St. Matthew, Chapter 20, verse:21b, A Mother's Command.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The mother of James and John) Part 4.  

It is strange that the mother of James and John plays a part in the Gospels.  James and John were prominent apostles.  But here in St. Matthew we find a whole paragraph devoted to their mother.  Her name is not given.  She is not described, but only as their mother.  There must be something more in this paragraph than meets the eye.  There must be some other message in this paragraph that demands discerning other than its mere meaning.

She came to Christ with this one intent.  She knew him to be the Messiah and she worshiped him.  But on her mind was the outcome for her two sons.  They must have talked about Christ in her presence.  They must have spoken of the things that he said and the things that he did.  They must have raised her curiosity and peeked her interest.  Even so they must have talked about their place with him without asking directly.  But their mother had no such qualms.  She had no other desires.  She only wanted to assure herself of their place in his kingdom.  So she said to him: "Command that these my two sons may sit, one at thy right hand and one at thy left hand, in thy kingdom."

And so this was her command to the Messiah.  Assure that my sons will be recognized in your kingdom.  Assure that they will be prominent figures near you and that they will be at your side at all times.  Why would she do this?  Why would she be so bold as to command the Lord and Savior to favor her sons?  Was she thinking for them or was she thinking of herself?  Did she want the recognition for herself that others would know that those were her sons that sat at the right and left hand of Jesus?  What were her reasons, what were her motives? 

We can only guess as to the why and wherefores of her actions.  Compared to what we see today of mothers and fathers who push their own agendas for their children, we can maybe understand the whys and wherefores.  Today many parents train their children and put them out before the public that they may succeed.  They support them and work with them that they may achieve great success in this world.  Parents start from the day of birth seeing great things happening for their children. 

They want them to be great doctors and lawyers, or politicians and governors.  They put them in training programs so that they can build on their physical abilities and excel in sports and athletic endeavors.  They pick and choose the best schools and best programs for their children so that they have all the requirements for success, all the while neglecting the wants and needs of the child.  After all the parents know best what it takes to succeed in this world, having first hand knowledge of their own successes and failures. 

So what must have been in the mind of the mother of the sons of Zebedee?  Did she and her husband plan for their success?  Did they train their sons in the ways to success in those days?  Were they to become high priests or to become elders or even to become a Pharisee?  For these were the models of success for the people of Israel in those days.  And when it was discovered that the Messiah had come what must have been their joy to be able to recognize and follow his teachings.

Today we do not have miracles.  We do not see the raising of the dead, the lame walking, the blind seeing, or the deaf hearing.  Today we only have the words left to us by the witnesses as passed down through time.  Are those words real?  Are those testimonies believable?  Do the words from the time of Christ have meaning to us in this modern time?  The mother of James and John wanted her sons to play a part in the future of the kingdom of Christ.  Do we want our children to have that same chance?  Do we want our children to know about him?  Do we want our children to believe in his words?  Do we want our children to have a foundation in the truth of what was established some two thousand years ago?  It all starts with ourselves.  Do we believe?  Do we know?  Do we understand the meaning and significance of the teachings of Christ?  The choices we make will carry forward to our children and our grand children and to all our generations to follow.  Command that your children sit at his right hand and his left in the kingdom of heaven and you will know that you have prepared them to be successful for tomorrow. 

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.

St. Matthew, Chapter 20, verse:21a, A Mother's Hope.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The mother of James and John) Part 3.  

James and John, sons of Zebedee, were followers of Christ.  They rejoiced in him.  They believed in him, for he was the Messiah.  John the Baptist told them that he was the one that they should follow even when they were his disciples.  They believed in John the Baptist and knew that he was a prophet but when he told them that they should follow Christ they rejoiced.

It was a special time for them.  They knew of their history as Jews.  They knew of their tradition.  They knew that God had guided Israel and protected them throughout history for they were a chosen people.  And they knew of the prophesy that the Messiah would come and walk among them.  So they were ecstatic that they had found him and they had the opportunity to live in his presence. 

They told their relatives.  They told their friends.  They told their brothers and sisters and their parents.  They told everyone that they knew about the Christ they followed.  And because of their zeal, and their belief and their hopes, their mother saw the change in them.  She was their mother.  She provided for them.  She raised them, cared for them, protected them and loved them from birth.  And she, more than anyone else, wanted to make sure that they were taken care of.  So she went to Christ.  She desired to know herself that her children would be provided for, taken care of, and that they would have some place in the new kingdom with Christ.  When she came to him,  He said to her, "What dost thou want?"

