The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve

 25 JULY (Mt 20,20-28)

The intrigues of the court and of the palace were well known in antiquity. A very subtle one, foiled by Solomon, relates to one of his brothers, Adonijah, who tried by every means to undermine the king from his throne. Some subterfuges are won only with a prompt and immediate wisdom, a present gift of the Holy Spirit. The subterfuge is really smart.

Adonijah, son of Haggith, went to Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon. “Do you come as a friend?” she asked. “Yes,” he answered, and added, “I have something to say to you.” She replied, “Say it.” So he said: “You know that the kingdom was mine, and all Israel expected me to be king. But the kingdom escaped me and became my brother’s, for the Lord gave it to him. But now there is one favour I would ask of you. Do not refuse me.” And she said, “Speak on.” He said, “Please ask King Solomon, who will not refuse you, to give me Abishag the Shunamite for my wife.” “Very well,” replied Bathsheba, “I will speak to the king for you.”

Then Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah, and the king stood up to meet her and paid her homage. Then he sat down upon his throne, and a throne was provided for the king’s mother, who sat at his right. “There is one small favour I would ask of you,” she said. “Do not refuse me.” “Ask it, my mother,” the king said to her, “for I will not refuse you.” So she said, “Let Abishag the Shunamite be given to your brother Adonijah for his wife.” “And why do you ask Abishag the Shunamite for Adonijah?” King Solomon answered his mother. “Ask the kingdom for him as well, for he is my elder brother and has with him Abiathar the priest and Joab, son of Zeruiah.” And King Solomon swore by the Lord: “May God do thus and so to me, and more besides, if Adonijah has not proposed this at the cost of his life. And now, as the Lord lives, who has seated me firmly on the throne of my father David and made of me a dynasty as he promised, this day shall Adonijah be put to death.” Then King Solomon sent Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, who struck him dead (1Kings 2,13-25).

James and John use their mother to bring Jesus down in their intrigues in order to have the first place in the new kingdom that Jesus is preparing to establish on earth. The divine and heavenly wisdom, and always present gift of the Holy Spirit in him, sees the intrigue and immediately makes it invalid. In his kingdom, there are two simple rules to be observed. The first states that the seats are assigned by the King. Jesus can give no place, either to the two of them or to others. The heavenly Father assigns the seats. He assigns them in his great eternal, inscrutable freedom and condescension, not governable by any creature. Not even he can give them, even if he wanted to. The Father has reserved this task for himself. He called them, but out of order and command of the Father. This truth is eternal, unchanging and never subject to change.

Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached him with her sons and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something. He said to her, “What do you wish?” She answered him, “Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom.” Jesus said in reply, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?” They said to him, “We can.” He replied, “My cup you will indeed drink, but to sit at my right and at my left (, this) is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” When the ten heard this, they became indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus summoned them and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

The second rule wants that the first place is the last and this last place is not for one but for all. It is of all by right. It must only be occupied. It is a place of service and not of command. It is a place one must always stay in and never leave.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels and Saints always give us the last place.