Position Driven Request - Mrs. Zebedde!

The wife of Zebedee came to the Lord Jesus with her two sons. She came with a very serious desire, but she coded it inside a powerful worship moment. She bowed, yes. She worshipped, yes. But behind the worship was ambition. And when the worship was over, she opened her mouth and revealed what was really in her heart. She said, “Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.” (Matthew 20:21, KJV).

She didn’t ask for impartation. She didn’t ask for transformation. She asked for position. One on the right. One on the left. That was her agenda. That was her pursuit. Oh what a strategic woman. She wanted her boys permanently stationed next to the Mighty Deliverer. She would sit in the congregation and say, “You see those boys? Those are my sons. After Jesus, it’s Family Zebedee.” That was it. Position. Prestige. Applause.

But Jesus looked at her and responded with fire. “Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of?” (Matthew 20:22, KJV).

This is where many miss it. They see the glory, but they do not see the groaning. They desire the crown, but they are blind to the cross. There is a cup attached to every position. A cup of suffering. A cup of sorrow. A cup of rejection. Even Jesus, when the cup faced Him, prayed and said, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” (Matthew 26:39, KJV).

Can you drink that kind of cup?

Because that is the cup that came with the position. When He cried “I thirst”, they gave Him vinegar to drink (John 19:28–29, KJV). So, dear Mama Zebedee, you see the spotlight, but do you see the scourging? You see the throne, but do you see the thorns? You see the celebration, but do you see the crucifixion?

I have seen it over and over. People scrambling for positions in church. Women pushing their husbands to take spiritual roles they are not prepared for. People desiring what they cannot carry. They forget that there is a weight to every seat, a burden to every title. You want to lead but you do not want to bleed. You want to be seen but you are not ready to suffer. You want the microphone, but you are not prepared for midnight battles and secret tears.

I have seen mothers push their children into schools they are not emotionally, spiritually, or mentally ready for. Not because it is God’s will, but because of status. Just to say “my child is there.” And I have seen people covet the role of the pastor’s wife, trying to look more spiritual, more gifted, more visible. They whisper, “I can do it better. I am more anointed.” Just to take the left or the right.

But hear Jesus again: “Ye know not what ye ask. Can ye drink of the cup?”

That is the question. Are you sure you can handle what comes with that office? Are you ready for the cup of pain, of betrayal, of spiritual warfare, of loneliness, of intense responsibility?

Do not attempt to take a position if you are not ready for the process. Do not sit where your character has not been trained to stand. What position are you even looking for? Do you know what you are asking for? Are you pursuing roles that you do not have the maturity to handle?

You want to sit at the right and at the left, but can you survive vinegar when you are thirsty? Can you endure shame when men mock you and spit on you? Can you carry the weight of leadership when all your strength is gone?

Let your prayer be this: Lord, prepare me for what I am asking for. Let me not pursue a position without first being purged and proven. Let my desires be born out of a true burden for your work, not empty ambition. Teach me to be faithful where I am. Help me to carry the cup before I seek the crown.

Because in this Kingdom, we do not rise by ambition. We rise by surrender. And every throne comes after a cross.