1st Reading – Isaiah 53:10-11
The LORD was pleased
to crush him in infirmity.
If he gives his life as an offering for sin,
he shall see his descendants in a long life,
and the will of the LORD shall be accomplished through him.
Because of his affliction
he shall see the light in fullness of days;
through his suffering, my servant shall justify many,
and their guilt he shall bear.
Today’s first reading is the conclusion of the Fourth Suffering Servant Song of Isaiah, which foretells the redemptive suffering of a figure who bears the sins of many.
It is often interpreted as a prophecy of Christ’s passion and resurrection.
The LORD was pleased to crush him in infirmity.
The reading begins on a disturbing note: The servant’s pain and death are not accidental or merely the result of human evil, but part of God’s divine plan.
The word “crush” connotes deep suffering, and “infirmity” signals intense sorrow or affliction.
If he gives his life as an offering for sin, he shall see his descendants in a long life, and the will of the LORD shall be accomplished through him.
The term ’asham (“offering for sin”) denotes a particular kind of sacrifice, one that is intended as compensation for that which is due because of guilt (see Leviticus 5:14-26). Here, the servant offers himself, much like a guilt offering, to reconcile humanity with God.
In this light, the reason for the Lord’s delight is clear: This death will win life for others, and life is God’s will for his people.
Because of his affliction he shall see the light in fullness of days;
The servant’s anguish will ultimately lead to restoration and vindication, with the light symbolizing life, renewal, and divine favor. The phrase “fullness of days” suggests an abundance of spiritual graces.
There was nothing in the servant’s appalling life or death to indicate the significance of this suffering, its redemptive value, or the source of exaltation it would become. God’s ways are astounding.
Through his suffering, my servant shall justify many, and their guilt he shall bear.
The verb yatzdiq (“justify”) means “to be acquitted,” “declared innocent,” referring to a legal judgment of righteousness or innocence.
However, because the servant “bears their iniquity,” the meaning extends beyond a legal pronouncement. The servant’s offering is effective; that is, his suffering actively brings about the righteousness of others. This is a deep, transformative change that brings them into right relationship with God.
2nd Reading – Hebrews 4:14-16
Brothers and sisters:
Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens,
Jesus, the Son of God,
let us hold fast to our confession.
For we do not have a high priest
who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses,
but one who has similarly been tested in every way,
yet without sin.
So let us confidently approach the throne of grace
to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.
Today’s second reading is a powerful reflection on Jesus Christ’s role as the ultimate high priest.
Brothers and sisters: Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens,
In the Old Testament, the high priest acted as an intermediary between God and Israel, entering the Holy of Holies once a year on the Day of Atonement to offer sacrifices for the people’s sins.
Jesus, however, surpasses all earthly high priests by “passing through the heavens,” referring to his ascension and exaltation at God’s right hand.
Just as the high priest passed through the veil into the Holy of Holies (the innermost sanctuary of the Temple), Christ entered the very presence of God by passing through the heavens.
Now, Christ ministers not in an earthly sanctuary, but in the heavenly one, where his priesthood is eternal and perfect.
Jesus, the Son of God,
In addition to being the great high priest, Jesus is the Son of God. By emphasizing both his humanity and divinity, the author of Hebrews underscores the dual nature of his high priesthood.
let us hold fast to our confession.
Christ’s divine role, coupled with his victorious passage through the heavens, provides believers with the assurance and motivation to “hold fast” to their confession of faith, even in the face of trials.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin.
Jesus’ exalted status (great high priest, Son of God) has not distanced him from us. On the contrary, Jesus fully understands the human condition. The Greek word for “sympathize” (sympathein) conveys a deep sense of shared experience and compassion.
The phrase “tested in every way” reminds us that Jesus faced the full range of human temptations and trials, yet, crucially, “without sin.” This sinlessness sets him apart as the perfect mediator, who understands human frailty yet remains morally pure.
This union of divinity and humanity in a single person is described in the doctrine of hypostatic union. Jesus Christ possesses two distinct natures —one fully divine and one fully human. This means that while Christ possesses the full attributes of divinity, including omniscience, omnipotence, and eternality, he also took on human attributes, experiencing hunger, fatigue, and even death. These two natures coexist without division, change, confusion, or separation.
