Word to the Wise
Wednesday, March 2, 2011 - Wednesday in the 8th Week in Ordinary Time
[Sir 36:1, 4-5a, 10-17 and Mark 10:32-45]You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant, whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.
There is an expression in English, "the trappings of power," to refer to all the ritual and pomp and "perks" that go with particular positions. In Jesus' day, these "trappings" would have been well known. Herod lived a lavish lifestyle! The Roman procurator, Pilate, was known for his cruelty and eventually removed from office! These were the models that the disciples would have had in mind when two of them try to do a political "end run" with Jesus by lobbying for positions of power in the "kingdom" Jesus was preaching about! I suspect the indignation of the other ten had more to do with the "end run" than with any understanding of Jesus' preaching about power! Otherwise Jesus would not have needed to call ALL of them together to make it clear that his kingdom would have nothing to do with their cultural understanding of power!
The "trappings" of power may indeed be a form of trapping for those entrusted with important duties on behalf of the community. It is easy to get used to having other folks take care of the more menial tasks that could take up our day. Those trappings can blind us to the true importance of delegating power to others. Power can easily become an obsession which leads a person to believe that he or she is indispensable! Certain rulers in the Middle East are discovering their indispensability is less than they think!
Jesus speaks of "greatness" in terms of service to the community. Places at table and other "trappings" are not important. What counts is how we serve others, because that is why he came! His example can free us from the desire of "trappings." AMEN