Welcome to LAFUMC

715 Diamond Drive, Los Alamos, NM

505-662-6277

Sermons

"NUMBER ONE"
GOSPEL SCRIPTURE TEXT: MARK 10:35-45

DAVE RING, PASTOR
LOS ALAMOS 1ST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
SUNDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 21, 2008

SCRIPTURE LESSON: Mark 10:35-45 -- 35Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. "Teacher," they said, "we want you to do for us whatever we ask." 36"What do you want me to do for you?" he asked. 37They replied, "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory." 38"You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said. "Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?" 39"We can," they answered. Jesus said to them, "You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, 40but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared." 41When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. 42Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

PRAYER: Let us pause for a brief moment of prayer, please. "Lord Jesus, be very much with us in the message follows. Teach us your Holy Word, Lord, that we may follow your perfect way. Amen."

MESSAGE: Today, if I remember the calendar of seasons correctly, is the official first day of fall 2008. The onset of fall means that Americans in general are settling into their normal and usual autumn passion -- sports. On our national scene, right now baseball is king of the hill. The post-season playoffs are slated to begin on Oct. 1st, eliminating the also-rans and, before the coming month is out, we'll be treated to the annual baseball World Series. I guess I'm a little strange, but I've always wondered why and how we call our North American professional baseball tournament a "World Series." I mean, with over 130 of the 200 nations of our world, encompassing 3/4 of the world's population, not evidencing a single shred of interest in baseball, how can it possibly be considered a global sport, with a "World Series?"

Fall--and sports. Of course, here in Los Alamos football is the pre-eminent fall sport. For the two prior years that I've been in this area, Hilltopper football has been pretty competitive on a statewide basis, and I've enjoyed following it. How strong LAHS football will be this year is still to be determined.

Sports. I have a personal prejudice against preachers who use endless illustrations from sports to seek their audience's attention in sermons, but I understand why they do it. People the world over, especially males, are fascinated by sports. Men are a "hard sell" as far as church is concerned these days, so preachers are always looking for something that will pique their interest. If a preacher talks about sports in a sermon, maybe the men in the congregation will stay awake to hear the message.

Sports. Sports are fascinating to people the world over because the competitive element of sports strikes a resonant chord in the human spirit. There's something of this competitive spirit in all of us, although it doesn't always express itself in the arena of athletic competition. We all want, in some way or other, to be the best--to be #1--to stand tall and proud--and maybe even to stand above--the rest of our world in some distinct way.

For some, the competitive urge might express itself in trying to become the world's greatest salesman. For others, it might be to raise the blue ribbon winning heifer at the state fair. I know a man, back in my former home city of Albuquerque, who is driven by the urge to become the richest man in New Mexico. He's well on his way to achieving that goal--already his financial net worth is over forty million dollars. That might seem like more than enough to most of us, but not this man. He won't stop making money until he's sure that no one else can come close to him, financially, in the entire state of New Mexico.

While I was growing up, my particular bent was to be successful academically--to be #1 in my class. I'm still proud of my academic achievements, although I confess that sometimes I look back and wonder how my life might have been different if I hadn't been so one-sided as a teenager.
To be number one--to be the best, the greatest, the most important--to win all the marbles. There's something of the competitive urge in all of us. But how about in the realm of the Christian faith? Can we compete--as Christians? Should we?

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." Before committing Himself to such an open-ended request, Jesus asked in return, "What is it you want me to do for you?" And James and John replied, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory."

In other words, Jesus, we want to be number one. We want the gold medal. Second or third or, God forbid, fourth place won't do. We want to be the greatest of all--in the Kingdom of Heaven.

I've heard a number of sermons preached on this text before, and usually James and John come out looking awful for making this blatant request for top billing. But I'm not so sure we should be all that quick to condemn them. Certainly, they were being honest and forthright in their request, not plotting behind the other disciples' backs. They had left their livelihoods behind in an all-consuming passion to follow Jesus. They were zealous workers for the Kingdom of God. And Jesus Himself had obviously recognized their outstanding qualities. They were already part of an elite inner circle of just three--Peter, James, and John--whom Jesus chose to accompany him on occasions when the other nine disciples were left behind--as at the Mount of Transfiguration. They had solid qualifications for the top slots.

