y men's lives,
but to save them." And so He inspired them with another spirit, as He
quietly led them "to another village." We sadly turn to another scene in
which imperfection in the beloved disciple is especially revealed.

The favored brothers had not yet learned perfectly the lesson of
humility which their Lord had tried to teach them. They were still
devoted to Him, following Him, loving Him. But they still misunderstood
what He said about His death, and His kingdom, in which they hoped for
the most honored places. They wanted to be assured of promotion above
their fellow-disciples. They were earnest in an unholy desire. They had
a bold, ambitious request to make of the Lord. It was the chief occasion
on which their pride was revealed. We have two accounts of it. In one of
them the mother Salome appears as the speaker. She brings her sons to
Jesus, prostrates herself before Him, and offers this petition, "Grant
that these my two sons may sit, the one on Thy right hand, and the other
on Thy left, in Thy Kingdom." She had a loving mother's pride. She was
the aunt of Jesus, and perhaps felt that because of this relationship,
her sons had a right which the other Apostles could not claim. She had
given them to His service, and had proved her own love and devotion to
Him by following Him with other women of Galilee, ministering to His
comforts. Meanwhile James and John, according to another account,
themselves urged their mother's request saying, "Grant unto us that we
may sit, one on Thy right hand, and one on Thy left hand, in Thy glory."

Mother and sons shared in the spirit of self-seeking and
self-exaltation. But we must not forget that it was faith in Him as the
Messiah, and in His coming "glory," that led them to show it, though in
a mistaken way.

In sorrow and tenderness, and pity for their ignorance, Jesus replied,
"Ye know not what ye ask." While His eye rested on them, His thoughts
were on another scene. It was a cross with Himself upon it, and a
malefactor on each side, instead of the brothers in their pride. As John
at last stood by it, did he recall the hour of his mistaken ambitious
request, which had never been repeated. There had been no need that the
Lord should say to him, as to Moses, "Ask me not again," yet like Moses,
he was to receive a most glorious answer in another form. In his pride,
with an earthly throne in mind, he had asked, "Grant that I may sit with
Thee in Thy glory?" Having conquered