The Gospel reading for today from the tenth chapter of the Gospel of St Mark is quite unusual because two of the disciples, James and John, the sons of Zebedee and Salome come up to Jesus Christ and say, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” Children, do you ever do that with your parents, go up to them and say, “Mum/Dad, I want you to do for me whatever I ask of you?” What do they say to you?... Jesus Christ replies with the same words your parents would say, “What do you want me to do for you?” So they tell Him, “Grant us to sit, one at Your right hand and one at Your left, in Your glory.” Now, Jesus Christ has just told all the disciples that He will be killed and then rise again into heaven in three days.” So these two disciples are asking Jesus Christ to treat them in heaven better than the other disciples, to favour them, to tell them, they are the best of all the disciples.

Jesus Christ replies to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptised with the baptism which I am baptised?” In other words, Jesus Christ is asking James and John whether they are able to suffer as He will suffer in the Crucifixion. They tell Him, “We are able.” And Jesus Christ replies that they will suffer as He suffers, but “To sit at My right hand or My left hand is not Mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” Well, when the other disciples hear about this request from James and John they are quite angry, just, children, as your brothers and sisters would be quite angry if they knew you had said to your mum or dad, “Treat me better than my brothers or sisters. I’m better than they are.”

So now, Jesus Christ is confronted with a big problem. The disciples are angry with each other and not sure what they should do to sort out the mess. I don’t know of another passage in the Gospels where the disciples get so angry with each other. What does Jesus Christ do? He urges all of them to be humble and not to order other people around or place themselves above others. Jesus Christ tells them quite simply, “Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be servant of all [people].” In other words, those who would be leaders must first become servants. Would-be leaders must first become humble.

Over the centuries many people have learned how to be servant leaders; and their learning is shown in their prayer lives. In the fourth century, St Ephrem the Syrian wrote of how when Jesus Christ fasted and was tempted by Satan in the desert, “There, as if in a balance, were weighed humility and pride,” and the humble Christ “was exalted” by God the Father, and “overthrew” proud Satan. Thus Christ confirmed His readiness to begin His mission and save all people by first demonstrating His humility. Each of us too need to be humble to achieve the lifework that God has for us.

Early in the nineteenth century, Jane Austin, author of Pride and Prejudice and many other novels including my favourite, her last novel, Persuasion, prayed: “Incline us, O God, to think humbly of ourselves, to be saved … in the examination of our own conduct, to consider our fellow creatures with kindness, and to judge of all they say and do with the charity which we would desire from them ourselves; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” That is Jane Austin, applying to herself the words of Leviticus 19:18 and Matthew 19:19, “Love your neighbour as yourself.”

I conclude with a prayer from the twentieth century—a prayer of a Church of Scotland minister, William Barclay, but quite an orthodox prayer with a small “o.” He prayed:

O God, our Father, give us the humility which realises its ignorance, admits its mistakes, recognises its need, welcomes advice, accepts [correction]. Save us from pride in our knowledge, and make us to think of the great ocean of truth all undiscovered before us. Save us from pride in our achievement, and make us to remember all that we still have to do. Save us from pride in our performance, and make us to remember how far short of perfection our best must still fall. Help us in the days ahead to study with diligence [and] to learn with eagerness. And give us a retentive memory to remember that which we have learned, and a resolute will to put [what we have learned] into action. Amen.

Humility is not easy to achieve, but possible, if we love and follow Christ.