Boanerges
Mark 10:32-45
Sometimes we say something to make us look good in the eyes of someone we admire, only to wish we could take it back later.
Photo by Max LaRochelle on Unsplash
They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, "See, 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; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles; they will mock him, and spit upon him, and flog him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise again." James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." And he said to them, "What is it you want me to do for you?" And they said to him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory." But Jesus said to them, "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?" They replied, "We are able." Then Jesus said to them, "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 hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared." When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. So Jesus called them and said to them, "You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many." - Mark 10:32-45
You have to admire the sons of Zebedee, whom Jesus called Boanerges (the Sons of Thunder), because of their impulsive emotional nature.
They are like the enthusiastic kids in school who would wave their hands to be picked before knowing what they would have to do. But their hearts were in the right place.
You could argue that they were asking for glory, sitting at Jesus's side, or you could say that they wanted to show how much they loved him. We will be with you through it all. But that is not exactly how things turned out, is it?
Jesus went through the trouble to share with the twelve exactly what was to happen to him, and these two said they would be with him, but in his hour of need, where were they? Where were all of them?
The name Boanerges takes on a different meaning during and after the crucifixion. These brothers were all talk and no action. Loud, boisterous thunder.
Maybe they did seek glory and were not committed to die with Jesus after all.
Did they lie to Jesus?
It's an interesting question, isn't it?
When we promise to love and care for others in Jesus' name, we are committing ourselves to an action before God.
We shouldn't back down if the task at hand seems too difficult.
What Jesus expects of us is to act on our love for one another, not just because we promised him.
The story of the Good Samaritan is a perfect example of this. He acted out of love for the stranger.
Today, in our divided country, we are torn between wanting to help those in need and wanting to keep ourselves safe from those who want to take advantage of our good nature.
So, we accuse one another of being uncaring.
We need to go back and reevaluate the promises we made to one another through our constitution and our laws.
Just like the Jewish people in Jesus' day, we are faced with a dilemma. Have we made the wrong laws, or have we lost track of our purpose?
Like the Sons of Thunder, we are all shouting in the void, and being heard by no one.
More to come...