#BTColumn – It’s not about you; it’s about service

The views and opinions expressed by the author(s) do not represent the official position of Barbados TODAY.

by Guy Hewitt

The highly individualistic ‘me first’ culture that now dominates most of our interconnected world, glorifying self-fulfilment above all else, has also invaded matters of faith. Notwithstanding Jesus’ teaching that ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’ (Acts 20:35) there is an attempt by many to try to secure salvation on their terms.

Prayer life has become individualistic and materialistic. Just Google and you will locate a plethora of sites offering prayers for prosperity and financial success, even to win the lottery. While many of the faithful are not so extreme, very often our prayers are self-directed: to pass an exam, to get a job or promotion, to find or keep love, or just to be healthy and happy whether for us or those close.

If we are honest, many of us are like James and John, in the Gospel appointed for Sunday (Mark 10:35-45) trying to manipulate God into granting our wishes. These sons of Zebedee seem to reflect the disposition of our time of looking out for oneself rather than one’s neighbour. They too were probably influenced by cultural messages, although much less intensely, that ‘glory’ is to be found in wealth, or power, or fame, or individual accomplishment.

These two of our Lord’s closest disciples were unable to process his foretelling of his impending suffering and death. They experience, as the other disciples did twice before, what psychologists refer to as cognitive dissonance. They are unable to reconcile Jesus’ words to their perspective of the world.

Instead, the ‘sons of thunder’ imagine Jesus making a triumphant entry into Jerusalem, leading them to ask their special favour, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” They imagine a regal scene with themselves sitting in positions of power, privilege, and prestige at the Messiah’s (the King’s) right and left side. This is to be their reward.

James and John reflect a serious misconception of our era: of measuring the importance of a person by external markers – the position they hold, the house they live in, the car they drive, their achievements, or the ostentatiousness of their lifestyle. Although we may seek to serve others, too many of us are wired to look out for ‘Number 1.’

It is noteworthy that Jesus did not rebuke James and John for their ambition, but ‘reordered’ their priorities, teaching that greatness comes from humility.

He says (Mark 10:42), in effect, ‘Look, you know that heathen rulers lord it over their subjects, acting like tyrants, throwing their weight around and behaving like bullies. But that’s not how my Father’s kingdom operates. And that isn’t how you are going to behave, if you really want to be associated with me.’ Instead, “whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all.”

Jesus differentiates the dominion of God from the dominions of humanity. He calls his followers to live according to an alternative reality. True leadership is found in the person who serves, and wealth is a commodity to be shared. He pushes this to an extreme when he says that to be first is to be enslaved to all. Being enslaved then, as in our historical context, was to exist without dignity, security, or reward.

Jesus seems to be saying, ‘You want to be first. You want to be great. You want to be important. You want to be significant. Well, you ought to be if you’re going to be my disciple.’ But he reorders their priorities demanding that to be great they must seek to be first in love, first in generosity, first in ethics and morality, first in hospitality, first in compassion.

And by this definition of greatness, everybody can be great, because everybody can serve. You don’t have to be well educated or well-spoken to serve or come from a certain family or have certain networks. All you need is a heart full of love and a soul generated by grace to serve God and your neighbour.

If there was ever a need to live according to an alternative reality it is today.

Most people were raised on some version of the notion that if we work hard enough, our children will be able to have it better than we did. However, we are beginning to see the limits of that aspiration for the first time in a long time; we must adjust to the reality that our children may have it worse off than we did. For the first time in a long time, we may be facing the reality of downward mobility along with the environmental collapse that greed and individualism are fuelling.

Salvation via the cross is not a call for us to die dramatic deaths, although that possibility remains, but to live dramatically different lives; lives that place the needs of others alongside and possibly ahead of our own.

When asked if they could drink from Jesus’ cup and be baptised with his baptism, James and John answered, “We are able” and they did. God is waiting patiently and lovingly to hear the same thing from each of us.

May the Lord continue to be the people’s guide.

Guy Hewitt serves God and remains committed to Barbados. He can be reached at guyhewitt@gmail.com