One of the theological principles that interests me most is the incarnation. It’s a very beautiful image – God chooses to leave “god-ness” behind in order to be with lowly and sinful human beings. Jesus’ choice to embracing a life of poverty, pain and isolation reveals how deeply he longs to restore our broken. It’s the ultimate in self-emptying, of establishing relationships, of recognizing the humanity and goodness of each individual as they currently are, embracing the suffering and pain of existence by choosing to participate in it.
It’s a very counter-cultural (and counter-human) trend. We’re used to “getting ahead,” of fighting for status and recognition, achieving merit and becoming a “somebody.” Followers of Jesus have typically been the same – Jesus disciples argued time and time again about who was the greatest among them (Mt 18:1-3) or asking for special treatment and honor above all the others (Mt 20:20-28).
After years and years of Christian thought, it’s easy to forget what most likely were the hopes of the disciples in first-century, Roman-controlled Judea. For them, the Kingdom was entirely political, and Jesus was going to establish a new government. As such, arguing about who was the greatest was, in some ways, very political. And, like so many histories and dramas can attest, vying for political power is not a solid way to build lasting, trusting and deep relationships.
They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.
Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (Mark 9:33-35)
Naturally, when compared to the hope of becoming high-ranking officer in a national government, servanthood was probably the last thing on the disciples’ minds. But that’s the stark contrast between the disciples’ hopes for success and the reality of Jesus’ mission.
The political intrigues show us how often human beings are willing to betray one another for the sake of personal gain. Often, the desire for success/status/power leads us to see others only in terms of what we can get from them, clouding our ability to see them as human beings. It’s easy to view this in extreme examples, but it occurs at all levels: from the office worker sucking up to her boss to the middle schooler fighting for popularity, we manipulate and work our relationships for personal gain.
Choosing to become the servant of everyone – even the lowest of the low – breaks us free from this dehumanizing and alienating need to get ahead. When we have nothing to gain out of serving, we can learn some lessons from them. But, when we decide to give away our lives – as Jesus commanded us to (Mk 8:34-5, Jn 12:25) – we will be totally transformed.
It’s one of those things that only make sense with the resurrection: those with nothing for us actually have the most to give us, but we have to give all of ourselves to get it.
Posted by ericlange 
