Steve Carroll, Church Council, Chancel Choir
Matthew 20:20-28 (NRSV)

20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, and kneeling before him, she asked a favor of him. 21 And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” 22 But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” 23 He said to them, “You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” 24 When the ten heard it, they were angry with the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. 26 It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; 28 just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

Reflection:

During my early days as a lawyer, I decided to volunteer at the Neighborhood Justice Center. The Center’s mission was to provide dispute resolution services through a process called mediation. Prospective mediators were required to attend a 40-hour training program. In this form of mediation, the mediator and the parties stay together in the same room throughout the mediation, and it typically lasts between one and three hours. Mediations are provided at no cost, making them a great alternative to hiring lawyers and going to Court.

Shortly before my first solo mediation, I began feeling sick. I didn’t feel contagious – it must have been something I ate. But I felt awful and weak, with little energy. Nevertheless, I showed up, every now and then managing to say something to direct the mediation process, but mostly I just sat there, listening and suffering. To my amazement, with almost no input from me, the parties came to an understanding, resolving their dispute.

I realized that my sickness had been a blessing in disguise, because it reaffirmed my mediation training. My role as a mediator was not to figure out the best way to resolve the parties’ dispute and tell them what to do. My job was to serve them by providing a process where they could safely air their grievances, and choose whether, and how, to resolve their dispute.

In the scripture passage, James and John ask Jesus to give them positions of status and power in his kingdom. If granted, their requests would have placed them above the other ten disciples. Jesus denies James and John, comparing what they are seeking to the desires of rulers and tyrants, who lord their power over others. Jesus reminds them that he did not come to be served, but to serve.

The disciples were (and we are) not called to rule or to be served. Likewise, in my role as a mediator, I was not called to rule by telling the parties to the mediation what they should do. I was called to serve by giving them the space and power to choose.

Our job is to serve, and Jesus told us how: if someone wants your coat, also give them your cloak; if someone wants you to go with them, go even further; welcome strangers; feed the hungry; provide clothing to those who need it; take care of the sick. As you encounter others, see them as Jesus sees them, with kindness, curiosity, and compassion. The wonderful news is that Jesus loves and cares about each of us.

Prayer:

Dearest Father, 

Thank you for loving me and caring about me. Grant me the vision to see others through your eyes, and the compassion to serve them. Amen.