A Mother's Request

Alba 5-11-2025

A MOTHER'S REQUEST

Matthew 20:20-28

A little boy was talking with the girl next door. “I wonder what my mom would like for Mother’s Day.” The girl answered, “Well, you could promise to keep your room clean and orderly. You could go to bed as soon as you’re told. You could brush your teeth before bed and you could quit fighting with your little sister, especially at the dinner table.” The boy looked at her puzzled and said, “No, I mean something practical!”

Today is Mother's Day. What are mothers? Well, mothers are teachers. Mothers are disciplinarians. Mothers are cleaning ladies. Some mothers are gardeners and mowers of lawns. Mothers are nurses and doctors and psychologists and counselors and chauffeurs and coaches. And mothers are developers of personalities, molders of vocabularies, and shapers of attitudes.

This is the day mothers are rewarded for washing sheets in the middle of the night, driving kids to school when they missed the bus, and enduring all those football and soccer games in the rain. It has been said that the reason women are mothers, is because men couldn’t take the pressure.

The fifth commandment in Exodus 20:12 says, “Honor your father and your mother. That your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.” That says to honor your mother. There are no limits on that. We are to simply follow directions. The commandment from God doesn’t say anything about a mother’s qualifications to be honored; it just says to honor her.

It is true that mothers don’t always live up to our expectations. Sometimes, they experience hardships and challenges that affect their ability to offer what we need or want. Or, they might have a personal weakness that negatively impacts us or our families. But we are to follow the example of our heavenly Father, who loves us even though we don’t have any qualities that deserved His favor.

Today, we are going to look at the mother of James and John, those two who were in the inner circle among the followers of Jesus. Their mother was a mom and like any other mom. She was looking after the best interest of her children. All she really wanted was for her kids to do good.

Matthew 20:20-21 describes the scene. It says. “Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him. And He said to her, 'What do you wish?' She said to Him, 'Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.'”

She may sound a little pushy. But do we know her motive? Was she asking so her boys would be in position of authority and power, or was she simply asking that they would have the closest possible spots to Jesus. If it was the latter, that is something which each one of us should desire for our children. This mother prayed that her sons would have...

INVOLVEMENT IN THE LORD'S KINGDOM

Being a parent is not easy. It is difficult. But this mother gives us a valuable example, for she asked earnestly for her sons to be part of the Lord's kingdom. And not only that they be part of His kingdom, but you could say that she wanted them to be actively involved in the work of His kingdom.

James and John you will recall were among the first disciples, and like Andrew and Peter were fisherman. It seems that they had been partners with their father Zebedee, and had done very well at fishing because the day they decided to follow Jesus we are told that they left their father fishing with the hired hands (Mark 1:20).

I wonder if there were late night parental discussions about the change in career choice that the boys had taken. I mean it had been a family business. John and James had worked with their father on the boats, and all of sudden they just walked away? But it seems that their mother supported them in this decision. Can you just imagine the conversation between Zebedee and his wife when she said, “You know Zeb, I think I’ll go and talk to Jesus about the boys, to see if I can put in a good word for them.”

Aren’t you glad that moms still do that? She was proud of her sons and looking out for them. Now there is a twist to the story that gives us something to think about. The three of them may have been trying to capitalize on their family relationship to Jesus. By comparing the gospel accounts of the women who stood vigil near the cross, it appears that the mother of James and John was named Salome and it is possible that she was a sister of Mary, the Mother of Jesus (see Matt. 27:56; Mark 15:40; John 19:25).