When I was in High School (Secondary School), I came home one day and complained to my dad that I shared my meal with a classmate, and the classmate did not show any sign of appreciation; on the contrary, the classmate even said something bad about me to others. After sharing my experience, I waited for my dad to console me and to share in my anger and frustration. But my dad asked me to sit down and said, “My son, before you do any good thing for anyone, be sure that your fulfillment comes first from what you are doing for the person and not from the person’s appreciation, for that is the only way to be in control.” He added, “If you rely solely on the ‘Thank you’ for your fulfillment, you may lose twice: (1) You may lose what you gave them, and (2) You may also lose the gratitude they are withholding from you.” He then concluded: “Sometimes, the mouth you fed may gossip against you, the hand you healed may strike you, and the feet you washed may go on errands against you. So, if your fulfillment is not rooted in the service, don’t do it.”
In today’s Gospel passage, two of Jesus’s apostles, James and John requested that they might sit one at his right and the other at his left in his glory. Jesus told them, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” In reply, they said, “We can.” Jesus then continued, “The cup that I drink, you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared [by God].”
How did we get here? This gospel passage begins at Mark 10:35. Three verses earlier, Mark tells us that Jesus, his apostles, and others were on their way to Jerusalem. Jesus, who was a few steps ahead of them, called his apostles aside and, for the third time, predicted what would happen to him in Jerusalem: he would be delivered to the chief priests and teachers of the law who would condemn him to death and hand him over to the Gentiles – the Gentiles would mock him, spit on him, flog him, and kill him – on the third day, he would rise.
James and John seemed to have been selective in listening to Jesus. Immediately after Jesus made this prediction, the two apostles went to Jesus and began to talk about the end of the prediction, where Jesus would rise and be in glory. But Jesus had to remind them that Christianity is not just a destination but a journey. He had to remind them that the prediction did not begin with the glory; there would be some crucial steps to take before the glory.
Jesus used two metaphors regarding cup and baptism to teach James and John the steps that lead to glory. He asked, “Can you drink the cup that I drink…?” This metaphor comes from a custom where the King would organize a banquet and hand over the cup to his guests. The cup then became a metaphor for various forms of life experiences that God hands over to human beings, mainly used as a cup of suffering. Jesus also asked, “Can you … be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” Baptism here is not the sacramental baptism as we know it. The original Greek word that translates here as baptism means to dip or to submerge. In the passive voice, it means to be submerged in an experience. A person may talk about being submerged in sorrow, in studies, or any other experience. So, by using these metaphors of the cup and baptism, Jesus is saying “Christianity is not just about a destination; it is about a journey; before you talk about my destination, which is the glory, let us first ensure that you are ready to embrace my experience that comes before the glory.” After they assured him of their readiness to embrace the cup and the baptism, he said, “[Good, you will have those], but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared.” In other words, “Enjoy my experience for now; when we reach the end, you will get what is yours.”
Today, many of us as Christians easily forget that Christianity is a journey; we forget that a Christian is a follower of Christ. We keep postponing everything until we get to heaven. We forget that heaven begins on earth in answer to the prayer, “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” This point reminds me of what my father told me: to be sure that my fulfillment comes from my service and not wait for any future reward. Some Catholics would approach a priest and say, “Father, can I make a quick confession so I can receive Holy Communion?” But that is not a good motive for confession. We should go to confession first to be reconciled to God and humanity and to enjoy our relationship and our journey with them, not just because we want to receive Holy Communion. Some Christians have stopped being nice to people, they have stopped helping them because they did not receive a “Thank you note” from them. My dearly beloved in Christ, we are Christians, it is a full package, it is a full experience; we must not delay our glory until the end; let us enjoy the entire journey. If you have any good to do, just do it, and be sure that your fulfillment comes first from the service you render. Let this message inspire you to find joy in your service.
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