Sermon Audio

Today is St. James the Elder. He is sometimes referred to as St. James the Greater or St. James Major; this has nothing to do with his stature among the disciples—though he was one of the three that were part of the inner circle of disciples—he was simply the older of the two disciples named James. He was John's older brother, a fisherman like Peter and once his partner in the fishing business before giving everything up and following Jesus.

Beyond that and despite his place in Jesus' inner circle, little is written of him besides what we heard today. So, for time and eternity, St. James the Elder day has been the day when is read how he and his brother brazenly asked to sit as Jesus' right and left in glory, and Jesus' response to the brothers. Right off the bat this should tell us that this day is not about James, the great faith he had, nor even how great a man he was, any of this being true or not. No, this day is about Jesus.

Hear His response once more: "You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" The brothers answer in the affirmative, to which Jesus now replies:

You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared...You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.

It was a simple request...logical really. Here are two brothers who have grown really close to their teacher who happens to be God in the flesh. No one besides Peter or Mary, His mother, knows Him better than they do. It just so happens that the younger brother is the one whom Jesus loves—agape; a deep, unconditional love one would have for a friend. So, why wouldn't he grant honored places in glory to two of those who have honored places in the vale of tears?

Can they endure the suffering that the Christ must endure? Did they really know what they were saying when they said they could? "You will indeed drink the cup that I drink," Jesus told them, "and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized." What is that? Jesus says right as our lesson ended, "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many." That is the cup that Jesus is to bear as the Christ—the anointed one. Recall that this is the very thing Jesus prayed to have removed from Him when He said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will." (Mark 14:36)

"You will indeed drink the cup that I drink." Both James and John would share in Jesus' suffering. Being a Christian does not preclude suffering. To think, teach, or say otherwise is to deny what the Scriptures say. Christians are, as the name implies, little Christs—followers of the Christ—bearing His title as they live in a world that rejected the Christ; why wouldn't there be suffering? So it was for James and John, perhaps even more so as ones sent to proclaim the forgiveness of sins through Christ crucified to a world that doesn't know and, in many cases, doesn't want to know Christ and Him crucified.

John's suffering was to be ridiculed and exiled; he lived a long yet arduous life and died naturally—the only disciple to do so. James' suffering was to be felled by the sword of Herod, as we heard in today's first lesson—the first disciple to be martyred—and legend says that he was beheaded by Herod. These two certainly shared in Jesus' suffering in service to the world created through Him.

But to sit at Jesus' left and right was not for Him to give. Those places were prepared for others and Jesus couldn't nor wouldn't remove them from those places to make room for James and John, inner circle or not, nor anyone else.

Now, we've got to understand what it means for Jesus to be found in glory if we are to see who is at His left and right at that time. Jesus is glorified when His work is accomplished. His work is accomplished as He hangs on the cross, dead. One of His last words from the cross is, "It is finished" or "It is completed" or "It is accomplished." He died for the forgiveness of sin, to save the world—He accomplished the salvation of the world.

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:10-11 NIV)

Jesus is that Word that came forth from the mouth of God and accomplished to task for which He was sent—forgiveness of sins, salvation, and life...all in His death—and in that is His glory!

So, who were "seated" as His right and left? The two thieves were; what a fascinating picture! Jesus would not unseat them so that James and John could "sit" there. No, James and John had a joyful task yet to do; they could not "sit" at Jesus' left and right in His glory and there die with Him. Those places were prepared for the two thieves. It was for such as these that Jesus came; "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many."

Therefore, in the two thieves we get a picture of the whole world, for the many that Jesus came to give His life as a ransom. We see in the one thief a man who, under the weight of the law, rebels against God, even rejects Him as weak and useless. We see in the other thief a man who, under the weight of the law, sees no way out and no power in himself to save himself; this one is brought low in repentance—in contrition, he pleads for mercy from God who is under the same sentence as he is, though unjustly.

Make no mistake, Jesus is the Savior of both men. Whether they want Him to be or not, He is their Savior. In the General Prayer, we acknowledge what Scripture teaches, that Jesus is "the Savior of all men, and especially of them that believe." So, He is both men's Savior.

