Thursday 25th July,
2019. Bible Study: 2 Corinthians 4:7-15, Psalm 126 and Matthew 20:20-28
_“You know that the rulers of the
Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It
shall not be so among you, but whoever would be great among you must be your
servant.” *(Matthew 20:25-26)*_
As we celebrate the feast of
St. James today, we are drawn to reflect on the remarkable personality of this
great apostle who shared his blood for the sake of the faith. It so turned out
that amongst the apostles of Jesus, James was the first to die a martyr’s death
under the sword of Herod.
In the Gospel passage, we
see the mother of James and John presenting her sons before Jesus to make a
request: “Please permit that these two sons of mine may sit one at your left
and the other at your right hand.” This is one lesson we learn from James and
his brother; the fact that we must not only work and pray for our earthly
needs, we must also focus our prayers on achieving heaven.
For them to bring their
mother to Jesus, it shows they knew Jesus very well. They knew Jesus was close
to his own mother and that Jesus never refuses whatever Mary asks. They didn’t
want a “No” for an answer so they went as far as bringing their mother. Dear
friends, we must be so determined to make heaven to the extent that we ask
others to pray for us in other to be among those who would be found worthy of
God’s eternal city.
When Jesus asked: “Can you
drink of the cup? (suffering, persecution, hardship etc. that would follow), it
was not the mother who responded but James and John themselves answered: “Yes
we can!” This shows their faith and willingness to overcome any challenge in
their ambition for heaven.
Note that Jesus neither
answered “yes” or “no” to their request, instead, he said: “You will drink of
the cup but as for seats at my right and left, they belong to those for whom it
has been prepared by my Father.” This again is another lesson we must learn: You
may be ready to do anything, even up to shedding your blood like James and John
but never forget that it is not your ambition or your effort that would get you
what you want, but the WILL of God.
Prayer is not a command, it
is a plea, a plea that our will may align with God’s will. No matter how hard
we pray, God’s will always prevail. This is the lesson we learn from Jesus’
response to James and John.
Finally as St. Paul says in
the first reading, let nothing discourage you. Not even the fact that your
prayers are not granted for “we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed;
perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck
down, but not destroyed.” 2 Corinthians 4:8-9
At the end of the day, the
other disciples became indignant with James and John for coming out openly to
express their ambition for heaven. It became an occasion for Jesus to teach
them about servant leadership. We must never be like the pagans when we are
placed in charge of others. Never boss over people; the greater you become, the
humbler you should be. There is more glory in serving than being served.
James eventually drank the
cup. He died a martyr for the sake of the Gospel. As to whether he got the seat
in heaven, we shall find out when we eventually get there. Nevertheless, in the
meantime, let us ask for his intercession and learn from his determination and
zeal to achieve heaven. Let us make heaven a priority.
Let us Pray: Lord Jesus, grant
that nothing may ever prevent me from achieving eternal life with you in
paradise. Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith.
It is well with you. God bless you. (Feast of St. James, the Apostle. Bible Study: 2nd Corinthians
4:7-15, Psalm 126, Matthew 20:20-28).
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