The Jesus Question
Jan 7th, 2008 by John
I have been preaching through Mark’s Gospel at Fellowship Evangelical Covenant Church. The more I read, study and learn about Mark’s biographical narrative of Jesus’ life, the more convinced I am of Mark’s literary creativity and genius. For example, in Mark 10 we encounter the Jesus question twice: 10:36 and 10:51a.
10:36 “What do you (plural) want me to do for you?”
10:51a “What do you (singular) want me to do for you?”
Jesus asks James and John what they want (36) and he asks blind Bartimaeus what he wants (51a). The answers are so telling and present Mark’s theology of Jesus as the suffering servant who has come to serve.
James and John want thrones. They want seats of power next to Jesus in the kingdom. James and John want to be served in the kingdom. They want to rule. Their request exposes their hearts and we find their hearts are very far from Jesus’ heart.
Bartimaeus wants to see. He simply wants light; deliverance from darkness. He knows that he is totally at the mercy of the “son of David.”
In between these two questions is Jesus’ declared mission: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (10:45).
The blind beggar, Bartimaeus, receives sight and eagerly follows. He truly is a “son of honor.” James and John, who were already following, jockey for power and show how far removed they are from Jesus’ spirit and mission.
During this election cycle in USAmerican politics I hear Jesus asking the church, “What do you want?” And the church seems once again to be enamored with power. “We need a Christian president, we need a conservative Supreme Court, we need more like us to have seats of power.” In American politics we trust. The more the church chases power the more steeped in blindness she becomes.
When we in our blindness call out to our Messianic King Jesus for mercy, perhaps we too will receive our sight. Then maybe we can follow the Jesus Way–the way of the cross, not the way of ruling power. Maybe we will begin to serve as we let go of our need to rule. Maybe we will access “the deep magic” (C S Lewis) that political power can never offer, nor does it understand. Maybe then our society will see a new light, see another way out of the mess we’re in.
Jesus asks even now, “What do you want me to do for you?” Our answer to the Jesus Question reveals our hearts like nothing else.
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Rock on. Great stuff.
Sue,
Hey, my friend from “down under,” thanks for stopping by and commenting. I visited ‘discombobula’ and found it fascinating–reading about the RTNW and the picture of that clock with “Whatever” on it, what a hoot!!
God bless!
Third Watch,
Thanks for the shout out, and I visited your blog. Good stuff.
John
Hi John,
I read this blog often as it is a permanent link from Corey’s blog at Third Watch. If your politics are liberal-as his are-and you are going to be voting for mostly liberal candidates, then I don’t understand your point-you seem to be being disingenuous. On the other hand, if you are going to divorce yourself from the political process altogether-as my Jehovah’s Witness friends do, then I applaud your sincerity-you are practicing what you preach. If I applied Jesus’ words the way you said, I would either never vote- for a conservative OR a liberal candidate-or I would always vote for the candidate who believes and practices the opposite of what I do. I guess I don’t get what you’re asking us to do. It seems that you’ve misapplied the conversation Jesus had with James and John. Voting for ANY candidate is not about extending your own personal power in a selfish way-instead it is about trying to do the right thing-i.e. the person who wants to see a certain Supreme Court makeup has the goal of reducing the number of abortions in this country. That person is concerned with protecting the lives of the defenseless unborn. That is certainly a mandate which can be taken from Jesus’ own teachings. The same is true about the stated goals of most liberal politicians. Everyone can defend their motives on those grounds and avoid being accused of the selfish grab for power associated with James and Johns’ request.
Mark,
I think you did misunderstand my point. I do not opt out of the USAmerican political process nor do I want other Jesus-folowers to do so. I simply ask, Where are we putting our trust? I have a close friend who spent 5 years on Capitol Hill working for a conservative Christian ministry. He went into his ministry sincerely believing Christians should shape the political system. He left disillusioned that all Christians wanted inand from Washington DC is what every other lobby or party or interest wanted–power. That, Mark, my friend, is a sad betrayal of the Jesus Way.
John, Thanks for the clarification-I apologize for missing your point-my bad. I think you meant to say “I do NOT opt out”. Anyway, with that clarification, I can agree with you. Three years ago I spent two weeks in southern Africa, in the tiny country of Malawi preaching and teaching, and distributing food, Bibles, and medicine. That kind of activity is going to do far more to change the world than any political system.
I wonder sometimes if the only way for the church to stop chasing political power is for the church to be shut out of those halls of power, or at the very least marginalized to the point of powerlessness. Then, maybe we can show that our King is Jesus, not Caesar.
Mark,
Thanks, brother, for pushing back. I don’t want to be unclear on these volitile issues. I did edit the comment. Good eye
God bless you for your ministry in South Africa.
Fred,
It seems to me that Jesus ministered from the margins, not from the centers of power. He had more confidence in mustard seeds than in Roman legions or Sanhedrin decisions.
John,
That’s why the church has lost influence. We’ve thought we could improve on the way Jesus ministered by moving into the centers of power and forgotten that it’s not by man’s might but by God’s Spirit.
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John (and Mark #5) As an example..
You mention abortion. Women were getting abortions before they were legal: they will continue to get them if we made them illegal. If certain laws were passed the church would relax feeling that some victory was won. Laws that impact the moral fabric of our society should be something we work for. Such laws don’t stop the hurting, and the lostness of young women in our communities. Laws never mitigate the church’s responsibility for being a good neighbor, for pouring in oil and wine, and for having compassion.
Just another plea for not getting our priorities mixed up. Jonas
Jonas,
Well expressed, and I’m sure many others echo your sentiments. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
John
John,
Thanks for standing in that place on the margins and calling for people to actually follow Jesus as Lord…which means doing the hard work of thinking thoroughly and acting consistently, rather than thinking simplistically and acting like the herd. I appreciate both your perspective and your presentation, bro.
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