Steve Martin used to do a routine on Saturday Night Live about "getting small". This was back when Steve Martin was edgy, quirky, and belly hurting funny. He would get this real druggie voice going and talk about how mind altering it was to "be small". It was like getting high only backward.
In Mark's Gospel this weekend (Mark 10:35-45) Jesus tells his disciples if they want to get high (in the Kingdom) they have to serve the needs of all ("get small"). Jesus has been described as the upside down Messiah who brings about an upside down Kingdom. If you think about that sentence it is very true, especially in Mark's Gospel. Jesus is the Suffering Servant Messiah in the Gospel of Mark. He didn't mount a throne. He was raised up on a Cross. He doesn't seek power and control. He empowers the powerless by eating and drinking with outcasts and sinners and He touches lepers and heals the sick. Rather than seeking wealth and kingly trappings, He asks His disciples to abandon all things to be a part of the upside down Kingdom of God.
We (or at least I) struggle to fit in. I want to be liked. I want (the right) people to think well of me. I dress to impress. I want the popular trappings (car, boat, TV, phone, etc.). I want to hang out with folks that are like me or that I want to like me. Today Jesus says worry about the little people first. Be the friend of the small of the world. Don't be a ladder climber. Get in the gutter. Be a cellar dweller.
I've got a long way to go. How about you?
paz,
Fr. Chuck
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment