthood are key components to experiencing the true peace of Christ. Let us try to find ways to serve and to put others needs before our own.

LENT CHECK IN

Consider letting someone else go in front of you (at the store, as you enter your house, as you drive, as you enter your classroom/school)

If you have a group project or group work in school, try supporting all of the group members by encouraging them and giving them credit for their contributions (even if its really small)