“You don’t know what you’re asking!
Can you drink from the cup that I’m about to drink from?”
Matthew 20:22

I think the mother of the disciples of James and John must have thought that Jesus was a kind of “American Idol”! Their mom saw how famous Jesus had become and she wanted her sons to be part of all that fame. Jesus had to set her straight. The fame that Jesus was having soon turned to the shame of the cross, since his enemies got jealous of him for being so famous. However, because of Jesus’ love for us, that shame turned to fame again in the resurrection.

So if you want to be a “Kingdom Idol,” just keep loving, no matter what. You’ll run into some suffering, but just keep your eyes upon Jesus.

Matthew 20:20-34 

Check out Study Tools in BibleGateway.
I especially recommend the free resource
in Matthew Henry’s Commentary.‘s Commentary.

In Year A, we continue to read from the Gospel of St. Matthew.

These Firestarters are for families with children. For the Firestarters in the original edition, I recommend the ebook.  You will have the entire program of well over a thousand of these introductions with you on your phone or table! Check the menu options at the site for more information.