“And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, 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 — Greek Interlinear
Church Fathers on Matthew 20:21
The Lord having concluded by saying, 'And shall rise again the third day;' the woman thought that after His resurrection He should forthwith reign, and with womanish eagerness grasps at what is present, forgetful of the future.
This mother of the sons of Ze bede e is Salome, as her name is given by another Evangelist, [marg. note: Mark 15, 40; 16, 1] herself truly peaceful, and the mother of sons of peace. From this place we learn the eminent merit of this woman; not only had her sons left their father, but she had left her husband, and had followed Christ; for He could live without her, but she could not be saved without Christ.
e was dead, and that thus her sex helpless, her age advanced, she was following Christ’s steps; for faith never grows old, and religion feels never weary. Her maternal affection made her bold to ask, whence it is said, 'She worshipped Him, and desired a certain thing of Him;' i. e. she did Him reverence, requesting that what she should ask, should be granted her.