THE WORD
2 Cor 4,7-15 / Mt 20,20-28
The mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something. He said to her, “What do you wish?” She answered him, “Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left , in your kingdom.” Jesus said in reply, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?” They said to him, “We can.” He replied, “My cup you will indeed drink, but to sit at my right and at my left, (this) is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” When the ten heard this, they became indignant at the two brothers.
But Jesus summoned them and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be rst among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
IN OTHER WORDS
In approaching Jesus, the mother wanted for James and John glory, position, and rank. And at this occasion, Jesus chose to reveal that following Him wouldn’t be their expected splendid rise to power but that they would have to suffer for him; if they wanted to be leaders in his Kingdom, they had to be servants. Their mindset must be “What can I do for others?” not “What can my subjects do for me?”
Among the principles offered by Robert Greenleaf on “Servant-Leaders” ve are worth mentioning:
- Listening - Servant-leaders seek to identify and clarify the will of a group. They seek to listen receptively to what is being said (and not said).
- Empathy - Servant-leaders strive to understand and empathize with others. People need to be accepted and recognized for their special and unique spirit.
- Healing - Servant-leaders have great potential for healing one’s self and others in view of transformation and integration.
- Foresight - Servant-leaders aim to understand lessons from the past, the realities of thepresent, and the likely consequence of a decision in the future.
- Commitment to the Growth of People - Servant-leaders believe in people’s intrinsic value beyond their tangible contributions as workers and are thus deeply committed to people’s personal, professional, and spiritual growth.
For the disciples of Jesus, servanthood was the only way to lead in God’s Kingdom. This is the same call and challenge for us who seek to follow Jesus.
- Fr. Lex Ferrer, SVD | DWST, Tagaytay City
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience. The Word in other words 2016
