Discernment of one’s Discipleship: In today’s Gospel, Mark 10: 32-45, Jesus, accompanied by the
apostles and other disciples, is on His
way up to Jerusalem. Jesus knows what
awaits Him there. “Behold,” he says, “we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son
of Man will be handed over to the chief
priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and hand him over
to the Gentiles who will mock him, spit upon him, scourge him, and put him to
death, but after three days he will rise.”
Walking with Jesus, James and John approach Him wanting
favors in His Kingdom. And the other ten
apostles are indignant with them. Jesus rebukes all of them and reminds them
that they are off track: “You know that
those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and
their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so
among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.” I came, He
says, “not to be served but to serve and to give [my] life as a ransom for
many.”
You can discern the kind of disciple you are by looking at
your motivations and your attitudes towards others who are on the same faith
journey as yourself. Are you vying for
first place or seeking places of honor, as were James and John? Or are you one
of the ten apostles who are indignant with James and John—they want those
positions! Or, are you at peace, as was
Jesus, serving others and giving your life for the sake of others, being, not
first, but last of all, as Jesus was in the minds of the leaders of His people!
What kind of disciple are you? What might Jesus say to you “on
your way to Jerusalem” with Him?
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