So why not go for it? No harm in asking, right? If Jesus said "No," they wouldn't have lost anything. And He just might say "Yes." Maybe their being bold enough to ask would be the edge needed--maybe it would impress Jesus enough grant to their wish.

The Scripture tells us that Jesus didn't say "Yes," nor did He say "No." But He didn't condemn them for asking, either. Instead, He said this: "You do not know what you are asking."

Let me skip ahead a couple of verses, and observe what happened shortly after this exchange between Jesus and these two brothers. "When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John." The other ten disciples were upset that James and John should be trying to lock up the top slots in the Kingdom. The Bible doesn't say why, but common sense tells me that they were upset--because each of them wanted the top spot, too. James and John weren't alone in this pursuit. Each of the twelve was, in his own way, vying for top honors in the eyes of Jesus. They were human beings, every one of them--and human beings have the competitive urge built into them.

Is there such a thing as legitimate competition in the Kingdom of God? I'm going to suggest that, based upon my study of this and other passages of Scripture, the answer is "yes." The apostle Paul, in I Corinthians, Chapter 9, says it very directly--using a sports metaphor. He likens the Christian life to a race--with lots of runners competing--and reminds us that, in order to claim the prize, we have to beat the competition. So Christians can--and should--and indeed, I believe, must--compete with one another. There is, clearly, provision for competition in the Christian faith. This is one character trait of our human nature that does not have to be denied in order to follow Jesus Christ.

Back to our text for today, and Jesus' rather puzzling response to the request of James and John for top slots in the Kingdom of God. "You do not know what you are asking." They thought they knew, I'm sure. They were willing to work hard, do whatever was necessary, to sacrifice themselves, even face death--in order to please Jesus. They would prove themselves--indeed, they thought they had proved themselves--by outdoing all of the other disciples. And the other disciples, each of them, probably felt exactly the same way. They were all worthy competitors--all world-class athletes in their chosen specialty--each vying for supremacy in the Kingdom of God.

But Jesus said, "You don't know what you are asking." Later, he called all twelve of them together and said, in effect, "I know what you want. You want to be great in the Kingdom of God. You're competitive--I see it--and I don't find that wrong. But you don't understand the nature of the competition. In the world, you win by being better, greater, more important than anyone else. But in the Kingdom of God, competition itself is reversed." Let's re-read the actual text of what Jesus said--"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."

That, my friends in Christ, is, to employ a modern colloquialism, a "totally awesome" passage of Scripture. For it tells us that, in the Christian life, the very nature of competition is turned around--reversed. It says that winning, as we know it--is really losing. And losing is really winning. Number one is number zilch in the eyes of God. It turns our whole system of values inside out--and upside down. The last shall be first; the servant shall be great; the one who gives up his life on earth will gain eternal life in the Kingdom of God.

We all want to be great--at something. Maybe the world's greatest soccer player. The most beautiful girl in all of New Mexico. The finest accountant in the Santa Fe area. The best second grade teacher in Los Alamos County. But if we want to be truly great--in the Kingdom of God--we have to reverse our normal, human way of looking at things.

The story is told of a saintly old man who was diligently studying his Bible one night. There was a knock at his door. He opened it to find a stranger, standing in beautiful, royal robes and adorned with a jeweled crown. "Who are you?" asked the old man. "I am the Christ," was the reply. The old Christian paused for a second, then spoke. "If you are the Christ," asked the saint, "where is the print of the nails?" There was none on those finely manicured hands. The imposing appearance and the rich robes were completely uncharacteristic of Jesus, and the old saint knew it. Realizing that he had been unmasked, Satan fled. Behind him, quietly lying in the dirt, was a half-starved child. "Come in, my Lord!" invited the old man. Amen.

Back to Church Sermons Table of Contents