Thor bods

I saw a cartoon recently that made me chuckle.  On the left side was a group of men with “Dad bods” of various proportions and a person up-front asking, “Who wants the body of Thor?”  Every hand was up.

On the right side, the up-front person asked, “Who is willing to put in years of hard, consistent work in the gym along with rigorously healthy eating?”  Not a single hand was up.

We want the rewards, but not so much when faced with the actual cost.  If it was easy, everyone would have a Thor (or Athena) bod and it wouldn’t be anything special.

James and John (disciples and actual brothers) came to Jesus and wanted to be promised the seats as Jesus’ right and left.  (Read the lesson from Mark here.)  Of course, what they meant was they wanted seats of power and status in Jesus’ Kingdom.  After pointing out that they didn’t know what they were asking, Jesus began to explain the cost: “Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”  Like a couple of clueless but overly confident middle schoolers, they said they were able.  The reader knows better.

Then Jesus begins the long process of unpacking what real discipleship means, beginning with the promise that “whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all.”

This is the example Jesus set for us.  It is the call He places on us.  Is your hand still up?

This column appeared in the October 17, 2021 edition of St. John’s eNews. Click here for the complete issue.

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