by Godly mothers have a major impact on our world through their children. A Godly mother’s love, devotion and desire for her children’s best helps them reach their fullest potential in this world. Matthew 20:20-23 reveals such a mother who was interested in her boys’ success both in this present life and in the life to come. She is introduced to us as “the mother of Zebedee’s children” when he brings her boys to worship Jesus. She asks her Savior to reserve a place for them by His eternal side. Caution, if we do not understand her humble, godly servitude and what she meant to Jesus, then our text will look like a mother demanding that Jesus arbitrarily bless her sons. Hint, Jesus does not rebuke her request. He does, however, state clearly what sacrifice in this life that her boys would have to suffer for such a reward. Jesus said they would “be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with,” speaking of the bloody brutality of His crucifixion. She was not oblivious to this cruel Roman death sentence.
This mother’s godliness and love were rewarded and honored as being the only mother of a disciple to be named in the Bible. “Salome” was her name (Mark 15:40-41). “James and John” her boys (Mark 10:35) whose boldness coined them the “son’s of thunder” (Mark 3:17). Salome was a loyal servant who followed Jesus where the disciples did not, all the way to the tomb where she used her own money for spices to anoint His body (Mark 16:1). Knowing Jesus’ physical death reflected what her boys would suffer, her heart’s desire was to humbly minister her very best unto Jesus’ body at His crucifixion.
One of our church’s greatest needs is godly mothers with Salome’s devotion and determination to fulfill their God-given responsibility of supplying His Kingdom with servants like the “sons of thunder!!!”
