Mothers Day Message 2002
JOKE: 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!”
TEXT: Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, 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 and 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. "When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers.
(Matt. 20:20 – 24)
Open: It might be strange to consider this text for a mother’s day message, but when you really think about it is actually a perfect text for Mother’s Day. Though she didn’t get things exactly right, I can tell you this woman was a good mom!
Now we know from history that the sons of Zebedee were James and John, two of the first three chosen by Jesus to be his disciples. We also know by reading Mark 15:40 that their Mother’s name was Salome.
She comes to Jesus, knelling at his feet, appearing very humble, and notice what she says…
“…I have a favor to ask of you Lord” “What’s that”? Jesus said.
Then notice what she said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left
You see the first attribute we learn from a good mom is…
# 1 – She Always Believes Her Kids Are The Best!
a. Other Kids are alright, but they’re OTHER kids. When you’re the mom, your kids are the smartest, the brightest, the most talented, and the best athlete.
b. AND THAT”S OK…because kids need that kind of support. They need to know that NO MATTER WHAT you are going to be behind them!
c. I guarantee you; Salome was going to take up for her kids. She was going to support her two boys! EVEN Jesus knew how to answer this proud MOM, He didn’t say, “Woman, I’ve got other disciples that are twice as good as your two boys, so what in the world are you thinkin’? No he very politely answered, I don’t think you really know what you are asking for.
YES, MOMS ALWAYS BELIEVE THEIR KIDS ARE THE BEST, THAT’S A SIGN OF A GOOD MOM!
THE SECOND SIGN OF A GOOD MOM THAT WE PICK UP FROM THIS STORY IS…
# 2 – GOOD MOMS ALWAYS WANT THERE CHILDREN TO GO TO HEAVEN!
a. Listen to what she said, “…in your kingdom”! She was planning on her children being with the Lord for eternity.
b. There is no doubt in my mind that this mom encouraged her two boys to have a personal relationship with God.
c. She might have even sat her boys down one day and said, now you might not be at the top of your graduation class, you might not be the fastest boy in your school, or the best athlete, BUT I WANT YOU TO KNOW GOD, I WANT YOU TO SERVE THE LORD, I WANT YOU TO MAKE IT TO HEAVEN AND ENJOY ETERNAL LIFE!
d. Moms, of all the things you can do for your children, the greatest thing you could ever do would be to encourage them to have a personal relationship with God, through His son, Jesus.
Illustration: At the time of his passing, Henry J. Heinz, (of Heinz 57 fame) was one of the wealthiest men in the country. When his will was read, it was found to contain the following words:
Looking forward to the time when my earthly career will end, I desire to set forth at the very beginning of this will, as the most important item in it, a confession of my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior. I also desire to bear witness to the fact that throughout my life, in which there were unusual joys and sorrows, I have been wonderfully sustained by my faith in God through Jesus Christ. This legacy was left me by my consecrated mother, a woman of strong faith, and to it I attribute any success I have attained.”
