The Audacity of James and John

A Reading from the Gospel according to Mark
     James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to him,
     "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." 
     He replied, "What do you wish me to do for you?" 
     They answered him, "Grant that in your glory
     we may sit one at your right and the other at your left." 
     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?" 
     They said to him, "We can." 
     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;
     but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give
     but is for those for whom it has been prepared." 
     When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John. 
     Jesus summoned them and said to them,
     "You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles
     lord it over them,
     and their great ones make their authority over them felt. 
     But it shall not be so among you.
     Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant;
     whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. 
     For the Son of Man did not come to be served
     but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."

     My initial thought everytime I read this passage is, How arrogant! and the other Apostles have this reaction too. “They became indignant at James and John.” I can imagine them saying, How dare they ask something so audacious! But Jesus’ response is so gentle and patient. I can see his eyes full of pity when he says, “You do not know what you are asking.” His response reminds me of my own demands I have made of God. And then I’m no longer aghast at James and John, I am them, asking for something great that I do not understand, something I do not deserve. Now, I’m leaning forward, eager to hear what his response to them is, because it is his response to me as well.

    What I love about this passage is that Jesus doesn’t rebuke them for asking such a daring question, even though he has the right to. Instead, he takes their request seriously and warns them what it will cost if they truly want it. Jesus takes our requests seriously. He asks, “Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” And James and John say, “Yes, we can.” It kinda of sounds like they’re being a bit naive. Because we know that Jesus’ cup is the crucifixion and the baptism is one of blood and water pouring forth from his side, so we think, You guys, you naive idiots. You have no idea what you’re asking. And yet, Jesus takes them at their word, even if it is naive and James and John, to their credit faithfully endure the cup and baptism that is bestowed on them— James in preaching the word up until his martyrdom and John, standing by Jesus during his crucifixion, taking his mother in and later enduring exile. They might not have known precisely what their answers meant in that moment, but they did follow through. 

     When I say, Oh yes, Jesus, I want to follow you, am I willing to drink the cup, to endure the baptism- whatever that may be? We may ask (or maybe it’s just me, who is terrible at suffering) Is it worth it? All that suffering? But to sit at the side of Jesus for all eternity, his glory made manifest through our lives and witness on earth— I think it is worth it, but we must keep our eyes on him. Our vision must be an eternal one in order to put our sufferings in their proper place. We must keep heaven at the forefront of our minds if we are to endure these passing earthly trials.
 
     This week, pray with this reflection and ponder these questions: Am I willing to follow in Jesus’ footsteps and drink his cup and be washed in his baptism? How can I make a regular habit of contemplating the hope of heaven? Do I prayerfully consider my eventual death and the state of my eternal soul?

About the Author: Elizabeth is a former high school religion teacher, turned artist, aspiring author and stay at home mom to a toddler. She loves art, books, organizing things, and identifying plants on her neighborhood walks.
Who is your favorite saint at the moment and why? Pope Saint John Paul the II will alway have a special place in my heart because of his intelligence, love for life, and hope in the youth of the church, but my favorite is whomever I’ve been reading about recently. Give me a book about a saint, they’ll likely become my favorite for a month or so. 
What are the top three songs on your playlist? Which playlist? I love to make themed playlists. My favorites are my cover playlist (where the cover is better than the original), color playlist (composed of songs that mention a color), and the name playlist (songs that mention a name).
If you could eat dinner with anyone from history, other than Jesus, who would you eat dinner with? Mmmm… Probably C.S.Lewis. In addition to being brilliant, he was apparently a lovely person.

Learn More About Red Stick Catholics


The Well is a weekly reflection series from Red Stick Catholics that was created to allow young adults from the Diocese of Baton Rouge to reveal how God is speaking to them through prayer and Scripture. Each reflection contains the upcoming Sunday’s Gospel, a reflection written by a young adult from the Diocese of Baton Rouge and prompts for how to pray with the Gospel and reflection during the week.