2015-10-18 (Sermon) Proper 24B Kevin Caruso @ Trinity in Wheaton

MacArthur Genius Grants and Nobel Prizes, MVP awards and Olympic Medals, The Oscars and the Emmys, Forbes Richest People and Time’s Person of the year… If you can do it, We can decide who is the best at it, We love to measure ourselves, one against the other… to find ways to quantify who is the greatest… It would seem, Humans tend to find a great deal of validation in being great… Today, It is almost as if the challenge of ‘Keeping up with the Jones’… Is something we are born into… We are expected, trained, to unassumingly want Faster cars, bigger houses in the best neighborhoods, More prestigious titles, the newest I-gadgets, But to put it bluntly, Today’s Gospel, once again, says in no uncertain terms, That the way the world understands greatness and What Jesus means, Is very different. William Barclay, a noted biblical commentator puts the point sharply. “The world may assess [a person’s] greatness by the number of people whom they control and who are at their beck and call; or by their intellectual standing and their academic eminence; or by the number of committees of which they are a member; or by the size of their bank balance and the material possessions which they have amassed; but in the assessment of Jesus Christ these things are irrelevant. His assessment is quite simply–how many people have you helped?”1 His assessment is quite simply–how many people have you helped?” 1

From William Barclay’s Daily Study Bible on Matthew 20:20-28 (which is also about James and John seeking to sit at Jesus side) http://www.studylight.org/commentaries/dsb/view.cgi?bk=mt&ch=20

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2015-10-18 (Sermon) Proper 24B Kevin Caruso @ Trinity in Wheaton

But even so, notice… In this passage, Jesus does not actually say there is anything wrong with being “great” according to the world’s measure. There is nothing wrong with going to a good college, Or having material possessions, Or being a respected member of the community, It is just that for Christians these are not measures of greatness! For those who follow Christ, greatness is measured in a very particular way. It is measured by our service to others. Jesus says to his disciples, whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all Notice the turn? Jesus doesn’t even just say that to be great is to be a servant, He says that if you truly want to be the greatest, Then you must be a SLAVE! And yet, One of the dangers that comes with this passage is that we can turn Jesus’ call to serve into an excuse for not having big dreams or ambition. The problem is not that there are people in the world who are gifted musicians or talented business people or brilliant academics Being called to a life of servanthood Is not the same as being called to lead small lives…

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2015-10-18 (Sermon) Proper 24B Kevin Caruso @ Trinity in Wheaton

Frederick BEEK-ner (Buechner's) has famously said "vocation is the place where your deep gladness meets the world's deep need" The point is not that we are supposed to avoid greatness As the world defines it, And instead strive for mediocrity Instead, we are supposed to use the passions and skills God has gifted us with in service of others. Jesus does not want us to let our gifts languish. The Gospel calls each of us to live fully and abundantly. James and John seem to think This full life comes from merely sitting near Jesus As if that alone could be enough to make them great. Yet, this is not the kind of greatness Jesus is teaching about. As one commentator on this passage notes, “Most American students are convinced by their grade school teachers that there is no such thing as a stupid question. Well, James and John put the lie to that fairy tale. They ask a really bad question. Having just been told by Jesus that his messianic identity is about suffering, death, and resurrection, they ask if they can sit on his right and left side "in his glory." Wow. Talk about not getting it.”2 Today’s gospel reading comes immediately after the third time Jesus talks about how his ministry is leading to his suffering and death. And, this is the third time the disciples seem to miss the point. In fact, the disciples not getting it seems to be a theme throughout the Gospel of Mark.

