EARTHLY OR ETERNAL REWARDS

 

EARTHLY OR ETERNAL REWARDS “You do not know what you are asking,” Jesus replied. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” Matthew 20:22 Every true mother wants the best for her children. The mother of James and John had a worldly dream for her sons, wanting them to have high positions in Christ’s kingdom. But she was mistaken in what she asked for, because she expected Jesus to set up an earthly kingdom, when he would establish a spiritual kingdom instead. Often, we ask God to bless us, and He does, but His blessings may come in ways we would never expect. Jesus asked James and John, "Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?" They answered without hesitation, "Yes, we can." (Whatever it takes, you name it, we'll do it.) James and John did not shrink from the “cup” they asked for, though they didn’t fully understand its cost at the time. James would become the first apostle to be martyred. John lived a long life, with victories and persecution and torture, exile and end times visions, until he died of old age, proclaiming the love of God from his deathbed. The brothers earned their rewards, as promised, but the journey was more difficult than they anticipated in the beginning. Christ answers our mistaken prayers in ways that are far better than what we could imagine for ourselves. He did give James and John high places in his kingdom, but not in the way their mother had envisioned. She was thinking of earthly rewards, but Jesus gave them everlasting eternal rewards and a crown of glory. By J.R. Miller, updated by C.S.