Sometimes it’s hard to imagine how the disciples could get it so wrong. Our reading today is the second of three predictions by Jesus that he is soon to die. All three times the disciples don’t quite understand what Jesus is saying. The first time Peter has the audacity to rebuke Jesus. The third time James and John ask if they will get to sit at Jesus’ side in the kingdom that Jesus has been talking about. In the account we read today, the disciples are arguing about who is the greatest among them. What comes before the needless argument, though, is important for us not to miss: “They did not understand what Jesus was saying and were afraid to ask him.”
The way of Jesus, the way of God’s kingdom, is a complete reversal of our very human understandings of power, prestige, and glory. It is sometimes hard to piece it all together because it is so counter to everything we are taught in this world. The world of the disciples was, in many ways, no different than the world we live in. Those who work hardest get the prize, the one with the greatest strength wins, and the successful are the most important. The way of the kingdom, the way of self-giving rather than self-serving, is hard to live in. Before we start scolding the disciples for their failure to comprehend this, perhaps we should first address their fear (and our own fear) about asking questions.
Sometimes this faith we proclaim doesn’t make sense. Sometimes we might feel like we’re the only one who doesn’t get it. We’re never going to have all the answers (nor do we need to), but as I’m sure each of us heard a teacher say in school, “There are no stupid questions.” Maybe the questions you have about Jesus are the same ones that others have as well. And it is only by asking the questions and seeking answers together that we will more faithfully live in the kingdom of God.
—Brian Gregory
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