But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10: 43-45) 

 Mark 10: 35-45  

It is not only James and John who have a misguided image of GoFinally, Jesus is saying it outright. His is a paradigm of service as opposed to a paradigm of power.

We have seen this week how the disciples just don’t get it. They are stuck in the paradigm of power. They think Jesus has come to conquer and want to share his victory.

But Jesus completely reframes the notion of power. For him, to be first means to be the first to serve. To be great means offering the greatest gift of one’s self.  

Jesus’ service paradigm is rooted in the experience of being loved by God and an awareness of being a child of God. In this, we feel secure in who we are, and we are grateful for the gifts God has given us. 

This frees us from the desire to dominate and control. We become open to receiving and ready to give. We no longer desire to be served but rather to serve. We see how dignified we are and yearn to make a gift of who we are.

Am I aware of just how loved I am? Do I know what a gift I am to the world? Am I willing to give others a gift of that self, to serve rather than to be served?

Reflections by Sean van Staden SJ

Loving God,
I know that you love me. Help me to live out of that love. Remove from me the desire to dominate. Instil in me a desire to serve and to make a gift of myself. Let that service flow from your love.
Amen.

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