A reflection on Mark 10:35-45 and Acts 12:1-3
Feast of Saint James, Apostle
©️2023 Gloria M. Chang
And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Mark 10:35-45 (ESV); cf. Matthew 20:20-28
About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. He killed James the brother of John with the sword, and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread.
Acts 12:1-3 (ESV)
St. James the Great, Apostle. Detail of the mosaic in the Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy.
© José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro / CC BY-SA 4.0
The First Apostle Martyred
As Jesus journeys toward Jerusalem, he foretells his passion for the third time: betrayal, condemnation, mockery, flogging, death, and resurrection (Mark 10:33-34). Yet, this somber prophecy seems to elude James and John, the sons of Zebedee. With audacious confidence, they approach Jesus, asking him to grant whatever they desire. Coveting prestige, they request seats at his right and left in his glorious kingdom—positions of honor and power. Jesus, however, challenges their ambition, asking if they can drink the cup of suffering or share in the baptism of his death. Unfazed, they claim they are ready, but Jesus clarifies that true greatness lies not in authority but in selfless service, as exemplified by his own life, given as a ransom for many.
Through God’s grace, the bold ambition of James and John transforms into humble devotion. By the time we reach the Acts of the Apostles, Jesus’ warnings of persecution prove true. Empowered by the Spirit, James embraces the cup of Christ’s self-giving love, becoming the first apostle martyred under Herod’s sword.
James drank the cup of the Lord
When Herod slew him with the sword.
Traditional Chinese Translation
《聖雅各，使徒》
雅各喝了主的杯
當希律王用刀殺死他時。
Do I desire emblems of power?
Do I seek badges of honor?
Jesus tells me to serve,
Loving actions make one great.
“Can you drink the cup that I drink?”
Jesus asks me to bear my cross.
Begging for grace on Calvary Road,
Every second of every hour.
Like James, I have a mission in life which requires me to drink the cup as Christ modeled. Sometimes my cup is full of sorrow, other times joy. An empty cup challenges me to find ways to fill it. Putting in the daily tasks assigned to me would fill it to the brim. When I perform those humdrum duties lovingly, my cup overflows. How easy it is to shed tears over a cracked cup. Then I beg for the Holy Spirit to mend it with the golden glue of grace.
We can learn from St. Thérèse’s Little Way: ””I understood that love comprises all vocations – that love is everything, and because it is eternal, embraces all times and places.”