Hear Joni talk about an amazing mother in the Bible – the mother of James and John. Her name was Salome. She’s a mother who clung to Jesus and believed in him with her whole heart.
Mother’s Day is coming, and I want to honor someone you wouldn’t expect.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, and you might not guess I’d be talking about Salome, the mother of James and John. After all, she was pretty presumptuous with Jesus. Just listen to the account from Matthew 20:20-23, “Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with [James and John] and, kneeling down, asked a him a favor. ‘What is it you want?’ he asked. She said, ‘Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.’ ‘You don’t know what you are asking,’ Jesus said to them. ‘Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?’ ‘We can,’ they answered. Jesus said to them, ‘You will indeed drink from my cup.’”
Now, you have got to wonder about this mother’s reaction when she heard Jesus say that her beloved sons would drink a cup, a terrible cup. Did Salome grasp that he was talking about their martyrdom? That they would die a cruel death, like him? Probably not. Salome was just being an ordinary mother – just wanting her boys to be promoted and honored. Any mother would want the same! Every woman wants the best for her children; she envisions success for them. A good job, a stable marriage, a life free of hardships [maybe the kind of hardships she grew up with].
Yet God may have something different in mind. There may be great suffering in store for your child. Or deep disappointment. Just know that whatever God chooses, it will be supremely good. So, learn a lesson from the mother of Zebedee’s sons; let’s keep in check our longings for promotion and honors – it’s wiser to simply pray that your child will embrace God’s will, whether it’s filled with hope or whether it’s hard. Oh, and one more thing about Salome. And I think this is why I really want to honor her today. When you flip further to Matthew 27, you discover a startling fact about this woman. Because Salome was one of the very few who remained at the cross until the very end. Gazing up at the bloody, lacerated body of Jesus, she must’ve then realized the horrible reality in store for her own sons. Her Savior, the one she was so devoted to, prophesied that James and John would drink a similar cup as his.
And here’s what I love about Salome. Knowing the harsh suffering that was in store for her family, she did not resent Jesus. She didn’t question his plan or walk away from him in a huff. She clung to him and believed him. Salome stayed close to her Lord, remaining faithful, trusting, and obedient. Now, I have no idea where James and John will be positioned in the kingdom. But I have an idea about their mother – faithful to the very end – that she will enjoy quite a place of honor!
Thank you for letting me share these lessons from one of the many women who financially supported the public ministry of Jesus; a woman who pushed aside her presumption about things and eventually found humility at the foot of the cross. Salome, a precious mother who gave her sons, James and John, to Christ and his plan for them. And for every mother who’s listening today? Be inspired by this remarkable female friend of Jesus, and remember it is always wiser to simply pray that your child will embrace the will of God, whether that will is hope-filled or hard. May your children stay close to Christ ‘til the very end – even the cross.
© Joni and Friends