When We Don’t Fully Understand Yet

Mother: The Mother of Zebedee’s Sons
Scripture: Matthew 20:20–21 NIV

“Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. ‘What is it you want?’ he asked. She said, ‘Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.’”

There are moments in Scripture where people approach Jesus with complete sincerity — and still misunderstand what He is doing.

The mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus believing she was asking for something honorable. She wanted greatness for her children. She wanted closeness to the King. She wanted security, favor, and promise for the people she loved most.

In many ways, her request feels deeply human.

We often believe we understand what God’s plan should look like. We imagine how blessings should unfold, how quickly prayers should be answered, and what favor should feel like when it finally arrives. We expect the process to make sense while we are walking through it.

But Jesus’ response reveals something deeper.

“You don’t know what you are asking.” — Matthew 20:22 NIV

At first glance, His words sound like correction. But there is compassion in them too. Jesus understood that her request was shaped by a limited earthly understanding of what His kingdom truly was.

She thought she was speaking to a coming earthly king.

She thought she was positioning her sons for honor beside a throne people could see.

But Jesus knew the path ahead involved sacrifice, surrender, suffering, service, and eternal purpose.

The irony is that so many people misunderstood Jesus Himself.

They misunderstood His mission, His purpose, and even His identity. Some expected political deliverance. Others wanted immediate earthly triumph. Many rejected Him entirely because He did not fit their expectations of what a Savior should look like.

Even His own disciples struggled to understand what He was telling them.

Jesus spoke openly about sacrifice, death, resurrection, and the kingdom of God, yet they often could not fully grasp the meaning while they were living through it. Their limited understanding affected how they interpreted the process unfolding around them.

And in many ways, we are not so different.

Sometimes our limited perspective keeps us from recognizing what God is truly doing in our lives. We can become so focused on our expectations, timelines, disappointments, or desired outcomes that we struggle to see the deeper work God is accomplishing beneath the surface.

What looks like delay may actually be preparation.

What feels confusing may actually be transformation.

What seems hidden may actually be holy.

The mother of Zebedee’s sons believed she was asking for status and prominence. In her mind, she may have thought she was securing a better future for her sons. But the life Jesus was calling them into was far greater — and far more costly — than she could yet understand.

Her sons would not become men remembered for earthly position beside a temporary throne.

Instead, they became part of the lasting work of Christ.

Thousands of years later, we still speak about their witness, their sacrifice, their obedience, and their willingness to follow Jesus. Their lives became woven into the story of the Gospel itself.

And in a profound way, her request was answered.

Just not in the form she originally imagined.

That is often how God works in our lives too.

Sometimes we ask for comfort, and God calls us into purpose.

Sometimes we ask for recognition, and He develops character.

Sometimes we ask for immediate elevation while He is preparing us for eternal impact.

Before the crucifixion and resurrection, even the disciples still struggled with understanding. Though they walked closely with Jesus, they often interpreted His words through fear, limitation, and earthly expectation.

When Jesus was arrested and crucified, many of them scattered.

Peter denied Him.

Others hid in fear.

They loved Him, but they still did not yet fully understand the magnitude of what was unfolding before them.

But after the resurrection — and especially after Pentecost — something changed.

The revelation of who Jesus truly was transformed them.

The Holy Spirit gave clarity where confusion once lived.

The kingdom was no longer about earthly status or visible position. They finally understood that the mission was about surrender, sacrifice, service, salvation, and becoming witnesses of the risen Christ.

The revelation reshaped the mission.

And perhaps that is part of our journey too.

Sometimes we do not fully understand while we are in the middle of the process. Sometimes we are praying from a place of limitation, fear, disappointment, ambition, or incomplete understanding. But as God continues revealing Himself, our perspective begins to change.

Our priorities change.

Our understanding deepens.

And what once looked confusing begins to make sense through the lens of God’s greater purpose.

There are seasons when we cannot fully understand the process because we are still inside the process. But God sees the full picture from beginning to end. He is not limited by our perspective, our timing, or our temporary understanding.

And just as Jesus continued walking patiently with His disciples while they learned, God continues walking patiently with us as He teaches us to trust Him more deeply.

True greatness in God’s kingdom rarely looks the way the world expects. It is not always the loudest voice, the highest position, or the most visible platform. Sometimes true greatness looks like humility, faithfulness, obedience, compassion, endurance, and quiet surrender over time.

The process may not fully make sense yet.

But God is still working.

And even in the places where your understanding is incomplete, His wisdom remains perfect.

Reflection

Have there been places where your expectations of God’s timing, process, or definition of success needed to be reshaped? What might God be teaching you in this season that you could not fully understand before?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for being patient with us even when we do not fully understand what You are doing. Help us trust You when the process feels unclear and when our expectations need realignment. Teach us to seek Your wisdom over our own understanding and to value the kind of greatness that matters in Your kingdom. Strengthen our faith to continue walking with You even when we cannot yet see the full picture. Thank You for continuing to guide, correct, and grow us with love and grace. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Leona