No Gain Without Pain!

Matthew 20:20-28

20 It was about that time that the mother of the Zebedee brothers came with her two sons (James and John) and knelt before Jesus with a request. 21 "What do you want?" Jesus asked. She said, "Give your word that these two sons of mine will be awarded the highest places of honor in your kingdom, one at your right hand, one at your left hand." 22 Jesus responded, "You have no idea what you're asking." And he said to James and John, "Are you capable of drinking the cup that I'm about to drink?" They said, "Sure, why not?" 23 Jesus said, "Come to think of it, you are going to drink my cup. But as to awarding places of honor, that's not my business. My Father is taking care of that." 24 When the ten others heard about this, they lost their tempers, thoroughly disgusted with the two brothers. 25 So Jesus got them together to settle things down. He said, "You've observed how godless rulers throw their weight around, how quickly a little power goes to their heads. 26 It's not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. 27 Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. 28 That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not be served-- and then to give away his life in exchange for the many who are held hostage."

Food for thought!

All of us have dreams. All of us have desires. All of us have wishes. However, many of us don't know that these dreams and desires and wishes have price tags; we don't know what it takes to realize those dreams and desires and wishes; we don't know the cost. This is what the two brothers, James and John, are doing in the gospel reading. All they could see was their dream, their desire, their wish, their crown. They wanted the crown without the cross. They wanted the gain without the pain. They wanted the reward without having to pay the price. The problem with these disciples is the same problem many of us have today. We want good life without a struggle.

Jesus responds by telling James and John that they have no idea what they are asking for. In other words, they want the end without knowing the cost. They do not know what it takes to have what they want. It is like a boy who wants to pass the class but does not know that to do so he has to sacrifice some things, like watching T.V. and playing games and going around.

To all of us who want good life, Jesus is saying: "You have no idea what you're aspiring for. Are you capable of drinking the cup?" We do well to learn that good life comes at a price, that true greatness lies, not in dominance, but in service; and that in every sphere the price of greatness must be paid. So next time you kneel down to pray for something, remember these words of Jesus, "You have no idea what you're asking. Are you capable of drinking the cup that comes with what you are asking?" If you are ready, tell the Lord. Don't be like a woman who prayed for a child, but without birth pains and all the risks that come with child bearing.

This is what happened with James and John. Jesus asked them, "Are you capable of drinking the kind of cup that I'm about to drink?" Without a thought, they said they can. And they did. James was the first of the apostles to die, martyred (Ac.12:2) and his brother John was the last of the apostles to die, in exile, persecuted. The two got what they wanted; the two drank the cup; the two sat one at one end of Jesus (was the first apostle to die) and the other sat at the other end (was the last apostle to die), and in between them, sat and sits Jesus, who paid with his life the cost of our salvation. To him be praise and glory and honour. Amen.