The Courage to Ask

Scripture: Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons approached Him with her sons. She knelt down to ask Him for something. Matthew 20:20

Observation: This section is about James and John, and their mother making a request of Jesus. It starts with none of those four being named, but only one person is mentioned ... Zebedee ... who isn't even there.

I have commented before on Zebedee, but he continues to be fascinating. He is absent in all stories. He is never an actor in any part of the gospel except maybe as a witness to certain activities when his sons leave his fishing business. Yet his mentioned regularly. In this example - a bold request made to Jesus about sitting in a place of honor - the people for whom the place of honor is requested are only called Zebedee's sons. The person making the request is even more remotely identified as the mother of Zebedee's sons (a.k.a. his wife).

Zebedee had to be important. Matthew spent years with James and John, and only names them in context of a man who isn't around. The mother making the request will be one of the three women who discover the empty tomb, yet her current identity is as the mother of Zebedee's kids. At some point, one almost expects Jesus to be identified as 'Zebedee's rabbi'. Somehow, this person who never acts, never speaks, and never appears is elevated above devout women and core leaders surrounding Jesus.

Application: I will not speculate again about why Zebedee is so honored in the gospel. While, any speculation is a mystery, the power of this man is obvious. It extends through him to his family, who are collectively bold enough to seek seats of honor in heaven. We they raised overly proud by this Galilean fisherman? I would suspect that the attitude at work here is not pride, but courage.

The family of Zebedee has faith, and out of that faith is a profound trust that Jesus' is Messiah who will rule in heaven. This family has the courage to live directly into that faith by seeking position in heaven. Jesus corrects the request, then he corrects the desire for position. However, he does not correct the courage. Jesus does not rebuke Salome, James, or John for addressing him and asking for favors, placement, and power. In fact, he questions their ability, and agrees with them that they will, in fact, need that courage someday.

Do I have the courage to ask Jesus for what I want every day? Sometimes I fear the answer and don't, though I know he knows my question anyway and my request isn't truly unasked. I can and should go deeper and bolder in my requests, keeping faith - not pride - central.

Prayer: Dear Lord, you know the questions on my heart this day. I have questions about my daughter's future and what is your will for her life. Please explicitly tell us. I do not seek hints, I seek clear instruction. She is so young, so smart, so small, so strong, so focused, so fearful, so bold, so mild. I cannot see her as I saw myself at that age. Again I say, please explicitly tell us what to do. Amen.