Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
The title “Walking with Jesus” which we chose for this daily experience more than 2 years ago, is really rooted in the experiences we’re looking at these days as we follow Jesus and His disciples through the Gospel accounts toward the Passover/Easter weekend which changed the world.
Yesterday we experienced the unexplainable resurrection of Lazarus and then John’s record that Jesus needed to go into hiding for a little while since the Pharisees had put out a bounty for any information which could lead to the arrest of Jesus!
Of course, Jesus was not guilty of any crime, nor was He a menace to society or a threat to children or the elderly, but rather Jesus was becoming so popular, and both His miracles and messages so amazing, that the religious leaders were jealous that all their followers would leave them and turn their attention and their allegiance to Jesus.
Pride and Jealousy motivated those well-educated religious men to turn against Jesus, and yet they had dedicated their lives to serving God by leading the people to God and helping them build their relationship with God. Now friends can we look in the mirror to see what damage pride and jealousy and self-advancement have done in our lives?
From that little village Ephraim, on the east side of the Jordan river in the wilderness region, Jesus finally gathers up His disciples and they begin their journey toward Jerusalem, as we saw in Matthew 20:17-19. We discussed that on Monday of this week.
Today, let’s rejoin their traveling troupe and experience together what Matthew records as happened next. Matthew was an eyewitness and he writes this: “Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and kneeling down she asked a favor of Jesus… 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.” (Matt. 20:20,21)
Look at them. The other disciples are watching and while they are out of ear shot and can’t hear exactly what is being discussed, they know each person in this conversation well enough they have a fairly good idea. The woman’s family are dear friends of Jesus.
In fact, some Bible scholars believe Mary the mother of Jesus and this woman may have been cousins or even sisters. Jesus had been in their home many times. These two sons are two of Jesus’ best friends! Those men, with their dad Zebedee, have been in the fishing business since they were kids and Jesus has been out in their boat fishing with them many times.
They are two of the more famous disciples, James and his brother John. Yes, the John who also wrote a Gospel account of the life of Jesus and yes, the John who stood at the cross a few days later, with Mary the mother of Jesus. But this is more than a friendship conversation, more than a friendship request. Fishing was hard work, and like most mothers, this mother saw the potential of a much better life for her boys.
Jesus was becoming popular and very influential. Jesus had unexplainable powers. Jesus talked often about a ‘kingdom of God’ and that He was part of making that kingdom become a reality. Zebedee’s family were good Jews. They treasured their Jewish heritage, going all the way back to the glory days in the past of Kings David and Solomon.
Like most all Jews they prayed often that God would restore those glory days by returning Israel to regional and maybe even global prominence, and of course that would mean throwing off the heavy burden they bore, the Roman empire.
But Rome was so powerful and the empire so large no one could imagine the little region of Israel returning to those powerful glory days without a supreme leader who could somehow muster super human strength to defeat the insurmountable Roman military.
The miracles… water turned to wine (John 2); paralyzed people standing to walk (Mark 2; John 5); blind people suddenly able to see (John 9); lepers healed to wholeness (Matt. 8); demons bound and demon possessed people set free (Mark 5); Lazarus raised from the dead (John 11)… this mother and her sons, and all those friends of Jesus walking the road with Him that day toward Jerusalem, had all seen these miracles and so many more. No one could explain the miracles but neither could they deny what they had seen.
It was not difficult to imagine… with Jesus leading an army, even a small army, they would be invincible even against the overwhelming Roman military machine. But Jesus ruling over a kingdom, oh my, there would never be any hunger or famine or illness or maybe even no death! Yes, it’s not hard for us in 2023 to imagine what excitement was spreading among the people as they talked about what life would be like if Jesus was their king instead of living under the cruel weight of Rome!?
Jesus, of course, knew everything that was being whispered and even openly discussed about Him. Jesus knew the plans some were making behind closed doors, both plans to raise Him up to be a king in revolt against Rome, and plans others were making to kill Him!
Often Jesus stepped away from His friends to meet privately with His heavenly Father and this was one of the topics they talked about. Mark 1:35-39 is one example of that when Jesus had finished a full day of miracles and teaching, and in the evening a whole crowd of people carried sick people to Jesus for His healing miracles.
Very early the next morning Jesus got up and found a solitary place to pray, even before daylight. Jesus needed the guidance only His heavenly Father could give Him. And when Peter found him praying, of course Peter was quick to tell Jesus that word had spread, and many more sick people had come. It was time to get to work… healing.
But Jesus surprised Peter and the others by saying “Let us go somewhere else – to the nearby villages – so I can preach there also, for THAT is why I have come.” (Mark 1:28)
In fact, frequently Jesus made very clear statements about His reasons for coming to earth…
“The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)
“The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.” (Luke 19:10)
“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick… I have not come to call the righteous but sinners.” (Matt. 9:13)
“The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy, but I have come that you might have life and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)
Jesus looked lovingly at this mother and her two sons, whom He loved deeply. Oh, even after He’d been with them so long and had such a special relationship with them, they simply did not understand either who Jesus really was or what His earthly mission was all about. So, Jesus said to them: “You don’t know what you are asking…you will indeed drink from My cup but to sit at My right or My left is not for Me to grant. Those places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by My Father.”
Jesus was talking about a day long in the future when yes, He would set up His kingdom and reign over all things in heaven and on earth, but first, Jesus had something very, very significant to yet accomplish which they could not have imagined even though Jesus had already told them why they were going to Jerusalem.
So, Jesus explained that leadership is not ruling over others but serving others and that His kingdom would not be a military force to defeat Rome, but rather a kingdom of God’s truth and God’s power which would defeat our ultimate enemies, Satan, sin and death. Jesus would provide a means for us to live victoriously over those enemies here on earth and then live victoriously with Him in heaven for all eternity, and compared to those glorious realties, an earthly battle with Roman soldiers, even a temporary victory, was meaningless.
So, let’s pause right here and put ourselves in this scene. What are your hopes and dreams, your ambitions my friends, and how do they compare to the potential and possibilities God offers you and me in living a victorious life every day here on earth and then all eternity with God in heaven? Look at that mother and her sons. What are you asking Jesus for today, my friends? Here’s a song to help us consider this…
Today’s Scripture is Matthew 20:20-28.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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