The Family of Zebedee—and Us
What a group is gathered! Jesus. the twelve apostles, and, it seems, the mother of two of those apostles are together. On October 20 when we gathered at Sunday Mass, we heard from Mark’s Chapter 19 about James’ and John’s request for special places of honor near Jesus. It appears that their mother is present for in Matthew’s Chapter 20, she is the spokeswoman for this petition. No matter who presented the supplication to Jesus, the other ten apostles were not pleased.
So what does this scene show the whole People of God about communion on the journey? None of us is finished yet, maybe we’re the kind that takes action to further our ambitions or the kind who feel we’ve been passed over. Maybe we’re neither type or between the two positions, assertive one day and offended the next. We’re all still on the way. What should we consider regarding the impact of our needs on other people? What does this incident say about sticking together even when we don’t like what the other person did?
I also wonder why the strong reference to Zebedee, the father of James and John, even though in both Mark’s and Matthew’s accounts he doesn’t seem to be there with his wife and sons. Yes, Zebedee’s family is related to Jesus and we too have a relationship with him. Furthermore, Zebedee’s name means “The Lord has bestowed.” Indeed, the Lord has bestowed us on each other, some of us in religious communities, all of us in families, parishes and the universal Church. So may we keep our relationships with each other centered on Jesus, not on ourselves.