Therefore, we can also see in the one thief a representative of those who do not believe, who, under the weight of God's Law, rebel against God, rejecting Him as weak, useless, even absurd. "How could God or any god, who claims to be loving, expect a man to keep these impossible-to-keep Laws perfectly and thereby earn that god's love and favor?", they often ask, crucifying themselves as they continue, "I think I'm pretty good on my own, I don't need a savior." However, we can see in the other thief a representative of those who do believe, who, under the weight of God's Law, see in Jesus, in God-in-the-flesh, one who kept the Law perfectly and gives the reward for His obedience in His death to those who by faith receive Him. "Have mercy on me, a sinner," they often say, recognizing their need for a savior.

So, dear hearers, you could say that the place to His right or to His left is the place prepared for you. You died with Him in His death. But, don't take my word for it. Hear it from the mouth of God through the pen of St. Paul

[D]o you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. (Romans 6:3-7)

Yes, the Law of God applies to everyone. The weight of God's Law crushes us all. We have all sinned against God in thought, word, and deed. It could be as simple as a little, white lie. It could be like James and John who sought special privileges for being a friend of Jesus. Or does one grow displeased and with another for asking a special request of God? We all have moments where we fail to see the cross we are on, and in thought, word, or deed, proclaim that we can get along pretty well without a savior, if only just for those moments. Regardless, God has given His Word and by the Law declares each one of us a sinner. Does one rebel and reject God's grace, or see no way out from under this weight and receive God-given contrition?

To the contrite, the Gospel of God is this: You are Baptized into Christ's death and resurrection. You have been joined to Christ's death by water and the Word, united in the likeness of His death, therefore you will certainly also be united in the likeness of His resurrection. Your sin and your sins, the entire weight of it, revealed to you by the Law of God and those unknown to you, were washed off of you and onto the Christ, who died with them on the cross. Therefore, you, by water and the Word, have been brought forth a new man; you are no longer a slave of sin, but having died to it, are now freed from sin—it no longer condemns you!

Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:8-11)

That is what it means to have a place at Jesus' right or left in His glory. One of those places was reserved for you, having been joined to Jesus' death and resurrection and receiving the forgiveness of sins. To you sheep on His right He will say, "Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." (Matthew 25:34)

Make no mistake, again. Since you have died with Christ, you shall also live with Christ. But, for now, since you have died with Christ, you bear His name upon your forehead and upon your heart. You are a Christian, therefore, like Christ, the devil, the world, and your own sinful flesh will make you suffer [NB: Just to be clear, it isn't Jesus' sinful flesh that made Him suffer, but our sinful flesh which He took upon Himself and was crucified with.] But, you can meet this suffering graciously, with God-given contrition and receiving God-given absolution, knowing full well that since a place was prepared for you at Jesus' side when He was in glory, there is a place prepared for you in Christ's kingdom in eternity, "prepared for you from the foundation of the world." He is gone there now to prepare a place for you, that where He is, you may be also. It is as we also could have sung:

Let us suffer her with Jesus, To His image e'er conform; Heaven's glory soon will please us, Sunshine follow on the storm. Tho' we sow in tears of sorrow, We shall reap in heav'nly joy; And the fears that now annoy Shall be laughter on the morrow. Christ I suffer here with Thee; There, oh, share Thy joy with me!

Therefore, you could, then, also say that a place at Jesus' side was also prepared for James and John, these friends of Jesus. His death covers them, too. And we thank God for them, for doing work through them, proclaiming the forgiveness of sins by the death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ through them, a work that continues to this day. We thank God that by His grace they endured despite their suffering, and we pray for faith and grace like theirs.

Because, dear Christian, you are a part of that which was created through the Word of God. The Word-made-flesh came to that which was His own, and was rejected. You bear His name; therefore, you share in His suffering. A place was prepared for you at His side in glory, you were there when the Lord was crucified; you died with Christ! Now, a place is prepared for you in eternity by Him because you are forgiven for all of your sins.