Reading
Matthew 20:20-28
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 did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Comment
In the Gospel of Mark, we witness the request made to Jesus by James and John to be able to sit one on his right and the other on his left in the kingdom of heaven, while in the Gospel of Matthew the same request is made by the mother, perhaps for fear of being not very humble towards the other apostles. In any case, the other ten expresses their indignation, thereby showing that they are more or less on the same level; Jesus' answer, in fact, sounds like an admonition to all of them.
Who among us would not want the guarantee of a privileged place next to Jesus? Perhaps we would also be willing to accept the tribulations of this life, to "drink the cup" of the Lord, as James and John profess they are willing to do. Then eternal bliss could appear to us as a "reward" that is due to us by right, perhaps to the detriment of others, considered less "deserving".
In this way, the profound meaning of salvation is not understood: his being a free gift from the Father, by virtue of the ransom made by the Son. If we start from this premise, then the attitude that follows can only be one of profound humility: first of all towards God, who has released us from the chains of this world, freeing us from sin and death.
The chains of this world are enslavement to a logic of prevarication on one another, a continuous feeling of competition that distresses us worries us, and makes us slaves to our disordered ambitions.
But the attitude of humility that comes from feeling saved by grace must also characterize relationships with our neighbors. What do we deserve more than him before him who redeemed us at the price of his blood?
Jesus 'response to the request for a privileged place in the kingdom to come thus creates a singular paradox: between slavery to the logic of the world and on the other hand to the spirit of service, making ourselves "servants" - to use Jesus' own words - of our brothers and our sisters.
In the Church there is no room for the will to dominate; all authority must be exercised on the model of Jesus, as a service to others and not for personal interest. The Gospel calls us to conform to the beloved Son, in whom the Father was pleased (Mt 3:17), the Son who came into the world to serve and not to be served (Mt 20:28).
Prayer
Help us to understand, o Lord, that to reign with you is to place ourselves at the service of your Word, which proclaims freedom from the snares of death and sin; so that we can share on earth and celebrate the joy of your salvation in heaven. Amen.
