Walking in Jesus' Footprints

In today's first reading, Jeremiah 18: 18-20, Jeremiah's enemies are plotting against him, saying to each other: "Come, let us contrive a plot against Jeremiah....[L]et us destroy him by his own tongue; let us carefully note his every word."  The Pharisees do the same toward Jesus, that is, listen to His every word, hoping to hear something that will justify their plot to kill Him.  They believe that they have succeeded, but death has no power over Jesus. He is raised to life on the third day, as He tells His disciples in today's Gospel, Matthew 20: 17-28: "Behold," Jesus says to them,  "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 to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and he will be raised [from death] on the third day."

The twelve don't get it. As they are walking along, James and John, through their mother, approach Jesus and ask to be seated on his left and right in His kingdom!  Jesus says to them: "'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 shall indeed drink, but to sit at my right and at my left, this is not mine to give...'"

Seeking first and second place is pretty common.Wanting to be privileged is written , it seems, in our genes.  Such desires, even to this day, lead to killing one's competitor or opponent--physical death or death of the spirit, or of the will to live or one's ability to secure jobs that will allow a person to adequately support his/her family.  We see these sinful behaviors and attitudes at work when we watch the evening news!

Applying this Scripture passage to our personal lives, in what ways to we act as James and John and their mother?  Are we arriving to be above others, missing the point of Jesus' teachings that we are here to serve others, not to be served; that we are called to pick up our crosses, as He did, and through the cross, experience resurrection?