We Can!

The mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something. He said to her, "What do you wish?" She answered him, "Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your Kingdom." Jesus said in reply, "You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?" They said to him, "We can." He replied, "My chalice you will indeed drink, but to sit at my right and at my left, this is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father." When the ten heard this, they became indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus summoned them and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many." Matthew 20:20-28

Here we find Salome, the mother of the Apostles James and John, speaking with Jesus. She believes that she is being a good Jewish mother by trying to secure a place of honor for her sons in Jesus’ heavenly Kingdom. Yet her error lies in that she is approaching Jesus by using an earthly measure to define a heavenly measure.

Jesus fully understands her request from the divine perspective. Jesus doesn’t just say “No”. He responds in the practice that all rabbis are trained to do, asking the student a question to provoke learning. First, Jesus explains, “You don’t know what you are asking.” It’s important to recognize that Jesus is not rebuking them or Salome. The desire to be first, if it’s aligned with God’s will, can be a divine desire.

Jesus asks, “Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?” Jesus is speaking by heaven’s standards and has laid down the gauntlet. He knows that the chalice He will drink is sacrificing His life for the world, out of love, for all to be saved. Even when James and John respond “We can”, Jesus knows that they don’t understand what their “we can” fully means.

So far, all that James and John have witnessed is Jesus healing the sick, casting out demons, and performing miracles. By earthly standards, who wouldn’t want that kind of power? This is the limitation of their understanding. Yet despite their limitation, Jesus accepts their “we can” and confirms they will indeed drink the chalice that He will drink. He does so because they will learn what it means to be a true servant and disciple of Jesus. They will witness His immense love and sacrifice upon the cross. As His followers, they too will be persecuted as Jesus is persecuted. They too will have to lay down their lives for others to defend the faith and spread the gospel. In fact, James will become the first of the Apostles to be martyred in 44 AD.

However, at this moment, Jesus uses their earthly request to teach all the Apostles a lesson. He teaches them to put aside their earthly understanding, a standard that is focused on worldly position, power, and wealth. Jesus turns the tables on them and challenges them to understand and live by the heavenly standard of love, service and sacrifice. He says, “Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many." Matthew 20: 26-28 In Jesus’ Kingdom greatness is not found in position, power, or wealth. In Jesus’ Kingdom, greatness is found in serving.

Jesus is asking us, “Can you drink the chalice that I am to drink?” Jesus is calling us to a heavenly understanding that supersedes our earthly understanding. He is calling us to serve others just like He called His disciples. He is asking us to put ourselves last, to die to our desires and wants. He wants to teach us to love others the way He loves us.

However, we can’t do this on our own. We are too weak. Our weakness makes us susceptible to making the same mistake as Salome, James, and John, by putting ourselves first and others last. Jesus knows that even though we are weak, with His supernatural grace, we are able to respond, “We can.” His supernatural grace gives us the strength to answer the call to serve others.

Those times when your children need your help with homework after a long day at work. Those times when your spouse needs to work late, and you are the one tending to the house chores that evening. Those times when a friend is sick or has surgery and you need to bring the family dinner. And then there are those times when some of us are called to greater service or sacrifice by defending our faith amid persecution.

Today, let us ask Jesus for the grace to have heavenly understanding. Let us ask Jesus for the grace to die to ourselves and put others first. Let us ask Jesus for the grace to respond like His Apostles, James and John, “We can”.

© 2023 Kendall Berry Lasseigne