James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward 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 is it you want me to do for you?’ And they said to him, ‘Appoint us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.'” – Mark 10:35-37

While you’re at it, Jesus, sign me up for that.
For while I think I have one of the sittingest jobs there is,
(I sit in chairs and cars and at so many meals),
I’d really like to sit nearby to you and bask in glory.

Ahhhhhh…

Yes, I can follow you and what you do
to find my place in glory, banquet marvelous,
and if the places to your right and left
are occupied already, I understand.

Ahhhhh…

So though I share the indignation of
your other followers, I share as well
their thought that it should not be them,
but me, to sit at your right hand. Of course.

Ahhhh…

I’ve chosen to forget as James and John
did then, so long ago, that you’d been laying out
the likely forecast, which was stormy to be sure,
a blow to carry you up on a cross.

Ahhh…

I’ve chosen to ignore again your call
to servanthood and service. Humility,
not arrogance, displays your Way. I’d be
more comfortable, frankly, with my pride.

Ahh…

Instead, I sit dismayed. You’ve asked for all,
for more than I prepared, for more
than I have understood. It’s not enough,
but in this moment, it is all I have to give.

Ah.

A poem/prayer based on Mark 10:35-45, the Revised Common Lectionary Gospel Reading for Year B, Proper 24 (29).

The image is “The Calling of the Apostles St. James and St. John,” print, Friedrich August Pflugfelder, after Johann Friedrich Overbeck (MET, 2004.451) (August W. Schulgen/ Josef Spithöver) – This file was donated to Wikimedia Commons as part of a project by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. See the Image and Data Resources Open Access Policy, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=60859225. Sadly, most artists’ renderings I could find of this interchange between Jesus, James, and John, favor Matthew’s version of the story, in which their mother made the request on their behalf.