Daily Devotional For Monday, January 12, 2026
Good morning Southside. We are making our way through the Gospel of Matthew, going slowly so that we can gleam from Jesus’ life and learn practical ways to live out our faith. Today, we come to Matthew 20:20-28:
“Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons, bowing down and making a request of Him. (21) And He said to her, ‘What do you wish?’ She said to Him, ‘Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit one on Your right and one on Your left.’ (22) But Jesus answered, ‘You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?’ They said to Him, ‘We are able.’ (23) He said to them, ‘My cup you shall drink; but to sit on My right and on My left, this is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.’ (24) And hearing this, the ten became indignant with the two brothers. (25) But Jesus called them to Himself and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them.(26) It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, (27) and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; (28) just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many’” (NASB).
We live in a prideful and egotistical culture today. People seem to always promote themselves so blatantly that it is disgusting. Today, people have an entitlement attitude. How far we have fallen from the generation that saved the world from Germany, Japan and Russia. Today, people have redefined what virtue and humility are. Knowing Jesus was leading His disciples to Jerusalem, this may have created an atmosphere of, "Finally, Jesus is going to establish His earthly kingdom and we will rule with HIm.”
Jesus has already told His disciples 3 times that when they get to Jerusalem He will be killed. It is obvious they did not hear Him or ignored Him. Why? Because the Gospels show them constantly arguing over which of them would sit at His right and His left. Salome, the mother of James and John (the sons of Thunder), was with them as they made their way to Jerusalem. She must have been a constant follower of Jesus because later we see her at the cross (see Matt. 27:55-56). Some scholars believe she was Jesus’ aunt, the sister of His mother Mary even though she is never presented this way (see John 19:25). If so, maybe she and her sons (Jesus’ cousins) would have an inside track to positions of leadership in Jesus’ earthly kingdom.
Though Salome came and knelt before Jesus as a sign of respect, honor and worship, she had an ulterior motive. Matthew makes it clear that her sons put her up to this and Mark’s Gospel makes it clear that the original desire for this started with James and John (see Mark 10:35-37). This is why when Jesus responded, He responded to James and John, not really to Aunt Salome. We have 2 grown men getting their mother to make the request. If she is the sister to Mary and thus Jesus’ aunt, she could pressure her sister to pressure Jesus.
So, why would she make such a request of Jesus – She said to Him, “Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit one on Your right and one on Your left.” This may be the reason. In the previous chapter Jesus had told His disciples they would sit on thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel (see Matt. 19:28). In Jesus’ day, those who sat to the right and the left of a king or monarch or ruler, were the 2 most powerful people in the kingdom. Salome wants positions of power, prestige and prominence for her 2 sons. It is almost as if she said, “Jesus, let’s keep the power in the family, okay?”
Most parents want their children to succeed in life, get a great paying job, with options of promotions to top positions. There is nothing wrong in this but for some Christian parents, if their child decided to go into the ministry or missions, this is not what they had in mind. There is a danger in this. If our children do get those great paying positions, but walk away from the Lord or lose interest in serving in the church, what then? As parents, we must be careful that our desire for our children’s advancement is within God’s will, not our will or their will.
In verse 22, Jesus refers to the cup He has to drink from soon. The “cup” refers to His coming suffering. They say they can drink but they do not understand that following Jesus means encountering suffering. Are we any different? Have you ever wanted something so much that when you got it, you started wondering, “What was I thinking? I had no idea this came with this.” Years ago I heard someone say, “Be careful what you wish for because when you get it, you might wish you didn’t have it.” Jesus assured them there was coming a day they would drink from the same cup of suffering.
During His incarnation, God the Son remained insubordinate to God the Father, despite them being equal in essence. After His Resurrection, all the authority He relinquished will be restored back to Him (see Matt. 28:18). If they are thinking that Jesus was a royal king, then as His cousins they share in that royalty. Therefore, if they are sitting on His right and left and He is killed, one of them would ascend to the throne. This may have been in their mind as well. I only say this because I know human behavior. I pray this was not in the back of their minds.
In the Greek text, when Jesus responded to Salome’s request, Jesus responded with the second person plural pronoun – “you” – referencing her sons. This had to shock them because now their cover was blown. When you read this, you get a sense of Jesus’ exasperation and disappointment with all of them. They may have taken “cup” to be a reference to Jesus' royal festival or ball when He established His earthly kingdom. To be on Jesus’ team, there can be no place for self-serving ambition, a desire for personal promotion, blameless and shameless nepotism, presumptuous arrogance or unbridled narcissism. To be on Jesus’ team, you have to be willing to live out and accept the conditions set forth by Jesus in Matthew 20:26-28. We will finish looking at this tomorrow.
Assignment: Reflect – When you ask the Lord for something, is it ever for selfish reasons or do you always ask concluding with “Not my will, but Your will be done”? Looking back, what are some things you have asked the Lord for and now you thank Him He did not give them to you? Do you ever get someone else to make your requests to God such as a pastor, a friend, or a person in your Bible study group?
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, please forgive me when I ask You for things that I have no idea of what I am asking You for in my prayers. Help me to be content to pray, “Not my will, but Your will be done.” Give me such a heart that when I pray, I know what is Your will for me to pray, just like You always did with God the Father. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly