This weekend’s Gospel reading tells us about Jesus’ disciples James and John asking that Jesus would grant their request that one would sit at His right and the other at His left in His Kingdom. Matthew’s account tells us that their mother Salome was the one who actually verbalized the request. When the other disciples heard about it, they were upset. We can almost hear them saying to the brothers, “Who do you think you are?” So, Jesus gives them another lesson on how greatness in the Kingdom is all about service. 

There are some positives that we can find in this account. First, there is the fact that they brought a request to Jesus asking that He would do something rather than just thinking about the possibilities but then taking no action. Second, Mom obviously wants her sons to have prominent roles in the Kingdom and be close to Jesus (although the idea of greatness in God’s sight was totally misunderstood). 

What about your prayer life? Are you good at bringing things to God, asking that He specifically do something, or do you sometimes pray in a reactionary manner, asking God to work through something after it has already happened? Jesus does invite us to “ask, seek, and knock.” And if you happen to be a parent or grandparent, how do you pray for your children or grandchildren when it comes to their relationship with our Lord and life in His Kingdom? How close do you want them to be to Jesus? 

While the way the request was made by James and John and Salome (and perhaps the motivation) was not perfect, Jesus did not chastise them and send them away in shame. Rather, He delights in their desire to be with Him, just as He delights in our desire to be with Him because that is His desire for them and for us – that we might be with Him now and for all eternity, serving Him and others in love.