What do you want?  This is a question that we can ask ourselves, "What do we want?"  What is it that we want.  What is it that we want today?  What is it that we want tomorrow?  As though we had a genie that would grant us our every wish, what is it that we want.  There are many things that come to mind that would answer this question.  We could say money.  We could say power.  We could say fame, or fortune, or riches, or health, or any number of things.  But the real question is what do we really want in our lives. 

We live day to day, going about our daily routines.  We work, we play, we socialize with our friends.  We shop, we cook, we eat, we sleep, we do things to entertain ourselves on a daily basis, but what is it that we really want in this life.  Do we really know the answer to this question?  Do we really know what we want?  Do we really know what would make us happy?

We are presented with ideas of what others do, or have, or want and we think that this is what we want also.  We rejoice over the possibility of how we would feel if our wish was answered, if we won the lottery, or won a car, or won some money.  And the joy of winning would make us happy for a while.  But will this sustain us for life?  Will this joy be with us for eternity?  Will we be happy when we get what we want? 

Each morning we wake up in search of what we want.  Our every thought, our every action, our every belief moves us in the direction of our wants and our desires.  There is something inside that needs fulfilling, something inside that drives us to do what we do.  Christ told us that our Father knows our every need, our every desire.  He told us not to worry about tomorrow because tomorrow has enough worry in itself.  But the Father knows us, provides for us, protects us from harm.  And the Father fulfills us.  For it is with him and through him that we find what we want.  It is in his love that we are complete and desire nothing more.  Through his love our hearts desire is found.  Through his love we long no more.  Through his love we are finished and can rest in peace knowing that he loves us.  What do you want?  I want to be with my Father, my creator, my Lord and savior Jesus Christ.  For through him and with him I want nothing else. 

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.

St. Matthew, Chapter 20, verse:20b, A Mother's request.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The mother of James and John) Part 2. 

The mother of James and John, sons of Zebedee, came to Christ with a plan.  She knew what she wanted.  She knew that it had to be spoken.  So she came to the one who her sons followed and believed in.  She had heard the word.  She knew what was being spoken of him throughout the villages.  And she knew that he was the Messiah.  So she came with her request just as all the others had come to ask to be cured of illness, to ask to walk, to ask to see, to ask to hear.  All the others were drawn to him with their needs and he fulfilled them.  But hers was different.

Mother came to ask for her children.  She came on their behalf not on her own.  She wanted to know that her sons would be taken care of.  She came to ask her own special request of the Messiah, the Chosen One who came down from heaven to walk with men.  And worship-
ping, she made a request of him.

What would your mother do?  Would she act on your behalf?  Would she plead your case before the ruler of the universe?  Would she show her concern for your future, the same as the mother of James and John?  Some would say yes.  Some would hesitate.  Some would say no.  What this tells us is the character of the children?  Are they worthy of a mother's love, a mother's concern?  For surely a mother loves her children.  Surely a mother who gave birth to her children, nursed them through early childhood, watched them stumble and grow to stand on their own, saw them through trying years and adult years; surely this kind of loving mother would speak for her children.  

For what is a mother other than one who came before.  What is a mother other than one who loves, one who cares, one who sees the struggles and pitfalls that their children will face.  What is a mother other than one who provides, one who nurtures, one who teaches, one who guides and directs, one who's heart is the same heart as her children.  And when her work is done she can retire and watch the fruits of her labors in her children and her grand children and all those little ones that come after her. 

The mother of James and John came and made her request.  She worshipped him, bowed down before him and spoke for the ones that she loved.  She spoke that which was in her heart to the one who had the power to grant her request.  Mothers of the world make your requests.  Mothers of the world come before him and worship, knowing that he can fulfill all needs.  Mothers of the world he is your provider, your protector, your deliverer.

Worry not.  Fret not.  Do not be concerned for what tomorrow has to offer.  Only know that today he is with you.  Today he watches over you.  Today he provides for you.  Today, your children will run and laugh and play without a worry because he is with the Father and the Father is with him and all things are possible.  Just as she came and made her request you too can do the same for your children, today and tomorrow and for all eternity.  The Lord is with you and all is at peace.

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.

St. Matthew, Chapter 20, verse:20a, A Mother's wish.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The mother of James and John) Part 1.

What was she like, the mother of James and John.  They must have told her of what they were doing.  They must have spoken to her of the miracles that they had witnessed, the words that Christ had spoken to them, the promises that he made to them.  They were filled with the joy of who he was.  They were joyous that they had found the Messiah.  They were indeed fortunate that, in all time, they were the ones chosen to follow him.  Yet they did not know what lie ahead.

Their mother must have been elated for her sons.  Hearing all the words spoken by those who followed him and the words that were spoken by others, she must have been proud.  She was their mother.  She was the one who gave them life, the one who loved them as children, and taught them the words of the scriptures.  She knew that they were indeed special children, special sons, special believers in the Chosen One.  So she went to him with her request.  She went to him to ask recognition for her sons.  Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons. 

