James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They replied, “We are able.” Then Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” ~ Mark 10:35-40
Do you remember the old myth of King Midas? When the god Dionyssus granted him a wish, he wished that everything he touched would turn to gold. And so everything did: including his food and his beloved daughter.
Be careful what you wish for.
Or Dorothy who wishes she could escape her life in Kansas for a place somewhere over the rainbow and ends up putting herself in a nearly nightmarish place and realizing there was no place like home.
Be careful what you wish for.
Ask any 13 year old what they wish, and I'll bet you that more often than not, at least one of their wishes is to be older. To be an adult. To have some power and control in their life.
My response to that is usually something like "be careful what you wish for."
And so James and John decide that their fondest wish is to sit right next to Jesus when he comes into his glory. And Jesus replies:
Be careful what you wish for.
Glory for Jesus isn't the kind of glory we are used to. Glory for Jesus comes first through suffering.
Glory for Jesus comes on the cross.
Teach me, Jesus, to follow you and to seek your glory and not my own. Amen
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