Wednesday of the Second week in Lent
Matthew 20:17-28
“The Son of man has not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a redemption for many.”
And Jesus, ascending to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside in private and said to them: “Behold, we are ascending to Jerusalem, and the Son of man shall be handed over to the leaders of the priests and to the scribes. And they shall condemn him to death. And they shall hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified. And on the third day, he shall rise again.” Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached him, with her sons, adoring him, and petitioning something from him. And he said to her, “What do you want?”
She said to him, “Declare that these, my two sons, may sit, one at your right hand, and the other at your left, in your kingdom.”
But Jesus, responding, said: “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink from the chalice, from which I will drink?” They said to him, “We are able.”
He said to them: “From my chalice, indeed, you shall drink. But to sit at my right or my left is not mine to give to you, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”
And the ten, upon hearing this, became indignant with the two brothers. But Jesus called them to himself and said: “You know that the first ones among the Gentiles are their rulers, and that those who are greater exercise power among them.
It shall not be this way among you. But whoever will want to be greater among you, let him be your minister. And whoever will want to be first among you, he shall be your servant, even as the Son of man has not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a redemption for many.”
What do the fathers say?
PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. For the salvation of men entirely rests upon Christ’s death; nor is there any thing for which we are more bound to render thanks to God, than for His death. He imparted the mystery of His death to His disciples for this reason, namely, because the more precious treasure is ever committed to the more worthy vessels. Had the rest heard of the passion of Christ, the men might have been troubled because of the weakness of their faith, and the women because of the tenderness of their nature, which such matters do commonly move to tea
Let us therefore put forward our mother, that she may make her petition for us in her own person. For though she be to be blamed therein, yet she will readily obtain forgiveness. For the Lord Himself, who has filled the souls of mothers with affection to their offspring, will more readily listen to their desires.
Then the Lord, who knows secrets, makes answer not to the words of the mother’s petition, but to the design of the sons who suggested it. Their wish was commendable, but their request inconsiderate; therefore, though it was not right that it should be granted to them, yet the simplicity of their petition did not deserve a harsh rebuke, forasmuch as it proceeded of love of the Lord. Wherefore it is their ignorance that the Lord finds fault with; Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask.
St John CHRYSOSTOM. He had indeed told it, and to many, but obscurely, as in that, Destroy this temple; (John 2:19.) and again, There shall no sign be given it but the sign of Jonas the Prophet. (Mat. 12:39.) But now He imparted it clearly to His disciples.
But that they should not suppose that he lacked power, He said not absolutely, It is not Mine to give, but, It is not mine to give to you, but to those for whom it is prepared; that is, to those who are made illustrious by their deeds.
How much soever you humble yourself, you cannot descend so far as did your Lord.
St AUGUSTINE. In His Passion we see what we ought to suffer for the truth, and in His resurrection what we ought to hope for in eternity.
For one death, that namely of the Saviour according to the body, was to us a salvation from two deaths, both of soul and body, and His one resurrection gained for us two resurrections.