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Rolf Jacobson commentary at Working Preacher https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=1486

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2015-10-18 (Sermon) Proper 24B Kevin Caruso @ Trinity in Wheaton

I can’t help but think this repetition, Is Mark saying to his readers… “PAY ATTENTION, THIS IS SO IMPORTANT JESUS HAD TO TEACH ABOUT IT REAPEATEDLY… AND SO I AM GOING TO REPEAT IT FOR YOU TOO” Being great and being a servant are irrevocably bound together… And so, perhaps recognizing this lesson is hard enough that Jesus chooses to repeat it, should encourage us to wonder: How might we be like the disciples who just don’t quite get it? Are we missing something? Are there ways we are unintentionally confusing the world’s understanding of greatness with Jesus’? As I look at my life… As I consider tomorrow, and the next day, What does it really mean to say that being great is a matter of being a servant? What impact could acknowledging that truth Really have on the choices I make? How is acknowledging this truth inviting me to act differently? And as I wonder about all this, If I am being honest, There is a voice in me that sometimes wonders… if being a servant is what greatness entails, Do I even really want to BE great? Or do I just want people to think I am great? Do I just want people to treat me like I am great… Without actually having to do all that serving stuff…

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2015-10-18 (Sermon) Proper 24B Kevin Caruso @ Trinity in Wheaton

And so, as always, The challenge becomes about not just hearing Jesus words, about the relationship between greatness and serving… And it is not even just about understanding Jesus words. It is about making the choice to LIVE this truth, that we might be a reflection of the Love Jesus made known in his life, death and resurrection… And of course, ultimately, Even the strength to choose this life Is a gift from God… but is also a gift we can only receive if we desire it… Benjamin Zander is a classical conductor. He was presenting at a conference on leadership [a TED TALK] To a room of about 1600 people… And as he completed a piece of music by Chopin He was using for an illustration, The audience began to vigorously applaud… And in that moment he does something truly remarkable, and it has nothing to do with music itself. He steps up from the piano And, in the midst of that applause, He claps for them… Not elegantly, but enthusiastically… Walking back and forth across the stage vigorously clapping. In that moment, With that choice, He dramatically shifts the dynamics of the interaction… By refusing for the appreciation to be one-sided. He refuses to be placed above the audience But rather recognizes how in the moment, his greatness is merely a reflection of how his gifts have been used in service to those gathered there.

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2015-10-18 (Sermon) Proper 24B Kevin Caruso @ Trinity in Wheaton

Perhaps servant-greatness is about recognizing that wherever we stand, even if it is in a position of authority… whether in front of an orchestra or a congregation, or as president of the PTA or a member of a board of executives, it is not first and foremost about us. Despite what James and John think, merely to be given a seat next to Jesus is not to have truly achieved greatness. Jesus teaches us that greatness is not about where you sit, Just a few moments ago, I quoted William Barclay as saying, That Jesus understanding of greatness amounts to “How many people have you helped.” But I want to nuance this point a bit more. Because this way of articulating Jesus sense of greatness Too crudely turns the matter into a numbers game. As if we could just graph the number of people we have helped, And then compare our graphs to see who will earn the trophy for being the greatest. And this is just another trap we make for ourselves… In the end, it is not just about how many people you have helped, But whether you have lived a life characterized by service. It is about parents who lovingly care for their children, And about children who devotedly come to care for their aging parents. It is about the food collected at Churches and food banks for those who are hungry. It is about the homes built by Habitat for humanity, and young people on mission trips. It is about hours spent tutoring teenagers preparing for the GED. It is about prayer shawls that serve as reminders of God’s Love. It is about executives who say “NO” to unethical practices despite the professional costs. It is about lovingly cooked dinners shared with friends and family It is about money raised to support refugees. It is about meals delivered to families in crisis. It is about the choice to be a friend to someone in need Even when it is inconvenient. That is what the greatness Jesus is talking about, looks like…-

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2015-10-18 (Sermon) Proper 24B Kevin Caruso @ Trinity in Wheaton

I am willing to bet, Each of us have had moments, Moments in which the cultural narrative of greatness which we are constantly bombard with has been upended by experiences in which this greatness Jesus speaks of bursts through. Moments in which we have seen beyond ourselves to something greater, to something more. Moments in which we have given freely of ourselves, Only to receive so much more in return. So, let us once more reject the shallow definitions of greatness our culture bombards us with. And by the grace of God, embrace this life of servanthood that Jesus invites us into… because that is who we have been made to be. In the name of the one who came for us, And gave himself for us, That we might have life abundant.

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