“You Do Not Know What You Are Asking”
5th Sunday of Great Lent
Hebrews 9:11-14; Mark 10:32-45
Christ's disciples, James and John, asked Jesus: "Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory." (Mark 10.37) Jesus remarked to them that they do not know what they are asking. The inappropriate request of the sons of Zebedee came from the false belief that Jesus was coming to his kingdom. For a king in those days, it was believed that his greatest glory would be when he would sit on the royal throne and rule from the height of the throne, give orders, judge, and all his subjects would obey his commands. It had been like this for thousands of years before the coming of Christ, and it was like this for many centuries after the coming of Jesus Christ to earth.
Jesus Christ was indeed going to His Kingdom, but what was His throne supposed to be? - His throne, the cross on Calvary, that was the throne of His greatest glory. Therefore, if the request by the disciples of James and John were to be granted, then they would need to be crucified, one on the right and the other on the left side of Christ. Obviously, those disciples of Christ had no desire to be crucified at that time. That is why Jesus answered them: "You do not know what you are asking" (Mark 10:38).
Often, we, too, in our aspirations and prayers, expressed with our mouths or not expressed, more so in our secret thoughts, ask for something that we ourselves do not know. Some people ask or wish that they should not have to work, worry about earnings, worry about buying an estate or providing the material means for their children, so that they will be sustained for their whole life and not need to work hard, as their parents did.
Those people who finally achieve their aspirations that they no longer need to work or worry about earnings, then it becomes clear to them that their life has become somehow aimless without those troubles and work. Life becomes without drive or impulse, without stimulus. Indifference makes people unhappy; they start to get sick both physically and mentally; their health deteriorates.
Children who have received material support for a carefree life often take to excessive drinking, become alcoholics, drunkards, spendthrifts, lovers of luxury, idlers who have no purpose in life, no desire to do good, to engage in useful activities.
In general, the efforts of parents to ease the fate of their children, in essence good intentions, often lead to the opposite consequences, because parents try to please children, try to protect them from difficulties. Because of this, it happens that parents work hard, worry about financial support and family unity, yet, their married adult children--when faced with obstacles, difficult circumstances, disadvantages--divorce and destroy their families. In order to silence their conscience, such people go astray and destroy their physical and mental health as well.
Some parents, taking pity on their children, do not wake them up on Sunday morning so that they, the "poor ones", can sleep-in. And they get enough sleep, are rare guests in the church, and when they grow up, they don't come to the church at all. The church seems superfluous to them; it only takes pleasures away from them.
Consequently, our aspirations in life, as well as our actions, are often not useful for ourselves. The eminent psychiatrist Dr. Karl Jung testifies that most of his patients are so-called "successful businessmen" who have acquired wealth and life's benefits, but who have become disillusioned with life - their lives have become aimless. Their mental illnesses, problems are rooted in the successful acquisition of material goods and in an idealess, hopeless life, in a life without God, without Christ.
Dr. W. E. Sangster, a distinguished Englishman from England, said that the Americans should be the happiest people in the world, because they have the best houses, the most cars, the most food, and generally the Americans have more material wealth in the world than any other country. But, he adds, "I noticed that they mostly write books on the topic - 'How to become happy'", - how to find happiness.
From all this, we can see that the ‘god of material enrichment,’ as the main idea of life, has not brought Americans happiness. In many poorer countries, we can find many more happy people (as a percentage), than in the USA.
In general, as the facts of life convince us, with the growth of material prosperity in various countries come significant increases in separations, destruction of families, and growth of immorality and theft. As such, in our Alberta, now the richest province in Canada, with the highest earnings, we also observe the highest percentage of separations, the most unhappy marriages, and therefore the most unhappy children, because they will not have the fullness of maternal or paternal love.
A Christian, like all people, would like to live well, would like to have material wealth, wants his children to be well, but praying that the Lord would give us everything we need in life, praying for "a good harvest and a harvest of earthly fruits", for good health, even for longevity, we should always have, as a model request in the Lord's prayer: "Thy will be done..."
Not as I now want, but as God's will is. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself, before His sufferings, not wanting to suffer bodily as a man, "prayed and begged":
"My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me...Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will..." (Matthew 26,39).
We often do not know where our happiness lies--in abundance or in poverty, when our soul and consciousness are more sensitive. It is important that our conscience is not clouded, remains pure, so that we do not consider gaining esteem in this world--whether in positions or in material wealth--to be the highest good, but, rather, always relying on God:
"Let Your will be done. . .”, “not as I want, but as You”.
It is important, also, that we imitate our Lord and consider service for the good and salvation of our neighbours as the highest goal of our lives. The road to Golgotha, the sufferings of the cross are the manifestation of Christ's love for the human race. When we are determined to imitate Christ in showing love, there will always be peace and joy among us.
And Christ, on the eve of His suffering, commanded His followers:
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35)
Amen.
Very Rev. Fr. Taras Slavchenko
Taras Slavchenko was born on March 8, 1918 in Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk region in Ukraine. After graduating from school and the Pedagogical College, he entered the language and literature faculty of the Scientific Pedagogical Institute. Having successfully completed it in 1938, he served as a teacher in a secondary school.