Our fear never excludes us from participating in God’s mission on earth. Jesus affirms this grace by saying “you will” to James and John when they, out of fear, make a seemingly power-hungry request.

Vicar Natalie Wussler
The Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost, Lect. 29 B
Texts: Isaiah 53:4-12; Psalm 91:9-16; Hebrews 5:1-10; Mark 10:[32-34] 35-45

Beloved in Christ, grace and peace to you in the name of the ☩ Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Here we go again… Jesus for a third time predicts his death and for a third time, the disciples somehow completely miss the point. And now, James and John make a seemingly power-hungry move and ask for places at Jesus’ right and left hand when he comes in glory. Haven’t they got the message yet? Has Jesus not embraced enough children or said “the last shall be first” enough times to let the disciples know they should uplift vulnerable people and be servants to everyone? I’ll admit it, this was my first reaction to this passage. But let’s take a more empathetic look at their position.

Because it’s easy to understand why James and John make this ill-timed request. They left all they’ve ever known to follow Jesus. They’ve listened to Jesus’ words as if their lives depended on it. They’ve seen Jesus heal the sick, cast out demons. And here Jesus is for a third time warning the disciples of his impending death and, this time, he brings the details. There is a who, a what, a where, and a how to Jesus’ death, and from what he’s saying, it will happen in just a few days when they enter Jerusalem. Jesus is their friend and a trusted teacher. James, John, and the disciples believe Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah. James and John focus on the glory they want Jesus to come into. Because remember, the followers of Jesus are still functioning under the idea that the Messiah will come to forcefully overturn the empires that oppress people. The Messiah is not supposed to be crucified at the hands of the empire. Think about the terror the disciples feel at the idea that Jesus would be killed by powers beyond their control.  It’s no wonder why fear is creeping in. And when we frame the disciple’s reaction as a response to fear, it makes a little more sense. Perhaps James and John are trying to gain positions of prestige as a way to control one aspect of the impending chaos. Maybe they want to preserve whatever status they think they have, from being two of the three disciples who witnessed the Transfiguration. Perhaps they aren’t hearing Jesus’ prediction of his death because they worry the same fate awaits them. And so they seek security. And maybe the disciples grow angry with James and John because they wish they’d been able to gain control for themselves in the chaos they fear as well. Fear takes them over and distracts them from what really matters and the example Jesus is trying to set for them. 

It’s not hard to understand where disciples are coming from, because we all fear in our own ways. Fear is one of those universal human experiences. It invades our minds and our hearts. Sometimes we fear that we’re not good enough or that we will fail. Sometimes our fear tells us that things will never get better. Sometimes we fear the state of this world and think we can do nothing to change it.  And in the face of our fear, we can act like James and John and move toward self-preservation. To make sure that the “me” and the “mine” of it all is secure. Sometimes our fear keeps us from speaking truth at the risk of retaliation or saying something wrong. And sometimes our fear of doing the wrong thing causes us to do nothing at all. Our fear can lead us down a path of self-centeredness and isolation. Assumed safety, yes, but at the expense of our lives becoming smaller and more lonely. Instead of engaging in the abundant life of service where the last are first and we’re servants to all, we can retreat, hoard, and stay silent.

In response to James and John’s request, Jesus asks them if they’re able to drink from the cup Jesus will drink from and be baptized as he is baptized. Naively James and John affirm their ability and readiness to do so. Now, Jesus has said a lot of things when the disciples miss the point, and some of them are pretty harsh, but not here. “You will,” Jesus says. “You…will.” These two words are an invitation to continue on the path Jesus is setting for them. Even while they are acting out of their own fear and ignorance, they will drink the cup that Jesus drinks out of. Jesus tells James and John that they don’t know what they’re asking for, and I think that if they did know what they were signing up for, they might rethink their excited “we are able.” Because this cup that Jesus drinks from and the baptism Jesus is baptized with is no easy feat. It’s one of self-sacrifice, of dying and rising, of service to others. This cup and baptism is a path that leads to the cross. It’s a cup and baptism that elicits fear, even for God incarnate. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus himself will ask for this cup to be taken away from him. Luke’s gospel has Jesus sweating blood out of distress. Jesus felt fear in the face of this cup and this baptism, and yet, he walked it in love and in prayer.

And here’s the grace: not even our fear can exclude us from God’s mission on earth. Jesus was afraid, but it didn’t stop him. The disciples lived in fear all the way through Holy Week and abandoned Jesus after the last supper. But, there was grace for them. On Pentecost they were anointed with the Holy Spirit and started the movement of the church, and they lived in service to all people, walking in love and in prayer. Their fear did not exclude them. We, too, act in fear in a multitude of ways, and yet we are not excluded. God gives us grace too and assures us that we are still loved and still wanted. God still wants you on God’s team. Through all the ways you may believe you are disqualified, God still wants you and welcomes you to do God’s work in the world. You can live into God’s call, drink from the cup Jesus drank, and you can do it while you’re still scared. You will never be excluded from God’s mission on earth. 

Walking in love and in prayer, you can follow the path Jesus walked first. The writer of Hebrews says this path was marked with weakness, tears, and love. It’s a path that makes abundant life accessible to all people and excludes no one from the love of God. It’s a path that might feel scary, but Jesus’ answer of “you will” to James and John tells us that we don’t have to be fully fearless. We don’t have to wait until we have no fear to follow Jesus’ path for us. And even in the face of our fear, Jesus says to us “You will.” You will be able to follow Jesus, even if you are scared.

I don’t think Jesus said anything to the disciples that day that made them less fearful. But this invitation and assurance Jesus gives them is a promise that they are included in God’s mission, with whatever baggage they may carry. This invitation and promise is for you, too. And as you walk this cross-shaped path, you’re likely to encounter fear. But in your daily drinking from the cup, in daily dying and rising with Christ, God transforms your fear into courage and affirms that you will be able to do the things that scare you–to say the hard truths, serve your neighbor, live authentically as your beloved self.

In the name of the ☩ Father, Son and Holy Spirit.