One of the great things about having parents is that they remember good or funny things you forgot you did growing up. One of the downfalls of having parents is that they remember bad and stupid things you forgot you did growing up. As a I child, I had an inquisitive mind. I liked to problem-solve and philosophize. I loved to take things apart and see how they worked. I would try and put them back together and see if they would still work. I even went through the neighborhood every time there was bulk trash pickup and go through people’s garbage looking for hidden treasure. Before you judge me, let me tell you, I found some pretty amazing things like an accordion, ski goggles, and some retro luggage that our family rocked for years. I still look at big trash piles to this day but I usually manage to stay in the car, at least when I am wearing my collar.
As a result of this thinking and tinkering and theorizing about things, I came up with a pretty solid worldview and approach to solving my parents problems. I figured if I could get them straightened out then I could eventually move on to addressing the larger stage of the world’s problems in my teenage years. One night, very seriously, I sat my parents down and tried to explain to them a better way of parenting, based on my observations, critiques, and extensive experience of nine or so years of life. I don’t quite remember it this way, but my parents do! After they politely listened to my advice and recommendations on how they could better raise my younger siblings, they simply smiled and encouraged me not to worry about it, that they had things under control. Some twenty-plus years later, I see they did ok, that they actually had a plan in place and maybe my sage advice wasn’t so great. But I certainly didn’t believe it at the time and I definitely didn’t think my theories on life were all that outrageous.
Any parent or wise person here knows this experience. How often the people who know the least about something are the first ones to speak up and give suggestions. And those who are the least qualified to speak with authority oversimplify a given problem and present the so-called solution as indisputable truth.
In our gospel today, this dynamic between the all-knowing and wise master and his naive and over-enthusiastic students is on display. James and John come up to Jesus and ask for a favor. They would like the privilege of sitting at his side when he arrives in his heavenly kingdom. The Lord has been working miracles and awing the crowds with his profound and definitive teaching. The twelve apostles must feel like rock stars as they journey from village to village and see huge groups of people lined up to listen to Jesus. So these brothers decide to secure their future with Christ. What better way to do this than get him to promise them the places of honor at his side?
For James and John, this made a lot of sense. In their philosophy or worldview, this was a good move. They had a plan, they had it figured out, and all they had to do was get Jesus to sign off on it. Kinda like that kid who tells his parents, “listen, all you have to do is this...”
Jesus doesn’t buy what they are selling but he corrects them gently. He says, “You do not know what you are asking.” Seeing this as a teaching moment, he asks them, “Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?" They said to him, "We can." Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink, you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared."
Now what does this mean? Jesus first tells them he cannot give what they are asking for; it is not reasonable or good for them. Secondly, he tells them they will get to be with him and share what he has, but it’s not what they think or what they want to hear right now. The cup and baptism that they will share with Christ is suffering and death for the sake of the gospel. They don’t know it yet, but that is the one thing that will let them sit with Jesus in his heavenly kingdom. This cup of suffering is, ironically, the only way to the glory they desire and the life they ask for. They will understand it later but not right now. For now they must be corrected and trust that the Lord might just know what he is doing, even if it doesn’t make sense right now.
This is a timeless lesson for you and me. So often we are like James and John, asking Jesus for this favor and that. Wanting him to grant various things that we believe hold the key to our happiness and fortune. These requests seem like a good idea at the time. They make perfect sense to us while we are asking them. They nearly always represent good intentions and good things. But how many times they are immature, limited in scope, and actually less than what God wants to give us!
Friends, we may not ask to sit at Jesus’ side in the heavenly kingdom but don’t we often come to him seeking something else? Like that new job that pays a better salary or that bigger house that seems perfect or that relationship that we believe would complete us, or the Megamillions Jackpot!? It can be large or small, but don’t we often come to God with a request and a plan and a thought, even if we don’t say it out loud, that we have it figured out and if God would just do this, then we would be set?!
God wants us to talk to him and to ask him for the things we need. But he also wants us to realize that sometimes we don’t know what we need or what is actually best for us and for others. He wants us to trust that he will give what we need and more to be happy and joyful and, most importantly, to live with him forever in heaven. Even if his answer doesn’t always make sense at the time, even if it isn’t exactly what we asked for.
In the end, James and John got what they asked for. As saints, they sit at his side in the glory of heaven. But they got there by a different road than they planned; they got there by embracing the suffering of the cross and trusting that God knew what he was doing. You and I should expect nothing different. We can and should enjoy that same eternal glory that is endless life in heaven. But first we will need to drink of the cup that Jesus did and embrace the same baptism of suffering and sacrifice that he lived. Are we willing to trust the Lord this much? Are we ready to humble ourselves and realize that God has things under control? “Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you!”
