ESOCS Devotional 25 February 2024 – A Mother’s Request
MEMORY VERSE: “Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him.”Matthew 20:20
TEXT: MATTHEW 20:17-28
And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them,
18 Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death,
19 And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.
20 Then came to him the mother of Zebedees children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him.
21 And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.
22 But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.
23 And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.
24 And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren.
25 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.
26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;
27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:
28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Read Other ESOCS Devotional here
The priority for parents is not to get their children into Harvard, but into Heaven. Mrs Zebedee understood that. She loved Jesus and also her sons – and desired that they will be great when Jesus establishes His Kingdom. When told that the cost will be high – that they will suffer, and that they must be willing to serve – she did not waver. May this simple and short sermon encourage you to be the right kind of mother or father for your children, just like Mrs Zebedee.
Now, not a lot is told about Mrs. Zebedee, that’s for sure. You might even struggle to search where else in the Bible this lady is mentioned. But whatever is given to us, I think it’s helpful for our consideration as parents. What can we learn about her life?
The first thing I want to mention to you about Mrs. Zebedee is that she was a lady who knew the Lord Jesus Christ, understood who He is and loved Him. Again, she was devoted Him (Matt. 27:55-56). She recognized also that He is the expected Messiah, the very Son of God, God manifesting Himself in human body. In other words, she comes in a posture and attitude of worship (Mk 15:40). She understood that this Jesus is the King in the coming Kingdom.
Now, that’s actually quite remarkable, she was quite insightful; she was quite discerning because in verses 17 to 19, Jesus revealed to His disciples for the third time that He was going to die. She had something she wanted to ask Jesus. So, Jesus said to her, “What do you want? You came to Me, you bow before Me, you worship Me now. What do you want?” What is your desire?” That’s the word there.
That same question is posited before us daily, like Mrs. Zebedee. Don’t appear before Him without a request.
- If we recognize that Jesus is our Lord, the next thing to do is to obey Him without reservations; otherwise, we would negate our belief that He is our Lord (Luke 6:46).
- Lord, teach me to obey your word always that I may become a true child in your Kingdom.
Further Reading: 1 Samuel 18:1-16; Jeremiah 10:17-end; James 2:1-13
ESOCS Devotional 24 February 2024
