A STRANGE REQUEST FROM MOM!
Jim McCutchen
• A mother was talking to an old college friend and said, “I remember before I was married that I had three theories about raising children. Now I have three children and no theories
Kings can pass away; other kings can rise.
Presidents can go, and other presidents can come.
There's always a king to take the place of one, but there's nobody to take the place of the highest of God's creation -- MOM!
An ounce of mother is worth a pound of clergy
Did you know that Mother's Day is the third most celebrated holiday of the year after Christmas and Easter? In fact, over 145 million cards are sent, $14.6 billion spent on gifts and dinners, 69% of those gifts are flowers, and more long distance calls will be made today than any other day of the year.
So I begin this saying, “Happy Mothers Day.” I hope that your day is indeed special.
We probably don’t say “thanks” enough.
I read of a husband who was feeling guilty because he had not been very attentive to his wife. He decided to change. On his way home from work he bought a box of candy and some flowers to surprise his wife.
He walks up to the door and rings the doorbell. She opens it, and there he stands, candy in one hand, flowers in the other, singing, "Have I told you lately that I love you?"
Instantly she starts crying, big old tears just gushing from her eyes. She sobs, "Oh, Harry! Everything went wrong today. We had a leak in the plumbing. The kids were terrible. The house is a wreck. And now you come home drunk!"
What are mothers? Well, mothers are teachers. Mothers are disciplinarians. Mothers are cleaning ladies. Some mothers are gardeners & mowers of lawns. Mothers are nurses & doctors &
psychologists & counselors & chauffeurs & coaches.
Mothers are developers of personalities, molders of vocabularies, & shapers of attitudes. Mothers are soft voices saying, "I love you." And mothers are a link to God, a child's first impression of God's love.
One of my favorite columns by Erma Bombeck tells of God in the act of creating mothers. She says that on the day God created mothers He had already worked long overtime. And an angel said to Him, "Lord, you sure are spending a lot of time on this one."
The Lord turned & said, "Have you read the specs on this model? She is supposed to be completely washable, but not plastic. She is to have 180 moving parts, all of them replaceable. She is to have a kiss that will heal everything from a broken leg to a broken heart.
“She is to be able to function on black coffee & leftovers. And she is supposed to have six pairs of hands."
"Six pairs of hands," said the angel, "that's impossible." "It's not the six pairs of hands that bother me," said the Lord, "It's the three pairs of eyes. She is supposed to have one pair that sees through closed doors so that whenever she says, 'What are you kids doing in there?' she already knows what they're doing in there."
"She has another pair in the back of her head to see all the things she is not supposed to see but must see. And then she has one pair right in front that can look at a child that just goofed & communicate love & understanding without saying a word.""That's too much." said the angel, "You can't put that much in one model. Why don't you rest for a while & resume your creating tomorrow?"
"No, I can't," said the Lord. "I'm close to creating someone very much like myself. I've already come up with a model who can heal herself when she is sick ,who can feed a family of six with one pound of hamburger & who can persuade a nine year old to take a shower."
Then the angel looked at the model of motherhood a little more closely & said, "She's too soft." "Oh, but she is tough," said the Lord. "You'd be surprised at how much this mother can do."
"Can she think?" asked the angel. "Not only can she think," said the Lord, "but she can reason & compromise & persuade."
Then the angel reached over & touched her cheek. "This one has a leak," he said. "I told you that you couldn't put that much in one model." "That's not a leak," said the Lord. "That's a tear."
"What's a tear for?" asked the angel. "Well it's for joy, for sadness, for sorrow, for disappointment, for pride." "You're a genius," said the angel. And the Lord said, "Oh, but I didn't put it there."
Moms are somewhat bias and a bit prejudice when it comes to their own children. Oh, they try not to be but let someone harm their own children or let their child not get a fair deal and you will hear about it!!!
She is referred to Mrs. Zebedee, the mother of James & John. Her story is told in Matthew 20:20 -23"Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Jesus with her sons &, kneeling down,
asked a favor of Him. 'What is it you want?' He asked. She said, 'Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right & the other at your left in your kingdom.'
"'You don't know what you are asking,' Jesus said to them. 'Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?' 'We can,' they answered. Jesus said to them, 'You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.'"
Zebedee had trained her kids – James and John well. They were a part of the inner circle of Jesus. Remember it was always -- Peter, James, & John.
Mrs. Zeb wants what is right for her children, they are close to Jesus. They are apart of his ministry. Surely they will be granted some lofty position in the the Lords work.
So she has opportunity to come before the Lord. The scripture asserts that she bowed before Christ & made this request, "When you establish your kingdom, please let my sons sit in places of authority & honor on your right & left hand."
But you do not train boys of faith without having a spiritual life yourself. As she approaches the Lord, I am certain she reflects about something Jesus had just said prior to her request.
Jesus in the same context tells about a landowner who went out to find laborers early in the morning. They agreed about a salary and went to work in his field.
At noon the owner found others and they went to work. He then found some more workers and they too went to work in the Masters field.
Then around the end of the day the owner other laborers and they too worked in his vineyard.
However Jesus tells the story about how the Master --paid them off at the end of the day THE SAME SALARY.
If Mrs. Zebedee was in tune with what Jesus was saying, I am sure she approaches Jesus with caution and concern as she is asking Lord -- will you grant that my two sons James and John have positions of authority in the Lord's new kingdom?" Lord, place them on the right and the Left.
So she came to the Lord. Matthew says that she bowed before Him & made this request,"
It first appearance it seems as if Jesus is chastising this mother of James and John.
The audaciousness of asking such a request. She seems so presumptuous.
