Meditation on Mark 10,41-45
When the other ten heard this they began to feel indignant with James and John, so Jesus called them to him and said to them, 'You know that among the gentiles those they call their rulers lord it over them, and their great men make their authority felt.
Among you this is not to happen. No; anyone who wants to become great among you must be your servant,and anyone who wants to be first among you must be slave to all.
For the Son of man himself came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
1. Greatness and service: key concepts. They constitute the heart of Christ’s life and mission, the message of the Gospel.
2. Greatness and servant (humility) are interconnected; they condition each other.
3. God descended from His greatness in order to ascend the human being. Human “theosis” was achieved by God’s incarnation.
4. Humility became a salient feature of Christ’s life: His birth, family life, and a quality of relationship with the poor, oppressed and sick etc.
Humility became a quality of life, and a quality of relationship with God, humanity and creation.
5. What is the message of this text?
- Being Christian means being servant: helping the other (Good Samaritan), loving the neighbour.
- Being Christian means promoting the Gospel values and working for the Kingdom of God.
- Being Christian means challenging all sort of structures which seek greatness in material, military or political power.
6. Power: a source for good and evil as well. Misuse, abuse and right use of power.
7. Christian concept of power:
- God’s power is revealed through powerlessness.
- God’s power is the power of love.
- God’s power is life-generating.
8. The need to transform the ambiguity of power.
- from violent to non-violent power.
- from sufficiency to the vulnerability of power
- from absolute to accountable power.
- from centralised to shared power.