MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER
RIDGECHAPEL, KANSAS, OK
(Revised: 2018)
TEXT: Matthew 20:20?23
ILL. Someone wrote, "Mother's Day is traditionally the day when children give something back to their mothers for all the spit they produce to wash dirty faces, all the old gum they held in their hands, all the noses they wiped, & all the bloody knees they 'made well' with their kisses.
"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, & enduring all those football & soccer games in the rain.
"It's a day of appreciation for making your children finish something they said they couldn't do, not believing them when they said, 'I hate you,' & sharing their good times & their bad."
A. 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. Mothers are all these things & much, much more.
ILL. One of my favorite columns by Erma Bombeck told of God in the act of creating mothers. She said that on the day God created mothers He had already worked long overtime. 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 have a lap that will disappear whenever she stands up. 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 she has one pair right in front that can look at a child who 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."
B. Maybe with all this in mind we can better understand Mrs. Zebedee, the mother of the apostles James & John. Now please follow along with me as I read 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.'"
Mrs. Zebedee was aware of the teachings of Jesus about His kingdom. She was also very aware of the fact that her sons, James & John, were close to Him. They were two?thirds of the inner circle of Peter, James, & John.
So she was certain that when the Lord formed His kingdom that they would have positions of responsibility & authority. But in the first part of this chapter, Jesus told a story that must have disturbed her.
It was about a landowner who went out to find laborers early in the morning. They agreed upon a fair day's wage & started working. Then at noon he went out & found some more, & they started working.
Then towards evening he went out & found some more & they started working. Yet, when the Lord paid them off at the end of the day they all received the same wage.
It must have caused Mrs. Zebedee to wonder, "Will my sons really have positions of authority in the Lord's new kingdom?"
So when the opportunity presented itself she came to Jesus. Matthew says that she bowed before Him & made this request, "When you establish your kingdom, please let my sons sit in places of authority & honor on your right & left hand."
PROP. We might very well criticize Mrs. Zebedee for being so bold. But since today is Mother's Day, maybe we ought to think for a few moments about some positive things concerning Mrs. Zebedee.
We need also to recognize that when she came to Jesus, while Jesus did not grant her request, neither did He deny it. He simply reminded her of the cost of being seated on the right or left & told her that it is the Father who determines who will be seated there.
I. SHE WANTED HER SONS TO BE A PART OF HIS KINGDOM
Now, what are some of the good things about Mrs. Zebedee?
First of all, she came to the Lord, asking that her sons might be a part of His Kingdom. I can think of no more important task of mother-hood than that ? to seek to ensure that your children are a part of the Kingdom of God.
I know that many mothers pray. Sometimes they pray out of necessity. Sometimes they pray because motherhood is not easy, but extremely difficult.
ILL. James Dobson tells about a time he came home when his son, Ryan, was a small baby. It had been a terrible day for his wife. Ryan had been sick, & had cried all day.
Once, as she was changing his diapers, the telephone rang & Shirley reached over to answer it before fastening up his diaper. Just then Ryan had another attack of diarrhea.
She cleaned up that mess & put him in clean, sweet-smelling clothes. Then she took him into the living room & fed him. As she was burping him he threw up all over himself & her, & the couch, too.
Dobson wrote, “When I came home I could smell the aroma of motherhood everywhere.” Shirley cried out, “Was all of this in my contract?”
Sometimes mothers pray just out of the frustration of it all. And sometimes in the frustration of trying to teach our children we realize the difficulties of communication.
ILL. A preacher friend of mine remembered very clearly the time he gave his 2?year?old son, Steve, his very first responsibility. He told Steve to watch Susan, his baby sister, while he stepped out of the room. He had only been gone a few moments when he heard a thump, & then Susan started crying.
He rushed back in to find that Susan had fallen from the couch & was stretched out on the floor. Meanwhile, Steve sat there, looking so innocent. My friend said, "Steve, I told you to watch her." Steve answered, "I did." He watched her fall & he watched her cry. He did exactly what he was told to do.
Being a parent is not easy. Sometimes you're filled with joy & sometimes with sadness. Sometimes your children make you so proud you want to pop your buttons. At other times you can't find enough handkerchiefs to dry your tears.
ILL. I can understand the feelings of the mother with 3 children who was asked, "If you had it all to do over again, would you still want children?" "Yes," she replied, "but not the same ones."
Being a parent is not easy. It is difficult. But Mrs. Zebedee gives us a valuable example, for she asked earnestly for her sons to be a part of His kingdom.
We need that same concern for our children. What good is it if our children are successful in making money, driving fine automobiles, & living in good neighborhoods, but they don't know 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 pray that they will be saved - saved from eternal damnation, & for eternal life. That is the place to begin.
II. SHE WANTED HER SONS TO BE ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN THE WORK OF HIS KINGDOM
Secondly, not only did Mrs. Zebedee ask for her children to be a part of His kingdom, but she wanted them to be actively involved in the work of His kingdom.
Maybe it is not enough just to be saved. Churches are full of people content just to fill a pew on Sunday mornings. There are plenty of people willing to sit back & receive the blessings, but seldom do they get involved in doing any of the real work of the church.
But where does the spirit of service begin?
It begins at home with parents setting the example & praying that their sons & daughters might be involved in the work of the kingdom ? as teachers & leaders, discipling others ? that they might be the ones to go out & find the lost ? to see that the church continues on until Jesus comes again.
SUM. Mrs. Zebedee asked that her children would be actively involved in the work of His kingdom. And we need to walk in her footsteps, too.
III. SHE HAD BIG EXPECTATIONS
A. Thirdly, Mrs. Zebedee had big expectations. When you're working in a kingdom, there are no higher positions than those on the right & left of the King himself, & that's what she wanted for her sons.
She didn't just ask for her children to be doorkeepers. She wanted them on the right & left hand of Jesus.
We may consider Mrs. Zebedee brash & presumptuous. But I admire 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. For too long they have been content to sit back & let things happen.
It is time for some of us to take our positions on the right & left hand, to become leaders ? molding & fashioning the outreach of the church ? mobilizing to make sure the message of Christ goes into all the world.
It is time to strive for excellence ? to reach for the very best there is. The Lord calls us to be His disciples, & to be effective laborers in His kingdom.
ILL. Do you remember? Erma Bombeck had God saying as He was creating a mother, "I am close to creating something very much like myself."
B. I suppose that is why today is special ? because we recognize that mother's love is probably the closest example we have to God's love.
It is a love that goes through the valley of the shadow of death to bring life into being. It is a love that sacrifices itself over & over again, & would even dare to lay down its life for its own offspring.
ILL. The story is told ? out of WW 2 & the holocaust that took the lives of millions ? of Solomon Rosenberg & his family. It is a true story.
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. He finally found his oldest son, Joshua, in a corner, huddled, weeping, & praying. 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."
CONCL. That is motherhood. Mothers, this is your day. May God bless you in it. And I pray that if there is someone here who has never experienced the love of God that is so close to the love of a mother, that this will be your time of decision.
I pray that if you have felt that you have had to walk through the valley alone, that you will recognize that there is a hand reaching out to you, saying, "There is nothing to be afraid of. I'll go with you."
And I pray that you will recognize that there is one who has already gone through the valley of the shadow for you, & made it possible for you to live forever.
He extends His loving invitation in much the same way that a mother opens the door & calls her children in. He is calling for you. I pray that you will come as we stand & sing together.
