Matthew 20:21

"Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, kneeling and asking a certain thing of him."

Key Reflection

The mother's action of kneeling before Jesus symbolizes the humility and devotion required in seeking divine favor. Her request for her sons to sit at Jesus' right and left hints at the intense ambition and desire for exaltation, reflecting the human inclination towards self-importance even among believers.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Verse 21. Grant that these my two sons may sit, etc. They were still looking for a temporal kingdom. They expected that he would reign on the earth with great pomp and glory. They expected that he would conquer as a prince and a warrior. They wished to be distinguished in the day of his triumph. To sit on the right and left hand of a prince was a token of confidence, and the highest honour granted to his friends, 1 Ki 2:19; Ps 110:1; 1 Sa 20:25. The disciples here had no reference to the kingdom of heaven, but only to the kingdom which they supposed he was about to set up on the earth.

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