Matthew 20:17-23

v. 17 Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, v. 18 "We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death v. 19 and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!"

Matthew 20
v. 20 Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. v. 21 "What is it you want?" he asked. She said, "Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom." v. 22 "You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said to them. "Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?" "We can," they answered. v. 23 Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father."

A remarkable mother... Mrs. Zebedee, the mother of James and John

HER 3 REMARKABLE QUALITIES:

1. SACRIFICIAL

1 Kings 3:23- 27
V. 23 The king said, "This one says, 'My son is alive and your son is dead,' while that one says, 'No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.' " V. 24 Then the king said, "Bring me a sword." So they brought a sword for the king. V. 25 He then gave an order: "Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other." V. 26 The woman whose son was alive was filled with compassion for her son and said to the king, "Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don't kill him!" But the other said, "Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!" V. 27 Then the king gave his ruling: "Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother."

HER 3 REMARKABLE QUALITIES:

1. SACRIFICIAL 2. SUPPLICATOR/PRAYERFUL

1 Samuel 1:10-18
V. 10 In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the Lord. V. 11 And she made a vow, saying, "O Lord Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head." V. 12 As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. V. 13 Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk V. 14 and said to her, "How long will you keep on getting drunk? Get rid of your wine." V. 15 "Not so, my lord," Hannah replied, "I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. V. 16 Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief." V. 17 Eli answered, "Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him." V. 18 She said, "May your servant find favor in your eyes." Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.

I cannot tell how much I owe to the prayers of my good mother. I remember her once praying, "Now Lord, if my children go on in sin it will not be from ignorance that they perish, and my soul must bear swift witness against them at the day of judgment if they lay not hold on Christ and claim Him as their personal Savior." Charles Haddon Spurgeon

HER 3 REMARKABLE QUALITIES:

1. SACRIFICIAL 2. SUPPLICATOR/PRAYERFUL 3. SUPPORTIVE

I did not have my mother long, but she cast over me an influence which has lasted all my life. The good effects of her early training I can never lose. If it had not been for her appreciation and her faith in me at a critical time in my experience, I should never likely have become an inventor. I was always a careless boy, and with a mother of different mental caliber, I should have turned out badly. But her firmness, her sweetness, her goodness, were potent powers to keep me in the right path. My mother was the making of me. The memory of her will always be a blessing to me.

Thank you Mother...

for being the vessel God used to give me life;

and for the values that you instilled in me that made me who I am today.

for all your prayers and those heartfelt tears; for protecting me through all these years. for the sacrifices you made and for the unlimited love you gave. And so, I thank you from the heart for all you've done for me and I bless the Lord for giving me the best mother there could be!