Jesus simply reminded her of the cost of being seated on the right or left & told her that it is the Father business who determines who will be seated on the right and left.
I. MRS. ZEBEDEE REQUESTED HER SONS BE APART GODS PLAN.
Think about it – this Mom came to the Lord, requesting, and praying that her sons might be a part of the spiritual work of God. I can think of no more important task.
This business of training children to be kingdom builders begins in the high chair. You will at times be as proud of her children for their spiritual journey that you will have to hold back showing your motherly PRIDE from oozing out
Then there will be times when you will see the ambivalence of your children and you will think, surely this is not my child.
When your children are little they will step on your feet. When they get older at times they will step on your heart.
A mother with 4 children who was asked, "If you had it all to do over again, would you have children?" "Yes," she replied, "but not the same ones."
Oh, we needf more moms and dads to come before Jesus begging, praying, pleading, urging, that they’re children would be a part of God’s spiritual work.
Relative to eternity --- what good is it if our children are successful in making money and getting good jobs if they do not have a spiritual strong relationship with God? What does it matter if they gain the whole world, but lose their souls?
I hope that in the heart of every mother & father here this morning there is a burden to go to the throne of God & to pray for your children to be kingdom Minded
II. THIS MOM PRAYED THEY WOULD HER CHILDREN WOULD BE PLACE IN A LOFTY POSITIONED.
Now Jesus was quick to point out that to be on the right and the left is not about pomp and position it is about servant hood and suffering for the things of God.
I would like to think that Mom Zeb. Was not just asking for a position but she wanted her kids James and John to be sold out to Jesus!!!
Mom come before Jesus and ask him to develop on your kids that there will be a burning desire in their heart.
I see parents dropping their kids off on Sundays and Wednesdays..THAT WONT CUT IT. Notice in the text that Mrs. Zeb. Did not send her kids to Jesus…she brought them with her.
Churches are full of people content just to fill a pew on Sunday mornings. Teach your children to receive the blessings and be a blessing.
Where does this fervor for God begin? Not here It begins at home, with mothers & fathers setting the example & praying for high lofty spiritual outcome for their Kids.
This good Mom has been criticized by me in other sermons because –who is she to ask that her kids sit on the right and the left. Jesus did not condemn her!!!
• Christ was making sure she knew what she was asking and the implications of such a request. It cost everything to follow Jesus.
This Mrs. Zebedee did not simply ask that her children be greeters or door keepers she wanted them “neck deep” in the kingdom
Mrs. Zebedee – oh she may exhibit some pride & presumptuous asking a bit much….perhaps, but I like her boldness.
Too often people have settled for mediocrity in the church. For too long some have been content with just barely making it through the door. Not this Mother!!!
III. MRS. ZEBEDEE LOVED HER TWO BOYS!
Nothing demonstrates your loved for your children by what you place as the number one priority in their lives. For this mom – it was the Lord.
The holocaust that took the lives of millions of people – The true story of Solomon Rosenberg & his family.
Solomon Rosenberg & his wife & their 2 sons & his mother & father were arrested & placed in a Nazi concentration camp. It was a labor camp, & the rules were simple. "As long as you can do your work, you are permitted to live. When you become too weak to do your work, then you are exterminated."
Rosenberg watched his mother & father marched off to their deaths, & he knew that next would be his youngest son, David, because David had always been a frail child.
Every evening Rosenberg came back into the barracks after his hours of labor & searched for the faces of his family. When he found them they would huddle together, embrace one another, & thank God for another day of life.
One day Rosenberg came back & didn't see those familiar faces. Frantic, he finally discovered his oldest son, f. He said, "Josh, tell me it's not true." Joshua turned & said, "It is true, poppa. Today David was not strong enough to do his work. So they came for him.
"But where is your mother?" asked Mr. Rosenberg. "Oh poppa," he said, "When they came for David, he was afraid & he cried. Momma said, 'There is nothing to be afraid of, David,' & she took his hand & went with him."
So, we are back to where we started. Its mothers day and we came to say, Thank you!
After one of the battles of the Civil War, a chaplain came to see a man who was dying. He took the young soldier's hand and said, "Brother, what can I do for you?"
The boy replied, "I want you to kneel down and return thanks for me." This is an unusual request from someone who is dying.
"Thanks for what?" asked the chaplain. And the soldier said, "Thank him for my mother. Thank him that because of her I am a Christian. What would I do now if I were not a Christian?
"But we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children" (I Thessalonians 2:7).
DEAR ABBY: I enlisted shortly after Pearl Harbor. Thirty-six days later, I was on my way to the Philippines. En route, the Philippines fell to the Japanese, and we were routed to Australia. Eleven days after we landed, I met the most beautiful girl in the world.
On our first date, I told her I was going to marry her. I did, 18 months later, while on a 10-day R-and-R leave from New Guinea. After more than 57 years of marriage and two children, my beloved "Mary" died five days before Christmas. Although we agreed that our ashes were to be scattered over the mountains, I found I could not part with hers.
While Mary was alive, she would frequently say, "You don't know how much I love you." I'd reply, "Likewise." I never said, "I love you." Now her ashes are on my dresser, where I tell her several times a day how much I love her, but it's too late. Although I wrote poetry to her, I could not bring myself to say the three words I knew she wanted most to hear.
As my dearest was dying and we thought she was comatose, I told her, "There aren't enough words to tell you how much I love you." A few hours later, she whispered, "Not enough words" and died.
The reason I'm writing is to urge men to express their feelings while their loved ones are alive. I don't know why, but many men are reluctant to express the depth of their feelings. -- MISSING MARY IN COLORADO
We love you Mom!!!
