An
Exegetical Reflection on the Gospel of the Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary
Time, Year B, Mark 10:35-45, October 21, 2012
IN
A CULTURE that is characterized by inequality, people tend to think and accept as
given that to be a leader always implies being at the top, to be admired,
kowtowed to, honored to high heavens and enthroned like a demigod. And like any temptation that is often faced
by giving in to it, very many people aspire to become leaders and thereby
become second to none. In the political
arena, many covet the position of president, governor, mayor and barangay
captain. The dog-eat-dog competition
among businessmen indicates the ambition to be number one in the business
sector. That one sends his sons and
daughters not to local schools but to London, Paris or New York reflects one’s
belief that he must be ahead of others in terms of cultural achievement. In our present culture, no one probably wants
to be the last in politics, business and culture. If one could have his way, he would like to
make it to the top.
In
today’s Gospel (Mark 10:25-45), the disciples of Jesus, who had yet to
understand the meaning of Jesus’ teaching, showed the same secular values. James and John, the sons of Zebedee, had the
same aspiration. They wanted to be ahead
of the other disciples by asking Jesus to have them seated beside him, one on
the left, the other on the right (Mark 10:37).
Already in Mark 8:29, the disciples recognized that Jesus was the
Messiah, and since they thought of his messiahship in political terms (cf Acts
1:6), their request was to be seated in a position of honor and power—this is
what right and left hands means--which they would share with the Lord. They would be like two political supporters
of a president-elect, wanting to be appointed Secretary of Finance and Secretary
of Defense, as a reward for their work.
Not only would they have the honor of sitting with the political
messiah; they would also possess power, and imitate political rulers who lorded
it over others (cf Mark 10:42)
Of
course, one aspires to be number one not simply on account of the honor it
confers on the one who sits on the throne.
Political power is convertible to economic power. One is not so much interested in the salary,
which is meager, but in the money involved that comes with the exercise of
political power; unexplained wealth goes with it. He profits in almost all business
transactions. Also, being at the top
gives one the psychological satisfaction that he is a very important
person. He enjoys bossing around, and
making his importance felt. In fact, a
man of secular values loves seeing other people at his beck and call, and
depend on him for their needs and survival.
It is really amusing when a secular man is put at the top: projects he
has not done are credited to him, and words of wisdom he could not have uttered
are ascribed to him. People around him
laugh at his jokes, even if they are not really funny.
In a secular culture that stresses
social differences and inequality, who would not want to be number one? On the other hand, to be at the last is to be
reduced to a hewer of wood and carrier of water. To be at the bottom of the social ladder is
to be ignorable and expendable. No
wonder, the rest of the apostles, having learned of the request of James and
John, became indignant at the two brothers
(Mark 10:41). They are like so
many of us who are so envious because we ourselves covet the position of honor
and power, and we do not want others to outmaneuver us. That is why we hide anything that could help
in their promotion, and we even resort to characterize assassination just to
bring them down, and put them on our own level.
We oppose them. And it is a
psychological insight that one’s opposition is not always from moral motives,
but from personal frustration that we were not able to achieve what others have
gotten to their own honor and advantage.
In a Christian culture, however,
this should not happen. This is not to
say, however, that there should be no leader in the Christian community. Leadership can be, nay, must be exercised in
a Christian ministry, but it cannot be exercised in the way secular leaders
do. The leader cannot look at himself as
above others, much less lord it over them.
Jesus was emphatic on this: “You know that those who are recognized as
rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them and their great ones make their
authority felt. But it shall not be so
among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be
great among you will be your servant” (Mark 10:42b-43).
In this pericope, Jesus made three
requirements for those who wish to assume the ministry of leadership, and those
who are in positions of authority, in the Christian community. First of all, leadership is a call to share
in the suffering of Jesus. They must
drink the cup that Jesus drank, and be baptized with the baptism he was
baptized with (Mark 10:39). If the
members must suffer, so should the leader.
This means that leaders are to be exposed to the hurt of others, carry
their burdens, and even suffer their anguish, even if for many that is none of
the leader’s business. They are to be
baptized by putting themselves in conflict with evil powers (Eph 6:12) which
oppress, discriminate against, and take advantage of the community members.
Second, they assume the role of slaves in the
service of others: “Whoever wishes to be first must be the slave of all” (Mark
10:44). Leaders cannot therefore exploit
their members, or engaged themselves in seeking their own advantage or in
self-aggrandizement. On the contrary,
the quality of their leadership is to be seen in the amount of service that
they render. Finally, leadership may
even call for martyrdom: “For the Son of
Man did not come gto be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom
for many” (Mark 10:45). Time comes when
leadership demands that the leader himself willingly gives up his life for the
sake of his people (1 Macc 2:50; 6:44); he dies for them (Isa 53:11-12, 1st
Reading).
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