Be Still - February 9, 2023

Mark 10: 35-37 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” (NIV)

God has a habit of choosing flawed people to achieve great good.*

In my former career, I had the occasional dubious honor of being interviewed by television reporters. I hated everything about it, but the worst part was watching the finished product on the local news. No matter how well I may have conducted myself for most of the interview, the editors always chose my most inarticulate moments to broadcast. My only consolation was the hope that no one was watching the news that night.

How would you like it if the dumbest thing you ever said was recorded for the whole world to read about for the next 2000 years or more? This is what happened to John - the Apostle Whom Jesus Loved, and writer of one of the gospels, the Revelation of Jesus Christ, and three lovely letters that are also included in the New Testament. What’s worse, he dragged his brother into the embarrassing scene with him. Jesus set them straight, the others got indignant with them, and Jesus had to call them all together for a gentle reprimand within a sermon about how he came to serve, not to be served.

We aren’t surprised when Peter sticks his foot in his mouth because he did it so often before he became the new and improved apostle. But both apostles – John and Peter - illustrate how Jesus can take the raw material of our lives and turn us into spiritual powerhouses. They also show us how the Lord uses the personal touch to shape us. John seems to have learned from his one big blunder, while Jesus had to bear with Peter’s enthusiastic mishaps until he finally “got it.” When we follow Peter’s career in the Book of Acts, it’s hard to believe it is the same person who disowned Jesus that night in the courtyard. His new maturity gives hope to the rest of us bunglers.

It is hard to imagine how greatness can be achieved by becoming a slave, but if we trust Jesus to mold our character, we will learn how that works. He did it with Peter and John; he can do it with us.

He sees beyond what we are to what we can become, beyond our sins to the service we can offer.*