A question I hear a lot is, “What’s in it for me?” It seems that we make some decisions based on the sole criteria of what the perceived benefit to ourselves will be. It’s a trait that carries over into human relationships too. Some only consider being a friend with someone who will benefit us or provide us with something. If we encounter a relationship that is wholly one sided, where one person is constantly seeking something from the other, we would class it as unhealthy. How often do we hear of a friendship lost or broken because one person only took from it and never gave anything? We have a tendency to make all things about us. It’s no different with Christianity either. There’s many who are keen to claim the benefits of being a disciple yet are not so keen on the serving part.
In our reading this week, we see that this attitude is not a new one. Jesus has just spoken openly of the terrible fate that awaits Him in Jerusalem. No sooner have the words passed His lips when two disciples come to Him demanding that when Jesus comes into His glory, they are promoted to the highest positions of honour. The other disciples are outraged at this, presumably because they didn’t think of trying this first! Jesus points out that while the way of the world to seek fame and status, it’s not that way with the kingdom of God. Just as Jesus is great for giving His life for all, so are disciples to be ranked as great if they model a similar servant heart. Just as Jesus spent His life helping and serving others, so must the disciples. These disciples however seemed to think that Jesus owed them something for their loyalty and had no qualms about seeking their reward. They wanted this without having to do the work.
As Christians how do we relate to Jesus and the church? Do we see Jesus and the church as being there for our benefit? That Jesus effectively “owes us one” for us agreeing to be on His team? How often do we say we are leaving a church because we aren’t being fed by it, or don’t find it offers us anything? What if we have it the wrong way around? What if it’s not about what we can get from Jesus but rather what we can give to Jesus? What if it’s not what the church can do for us but what we can do for the church? What if we are called to serve Jesus as opposed to seeking to have Jesus serve us? The decision to follow Jesus shouldn’t be transactional, it shouldn’t be made based on what we can gain from it. May we see Jesus as the one we should be asking what we can do for Him and His kingdom rather than presenting Him with a shopping list of our demands.