Mark 10:32-45

1 Peter 1:18-25

Psalm 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20

Mark 10:32-45

The disciples were on the way, going up to Jerusalem,

and Jesus went ahead of them.

They were amazed, and those who followed were afraid.

Taking the Twelve aside again, he began to tell them

what was going to happen to him.

"Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man

will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes,

and they will condemn him to death

and hand him over to the Gentiles who will mock him,

spit upon him, scourge him, and put him to death,

but after three days he will rise."

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee,

came to Jesus and said to him,

"Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you."

He replied, "What do you wish me to do for you?"

They answered him,

"Grant that in your glory

we may sit one at your right and the other at your left."

Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking.

Can you drink the chalice that I drink

or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?"

They said to him, "We can."

Jesus said to them, "The chalice 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."

When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John.

Jesus summoned them and said to them,

"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."

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I contemplate today the mystery of redemption. You prepared our redemption from the beginning and promised that your Son would one day crush the head of the ancient serpent and redeem us, as our brother, from the debt of sin. May I be thankful today for so great a Redeemer!

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Third Passion Prediction: Mark’s Gospel is the shortest of the four Gospels. If space was an issue, why would he include three passion predictions instead of one? Apart from the fact that Jesus himself prophesied his passion three times on the way to Jerusalem, each prophecy provokes different reactions and becomes a teaching opportunity. When Jesus predicts his passion the first time, Peter takes him aside and tries to convince him not to go through with it (Mark 8:31-33). Jesus rebukes Peter and then invites his disciples to follow him and take up their cross. When Jesus predicted his passion the second time, the disciples were reduced to silence, did not understand, and were afraid to ask Jesus about his upcoming passion (Mark 9:30-32). In private, they discussed who was the greatest among them. And Jesus takes the opportunity to teach them about the true greatness of humility, service, and love. When Jesus predicts his passion the third time in a very detailed way, two of Jesus’ disciples eagerly seek places beside Jesus in his coming kingdom and promise to drink the chalice of passion with Jesus. The three passion prophecies show the journey of faith of the disciples: from opposition to not understanding to seeking to suffer with Christ.

2. Drinking the Chalice of Christ: The Old Testament uses the image of drinking from a chalice to depict either the blessing that God offers the faithful (Psalm 16:5; 23:5; 116:13) or the misery that God compels the unfaithful to drink (Psalm 75:8; Isaiah 51:17-22; Jeremiah 49:12; Ezekiel 23:31-34). Jesus speaks of the latter. And although Jesus himself is innocent and pure, he will consume the cup that was filled for sinners (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, 85). He asks his disciples to be willing to share in his redemptive suffering. By referring to the cup, Jesus is also alluding to the Eucharistic cup of his blood (Mark 14:23-24): drinking the cup and being baptized into Jesus’ passion becomes the source of salvation to all who receive it (Healy, The Gospel of Mark, 213). The sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist are the way Jesus’ disciples can share in his future glory (Healy, The Gospel of Mark, 213). The sons of Zebedee, James and John, declare that they are willing to suffer with Jesus. Jesus clarifies that they will suffer but that assigning the glory seats belongs to the Father. James and John will exercise leadership in the Church. Jesus cautions them that they should not “imitate the pomp and tyranny of Gentile rulers (10:42) but the humility and service he has been modeling for them during his ministry (10:45; John 13:14-15)” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, 85).

3. We Were Ransomed: Jesus concludes his third passion prediction referring to a ransom (lytron) that he will pay. In his First Letter, Peter also speaks about being ransomed or redeemed. Peter contrasts being ransomed with money and being ransomed with the Blood of Christ. The old Law of Moses established that a kinsman was obligated to redeem you if you fell into debt and slavery and lost your ancestral land (Leviticus 25:47-49). “As a divine Father, God became the ‘Redeemer’ of Israel (Isaiah 41:14; 54:5), who ransomed his beloved son from Egypt (Exodus 4:22-23; Deuteronomy 7:8)” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, p. 85). As our redeemer, Jesus is the kinsman who redeems us, not from monetary debt, but from the debt of sin. He pays the price of our ransom. He is the Lamb of God, whose blood was shed on the Cross, who takes away the sins of the world. Having been purified, we are called to love our brothers and sisters with a pure heart. We are born again through the living Word of God.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you set your face like flint to go to Jerusalem and redeem us through the shedding of your blood. We deserved death because we broke the covenant with God. You did not abandon us to our fate and took upon yourself our debt. You paid the price of our redemption and established the New and Eternal Covenant that we now enjoy.

Living the Word of God: Am I willing to share in Jesus’ redemptive suffering? Am I thankful for what Jesus suffered as our redeemer or do I complain and bemoan the little pains and annoyances of daily life?