Can You Drink This Cup

Matthew 20:20-23 (NRSV)

“Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, and kneeling before him, she asked a favor of him. And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” He said to them, “You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”

James and John answered to what they didn’t know. No, they could not drink the same cup. Sometimes we want the fame, but we don’t want the work. We get so confused at times what we think we should be or how we should be, but the bottom line is that we each have a particular role to play. We have a cup but not his cup. And we work hard to stay on the journey that is ours. We have to be clear of our role, and go for it. We watch what God is doing and we follow Holy Spirit’s guide. Enough for now.

What Are You Afraid Of

 Mark 4:40

Mark 4:35–41 (NRSV): “On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” 

Jesus asked the disciples, “Why are you afraid?” They had been with Jesus and had witnessed miracles, but now they are afraid of the storm. They missed Jesus cues that he was resting. He didn’t speak to their fear, but to what frightened them. 

He rebuked the wind and told the sea “Peace! be Still!”That rebuke in the Greek refers to exorcism and suggests that the wind was demonic. That’s powerful. Again, he speaks to what frightened us. We are frightened by one thing but it may be something totally different. 

Yes, there are times that we forget our ‘befores’, what he has done for us before. But if we remember we can live in our ‘now’.  We have to know that he has us in anything and everything. There is no fear. enough for now

Who?

Matthew 16:13-18 (NRSV)

“Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.”

Our actions show what we believe. The disciples shared what others had said. Then Jesus asked, “what do you say?” And Peter spoke up. That’s two different things. We may hear one thing, but we must know what we believe. When Peter spoke up Jesus knew that Peter  was connected, that he had received such knowledge from God. 

This is actually the first recorded time that Jesus is acknowledged as Christ.  This was the one of two times that Jesus travelled north of Galilee. Caesarea Philippi or Banias was rich in paganism as the temples to Pan and Zeus were there. Out from the cave of Pan flowed water from an underground spring that was fed by the Jordan. This was thought to be the entrance to Hades. The cave is still there, but earthquakes have shifted the stream to flowing beside the cave and not out from the cave. The water flows at 4000 gallons per second.

There in the backdrop of paganism Jesus pronounced “Against this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” All on Peter’s revelation of who Jesus was.Who do you say? We have to be clear. Watch him use you. The church still stands, we must stand in our love, in our faith of what we believe. enough for now.

Do You Want To Be Healed

John 5:1-9 NRSV

“After this there was a festival of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 

Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, called in Hebrew Beth-zatha, which has five porticoes. In these lay many invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” 

The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me.” Jesus said to him, “Stand up, take your mat and walk.” At once the man was made well, and he took up his mat and began to walk.”

In the KJV there is a verse four and explains why the water was stirred. “From time to time an angel came to stir the waters and the first one in after the stirring was healed.” In dynamic versions (NIV, NRSV, etc) it added as a scribal note. So the man, and others would have been trying to get in the water after it was stirred because he saw that it his others were healed. 

There were five covered colonnades at the Pool of Bethesda. And everyone there has some form of disability. People of status actually avoided that area. But Jesus went right there to those who needed him. He went to that man who had been disabled for 38 years. 

All that man knew was to get into the water. When Jesus asked him did he want to be healed - he explained why he couldn’t get Into the water. He didn’t answer Jesus question. All he knew was what he had seen and heard and he was trying to do what others did-get into the water. Sometimes when we have been in such a state of trauma we may not think as clearly, because all we are trying to do is get better- from whatever the trauma may be.

Even in the man making an excuse - Jesus said “Get Up. Pick up your mat and walk.”

That was that man. This is us. Jesus asks us - “Do you want to be healed?” We can give excuse on why we are not where we think we should be or why we have been as we are. But we can answer “yes.” That is all it. Takes.

many times we find ourselves trying to get something done the way others have it. Jesus asks us this question time and time and time again. It’s time to get up, and walk. enough for now.