Salome: a mother who sought greatness for her sons and got a lesson in service

Salome was the mother of the Zebedees. John and James were called the Sons of Thunder by Jesus and were two of the three chosen to accompany him on the mountain during the Transfiguration. Her husband and sons operated a prosperous fishing business when Jesus called John and James to join his ministry. She became a devoted follower of Christ. She held the common misconception that the Messiah would drive out the Romans and establish a literal kingdom. Salome would stand with other women at the foot of the cross and witness the horrific death of Jesus. She would also be among the women to hear the good news of the resurrection from the angel at the tomb. However, people know her story as the mother who requested special favors for her sons and received a lesson in what it truly means to be great. 

Knowing that Jesus had nicknamed her sons, the Sons of Thunder, that he had seen greatness in John and James. Why else would they be included in his inner circle with Simon Peter? Jesus had even taken them up the mountain and she had seen their faces when they returned. She had heard their stories about the event on the mountain. Salome then took the opportunity to ask for a special request. She begged Jesus to allow her sons to sit at his side in his kingdom. While Salome was probably thinking she was asking for what she thought would make her sons happy, she did not truly understand the gravity of her request. Jesus’s reply is a lesson on what it means to be great in his kingdom. Later, she would be at the foot of the cross and watch in horror as Jesus breathed his last. Did she remember her request? Did she finally understand what Jesus meant? Did she think about her sons’ futures in horror? Whatever sadness and grief she felt that day would be replaced with joy as she would be among the group of women to hear the angel’s proclamation of the Resurrection. 

Mothers are held in high regard in the Scriptures. While a woman, as a wife, answers to her husband, the rest of the household answers to her. Her primary duty was to produce and care for the children. A mother generally nursed her children for three years and totally cared for at least six years. It would be then that the children would join in helping with either the family business, as sons would join their father in the fields or a trade, and daughters would join their mother with the household tasks. Given the importance of mothers to a child’s early years, it makes sense that Salome still saw it as her role to help promote her sons. A bit misguided? Probably. She could be described as a bulldozer mom. Everyone knows a helicopter mom but do you know a bulldozer mom? According to Sharon Wilharm, a bulldozer mom is a mom who wants the best for their child and will do whatever it takes to make it happen (2021). Instead of encouraging John and James to seek a place of importance in the kingdom, she went straight to Jesus herself. What was wrong with her request? 

Jesus would point out that she did not know what she was asking (Matthew 20:22). He tells her and his disciples that they will suffer as he will (Matthew 20:23) and he gives the lesson to those who want to be great. Simply to be first you must serve. To lower yourself to serve and not to be served (Matthew 20:25-28). He teaches the true meaning of greatness: to serve. Servanthood has been vilified in our culture as very unhealthy, especially women as wives and mothers. However, both men and women are called to model Christ and serve others. The rewards we received in heaven will not be favors. They are given to those who maintained their commitment to Jesus in spite of severe trials. Severe trials could be the loss of friends, family, jobs even the loss of our very lives as we sustain and nurture our commitment to Jesus. Humbling oneself to serve others is not a form of low self-esteem or unworthiness. It is a sign of great love. The greatness of a person among us is the servant to all. When you serve others in big and small ways, you serve Jesus. 

In conclusion, Salome’s story is about a mother and a request and a lesson about what it means to be great. Salome was a mother who saw her sons in a place of importance and she decided to insure their important place. As a mother who saw what she thought would be good for her sons and tried to put a plan into motion, she became a lesson to parents everywhere that eventually our children must put their dreams, ambitions and plans into motion without our unsolicited help. But there is a more important lesson in Salome’s story. Heavenly rewards are not granted, they are earned. When you are persecuted for Jesus, you will reap rewards in heaven (Matthew 5:12). It is a reminder that even when service to others may be overlooked and unappreciated by them, it is not overlooked and unappreciated by Him. 

References

Wilharm, Sharon (2021). Salome Mother of James and John. Sharon Wilharm.com. https://sharonwilharm.com/salome-mother-of-james-and-john/ Retrieved November 19, 2023.