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I've always been proud of my boys. I'm their mother, for heaven's sake! Of course I'm going to be proud of them. And I'm going to look out for them whenever I can. To tell you the truth, I wasn't all that happy when my sons, Jimmy and Johnny, took off with Jesus. I thought they could have done so much more with their lives. But every time they got a chance to come visit, they were more and more excited about Jesus, and more and more convinced he was the savior, the Messiah, the one who had been promised so long ago.
Messiah? I wasn't so sure, but the more my boys talked, the more I became convinced he at least had some power, and that he might have been a good person for my boys to hang out with after all. And he might be the best hope we've had for a generation for getting rid of the Romans. A lot of people were listening to him, after all!
But my boys needed some help with their ambition. I mean, if Jesus was the Messiah, as they thought, then he had come to set up a kingdom here on earth. That was what the rabbis all said the Messiah would do. And if he was going to set up a kingdom, if he was going to take on the Romans, then he was probably going to choose come of those twelve friends of his to be his lieutenants. Why not my boys?
So I decided to help him with that decision. I walked up to Jesus, knelt down and point blank asked him, "Will you do me a favor, Jesus?"
"What is it?" he asked.
"I would like my boys, Jimmy and Johnny, to be seated at your right hand and your left hand when you come into power, when you take over this kingdom. I think my boys are just the right ones to be your second-in-commands."
At that point, Jesus looked past me and toward my boys, who were standing behind me, sort of huddled together. He had a look on his face like he'd heard this before. "Well, well," he said, "can you drink the cup I am about to drink?"
My boys looked at each other, and then back at Jesus. "We can," they said confidently. I was so very proud of them.
Jesus shook his head, though. "You don't know what you're talking about. You don't know what lies ahead at Jerusalem. You will drink the same cup I am going to drink, but it's not up to me who sits on my right or left. It's not like that." And with that, Jesus turned and moved on down the road, leaving my boys standing, and me kneeling in the dirt.
I slowly got up, shrugged my shoulders and shook my head. My boys started to head on down the road with Jesus, and I couldn't believe it. "You're still going to follow him?" I asked. "After that?" They didn't say anything for a moment, then Johnny said, "Well, yes. He's the Messiah, after all." And off they went.
I snorted as I turned away from them. "Messiah?" I said. "What kind of Messiah doesn't just give you anything you want?"
Messiah? I wasn't so sure, but the more my boys talked, the more I became convinced he at least had some power, and that he might have been a good person for my boys to hang out with after all. And he might be the best hope we've had for a generation for getting rid of the Romans. A lot of people were listening to him, after all!
But my boys needed some help with their ambition. I mean, if Jesus was the Messiah, as they thought, then he had come to set up a kingdom here on earth. That was what the rabbis all said the Messiah would do. And if he was going to set up a kingdom, if he was going to take on the Romans, then he was probably going to choose come of those twelve friends of his to be his lieutenants. Why not my boys?
So I decided to help him with that decision. I walked up to Jesus, knelt down and point blank asked him, "Will you do me a favor, Jesus?"
"What is it?" he asked.
"I would like my boys, Jimmy and Johnny, to be seated at your right hand and your left hand when you come into power, when you take over this kingdom. I think my boys are just the right ones to be your second-in-commands."
At that point, Jesus looked past me and toward my boys, who were standing behind me, sort of huddled together. He had a look on his face like he'd heard this before. "Well, well," he said, "can you drink the cup I am about to drink?"
My boys looked at each other, and then back at Jesus. "We can," they said confidently. I was so very proud of them.
Jesus shook his head, though. "You don't know what you're talking about. You don't know what lies ahead at Jerusalem. You will drink the same cup I am going to drink, but it's not up to me who sits on my right or left. It's not like that." And with that, Jesus turned and moved on down the road, leaving my boys standing, and me kneeling in the dirt.
I slowly got up, shrugged my shoulders and shook my head. My boys started to head on down the road with Jesus, and I couldn't believe it. "You're still going to follow him?" I asked. "After that?" They didn't say anything for a moment, then Johnny said, "Well, yes. He's the Messiah, after all." And off they went.
I snorted as I turned away from them. "Messiah?" I said. "What kind of Messiah doesn't just give you anything you want?"
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