A Mothers request
Matthew 20:20-28
Introduction-
Again Happy Mother’s day!
I would like to take this time to thank all the women that have made an impact in my life.
I do not want to limit it to my mother, my mother-in law, and the mother of my children
May 14, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May as Mothers day. He established the day as a time to publically express our love and reverence for the mothers of our country.
So if my math is correct, we are celebrating 98th Mothers day today.
I am still blessed to still have my mother and mother in law still alive and active in my life. They are both getting up in years but the respect and the wisdom they still offer me is priceless.
I believe that mothers are:
teachers, disciplinarians, doctor, nurses
Cooks, counselors, gardener, chauffeurs.
I see mothers as soft voices that say I love you like no other person
I see them as being a child’s first impression of how they see God’s love.
I see nothing but God’s love as we look at the text this morning.
Turn with me to Matthew 20:20-28.
I read this text and it has mother written all over it.
I’ve shared that I had no father growing up.
I easily see my mother tenderly telling my brother and me that she loves us, telling me every day of my life that her two boys were the most important things in her life.
I can also relive the disciplinarian side of her.
She only said something once and there was little room for error.
Honestly, I was not always as nice as I am now.
I still have visions and nightmares of looking down at my mother and being scared to death as she directed my life as a teenager.
Small but mighty, and meaning everything that she said.
I have no problem seeing this mother’s request in verse 21
“Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”
In fairness to the text:
Matthew, Mark, John, all account for women with Jesus at the cross.
Matthew calls her the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
Mark calls her Salome.
John calls her Jesus mothers sister.
That means that James, John, the sons of Zebedee full cousins of Jesus.
This mother is asking Jesus to show some love to your cousins.
These special relationships entitled them to have a special place in His kingdom.
This mom was trying to watch out for her boys. She was just being mom!
Illustration-
A newborns conversation with God
A baby asked God, “They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow, but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless god said “your angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you. The child further inquired, but tell me, here in heaven I don’t have to do anything but sing and smile to be happy. God said, “Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you. And you will feel you angels love and be very happy.” Again the small child asked, “And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me, if I do not know the language? God said, “Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak.” And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you? God said, your angel will place your hands together and will teach you to pray.” “Who will protect me? God said your angel will defend you even if it means risking his life. But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore. God said, your angel will always talk to you about me and will teach you the way to come back to me, even though I will always be next to you. At that moment there was much peace in heaven, but voices from earth could be heard, and the child hurriedly asked, God, if I am to leave now, please tell me my angel’s name. God said, you will simply call her mom.”
There are a few things that we can gather as we look at this mom and her conversation with the Lord.
I. She was a praying Mom
Mrs. Zebedee as I would like to call her, raised both of her boys before the Lord by name.
While she recognized that Jesus did not immediately grant her request, He didn’t deny it either. He just reminded her that the decision was God the Father’s decision, and that there was a cost to being seated at the right and left of Jesus.
I know that there is many praying moms here this morning.
Some moms are praying out of necessity- like my mom for so many years, raising a boy that thought he knew more than anyone else.
The moms that acknowledge before God that motherhood is not easy.
Motherhood is a calling.
The great news is that God desires to be the God of the married mom, single mom, happy mom, and the mom that struggles.
Illustration-
James Dobson writes in one of his books about a time while raising his son Ryan. Shirley his wife was at home with him and while she was changing his diaper, the phone rang and she reached over to answer it before fastening his diaper. At that moment Ryan became sick and exploded his diaper. This is the time that you test the holding power of the diaper. She cleans him all up and takes him into the living room to feed him. As she was burping him, he threw up all over himself, Shirley, the couch. Doctor Dobson comes walking in the door and the smell of motherhood was everywhere. He looks at Shirley and she cries out, “was all this in the contract.” Anyone ever ask that question? Lesson learned here, no not the holding power of the diaper- about Mrs. Zebedee. She prayed that her boys would be part of the kingdom. What better way for them to be close to Jesus! What better way to be part of the kingdom of God than being on the side of Jesus.
Being a parent is not easy, but a praying mom is going to get results.
What person wouldn’t have tried! The worse God could have said was no.
I know that is the heart of every mom and Dad this morning, the burden of going to the throne of God and pray for each one of your children by name.
Today our kids are learning secular humanism-
God does not exist- you are capable of doing anything without God
Evolution-
That by chance, a blob of liquid at the right time and place turned into ape and man evolved from an ape.
That takes more faith to believe something like that than the way it really happened
Jeremiah the prophet said of his society that “They don’t even blush” what would he say about society today.
Today we need godly mothers and Fathers who will stand and say “I will teach my children to walk in the ways of the Lord”
Don’t blame that mom, she just wanted the best for her kids, just like each one of us.
Proverbs 22:6-
Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”
Mom, we know how important and helpful it is to raise up any child for their physical needs, but do your realize the importance of their spiritual well being.
Mom- realize that the words of truth put into your child will not return void.
They will accomplish everything that God intended it to accomplish.
Train up a child in the way that he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it-
there is no time limit, God will stir up inside them the words of truth.
Mom believe those words !
Timothy in the Bible had faith because of his grandmother and his mom, and Paul says to Timothy “I am persuaded now lives in you.”
Mothers are protectors of their children. no matter how old they get, Mrs. Zebedee only wanted the best for her kids and it didn’t matter how old they were.
II. The second thing she learned was to raise the bar of expectation
This mother wanted her boys to sit on the right and left of Jesus.
The highest expectation a mother could have.
I believe this is the way to be a godly mother in an ungodly world.
Raise the bar!
Love and trust God above all else
Love her husband unconditionally
Love your children
Turn this world upside down by making those relationships more important than self.
Godly mothers lifting up their families to God- wanting them to be as close as possible to the throne of God
The wife and husband understanding 1st priority outside of God is to let nothing get in between your marriage relationship.
Love your children- not giving them everything,, that involves discipline and love. Developing Christian values.
Caring for the physical , spiritual, emotional needs.
Slowing down,
Last thing: a word of encouragement.
God sees your request. The answer is in verse 24-28.
“Just as the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Mom listen to me,
You have one of the toughest jobs in this world.
It is the most exciting and most scary assignments God can give us.
You have to be loving, drill sergeant and a nurse at the same time.
It takes endless energy, massive patience, and a calling.
The most important job we can have is to invest in someone else.
That part of the message is for everyone.
Maybe your not a mom
maybe your kids are all grown
maybe your not married, invest in someone else!
What good is it to make a lot money, drive fine cars, live in good neighborhoods if you do not know God.
“What does it matter if we gain the whole world but lose our souls”- you can make a difference!
Altar Cal
