ORDINARY 25

Wisdom 21:12;17-20

James 3:16-4:3

Mk 9:30-37

In Shakespeare’s play Henry VIII, Cardinal Wolsey gives Thomas Cromwell advice. “Cromwell, I charge thee, fling away ambition; By that sin fell the angels, how can man, then, the image of his maker, hope to win by it? Love thyself last; cherish those hearts that hate thee; Corruption wins not more than honesty.” {Act 3: 2 (44)}

The thread that runs through today’s readings is that of ambition. They highlight the truth that self-serving ambition in anyone contains the seeds on one’s destruction.

The book of Wisdom raises the question of whether those who claim to be God’s servants are really different from anyone else in this regard when the surface is scratched. Does everyone, faithful or otherwise, have a price, and furthermore, will God come and rescue those who claim to believe in him when they are under pressure? This is a good question and was asked by some of the crowd at the crucifixion of Jesus when they said, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to save him (Mt 27:49). In Jesus’ case, the resurrection is the answer.

The author of the epistle of James also hands out a stern warning against those guilty of jealousy and ambitious behaviour. He makes the point that sin is unproductive, for jealousy and ambition lead to disharmony. They are evil because they create chaos, and this chaos has its origins within the human being where self-centredness battles with what we know to be right. Following the wisdom of God in thinking and doing what is right brings harmony to one’s own life and may draw others into holiness of living. Our prayer must be that we have the strength and courage to follow God’s will whatever that may involve, rather than to satisfy our own self-centred desires.

Jesus detected this weakness among his disciples. Today’s gospel reading tells us of the second time that Jesus predicts his death and resurrection. The disciples don’t understand him, and are afraid to ask him. Where there is fear there can be no faith. What they couldn’t grasp was that in God’s plan, Jesus letting go of his life was the price of bringing in the Kingdom. The disciples were still thinking of God’s kingdom as if it were like the kingdom of David where there was a hierarchy within the leadership. This is why they argued among themselves about who might be top dog in the new scheme of things.

Jesus took them to task because he knew what they were doing. In worldly kingdoms, republics and institutions, those with power exercise control over others. In God’s kingdom the greatest are those who are prepared to be last in the line, or those who are happy to be the servant who has no pretentions to be anything else. In the kingdom, ambition does not become a holy thing just because you want to be first in the queue for the heavenly banquet.

To drive his point home, Jesus takes a young child and uses that child as a teaching aid. He says that unless a disciple becomes like a little child, he or she cannot enter the kingdom of God. In doing this, Jesus is not saying that disciples should possess the characteristics that children are supposed to possess, namely meekness, gratitude, trustfulness and transparency. Note I did say, ‘supposed’ to possess. Unlike nowadays when children’s needs and rights drive many agendas it was not until the 19^th century that children were seen to have value in their own right. In the ancient world children were considered to be non-persons. They were not seen or heard, but they were virtually invisible. They could not own property; they had no status or rights in law and babies could be exposed to the elements in order to die if that is what the parents wished. Children were treated in the same way as slaves. To be a child was deemed to be one who lacked wisdom. A child was another mouth to feed rather than being a productive asset for the family. No wonder childhood was a stage to be survived and grown out of as soon as possible.

Jesus uses the image of the child to show that he and any disciple of his must be last and be the servant of all. Yet Jesus is God, so God gives of himself in what seems the least lordly or godly way. He does not come into Jerusalem riding of a stallion wielding a sword. He comes riding the lowly, yet royal beast of David in order to offer himself as a sacrifice in a way cursed by Jews, at the hands of an occupying foreign power. In saying that whoever receives those with no false ambition in life receives him, and whoever receives him receives the Father, Jesus is saying that the way for disciples must be the way of humility. The only ambition a disciple should have is to be Christ-like. This ambition is driven by love, not by power and control.

The third temptation Jesus faced in the wilderness was to grasp at power through using control. He rejected it, and when he was facing Pilate in the Judgement Hall, Pilate asked him if he realised that he, Pilate, had power to crucify him and power to release him. Jesus responded that someone else had given him the only power he possessed, and that person could as easily remove it. On the other hand, Jesus’ power comes from the love of the Father, and love is never removed. In that amazing encounter between Jesus and Pilate, the worldly power of control is neutralised by the powerlessness of love.

If the Church is to be what she is called to be, namely Christ’s body on earth, she must not behave like all the other institutions in the world. The Church is not a dictatorship or a democracy. The only power and authority the Church is bound to acknowledge is that of God, the power of love, shown us on the Cross of Christ.

Jesus said, “When I am lifted up from the earth I will draw all men unto me” (Jn 12:32). What draws human beings to Jesus is the love they experience at the hands of God and at the hands of those who make up Christ’s body on earth. That love must be the love of a servant, for disciples must understand that there is no hierarchy of ministry in the Church. All ministries are equal even though they are different. The leadership must be that of servanthood, not the leadership of worldly control. This is the pattern of God’s creative wisdom – difference with equality, a world in which we are bound together in love.

Love one another as I have loved you. That is the humble love of the Way of the Cross.