Jesus and his focus!

Matthew 20:17-28

17* Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, 18 "We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death 19 and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!"

20 Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. 21 "What is it you want?" he asked. She said, "Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom." 22 "You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said to them. "Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?" "We can," they answered. 23 Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father." 24 When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. 25 Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave-- 28 just as the Son of Man di  d not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Food for thought!

"Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, 18 "We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death 19 and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!"

These words of Jesus are very revealing of him; they show a Jesus who focused on something, his death. In light of his death, Jesus is going to Jerusalem, to die. The gospel reading says that he took his disciples aside and started to talk to them about his death. I wonder if you ever tell your family or friends about your death! Or it is a taboo?

Talking about your death will help you to be focused like Jesus. Jesus was a man whose face was set on some goal. He was a man whose mind was made up. He was a man who was determined to go somewhere and who refused to be distracted from his mission. Jesus was a focused man, whose mind was fixed on some mission and who was determined to carry it out. Jesus was ready to pay the price, come what may.

This is what Jesus is asking the two disciple: "Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?" Jesus is telling John and James, what you are focusing on has a price tag; are you ready to pay the price? This is a lesson for all of us: whatever we want to achieve in life, whatever we focus on, like having good life, good family, great business, good job, good spouse, has a price tag. You can't have your dream realized without paying its cost.

James and John payed the cost too. As you know, James was the first apostle to die a martyrdom and his brother John was the last apostle to die, in exile. In other words, the two got what the wanted, be one on the left and the other on the right of Jesus. one died first, the other last! Next time you kneel down to ask Jesus for something think twice; think not only of what you ask for, but also for what you will pay to get it.

What is on your mind, what is your focus, what is your goal, what are you asking Jesus? Are you ready to pay the price?  Do you ever think of your death? Do you ever talk about it as Jesus did many times? Do you share with anybody about your death? Have you planned for it? How would you like to be buried? Where?  Do you have a will, a testament? This is the best way to plan for and think of and share death. Don't be afraid. Like Jesus, take your friends aside and talk to them about your death.