Daily Devotional for August 17

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August 17                                                           Mark 10:32-45

        "And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem,
                  and Jesus was walking ahead of them."

Jerusalem, the Holy City, is the center of Jewish life. This city
holds such a prominent place in Hebrew life because it is here
that one finds the Temple, the central place of worship and
sacrifice. It is therefore to Jerusalem that Jesus goes, leading
the way for all who would follow him.

On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus explains to the disciples what
will happen there, disclosing his mission, his sense of purpose,
and surely, his fear. Jesus will be mocked, spat upon, flogged,
and killed. How painful it must have been to speak these words!

And the disciples respond - or do they? Could they really
have heard what Jesus said? Two of them ask Jesus for places
of honor! They are concerned with who among them is the
most important. Their insecurity and self-concern deafen them
to the intimate self-disclosure made by Jesus. How painful it
must have been for Jesus to hear this "response."

Each of us, whether Black, White, Asian, or Hispanic,
homosexual or heterosexual, male or female, knows the ex-
perience of trying to share some important part of our self only
to find that the sharing falls on deaf ears. The response of Jesus
to this experience of not being understood is a gentle firm-
ness which reasserts the truth of his life: for the Messiah "came
not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom
for many." Jesus is aware that he will be misunderstood, even
killed, for sharing the truth of his life, yet he is faithful to God
and to himself.

Following the example of Jesus, let us not grow tired of
journeying on this road which calls each of us to speak the
truth of our lives.

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From The Road to Emmaus - An inclusive devotional Edited by Joseph W. Houle

Emmaus House of Prayer - Washington D.C.1989