Today's gospel passage places us with Jesus and his disciples at a certain point along the road on the way to Jerusalem. Jesus wanted to prepare them ahead of time for the reality that was about to unfold. In Matthew's telling, he (Jesus) said to them: ... the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes and they will condemn him to death ... (Mt 20: 18).
Having spent so much time getting to know him, we might have thought that the disciples might have been able to grasp the heart of Jesus' message: that his life, and ours, should be based in service to others as a way of demonstrating love. This message sounds extremely simple, but it can take a very long time for us to hear it, much less understand it (cf Mt 20: 20-22).
Perhaps this Lenten season is a privileged time for us to question our own motives for choosing discipleship. What are we looking for: a place of honour in the kingdom or a heart that seeks to serve like Jesus did?
Have a great day.
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