Marching to the Beat

March 17, 2022
Midweek Study with Pastor Edith
Mark 10:35-45

“Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came over and spoke to him. ‘Teacher’, they said, ‘we want you to do us a favor.’ ‘What is your request?’ he asked. They replied, ‘When you sit on your glorious throne, we want to sit in the places of honor next to you…Then Jesus told them… ‘I have no right to say who will sit on my right or my left. God has prepared those places for the ones he has chosen…whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.’”

In these verses from Mark 10, I find marching orders that at first glance seem easy enough to obey, but in the day to day living, I find myself expecting to be treated differently than those I suspect are not as deserving. What a spoiled brat I can be. But, it is this kind of honest self-evaluation that God uses to keep me on the right path and moving at the right tempo so as to participate in God’s Kingdom work. If you find yourself questioning, what does she mean by saying “I expect to be treated differently”, just think back at the last time you heard yourself say “that’s not fair, I was here first”, or maybe you felt critical of the driver who moved in and out of lanes and passed you to be the first at the next traffic light (this one hits home for me big time). You probably can recall a recent event when you felt a bit more deserving than the other person.

On February 4th 1968, just two months before he was assassinated, Dr. Martin Luther King preached a sermon on our Scripture text for today; Mark 10:35-45 at Ebenezar Baptist Church. An online article posted from, The King Institute reads; “ King’s sermon was an adaptation of the 1952 homily “Drum-Major Instincts” by J. Wallace Hamilton, a well-known, liberal, white Methodist preacher. Both men tell the biblical story of James and John, who ask Jesus for the most prominent seats in heaven. At the core of their desire was a “drum major instinct—a desire to be out front, a desire to lead the parade” “King preached that when Jesus responded to the request by James and John, he did not rebuke them for their ambition, but taught that greatness comes from humble servitude. As King put it, Jesus ‘reordered priorities,’ and told his disciples to, ‘Keep feeling the need for being first. But I want you to be first in love’ (King, “The Drum Major,” 181; 182. emphasis, mine).

This week of the Lenten season, why not take some time to evaluate how you see yourself in the parade of life. Perhaps we all need to listen more carefully to the beat of a different drum.

AMEN!