Brief synopsis of the readings: We start in Isaiah where God speaks of his servant. This servant “gives his life as an offering for sin” and his descendants will prosper. His suffering will justify many and he will bear their guilt. Mark’s Gospel shows us two of Jesus’ disciples (James and John) asking to sit on either side of Jesus when Jesus is glorified. Jesus told them they didn’t understand what they were asking, but also that their place was not Jesus’ to give. On hearing this the other disciples grew angry. Jesus then told all of them that leaders in his name must be servants to the others. “For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

As a history buff I’ve always been fascinated by the legend of King Arthur, a British king sometime in the 5th or 6th Century. We really don’t know much about him, or even if he really existed but I love the fact that he and his knights gathered at a round table. The norm, then and now, was a long, rectangular table with the king at the head. But then the king’s men jockey for position knowing those seated closer to the king were held in higher esteem. King Arthur wanted to avoid this competition by making his table round.

Jesus could have used a round table in this Gospel. While we like to think his disciples understood his message that the last shall be first we can see that even they were ambitious for esteem and position. It was as if James and John called shotgun.

Now lest I sound like a communist, ambition in and of itself is not bad. In its best sense ambition allows our imagination to see what can be made better. Because of ambition we don’t still drive Model T Fords and fly in dangerous biplanes. We’ve advanced agriculture, hygiene and medicine to the point where average life expectancy in the United States has increased from 47 years in 1900 to 76 years in 2021. To quote President John Kennedy, “A rising tide lifts all boats.”

Our ambition has also called our imagination to see a society where segregation and racism are not acceptable and we are all equal in God’s eyes. Of course we’re not done and I’m not blind to the inequality we see around us but we are rewarded when we find a better way to do something. Simply put, ambition is good when it serves a greater good or gives glory to God.

But ambition has bedeviled us when we’ve used it simply for our own gain. The 10th Commandment warns us against coveting our neighbor’s goods and we normally think of that as his “stuff.” It sounds easy because we can say we don’t covet our neighbor’s sports car, we just want another one like it. But nearly all of us have or know of cases where two people have competed for the same job promotion. Two people vying for the same position isn’t bad but office politics can sometimes drive people not to advance their cause but sabotage the other’s.

That’s were ambition gets tricky. Years ago I read a book about the Watergate scandal (for anyone under 50 this was an attempted conspiracy to illegally sway the 1972 election). One of President Nixon’s aides believed that since the President was good for the country, anything that advanced his position was equally good for the country. And anything that brought down his opponent was equally good for the country. This aide told this story in his memoir that was written after serving time in a federal prison for his actions.

This was an extreme case but too often we can portray our ambitions or desires as “working for the greater good” or benefiting someone or something else. I’m certain James and John thought themselves the greatest of Jesus’ followers and felt justified in their request. They may have even deluded themselves into thinking the other followers would agree.

But instead it shows only how little they understood Jesus’ message. Whatever they believed or however they justified their action they really did it for their own prestige. Problem is that’s wrong even if they believe it’s for a greater good.

When Jesus proclaimed his kingdom and how it worked it was radical enough that even now we’re still figuring it out. When we think of a leader we’ll often use words like “visionary” or “apart.” The business executive Ross Perot had a saying that “eagles don’t fly in flocks” and that’s what we envision. A leader is chosen by those who want him to lead and the leader’s job is to show how exceptional he is.

But one who leads in Jesus’ name is chosen by a different criteria. Years ago I read a book called The Servant Leader and it really affected me. It’s overtly Christian and holds that true leaders don’t concern themselves with how others see them; they concern themselves with what the others need. They ensure the best for everyone, often surreptitiously and sometimes anonymously.

Longtime readers of this homily know that when I was in my mid 20s I took a job where I ran a CCD (Sunday School) program. To say the job was a challenge dramatically understates things. Frankly, my pastor was often my largest challenge. He insisted that I spend most of my time in my office and tell others what to do. He felt that this was the only way anyone would respect me. It drove him crazy that I spent very little time in my office, that I helped set up projectors for films and asked the teachers what they needed.

I don’t tell this story to blow my own horn but to show that I based my authority and reputation on how well the students learned and how well supported the teachers felt. When someone suggested that I be given my own parking space so “everyone will know who you are” I replied that if seeing me in action doesn’t do it, a parking space won’t help. Also, since I was always the first one in the office I hardly needed my own space.

The good news is that James and John eventually go the message. After Jesus rose from the dead they probably understood that wherever they were at Jesus’ table they were good. And I hope they understood that if they took care of the poor and the hungry, someone would save them a seat.