Sunday, October 22, 2006

 

Synopsis of the Armenian Message

Mark 10:35-45

“There Were Two Around Jesus”

 

 

A Sunday school teacher asked, “Who will get biggest crown in heaven?”   There was silence.  Then little Johnny said, “Whoever has the biggest head.”

 

It makes sense for little Johnny.  It seems our friends, the two sons of Zebedee, James and John are interested in getting “big” crowns in heaven.  They want to have important positions.  Rev. Brett C. Blair gave a good title to this request:  “The three poison pills of position, prestige, and power.” 1

 

How in the world these two came with such a question?  Jesus spoke about his way to Jerusalem.  “The Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests… they will condemn him to death…” (vs. 32-34).  After hearing such an important message, they come up with such a question.  I wonder if we would have asked the same thing.  You have to see that they knew the Psalms very well.  We read in Psalm 110:1 “The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand.’”  They knew that it is position, prestige and power in sitting on the right or left side of an important person.  They knew Jesus was more than a rabbi, they knew that he was the Messiah.  “Why not ask for a favor?” they thought.

 

In one word, they wanted special privileges.  This happened then and happens in history and even now.  When I was serving in Beirut in the Emmanuel church, something interesting happened.  There was a medical organization which offered a free bone density screening test to help underprivileged women.  More than 100 ladies from the neighborhood came and waited for their turn in the hall.  An hour later, a woman from our church came and asked for a number.  She didn’t like her number and she didn’t want to wait that long.  She came to my wife complaining.  She said that she expected the members of the “family of faith” to be treated differently!

 

Everyone wants to feel important in the society.  I am someone in society.  People will respect me because I am someone important.  Unfortunately, the church fell into this trap.  Study church history and you will find fights, divisions, struggles between clergy and lay people who are seeking power, recognition, “chairs”, and so on.

 

Recognition, such an important word.  Mary Kay cosmetics is one of the top cosmetics in the world.  Once Mary Kay said, “Everyone has an invisible sign hanging from his neck saying ‘Make Me Feel Important’”. 2

 

Today people are struggling to be noticed in work, at home in society, and in church as well.  Many complain that they do not receive recognition at work.  Have you come across the list of comparisons between the workplace and prison?

IN PRISON you spend the majority of your time in an 8 x 10 cell.

AT WORK you spend most of your time in a 6 x 8 cubicle.

IN PRISON you get three meals a day.

AT WORK you only get a break for 1 meal.  You have to pay for it and it tastes like prison food.

IN PRISON you get time off for good behavior.

AT WORK you get rewarded for good behavior with more work.

IN PRISON you can watch TV and play games.

AT WORK you get fired for watching TV and playing games.

IN PRISON you get your own toilet.

AT WORK you have to share.

IN PRISON they allow your family and friends to visit.

AT WORK you cannot even speak to your family and friends.

IN PRISON all expenses are paid by taxpayers with no work required.

AT WORK you get to pay all the expenses to go to work and then they deduct taxes from your salary to pay for prisoners.

IN PRISON there are wardens who are often sadistic.

AT WORK they are called managers. 3

 

Jesus is not against recognition, but he is worried that recognition is the motive.  Therefore, knowing them, he says, “You don’t know what you are asking for”.  “Can you drink the cup I drink or baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” (vs.38)  Jesus means:  Do you understand all these?  This is tough stuff.  I am not interested if people will recognize you or not.  I am interested to see where your heart is when you want to follow me and be a leader.  Recognition is not my work.  God will recognize and that is His business.  “To sit at my right or left is not for me to grant.” (v. 40)  What does he mean by all these?

 

We will continue in English.

 

1. Illustration from eSermon.com

2. ibid

3."Frank Morris" via MONDAY FODDER (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1994).