Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Him with her sons, worshipping and asking something of Him.
And He said to her, “What do you want?” She said to Him, “Say that these two sons of mine will sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your kingdom.”
—Matthew 20:20-21
Which of these two is the more fearful: Nineveh, representing the material world, or Babel, representing the religious world? Babel, without question. People have a natural desire to serve God, and once they feel they are serving God and living for Him, they also feel this is a glory for them. This is a powerful sensation. When someone serves God, he is respected and revered, even by those who have high positions in the material world. To be able to say that you represent God affords you the highest status.
Consider the mother of James and John. She craved a position for her two sons and asked that they would sit next to the Lord in His kingdom. Jesus replied, “You do not know what you are asking,” and then said to her sons, “Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” (Matt. 20:20-23). In other words, Jesus was saying, “To have a position in My kingdom is not a matter of where you sit, but of how much you are willing to die to yourself.”
Adapted from The Reality of the Divine Stream, page 23.
Tomorrow: “Be Careful of Falling Into Babel”