Two Brothers and a Pushy Mother

Sunday 3rd March 2013

Bible Reading: Matthew 20:20-28

During January and February we have been looking at our Corps Core Values. We can find each of these values in this story. There is nothing wrong with a mother wanting the best for their children - but we all know that there is a difference between that and expecting favouritism for them and being competitive.

Experience God through worship
This first value is all about putting our relationship with God first, about knowing Him, making Him and His priorities central to our lives. The priorities of James and John’s mother were somewhat different.
As came to Jesus she seemed sincere, but she worshipped Him not for love of the Saviour or gratitude for His blessings, but because of what she thought she could get from Him for her boys. It wasn’t enough to her that they were following Jesus or serving Jesus. They had to have people under them.
It is easy to criticise this pushy mother and her sons but we also have to ask ourselves some difficult questions.
Have I neglected to seek God’s will and purpose for my life or for my church by being too occupied with my own dreams and ambitions?
Am I more concerned about the name of Christ than my own reputation?
Am I more concerned about the spread of God’s word than I am about the spread of my opinions?

Embrace a discipleship lifestyle
James and John left everything to go with Jesus. They were not just interested in Jesus; He was not just a hobby or a pastime. They had embraced being with Jesus and they were trying to obey His teaching and do the things He did. But the definition of a disciple is also someone who is not only committed to a person but who constantly learning. The two brothers and even their mother had grasped something of the teaching of Jesus and had gone out in His name and done those things themselves.
But perhaps they had become a little above themselves in their assessment of their ability.
When Jesus received the request from James and John and their mother He quickly responded, “You don’t know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”
They replied yes, without them having any idea of what was in the cup.
How often we have acted on the presumption that our knowledge of the purposes of God and our own abilities is all sewn up in a neat package. Sometimes like James and John we think we are ready for more than we are capable but perhaps for many of us the opposite is true and we think we are ready for nothing. The key is to keep a teachable spirit, a readiness to receive the word of the Lord and act upon it.

Extend God’s kingdom through mission
Jesus explains that He has come not to be served but to serve and; “to give his life as a ransom for many.”
A ransom is the price paid to purchase back a person or a group of people who are in captivity or who are facing punishment.
Jesus came into a world that is under the dominion of a rebel enemy of God and where men and women, boys and girls who are bound by sin. If the Kingdom of God is going to come, then rescue and salvation are needed.
Colossians 1:13: “For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
Whilst dealing with internal squabbles in his team he maintained an outward focus. He wasn’t just a kindly rabbi he had come to be a Saviour. It is easy to concentrate on the internal politics of our church or denomination. It is easy to be diverted from mission by secondary issues. Jesus never was. And if we are to be His followers we must not be either.

Engage in authentic Christian fellowship
The two sons were prepared to use their mother and sacrifice their loyalty to their friends to fulfil their ambition.
When the ten heard about the actions of James and John they were indignant. They were really mad that these two were trying to get special treatment and they weren’t going to give up the top spots without a fight. They weren’t appalled by the brothers’ lack of understanding of true servant-hood; they were mad that these two got to Jesus first.
What we see here is that selfishness always results in dissension. When we think only of ourselves, community breaks down and unity is replaced with division and backbiting.
In the context of a row among His disciples, Jesus pointed out the way to engage in authentic Christian fellowship which is our fourth value.
In Matthew 20v 25-27 Jesus said; "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave.”

Encourage everyone in their ministry
The mother of James and John saw leadership roles as positions of importance and anything else as something less. She was looking for significance for herself and her sons. She had to learn that one of the values of the kingdom is that everyone whatever they do is significant and important. The real key to success is not the job you have but whether you are obedient to God’s call upon your life however much that might cost you. When Jesus asks James and John if they can drink the cup He is going to drink our immediate thoughts go to the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus prays. “Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will but as you will”
So Jesus’ challenge to us about the role we play in God’s kingdom is not what it is but whether we are doing what God wants. There would have been nothing noble about Jesus being crucified if it hadn’t been an act of obedience.
When done in response to the call of God on our life even the most ordinary things count.
1 Corinthians 15:58 says; “Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort.” (The Message)

Express Christian love through service to others
In the family of God there is only one category of people: servants. Matthew 20v 26 “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave.”
It was counter-cultural and radical for Jesus to define greatness in terms of servant-hood because slaves were considered to be socially inferior.
In saying what He did, Jesus offers a complete rejection of the world’s way of doing business.
The Greek word used here refers to a maid or a house servant. Jesus deliberately chose a very lowly word to impress upon His disciples that being a servant was a very humbling occupation.
What is a servant? It’s someone whose heart is intent upon, and whose will is bound to, the will and wishes of another.
This last value deliberately links service with love.
There is such a thing as self-centred serving, which isn’t really serving at all, because it’s motivated by pride, and has self at the centre, rather than being motivated by humility and love.
Richard Foster in his book Celebration of Discipline.
"Self-righteous service requires external rewards. It needs to know that people see and appreciate the effort. It seeks human applause -- with proper religious modesty of course. Self-righteous service is highly concerned about results. It eagerly waits to see if the person served will reciprocate in kind.
The flesh whines against service but screams against hidden service. It strains and pulls for honour and recognition. It will devise subtle, religiously acceptable means to call attention to the service rendered."

No doubt Jesus’ words about servant–hood caused the disciples to reflect upon their own hearts as He brought them back once again to look at their motivation and their attitudes.

Do these values reflect my own values?

What needs to change in us for us to be the people of God - He calls us to be?

Whilst He corrected the mother He did not berate or criticize her. Neither did He condemn James and John for their naivety or the other disciples for their grumbling. He uses the whole incident to help them and the other disciples grow in their understanding of kingdom values.

  God bless Alan and Carol