Mark 10:32-45 2024/04/21 Osaka Church
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit
“For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his Life as a ransom for many.” The conclusion of today’s gospel.
The Lord Jesus told His disciples on the road to Jerusalem that He would eventually be captured, handed over to the Romans, “mocked,” “spit on,” “scourged,” and “finally killed.” He foretold that He would die, but on the third day He would rise again.
However, the disciples did not understand the meaning. They believed that the Messiah, the Savior (Christ), Jesus, had finally arrived, and the Roman rule that had plagued Israel for so long would be broken, and the people would be liberated. That was why, even though the Lord so clearly foretold His own miserable death, they turned a blind eye to it. On the contrary, they fought each other, believing that they would be given a good position once Jesus’ political rule and kingdom were realized. The Lord admonished such disciples. “In my kingdom, the strong will not rule over people from above, but we will serve each other as servants” he said, “not to be served, but to serve.” He said that he came to this world to be served and to give his life as a ransom for many.
The Lord Jesus taught us how foolish it is to get caught up in the cares of life, saying, “Look at the birds of the air, look at the grass of the field.” He also gave “new commandments” for the lives of those who would follow the Lord: “Love one another” and “Love your enemies.” However, the Lord still confesses that he came into this world not to teach or command, but to “serve” us and “give his life” for us. And so, He gave His life on the cross.
The one we call “Lord” is the one who died for us. There is no one else like Him. Who would even endure being “ridiculed and spat upon” for us? Only Jesus endured humiliation, endured pain, and died for us.
We modern people are taught that realizing our dreams and desires is an admirable and fulfilling way to live. Since childhood, we have been encouraged to pursue “self-actualization.” In order to make our dreams and wishes come true, we use everything as a means to get an advantage and always live our lives head-on toward our goals. And no one suspects that it is natural to make full use of human relationships that can be useful. On the other hand, those who do not do so are looked down upon as passive, apathetic stragglers, or to use the vulgar term that people now use without hesitation, as “losers.”
In order to become a “winner,” we try to live our lives by having everything serve us as our own servants. In such a way of life, “morals” and “ethics” are nothing more than “traffic rules” that prevent us from colliding with each other and destroying each other’s dreams. If we were to live that way, we would be no different from the foolish disciples to see who is the best, paying no attention to what the Lord Jesus was trying to accomplish, and forcing others to serve us.
Before the joy of Pascha, we, along with the Lord’s foolish disciples, must encounter the Lord’s passion and death. We must be “broken” (ps. 50) by the fact that God suffered and died in order to serve us and give us life. We must look motionlessly at the Lord Jesus, who suffered for us and died for us. At the same time, we must realize the danger of living a way of life where we only think of making people obey, only think of using people, and only think of making people serve us, and we must be shaken and heartbroken. And we must weep for the love of the Lord Jesus, God, who laid down his Life for us.
Today we commemorate Mary of Egypt, who continued to defile herself with debauchery, and was unable to step foot in church but to only stand still at the entrance of the holy temple of the Lord, but finally realized the love of the Lord. She realized also that she had been rejecting that love. We must pray to God to give us the same warm tears which Mary shed at the time.