“Grant us this,” they answered, “to sit, one on your right, and the other on your left, when you come in glory.”
well Don Jesus
when on others you are judging
do not fail to let us in
on the fun of a last kisswe will gladly offer
our thumbs added to yours
once in awhile raised in mercy
just to raise a false hope or twothese minions are always falling
short an irredeemable lot
they love to feast
but never pick up after themselveswhen healed they freely blab
what is to be a family secret
they are only to move
when you preface with Jesus Saysso when gloriously judging
we want in on the gory act
of separating saint from sinner
and saint from saint
Mark’s grammar gives us the content of what is being asked but doesn’t reveal the intent or motivation.
The crassness of the ask assists us in finally coming clear. Privilege and ease are deep within our first nature. These refuse to acknowledge suffering and death. Finding or making-up loopholes to avoid them is our vocation, our entire métier.
This request is as old as the fantasy in Eden that there is a shortcut to privilege (open eyes able to correctly interpret all things) and ease (being G*D). If we can just eat the right food all else will fall into place. If we can just get pre-approval of our desire we can do what we want.
One way or another, our participation in the biggest triumph imaginable will be—not just squeaking into “eternal life” but directing it from a glorious position—high and lifted up.
It is helpful to consider this from a variety of cultural viewpoints. Bratcher332 makes a helpful connection with our desire to be gloriously lifted and blessed.
In Eastern Otomi the only equivalent is “greatness” and in Mazahua a phrase “where you are in command” has been used. At first thought this latter term would not seem to be adequate, but a man’s glory or distinction is generally spoken of in terms of his commanding position or authority, in which case the phrase seems to fit the context quite well.
How easily our desire for command and control is unmasked.