St. Matthew, Chapter 20, verse:22b, The Cup.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The mother of James and John) Part 6. 

Often times when we come to our Father asking for something we do not have a complete  understanding of what we are doing.  We ask with the understanding that we want what we are asking.  We ask with the understanding that we are worthy of asking.  We ask with the understanding that we will get what we are asking for.  And we ask with the understanding that we will get what we are asking for right now or in the near future, according to our timetable.  It is oftentimes that we learn that our timetable does not matter and that can be frustrating or disappointing.  We must learn patience in order to see that our Father has granted us what we asked for.

It is in the misunderstanding that we get confused.  We do not know the consequences of our actions.  Our Father knows all.  He knows when and how we will get what we ask.  He knows the consequences of giving us what we want.  And he knows what is the desire of our hearts instead of desires of our request.  It is in that knowing, and in that seeing that we are lacking.  He is our Father.  It was in that same unknowing and unseeing that the mother of James and John asked for her sons to sit at the right and left hand of Christ.  They did not know what they were asking.  They only desired to be seated with power and recognition.  They did not understand that there were requirements to obtain such a seat.  This is why Christ asked them:  "Can you drink of the cup of which I am about to drink?" 

They wanted power and recognition but did not know the consequences of what they were asking.  They did not understand what was required of them.  They did not know what they would have to suffer, what they would have to endure, what they would have to battle to be with him.  For surely they would have to battle the forces of evil.  Surely they would have to endure the constant pressure of those who were evildoers.  Surely they would have to suffer the torture at the hands of evil to become like Christ.  But did they understand the cup of suffering they would have to endure?  Did they truly know what they were asking?

One does not suffer in vain.  One does not endure the hardships, the pain, the slings and arrows of oppression without a cause to carry them through.  And that cause must be justified enough to transform the person into something better, something more wonderful, more lasting, more beautiful than what they had before.  For without the cause one suffers in vain.  Without the cause one only endures to a point and then gives up.  But with the cause one is transformed in the person that will endure to the end.  Christ was the cause.  He was the be all and end all that allowed the apostles to be transformed into persons that gave all.

Can we drink from the same cup that he did?  Can we become transformed into new beings that are willing to suffer to the end?  Or are we just those persons that will only go so far and give up without enduring all?  Christ gave his all.  Can we give our all?  What cause do we have that will transform us into new persons that will allow us to give our all to him?  We live in a world that is consumed with self.  We are given to be wholly in this world.  Yet we are not from this world.  We are children of our Father and he gave us the life that we have today, true life, eternal life.  And the knowledge and wisdom of the understanding of the life that is given us is the transforming factor that makes us who we are, not of this world but of a heavenly kingdom.  Do you belong?  Are you of the heavenly kingdom?  Are you transformed?  Then yours is the cup to drink along with all your brothers and sisters.

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:22a, A Mother's misunderstanding.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The mother of James and John) Part 5. 

The mother of James and John came before Christ and made her demands for her sons.  She spoke what they would not speak.  She asked that her sons be seated with Christ on his left and on his right when he comes into his kingdom and sits upon his throne.  She believes that they deserve the place of distinction.  She knows, in her mind, that they are worthy of such an honor above all the other disciples.  They were the first to follow him.  They were the first to believe in him.  They were born to the role that they now follow as disciples of Christ, the Messiah.

All their lives the Jews have waited for the time when the Messiah would come.  Their history told them of this time.  They believed that he would come and redeem them.  They knew of the promise made by God but did not know the time that it would take place.  So they lived their lives in expectation of what would happen.  And when it did happen not many knew or believed that the time had come.  But the apostles James and John believed.  They knew that he would come and they prepared all their lives for the time when it would happen.  And that time had come and they were a part of history in the making.  Yet little did they know what they were a part of.  And little did their mother know what would come.  She only knew that he had come and now was the time for redemption.  So she came and made her request thinking that the redemption would be of an earthly or worldly event.  But Jesus answered and said, "You do not know what you are asking for." 

And certainly they did not understand what they were asking.  They thought that he would come and overthrow the rulers.  They thought that he would come and create armies and take back all that was stolen.  They thought that he would come and be declared a new king over all the rulers.  But they were mistaken.  He did not come to conquer the world.  He did not come to destroy the rulers of the world.  He did not come to be served as a king.  He came to become a lamb.  He came to be sacrificed.  He came as an offering to compensate for the sins that man had committed.  And they thought that they wanted to be with him in his sacrifice.

They did not understand that they were asking to be a sacrifice.  They did not understand that they were asking to suffer and die.  They did not understand that they were asking to be scorned, beaten, bruised, battered, mocked, and crucified on a cross to suffer and die.  For this was the price that had to be paid for the sins that had been committed.  This was the price that had to be paid for redemption.  This was the price that was due for all the wrongs that man had committed against the commandments of God.  And they thought that they wanted to be a part of this price that had to be paid. 

Can we say the same today?  Do we want to be a part of the price that Christ paid for our redemption?  Do we want to suffer?  Do we want to deny ourselves?  Do we want to be beaten, mocked, suffer and die for what we believe about the Christ that came to die for us?  Is that something that we can accept?  Most would say no.  Most would not think of suffering.  Most would not think of sacrificing themselves for someone else.  Most would not be able to see the good in those actions.  Yet it is through the suffering, the pain, and the sacrifice that Christ was able to save me and you and all mankind from damnation. 

We were dead and now we have life.  We transgressed and now we are forgiven.  We were lost but now we are found and redeemed.  It is only through acceptance that we are able to find that which was lost.  It is only through recognition that we can come to the light.  It is only through sorrow that we can come to joy.  And it is only through the search that we are able to find that which was originally ours in the beginning.  The path is open.  The way is fixed.  The light of life is within you if you only seek.  For Christ has paved the way.  All we have to do is follow.  The choice is ours to make.  Redeem what was lost or loose what was taken away.  Only you can make the decision.  Come!  Christ awaits with open arms to receive you with love.

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: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.