The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Matthew 20:20-23,
"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.'"
"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.'"
The mother of Zebedee's sons was Salome, a disciple of the Lord, and her sons were James and John. Together with Peter, James and John formed what we might view as Jesus' "inner circle" (as seen on the mount of transfiguration, etc.). As might be expected, the other ten were somewhat resentful of this bold or brash (depending on your reading of it) request. Somehow or another, I suspect Peter might have had something to say.
While she might be viewed with a bit of distain (again, depending on your reading of it) for such a request, she was certainly fully invested in Jesus' kingdom as a great woman of faith, and carried the love of a mother for her sons. I suspect this was not some kind of attempt to seize places of honor in the kingdom for some nefarious reason, as it was done within the knowledge of all and that Salome was a true disciple that followed the Lord all the way, as seen by her presence at Jesus crucifixion, Mark 15:40, and who accompanied Mary Magdalene in going to Jesus' tomb with spices having an angelic encounter there, Mark 16:1-8 as they were told of his resurrection.
In any event, we learn from the episode (without a lot of certainty) that at this point Salome may still have had the impression that Jesus' kingdom would be an earthly kingdom to be established forthwith.
We also learn from Jesus' response that positions in the kingdom of heaven (at least some) are appointed by God the Father, who has prepared certain ones for such roles. And, given Jesus' question of Salome's sons, if they could "drink the cup I am going to drink", those appointments by the Father might reflect some sacrificial devotion the Father may call such persons to.
The take away for me is that God rewards those he calls upon no matter the difficulty he calls them to.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
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Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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