Jesus Experienced It All

In our first reading, Isaiah prophesies about what will happen to Jesus. Isaiah is introducing the concept of redemptive suffering here, which will bear fruit later with Jesus’s suffering, death, and resurrection. “through his suffering, my servant shall justify many, and their guilt he shall bear.” And in the second reading, Paul is telling the Hebrews he is writing to that Jesus understands them (the readers) more than than they think, through Christ’s experience as a man. He understands what we go through, so we can with confidence reach to God through our prayers.

I’m the Greatest!

There was a zeal and enthusiasm in James and John, the two sons of Zebedee. In Mark 3:17, Jesus called them the “Sons of Thunder” because of their tempers and quickness to anger. In this reading from Mark chapter 10, we see them vying for a high place, to the left and right of Jesus. He replies with an answer in Mark 10:38. “Jesus said to them, ‘You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?'” We could paraphrase it as “be careful what you wish for.” Being “great” in the eyes of God is much different than being “great” in the eyes of mankind. Jesus explains that they will have to follow Him in ways they may not have intended. Then, he goes on to explain that greatness is measured by God in service and not power, and at times this service may include sacrifice and/or suffering. Even in today’s society, we are often ridiculed for holding true to the Gospel and not modern thought. God is already all-powerful. Earthly power means nothing to Him. To be great in Heaven is to serve the Lord.