Preferred Seating

Learning how to choose seats in the Kingdom

07/25/2022

MT 20:20-28 The mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something. He said to her, “What do you wish?” She answered him, “Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your Kingdom.” Jesus said in reply, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?” They said to him, “We can.” He replied, “My chalice you will indeed drink, but to sit at my right and at my left, this is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” When the ten heard this, they became indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus summoned them and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

We are all familiar with the phenomenon of preferred seating. That is, whenever we walk into a room, we look around to see not only where the most comfortable chair is, but also the one with the best view of the room and its occupants. When I was in the seminary our rector taught us how to deal with preferred seating when we go out to eat. First of all, the members of the group dining out have a natural hierarchy. Women rank higher than men, the elderly rank higher than women, and priests rank higher than women – move over, ladies!

When you arrive at your table, you should allow the higher ranking person in your party to have the most desirable seat. Now which seat is the best in a restaurant? Naturally, it is the one where the person sits with their back to the wall and can survey all the people in the restaurant. If the highest ranking person in your party is a woman, she should be seated so that not only can she see everyone else, but also so that everyone else can see her. I learned more about Christian love in that one class on social etiquette than in reading a hundred theology books.

In the gospel today, we see the apostles learning a lesson about preferred seating. The mother of two apostles, the Zebedee brothers James and John, asks Jesus to seat her sons in the best seats in the Lord’s Kingdom. Perhaps because she was a woman, she knew the advantages of getting the best seat. So, she asks that they get to sit at Jesus’ right and left. But she doesn’t know those seats are already assigned.

Do you know who is on our Lord’s right and left? Well, when Jesus ascends into heaven, we read in Mk 16:19, “Jesus…was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God.” So, if Jesus is seated in glory at his Father’s right hand, who is on Jesus’ left side? God the Father is. So that seat is already assigned. What about on Jesus’ right? Ps 45:9 tells us that the queen stands at the right of the king, arrayed in gold. So, that seat is taken, too. In other words, God the Father is on Jesus’ left and Mary, the Queen Mother, is on Jesus right. Sorry, Mrs. Zebedee.

But that is not the end of Jesus’ lesson on preferred seating. He goes on to add, and this is the important part, that instead of seeking the best and highest seats, his followers should desire the worst and lowest seats. Jesus says: “Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.” In other words, not just in seeking seats, but in every aspect of discipleship they should seek less so that others can have more. This is the social etiquette of Christ’s Kingdom, which is always the opposite of whatever the world wishes.

How can we apply this lesson about preferred seating to Christian life today? Well, let’s start with seating at church. When you walk into Mass, we all have a pew we prefer to sit in. And God help the poor person who has the audacity to take my pew! Instead of huffing and puffing, perhaps we should find a less desirable pew and happily sit there. When I pull my car into a parking lot, I always try to find a spot closest to the entrance, or in the shade. But perhaps we should leave that spot for someone else, and park a little farther away. When we sit down to eat supper we know how we want our steak cooked and definitely want an unhealthy dose of dessert. But maybe we should not complain if we don’t get exactly what we want on our plate. Instead, smile and be content with what we are served.

In other words, where we sit is a sort of symbol of how we live. Do we live like kings and queens of this world, or do we desire to live (and die) like Christ the King? He said: “Just so, 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, preferred seating is exactly what disciples of Jesus do not prefer.

Praised be Jesus Christ!