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Gospel Reading for March 04, 2026 – Matthew 20: 17-28
ADULATION or RECOGNITION
As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the Twelve disciples aside by themselves, and said to them on the way, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”
Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something. He said to her, “What do you wish?” She answered him, “Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom.” Jesus said in reply, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?” They said to him, “We can.” He replied, “My chalice you will indeed drink, but to sit at my right and at my left, this is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” When the ten heard this, they became indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus summoned them and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
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Parents, be careful what you wish for your children. What you desire for them may not always be what is best. God may have a different plan, a unique mission prepared just for them—and without realizing it, you may stand in the way. In doing so, they could be deprived of the very purpose for which they were sent.
The mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, did not fully understand who Jesus was or the true nature of his Kingdom. Out of ambition for her sons, she imagined an earthly reign—one, as Jesus described, where rulers “lord it over” their subjects and make their authority felt.
But in God’s Kingdom, greatness is measured not by power or position, but by the depth and generosity of one’s service to those in need. There is no need for ADULATION or RECOGNITION. In fact, when these are absent, the service becomes even more pure and pleasing to God.
Lord Jesus, you are truly great. Though you are the Son of God, you came into this world not to be served but to serve, and to give your life so that we might all be saved!
