On God as Genie

"Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." 
                                                                                                                   Mark 10:35

Are they serious? Do James and John think that Jesus is some a magic genie who will grant their wishes? "We want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." How incredibly presumptuous of them!  We are quick to chuckle about how slow the disciples are to "get it" whenever Jesus tried to teach them about the Kingdom of God. An yet, as disciples ourselves, I wonder how often we don;t :get it" either,  James and John knew they were "in good" with Jesus -- why not ask him for plum spots? How often have we sidled up to our bosses in order to position ourselves for that big promotion?

And in our prayers.... Have we ever treated God like a magic genie?

• Please, God, let me pass this exam.
• Please, God, let this Lotto ticket be the big winner.
• Please, God, let me get this promotion. 
• Please, God, don't let Nana die.  

In this passage, Jesus turns our human expectations of what God "is" upside down. To be associated with and aligned with Christ, our Lord reminds us: "Whoever wishes to be first among you must be the salve and servant of all." In other words, to align ourselves as Christians means to serve the world, not to get an inside track on God so we can get more "stuff." 

How will you, this week, bring God's love into the world? 

How will you, this week, be an example of God's grace in a world in desperate need of it? 

For meditation, please read Matthew 10: 35-45.