Matthew 20:20-28
Then the mother of the sons of Zeb’edee came up to him, with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Command that these two sons of mine may sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave; even as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Homily:
Our relationship with God cannot be transactional. All things we do with a transactional mindset become futile, for example, fast and become righteous, pay tithe and have an overflowing basket, visit the prisoners and obtain mercy.
Our relationship with God needs to be purely based on love. Which is why it is unique for each individual, because we love differently. We obey His commandments out of love, we commune with Him out of love, we walk with Him out of love, we repent and are reconciled out of love and we serve others out of love.
It is unwise to approach a relationship with God with a transactional mindset, because transactions are ultimately laced with manipulation.
Usually we go into a transactional mindset because we think we are unworthy of what we seek. Instead of dealing with the doubts and prompts within us, we choose to find ways to manipulate the system in our favor. It is better to deal with our insecurities or offer them to God to walk with us through it, than to resort to “I will give you this so that I can get that”.