Word for Word

by Rev. Tom Buresh

Let me start with a question to you married couples out there: “Have you ever asked your spouse to find you a new husband or a new wife?” And then to those who aren’t married I ask you: “Have you ever spent a couple hundred dollars and six hours of your time to attend a concert or a sporting event?  Yet couldn’t spend a couple dollars for gas and one hour of your time the next day to attend church?”
Next, I am sure you would ask me why I would ask such a question – especially the first one that is very extreme. I ask them because they are both good illustrations of what idolatry is. Idolatry may be thought of as worshipping stone statues but it goes way beyond that in today’s world. Idolatry is really worshipping something besides God – worshipping an idol instead of God. We ask for a new god when we already have the greatest God or we replace God with what “we” really want.
In Mark 10:35 we read James and John’s request to Jesus, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.”  Whatever we ask of you – wow! Then they go on to ask if they can sit, one on Jesus’ left and one on his right in glory. It was like they were asking for a new spouse or a couple hundred dollars to spend as they wished. Even after all the time they had been spending with the Lord, they still didn’t get it.
Jesus’ response to them was, “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?”  But also remember they still didn’t know what we know.  The disciples didn’t know that Jesus was to be killed on a Roman cross and the men on his left and right - who they had asked to be - would also be hanging on a cross to die with him. Is that what they thought they were asking of Jesus?
What do we ask of God? Do we promise to do anything for God if God will give us an A on a test, or a new car, or a better job? So, where do we fit in?  Hopefully we fit in by already knowing what God did for us. Hopefully we fit in by knowing that God loves us so much that he could arrange for those things we want, but God says we need WAY more! We need salvation! We need someone to die on the cross for our sins.
Now that is really, really good news. Jesus loved the selfish disciples and Jesus continues to love us – even as selfish as we are sometimes. The dream of God’s kingdom is simply amazing. Jesus showed us that power is not what we think. Power is no longer seeking to be served, but power comes by serving others.  
What a beautiful vision.  What a loving God!