The Festival of Saint James, the Elder

"Discipleship: Not What You Always Dreamed Of!"

July 25, 2010

The Rev. Dr. David M. Wendel

Saint Luke's Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs

Lessons: Jeremiah 45:1-5; Acts 11:27-12:3; St. Matthew 20:20-28

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Today, we commemorate the Apostle James, usually referred to as "The Elder", because he was older—older than his brother, John—the two sons of Zebedee. He was, of course, one of the twelve chosen by Jesus Himself to be his first disciples, and so the first "episcopoi", or elders as they were called in the early Church. We would call them bishops.

Which reminds me of a report I read recently of a newly elected Lutheran bishop in the southeast of the United States, who, upon being elected, stated publicly, "I've dreamed of this my whole life!" The note I was reading didn't reflect kindly on these words of this new bishop, seeing them as just the arrogant, prideful attitude that suggests this pastor shouldn't have been elected bishop after all. Our beloved former bishop, Wayne Weissenbuehler once summed it up by saying, "Anyone who desires to be bishop, deserves to be!" Meaning the job is so thankless, so demanding, so unpleasant that if you want to be bishop, you should receive the office as punishment! And the same could probably be said about James the Elder, who, already chosen to be one of the twelve apostles, wasn't satisfied with that office, but dreamed of being more—dreamed, with his brother, John, of being first among the apostles, one sitting at Jesus' right in His kingdom, and the other at His left! While Matthew records this event with the mother of the brothers approaching Jesus, kneeling, and making the request, in Mark it is the brothers themselves who ask Jesus for the highest places. Either way, it's clear that the brothers, and their mother are involved in this scheme to gain for James and John, places of honor, recognition, and certainly, power. And Jesus could have said, should have said to them, "those who wish for such places, deserve them!" For indeed, as Jesus points out, along with such places in His kingdom, comes not just responsibility, but the proverbial cup of suffering. This is why Jesus asks them, "Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?" To which they answer, without realizing what they're saying, "Sure, we're able!" Thinking that this cup Jesus is speaking of is a cup filled with authority, and power, with celebrity and the right to rule. They thought this, because the disciples to a man, still expected Jesus to be a political ruler, who would one day form an army, overcome the puppet king in Jerusalem, then throw the Romans out, and take for Himself the throne of David in the Holy City, re-establishing the unified kingdom of Israel and Judah, bringing about true justice and righteousness in the world, being a worldly king chosen by God to restore the Jewish nation, and bring about peace. This was the kind of Messiah most Jews were looking for—Messiah meaning "anointed one"—a title that had been used before for kings and judges in Israel. No wonder, then, that this is the mindset, the frame of mind that pre-occupied James and John, and their mother, who thought that they should grasp the opportunity to secure the places of honor first, before the other disciples could do the same for themselves. In fact, in the Gospel of Luke, we don't hear the names of James and John highlighted as coveting these prizes positions—Luke tells us that all of the twelve were arguing about who was, or would be, or should be the greatest, in Jesus' kingdom!

And before we throw stones at the twelve, isn't it true that, with James and John, and the other ten, we all are guilty, at times, of such pride—arrogance—always thinking we deserve more, better, the best! Part of our difficulty as humans is that we think more highly of ourselves than we should. We dwell on the idea that we should have this or that—we deserve more in life, than what we have. And then, we are depressed and down-hearted, when what we end up with in life, is average, ordinary blessings—average, ordinary jobs, income, homes and families. Had we been some of those first disciples, surely, we would've been right there with them, pushing ourselves forward, trying to get the honored positions—asking mom to put in a good word for us! And yet, it is as the old saying goes, "be careful what you wish for—you might get it." For what does it mean to be Jesus' disciples? What would it mean to receive the honor of being at Jesus' right and left, in His kingdom? What does He mean when He says, "as my disciples, you will drink the cup that I am to drink"?

He means that being His disciples will bring, not the kind of worldly power and position and recognition that we so desire, but rather, persecution, suffering, humility, and servant-hood. He means that what will come by being Christians, is not celebrity, honor, wealth or royalty, but sacrifice, self-giving, and caring for others. Jesus says plainly, "you know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you, must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave; as even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

You see, if you think about it in very concrete, real-life terms, being at Jesus' right and left in His kingdom, means being crucified with Him, one on His right and one on His left. In reality, to be Jesus' disciples, means we are the thieves, nailed to crosses alongside Him as He inaugurates His kingdom, by giving His life as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. Being His disciples does not mean sitting beside Him at a corporate conference table in a corner office on Wall Street, nor does it mean standing at his right and left as He presides over a press conference in the White House, nor does it mean being seen on TV as part of the entourage of a Paris Hilton, nor does it mean, for that matter, being assistants to a Lutheran bishop who parades around in fancy vestments having finally reached the pinnacle of authority in the Church—the place he had always dreamed of. Rather, being at Jesus' right and left in His kingdom always, always means being servant of all, giving of yourself for the sake of others, caring for those in need, humbly loving your neighbor. And yes, often, being at Jesus' right and left means suffering, and being persecuted for the sake of the Gospel. It often means being criticized and mocked for being a Christian, going to church, trying to live your faith while all around you are busy working their way to the top. It often means going against the flow, trying to do the right thing, when all around you are settling for doing the easy thing, or the convenient thing. Being at Jesus' right and left can mean being ridiculed for holding fast to the authoritative, unchanging Word of God, when those around you are caught up in the whirling, swirling winds of fads, trends, and false teaching. This is the cup of which Jesus drank, and He, Himself tells us, that it is the cup of which we will drink, too—as His disciples—as those who wish to be with Him, in His kingdom—even as James, whom we commemorate today, was the first martyr, the first of the apostles to drink the cup of Jesus' suffering, as Luke tells us in our second lesson, that Herod killed James the brother of John with the sword.

And that's what we have on our minds, today, as we dedicate our new baptismal font to the glory of God, as the place where persons are baptized, reborn, not into lives of glory and honor, not into a kingdom of worldly reward and recognition—but into Jesus' life of sacrifice and service. In some ways, being baptized is still seen as simply the socially acceptable thing to do, but Jesus reminds us today, Jesus announces to us today, that being baptized into His life means more than just belonging to the Church, being a member of an organization, joining a group that might help you to make good business contacts. Being baptized into Jesus' life means becoming part of His kingdom of love, mercy and sacrifice—which brings with it, at times, suffering and persecution. That's what baptism is, and means, and that's what's promised to those who are baptized into the Body of Christ Jesus, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, not money and prestige and power, but humility, and service—and drinking the cup of Jesus' suffering and death—to receive finally, Jesus' new life—Jesus' resurrection unto eternal life, for ourselves, as His baptized children!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.