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March 22, 2015

Following Jesus: Serving

Preacher: Pastor Braun Campbell Series: Following Jesus Category: Biblical Scripture: Mark 10:35–10:45

Fifth Sunday in Lent
St. John's Lutheran Church, Alexandria, VA
Mark 10:35-45

“Following Jesus: Serving”

I’m living in that 21st century / Doing something mean to it / Do it better than anybody you ever seen do it / Screams from the haters, got a nice ring to it / I guess every superhero need his theme music / No one man should have all that power / The clock's ticking, I just count the hours / Stop tripping, I’m tripping off the power” – Kanye West, Power

Authority’s a good thing, right? Something you’d want to have. For one thing, it helps to keep most things in order. Without authority, life would get chaotic pretty quickly. But that’s just talking about authority in general. What about specific authority? Is that something you’d want to have? Why wouldn’t you? Authority is power. It means that you’ve got the ability to get things done – or, more accurately, that you can have done what you want done.

That’s what authority as we understand it does: it gives you the final say. That’s why people want authority – or why those with authority often want more of it.

The pursuit of authority exercises a lot of influence on our culture. Some of the biggest dramas of the past few years are all about holding on to or getting more authority. Consider the central stories of Game of Thrones or House of Cards… even C-SPAN!

Think about where we live and work here in the shadow of the nation’s capital. It’s kind of unusual when a member of the House of Representatives says they’ll only serve a single term. What can you really get done in two short years? So they run again. And maybe they decide to run for a “higher” office, like the Senate, or the governorship of their home state. And once you’ve held those offices, you may as well think about running for President, because it’s the highest single authority in the country. In theory, it’s the ultimate position in the American political system for having done what you want done.

What authority do you have? For most of us, that power to have done what you want done ends up being much more limited in scope than what we might imagine presidents and kings possess. You’ve got authority in your workplace. Certainly part of that authority is about the work that’s getting done; however, you might also have influence over that environment and your relationships with coworkers. You’ve got authority in your school. You may or may not be one of the “cool kids” who seem to fit in, but things like social status or academic and athletic ability afford you some degree of authority with classmates and teachers. You’ve got authority in your home. Especially if you are married, especially if you have children, authority is a part of your life.

How are you using your authority? Are the decisions that you’re making self-centered ones, choices that are about supporting your own standing or pursuing greater power and influence? If we understand that authority is power – that you can have done what you want done – then that shouldn’t be a surprise to any of us. We’re pretty much in the same boat as James and John and the rest of the disciples we hear about in Mark 10.

It looks like the disciples understood authority in largely the same way our world does today. They know that Jesus is heading to Jerusalem. It sounds like this it: Jesus is finally going to go and show himself to be the Messiah that the disciples believe God was sending into the world. He is going to exercise the power that’s uniquely his to deliver his people once and for all. So James and John (and, given Matthew’s account of this episode (Matthew 20:20ff), their mother) decide to ask Jesus for two special places of authority when Jesus gets the throne that he is meant to have.

No wonder, then, that the other ten disciples take offense at the brothers’ request. But they don’t get all worked up because they think it’s a selfish ask: it’s because they each wanted the same thing! The disciples see Jesus’ forthcoming victory as an opportunity to advance their own position, to be rewarded for their faithfulness (thus far) in Jesus’ coming kingdom. But in doing so, they are just imitating the ruling Gentiles – Romans and their agents – whose authority they despise!

The disciples misunderstand Jesus’ ministry and his purpose. They are looking to Jesus as God’s instrument from freeing Israel from political oppression. They think he’s going to be taking back the throne of David, restoring glory and honor to their nation. They can’t imagine that Jesus’ use of authority would differ so radically from their own self-centered ambitions.

So how does Jesus use his authority? He’s the Son of God, after all, with ultimate power at his disposal. But instead of dominating the Romans or his opposition in the Jewish leadership, Jesus surrenders himself up for them to put him to death. He goes freely to take up his throne – not the throne of David in Jerusalem – but the throne of the cross outside the city walls. He exercises the power that’s uniquely his to deliver his people once and for all, his voluntary self-sacrifice in obedience to God the Father paying the price of our ransom.

Ransom requires deliverance by purchase. Jesus the servant, our precious ransom, is the purchase price for our freedom that we could never pay. As the only completely human and completely divine being, Jesus alone can fulfill the mission of our salvation, restoring our relationship with God. No matter how much they said they could, James and John weren’t able to do that any more than you or I could; however, they would share the Lord’s cup and baptism in suffering for the gospel. Jesus alone was the faithful servant who could pay the ransom price for us. With his life, suffering, and death, Jesus pays the cost of our sin, our striving to dominate others and have the world do what we want done. Serving, doing for us what we needed done, Jesus releases us from our indebtedness to God. Because of Jesus, the Lord will remember our sin no more. (Jer. 31:34)

Jesus turns our human understanding of greatness and rank and authority on its head. True greatness lies not in how many serve you, but in your serving the many. In the world’s eyes, authority is power, to have done what you want done. But in Christ, authority is meant to be exercised with humility in serving. Serving, simply put, is helping someone else with what they need.

Following Jesus means following his authority. Since Jesus used his authority in selfless service for us, how might that shape your serving as his follower today? How might your authority in the workplace serve both your employer and your coworkers, not just in getting the job done but in how you choose to do so? How can your authority at school support and encourage the people around you in ways that hardly anyone else can do? How should you use your authority as a husband to serve your wife, or your authority as a parent to serve your children? Serving, helping someone else with what they need, is one of the most practical ways that we get to follow Jesus.

Jesus still serves. He is still the one that makes our relationship with God possible. If you’ve ever wondered why we call the times that we celebrate Holy Communion the “divine service,” it’s not because we’re serving God with our worship; He is serving us with His grace. And as we follow Jesus in our serving others with their need, we’re living out the life he makes possible.

Through Jesus’ serving, you have peace with God. Following Jesus this Lent, then, go in peace and serve the Lord. Thanks be to God!

Amen.

other sermons in this series

Mar 29

2015

Following Jesus: Suffering

Preacher: Rev. Jack Meehan Scripture: Mark 15:1–15:47 Series: Following Jesus

Mar 15

2015

Following Jesus: Judgment

Preacher: Rev. Jack Meehan Scripture: John 3:14–3:21 Series: Following Jesus

Mar 8

2015

Following Jesus: Opposition

Preacher: Pastor Braun Campbell Scripture: John 2:13–2:22 Series: Following Jesus