A way of servants and slaves Mk 10 42-45

GOSPEL OF MARK SERIES

The Bible: Gospel of Mark Series

During 2019, each week, I will write a weekly post about the Gospel of Mark, as I review and explore each of the 16 chapters and how it may be applied in our daily lives. If you are following this series for the first time, you will find this series under Scripture- New Testament- Gospel of Mark. 

Click here to read the first post in the series. I have written this series in different years (2012, 2015, 2018) with some irregularity, but am determined to complete this series this year since I am more than half way through this Gospel.

My goal is to understand and pray the Gospel of Mark. I hope you will join me on this journey as we travel through the liturgical season.  In today's post we explore chapter 10:41-45 which is called A way of servants and slaves.

A way of servants and slaves.

When the ambition of James and John angers the other disciples, Jesus for the third time calls them all to give them a new and corrective teaching about the way they are to follow as his disciples (8:34-35 and 9: 35).

Jesus has first taught them that his way was a way of the cross, by which a disciple finds God as the new centre of one’s life (8:34).  Secondly, he taught that it is a way of little ones, by which a disciple seeks in the last place a new position in life ((9:35).  Now thirdly, Jesus teaches them that his way is a way of servants and slaves, by which a disciple discovers by a humble service of others a new function in life (10:43-44).

The behaviour of great and powerful in secular society is not only to be the norm among the disciples.  For them greatness is to be measured not by power and control but by us humble, even menial service.

Disciples of Jesus are to be distinguished by a readiness to be servants and even and slaves: for one another.  Such an ideal of leadership by service will be possible in the disciples only when they welcome within themselves that same power of God that works in Jesus.

Among people can live without faith in God, Jesus called his disciples, those whose seem to will and, as though it is always God: who really rules, dominate and control the lives of others.  The same can be true today, where political, industrial and commercial leaders often dominate and control the lives of ordinary people.  Even religious leaders can dominate others in a manner which Jesus describes as characteristic of the unbelieving gentiles of his day, people without true faith in God.

Jesus is among his disciples as who does not demand to be served, but who serves even to giving of his life for them.

JOURNAL REFLECTIONS

In our journal and/or our discussion group we may wish to reflect on this passage as follows:

• Name the key points that you have learnt about the person of Jesus in this passage of scripture?

• Imagine that you are one of the disciples- What do you see and hear and feel. What can I learn from this?

• Imagine being Jesus telling the disciples and knowing that they did not understand- what would you have felt?  

• What is reading the Gospel passage with the eyes and ears of disciple mean to me?

• How does Jesus show Himself as the ‘’the way’’ to me?

• What are the areas in my life I need to bring to Jesus? What questions do I want to ask Him?

• Am I willing to look into myself with honesty and ask how much do I grasp what it means to be a true disciple of Jesus in the light of this teaching? 

• Is my faith in the divine power of Christ, whom we follow, large enough to make us ready to walking faithfully his ‘’way’’?

• In the light of this passage, how will you respond to Jesus as a true disciple?

• If a fellow parishioner had read this passage, what might he/she say about this passage?

• In the light of this Gospel passage what positive change will you adopt in your life and in your spiritual life.  How will you implement these changes?