First Reading: Isaiah 53:10-11

Reflection:

This passage comes from one of the Servant Songs in the book of Isaiah. The 53rd chapter of Isaiah is about the “Suffering Servant.” Although written hundreds of years before Jesus walked this earth, it clearly is fulfilled in Him. Jesus is the ultimate Suffering Servant. On the cross, Jesus gave “his life as an offering for sin.” Jesus’ death on the cross was not simply a Roman execution. It was a sacrifice. He didn’t have to die. Jesus is God, so He could have avoided the crucifixion. But the cross was the will of God. It was the plan from the beginning. As human beings, the pinnacle of His creation, we rejected God, but God did not reject us. He became one of us in order to save us. As another part of the “Suffering Servant Song” says, “He was pierced for our sins, crushed for our iniquity. He bore the punishment that makes us whole, by his wounds we were healed” (Isaiah 53:5). Jesus died so that we could live. He took all of our sins upon Himself and bore our guilt, so that we can find forgiveness. He came and died so we can have a renewed relationship with God. Sin has consequences, and Jesus took those consequences upon Himself, even though He did not deserve them because He never sinned. Because of the cross, Jesus offers us forgiveness and newness of life, so that we can be set free from sin.

Second Reading: Hebrews 4:14-16

Reflection:

Throughout the letter to the Hebrews, the unknown author uses Old Testament imagery to explain the identity of Jesus. We must keep in mind that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah, who came to fulfill all of the Old Testament. Therefore, He is only truly understood when viewed through the lens of Israelite history and practices. The High Priest was the primary mediator between God and the people of Israel. He offered sacrifices on behalf of all the sins of all the people. Jesus, as the author of Hebrews explains, is the “great high priest.” He is the ultimate fulfillment of that position because He is the ultimate mediator between God and humanity, being that He is both fully God and fully human. The author explains that in Jesus’ humanity He was tested and even became weak, but still remained sinless. As we saw in the first reading, He became the “Suffering Servant” by dying on the cross. Therefore, Jesus is able to “sympathize” with our weaknesses and our struggles. He knows what it is like to suffer. Thus, when we suffer and go through trials we can have the reassurance that Jesus understands what we are going through and He is there to comfort us and allow us “to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.”

Gospel Reading: Mark 10:35-45

Reflection:

The Apostles James and John were brothers and were nicknamed “the sons of thunder” by Jesus. We can understand from this Sunday’s gospel reading why. Although they were two of Jesus’ closest followers and had been with Him since the beginning of His ministry, they still did not grasp Jesus’ mission. Their perception was that Jesus came to be an earthly king. This was a common expectation among the Jews of that time regarding the Messiah. They expected a warrior king who would take back the kingdom of David, push out the foreign oppressor (the Roman Empire at that time), and reestablish the glory days of Israel. James and John wanted a piece of the pie. They wanted to be next in command under Jesus, the king. But Jesus’ response revealed that His kingdom would be different than the expectations. It would not look like other earthly kingdoms and it would not be about earthly power. The leaders in His kingdom would be called to follow His example as the “Suffering Servant.” Leadership in His kingdom would be servant leadership. Jesus was speaking of His crucifixion when He asked James and John, “Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” He was in essence saying that to lead in His kingdom required participating in His passion. Although James and John responded with, “We can,” surely they still did not fully understand what Jesus was asking from them. Later, they would in fact participate in Christ’s sufferings through being persecuted for their faith, and James being martyred.

Application:

  • In the second reading, we are assured that Jesus understands the sufferings we go through because He has also experienced them. The next time you are experiencing a trial, ask Jesus to help you through it and trust in His love for you.
  • Thank Jesus today for dying on the cross for you and invite Him to be the king of your life.
  • What action steps can you take to follow Jesus’ call to be a servant leader?