The hypostatic union is central to Christian theology because it explains how Jesus can serve as the perfect mediator between God and humanity, fully representing both while bridging the gap caused by sin.
So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.
The conclusion offers a profound invitation: because of Jesus’ unique role as both divine Son and sympathetic high priest, believers are encouraged to approach “the throne of grace” with boldness.
This is a significant departure from the fear and distance that characterized humanity’s relationship with God under the Old Covenant. Through Christ, believers are invited to come before God’s throne, not with hesitation, but with confidence.
Gospel – Mark 10:35-45
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to him,
“Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.”
He replied, “What do you wish me to do for you?”
They answered him, “Grant that in your glory
we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.”
Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink the cup that I drink
or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”
They said to him, “We can.”
Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink, you will drink,
and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized;
but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give
but is for those for whom it has been prepared.”
When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John.
Jesus summoned them and said to them,
“You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles
lord it over them,
and their great ones make their authority over them felt.
But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.
For the Son of Man did not come to be served
but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Between last week’s Gospel reading and today’s passage, Jesus predicts his Passion for a third time, reminding his disciples of the suffering and sacrifice that awaits him.
In today’s reading, James and John, still misunderstanding the nature of Jesus’ mission, immediately approach him with a bold request for positions of honor and prominence in his kingdom. This prompts a teaching from Jesus: True greatness is found in service, not authority.
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.”
Along with Peter, James and John comprised the inner circle of the disciples. These three were the only ones present at the transfiguration, at the raising of Jairus’ daughter, and in the garden of Gethsemane.
In the parallel gospel (Matthew 20:20), their mother is the one who makes the request that follows.
He replied, “What do you wish me to do for you?”
Jesus’ response is open-ended. Rather than rebuking them immediately for the presumption in their request, he invites them to articulate their desires.
This allows Jesus to expose the depth of their misunderstanding of his mission, which will create a teaching opportunity.
They answered him, “Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.”
James and John ask for positions of honor beside Jesus “in his glory,” revealing their assumption that Jesus’ kingdom would resemble worldly kingdoms, where proximity to power translates to status. The thrones closest to the king, on the right and left, are symbols of highest honor.
Recall that immediately before this passage, Jesus gave his third and most explicit prediction of his impending death:
“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and hand him over to the Gentiles who will mock him, spit upon him, scourge him, and put him to death, but after three days he will rise” (Mark 10:33-34).
Obviously James and John understood nothing of what Jesus had just said. They dismiss the thought of suffering and ask to be vice-regents with Jesus in his glory.
Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking.
Jesus responds by pointing out their ignorance.
Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”
The cup and baptism here symbolize suffering and death. In Jewish tradition, the “cup” often refers to a person’s divinely appointed fate (cf. Psalm 75:8-9; Isaiah 51:17, Jeremiah 25:15).
The Greek baptisma (verb form: baptizō ) was commonly used to describe being fully immersed. In ancient texts, it could describe a ship sinking or people being overwhelmed by floodwaters, evoking the sense of being completely submerged or engulfed. This imagery powerfully conveys Jesus’ impending suffering, as he will be plunged into overwhelming pain, sorrow, and sacrifice.
(In the modern Christian baptism ritual, this imagery is echoed. Baptism symbolizes not only the washing away of sin but also death to the old self, as though being drowned, and rebirth into new life in Christ.)
Jesus is asking if James and John are prepared to share in his suffering, which necessarily precedes his glorification.
They said to him, “We can.”
In their eagerness, James and John affirm that they can endure what Jesus will endure, not fully grasping what that means.
They fully believed that Jesus would reign in glory; this belief, while accurate, blinded them from the possibility of his humiliating trial and execution.
Their assertion is also steeped in irony, particularly in light of their eventual cowardice during the Passion. Just a short time later, they will abandon Jesus, fleeing to avoid the very cup of suffering they so confidently claim they could share (Mark 14:50).
Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink, you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized;
Jesus does not deny their potential to share in his suffering, as he prophesies that they will indeed suffer for their faith. James will later be martyred (Acts 12:2), and John will endure hardship and persecution.
However, their future suffering does not entitle them to positions of honor, as Jesus will explain.
but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared.”
Jesus shifts the focus from human ambition to divine sovereignty. He emphasizes that the positions of honor in the kingdom are not given based on human merit or request but according to God’s plan.
For whom these places are reserved is not clear.
The parallel account in Matthew (20:23) gives this prerogative to God the Father.
When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John.
The reaction of the other disciples shows that they, too, are caught up in ideas of worldly status. Their indignation likely stems from jealousy or frustration that James and John are seeking to elevate themselves above the others. This highlights that all the disciples are still grappling with their own ambitions and misconceptions about leadership and greatness.
In addition to their misunderstanding of Jesus’ impending suffering, they have also failed to grasp his teachings on humility and servanthood. Earlier, while traveling along the road, Jesus addressed their arguments about greatness by stating, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all” (Mark 9:35). Now, in stark contrast, the disciples find themselves jockeying for positions of honor and glory, demonstrating how deeply rooted their selfish ambitions are, even in the face of Jesus’ profound lessons on service and sacrifice.
Jesus summoned them and said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you.
Jesus calls the disciples together to teach them an essential lesson about leadership. He contrasts the leadership of the world — represented by Gentile rulers — with the kind of leadership he expects in his kingdom.
Worldly rulers “lord it over” others, using power to dominate and control. This self-serving model of leadership is common in the world, but it is not to be the model for Jesus’ disciples.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant;
Jesus presents a radically different vision of greatness: it is not measured by power or status but by service. True leadership is characterized by humility and a willingness to serve others, even at great personal cost.
whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.
Jesus amplifies the teaching, taking the concept of servanthood even further by saying that the “first” must be the “slave of all.”
In ancient times, a slave had the lowest social standing and no rights, serving others entirely. Jesus calls his disciples to be willing to take on this position of humility, prioritizing the needs of others above their own desires for status or recognition.
This is the essence of Christ-like leadership: self-giving love.
For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Jesus concludes with the ultimate illustration of true service: offering his own life.
The term “ransom” refers to a price paid to free someone from slavery or captivity, symbolizing how Jesus’ death liberates humanity from sin and death.
This verse encapsulates the core of Jesus’ mission and sets the ultimate standard for his disciples to follow.
Connections and Themes
- Service and self-sacrifice. In the first reading from Isaiah, the Suffering Servant embodies the ultimate act of selflessness, enduring suffering and sacrifice to bring redemption to many. This portrayal underscores the significance of self-giving love, where true power is found not in authority or domination but in humility and the willingness to bear the burdens of others.In the gospel reading, Jesus directly addresses the disciples’ misconceptions about greatness, teaching them that true greatness is defined by serving others. This radical redefinition challenges societal norms and invites believers to reflect on their own understanding of leadership and influence.In our second reading, Jesus is presented as the compassionate high priest who not only understands human suffering but actively intercedes on behalf of humanity. Together, these readings illuminate the profound truth that genuine service and self-sacrifice are the hallmarks of discipleship, echoing the call to love others as Christ loved us, ultimately leading to a deeper relationship with God and a transformative impact on the world.
- Christ as Intercessor. Our profound access to God through Christ is a source of hope and assurance, reminding us that we are not alone in our struggles. Instead, we can approach the throne of grace with confidence, knowing that Jesus understands our weaknesses and actively advocates on our behalf.This access is not limited to a select few but is available to everyone who seeks to follow Christ’s example of humility and selflessness.
- True discipleship. To follow Christ, we must not only emulate his approach to leadership but also embody his spirit of self-sacrifice. Obviously this will come at a heavy price, as we know that much is expected from those to whom much is given (Luke 12:48). However, when we struggle with our hardships, our cross, we look to Jesus. Because he is fully human (and fully divine), he can truly sympathize with our weaknesses and identify with our suffering. We can draw strength from his example and adopt his attitude: to serve God with an eternal outlook, not seeking any earthly reward.
Sunday Readings 