Listen here.
Welcome to
Devotions for Worship where we meditate on the appointed Scripture readings for
the upcoming Sunday. I am Pastor Eric Tritten from Gloria Dei Lutheran Church
in Hudson, OH.
Thank you for
being with me today.
This Sunday is
the 5th Sunday of Lent. I can’t believe how fast this Lenten Season
is going! The Sunday after, March 25, is Palm Sunday, or the Sunday of the
Passion, depending on how your congregation observes that Sunday, then we’ll
have Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter.
One of the things
that I hope is clear to us in our readings this Lent, is that Jesus knows where
He is heading and why He is doing what He is doing. He knows what His mission
and purpose are. The Gospel lesson this Sunday is another example of that.
The Gospel for
the 5th Sunday of Lent is Mark 10:32-45 (ESV).
The Reading:
Mark 10:32-45
32 And they were on the road, going up to
Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those
who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them
what was to happen to him, 33 saying, "See, we are going up to
Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and
the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the
Gentiles. 34 And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him
and kill him. And after three days he will rise."
35 And James and John, the sons of
Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for
us whatever we ask of you." 36 And he said to them, "What
do you want me to do for you?" 37 And they said to him,
"Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your
glory." 38 Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you
are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with
the baptism with which I am baptized?" 39 And they said to him,
"We are able." And Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink you
will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be
baptized, 40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine
to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared." 41
And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. 42
And Jesus called them to him and said to them, "You know that those who
are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones
exercise authority over them. 43 But it shall not be so among you.
But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44 and
whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For even
the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a
ransom for many." (Mk. 10:32-45 ESV)
Comments
Two things are
really clear in this reading. First, Jesus knows where He is heading. He knows
what He is about. He says, we’re going to Jerusalem, and this is what’s going
to happen. He knows the details, He’ll be handed over, condemned by the
religious leaders, delivered to the Romans, mocked, spit on, flogged and
killed. And after three days He will rise. He knows. He understands. He is
committed to the course.
The second thing
that is really clear, is the disciples don’t get it. James and John are positioning
themselves for power. They want to have key places of authority when Jesus “comes
into His kingdom.” You have to wonder: do they even listen when Jesus is
talking?
Of course, we
struggle with that very thing ourselves; listening to Jesus. We are still
people who are enamored with authority and greatness and often lose sight of
Jesus’ call to be a servant and even a slave of all. Our culture is full of
sayings like, “Do what you want.” “My body my choice.” “Have it your way.” “I
did it my way.” “I am the captain of my own destiny.” “I have to be true to
myself.” And, of course, that cultural influence impacts the way we think about
our relationships with others, and most disastrously, our relationship with
Jesus.
Jesus came not to
be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. That “many”
includes you and me. And please, please, notice that through Jesus’ sacrificial
service He brings salvation to the world – the ransom for many.
The kingdom of
God, or perhaps better said, the reign of God, is seen not in a demonstration
of Jesus’ power, but in His lowering Himself to drink the cup, to suffer, and
to give His life. Yes, the joy of Jesus’ resurrection is key in all of this,
too. It shows that Jesus’ sacrifice was accepted and that our salvation has
been won, the atonement on the cross did its job. This is the model for us to
follow as we consider how we live in relationship with our neighbors, within
our churches, and with our God.
Meditate on this
today: Jesus came not to be served but to serve, and because He gave His life
you have been ransomed to serve in Jesus’ name bringing His salvation to
others.
Prayers
Let’s use the
collect for this Sunday – remembering that a collect is a type of prayer – for our
closing prayer today.
Almighty God, it
was Your will that Your Son drink the cup of suffering and death on our behalf.
Grant us repentance and faith that we might receive the benefits of Christ’s
suffering for us; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and
reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Memory Verse:
Joel 2:13 - Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious
and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents
over disaster. (Joel 2:13 ESV)
Thank you so much
for using Devotions for Worship, I pray that our time together has blessed you and
given you something to meditate on – some reminder of God’s grace to rattle
around in your brain – for the rest of the day.
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favor? If you got something out of this devotional time, would you like and/or
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God bless you!
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