They may not have wanted her to speak with him.  They may not have felt it their place to speak to him of recognition.  They may have been humble followers seeking not the recognition that their mother wanted for them.  Yet she came with them.  She brought them with her that she might speak to Christ about her sons.  She wanted him to know her pride for them.  She wanted him to know that she was a believer.  She wanted him to know how she felt about what they were doing.  And in coming forward with them, she spoke her mind and theirs also.

Mothers are like that.  They are passionate.  They are loving.  They are quick to see what the children miss.  And they will take action when action is needed.  And so it was with the mother of James and John.  She was a loving parent, a watchful mother, a patient guardian over her children.  She had high hopes for them.  She wanted them to make something of themselves.  She wanted recognition for them that they might be proud members of the community.

But Christ was a man of humility.  He was a man of grace, a man of insight and sincerity.  He was a man of truth.  But most of all he was the Son of God.  He had power.  He had forgiveness.  He had majesty that did not show.  He was a simple man who walked the earth in order to save mankind.  He was the first, brought forth by and through the love of the Father.  What does a father wish for his sons and daughters?  What is the desire of all parents?  What, of all things, will make them most happy with their children?

The mother of James and John wanted to see them happy.  She wanted to know that they will be taken care of.  She wanted to be assured by the Messiah that her sons would be with him in his kingdom.  And that is the desire of all mankind, to know that peace comes after this life ends.  We have been given life through the sacrifice of Christ Jesus.  We have been redeemed.  We can choose to know him.  We can choose to be with him.  We can choose to know him in the fullness of his love, his forgiveness, his mercy, and his grace.  Or Not!  That choice is ours to make, if we know who we are.  Otherwise others will seek to deny us of that choice.  Come, all who want to believe!  Come, all who want to know!  Come, all who seek the truth of who they are!  The answer awaits those who desire.  God is our Father and Christ Jesus is our redeemer and the Holy Spirit is our guide through the portal of death to life everlasting.

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.

St. Matthew, Chapter 20, verse:19b, The Triumph over death.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The third prediction of the passion) Part 4. 

The journey to Jerusalem was taking place as Christ led his disciples to his end.  He told them what was to happen.  He warned them that he would be handed over to the Gentiles and that he would face death.  The horror of what he was about to do was unimaginable.  The dishonor of what he surrendered himself to was unbelievable.  The mockery and pain that he would suffer was beyond the comprehension of those who followed him. 

They knew who he was.  They believed in him.  They loved him.  They saw with their own eyes, heard with their own ears, and felt with their deepest emotions the love that he had for them and the love that they felt for him.  But to have him intentionally give himself up to death was beyond their understanding.  Yet beyond all that he would face, all that he would experience, all that he knew about what was to happen, he trusted in his Father and the knowledge that he would triumph over death.  So he told them: "And on the third day he will rise again."

This is the Christ that lived some two thousand years ago.  This is the Christ that came down from heaven to walk among us.  This is the Christ who taught us of love, and peace, and mercy, and forgiveness.  He was here.  He was present.  He was and is with us.  He gave us the example.  He left us his words.  He showed us what we should do.  And most of all he redeemed us from eternal damnation. 

Do we follow?  Do we believe?  Do we know that we are saved?  Many will fear.  Many will not believe.  Many will be lost to what is believed to be unknown.  Yet nothing is unknown if we believe.  Nothing is unknown if we seek to know.  Nothing is fearful if we trust in what has been given us by our Redeemer.  He loved us.  He died for us.  He gave up his heavenly crown to come and be with us.  And now he waits for us to come home to him that we may know how much he loves us.

We know the world.  We can see what is here.  We can test, and experiment, and extrapolate the truth of the physical.  We know not the spiritual.  We cannot test, or experiment or know what lies beyond the door of death.  Yet Christ has given us an example to follow.  He has shown us the way.  He has left us his words.  He has given us a path to follow.  He has brought forth the truth that we may know with certainty who we are in him.  The flesh profits nothing.  It is the spirit that gives life. 

We are spiritual beings in a physical body living in a physical world.  Our time here is limited.  Our physical life is limited.  But our spiritual life is eternal.  Look beyond the physical!  Look beyond that which is before you.  See the life that is within you and you will know the truth of who you are.  We are eternal being living in a physical world. Celebrate the life that is within.  For death is but a transition into that which you will become.  And you will know the truth of who you are in Christ.  Of his free will, God gave us life eternal.  Seek that which is spiritual and you will know the truth of where you belong. 

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.