Homily – Sunday, the 20th Oct 2024

Reading: Mark 10:35-45

In my journey to Cambodia this time, in a small village called Poi Pot, in the border between Cambodia and Thailand, I met with a young person- M. He is a village evangelist who associates with the Hope Centre in the little village. They run a children’s home for children abandoned and trafficked, a playing turf for the young people of the village, a school, a church and many such meaningful activities. But the role he likes best is that of the village evangelist. When they knew we, a team from Church Mission Society, were visiting, he decided to take us to the village congregation. (Let us look at a couple of images from the visit).

M was offered a good opportunities to pursue a better career, but he says “my mission now is to serve this little village”. The Hope Centre has rescued several children from difficult situations, saved several women from suicide and abortions, but more than that he enjoys serving the people of the village proclaiming and teaching the good news of the gospel. Apart from leading the open air church in the little village, he runs literacy classes there, takes the children to a school nearby that he helps run and plays with the young people of the village. He was so integrally part of their lives. He is happy to serve the poorest of the poor and finds great joy in doing so.

He made me seriously ask this question- what is servant leadership?

In the global scene we have had some classic examples. It was Mahatma Gandhi who said- “the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others”. Mother Teresa said- “I see Jesus in every human being. I say to myself, this is hungry Jesus, I must feed him. This is sick Jesus. This one has leprosy or gangrene; I must wash him and tend to him. I serve because I love Jesus.”

Rick Warren said- “The only way you can serve God is by serving other people.”

Nelson Mandela who spent 27 years in prison- when he was released and became President- instead of revenge on the cruel oppresors he led the nation to reconciliation, peace and unity preferring that over personal gain or bitterness- He said, “It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.”

Let us look at the gospel lesson for today carefully

Do for Us What We Want

The sons of Zebedee comes to Jesus with a request- “We want you to do for us whatever we ask”. Interestingly this is the philosophy of spirituality and prayer for several people. We reduce the Divine to a talisma where our desires are met.

This is reflected in our relationships where we see the other as someone who should be doing for us whatever we ask. This is the underlying structural issue that is reflected in gender based violence. This is what defines the master slave dynamics. It defines the employer employee dynamics, the teacher student dynamics and even the parishioner pastor dynamics. Seeing the other as objects to do things you want them to is also a power question.

It is worth asking sometimes- Do we fall to that trap?

What do you want?

Jesus asks them- What is it that you want?

What are our expectations?

A survey was done recently as to why people go to church and there were very interesting answers

• Spiritual nourishment
• Community/ fellowship
• Moral Ethical Guidance
• Support in times of need- To support and be supported
• Worship/ Praise/ ritual/ tradition
• Opportunities of Service
• Sense of purpose, direction and hope in life

What would be our answer. If Jesus asks us- What is it that you want today?

Is it Peace of mind? Peace for the World?

Is it rest and tranquility from the din and buzzle of our daily life?

Is it a break from monotonous routine?

What is it that we want?

The Place Near You in Your Glory

James and John replied – “Grant that one of us would sit in your right and the other in your left when you come to glory”.

They had envisaged Jesus being the Messianic King soon and they thought his days of glory are not far away. When that would happen, they wanted to ensure that plump positions near the seats of power should not go to anyone else but them.

Love for Power- has always been a reality humanity struggled with.

Abraham Lincoln once said- “Nearly all people can stand adversity, but if you want to test a person’s character, give that person power.”

In  the seminal work- 1984- George Orwel wrote- “Power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing.”

Mahathma Gandhi said- “Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by fear  and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent than the one derived from fear or authoritarianism”

Plato said- “The measure of a man is what he does with power.”

Martin Luther King Jr said- “Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.”

Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter says- “Power was my weakness and my temptation.” (J K Rowling)

Jesus response is very pognant

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.”

We must also note the anger of the ten- when the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John.

Servant leadership

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.”

Power is not about lording over people or about being tyrrants

Genuine Leadership is about willingness to serve

Look at Jesus:

The image of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples stand out. His leadership was marked by healing the sick and feeding the hungry. He reached out to the leper, the Samaritan woman, woman with a flow of blood, the woman who was charged with adultery and to the excluded communities including sinners and tax collectors.

In his teaching Jesus said loving your God and loving your neighbour is the most sublime commandments and he encouraged everyone to love the least, the lost and the last.

Jesus’ parables including the parable of the Good Samaritan and the lost sheep are examples of servant leadership

The marks of servant leadership reflected in Jesus are Humility, Empathy, Forgiveness, Selflessness, Active Listening, Seeking those searching, Encouragement, Stewardship, Seeing the tears of others and the like.

Servant leadership is a life style.

Giving Oneself for the Other

Jesus said- For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

What is it that we can give to others in their times of need? This could be one pertinent question we ask when we think of emulating the servant leadership life style of Jesus.

• Time
• A smile or a Hug
• Kind Words
• Love and Affection
• Food, Clothing, Shelter, Education
• Empathy and Understanding
• Hope
• The epitome of it all- LIFE

Very pertinent in this context is the prayer

Lord, make us instruments of Your peace.

Where there is hatred,
Let us sow love.
Where there is injury,
Let us offer pardon.
Where there is doubt,
Let us bring faith.
Where there is despair,
Let us spread hope.
Where there is darkness,
Let us shine Your light.
Where there is sadness,
Let us bring joy.
O God of peace, help us to be peacemakers in our homes, in our communities, and in the world. Fill us with the spirit of reconciliation, that we may lay aside division and hostility, embracing one another with the peace of Christ.
Lord, make us instruments of Your peace.

Jesus gives us a life style to follow and our experience of Jesus is

Wisdom unsearchable, God the invisible,

Love indestructible, in frailty appears.

Lord of infinity, stooping so tenderly,

Lifts our humanity to the heights of His throne

O, what a mystery, meekness and Majesty.

Bow down and worship –

For this our God – this is our God.

Amen

Vinod Victor

October 20, 2024