Once again we meet foolish disciples who screw up the simple and easy job of being faithful disciples. What unfolds is even more terrible when you read the section of Mark’s gospel that comes immediately before the section we read this Sunday (Mark 10:35-45).
32 They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem. Jesus was walking ahead of them; they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. Once more taking the Twelve aside he began to tell them what was going to happen to him, 33 ‘For look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the gentiles, 34 and they will mock him and spit at him and scourge him and put him to death; and after three days he will rise again.’
Mark 10:32-34 RNJB
Jesus tells about his passion, death and resurrection three times in the Gospel of Mark. After the first time (in Mark 8:31), Peter completely misses the point; after the second one (in Mark 9:32) it is John who gets it wrong; and here in Mark 10:33 it is James and John who clearly are not paying attention. The three disciples who were called first and who are in the inner circle of Jesus closest friends. And they are there with the ‘amazed and afraid’ disciples. The other ten are no better. They – and we – all get it wrong.
But if we listen with new hearts to the teaching of Jesus we can do better.