Month: March 2021

Thoughts from Matthew 20…

What makes a person great? As I look back at the great men and women in history, there doesn’t seem to be any single answer. Some had extraordinary talent, such as military leaders like Julius Caesar or Napoleon, or as scientists, such as Albert Einstein or Alexander Graham Bell. Some were gifted storytellers, such as William Shakespeare or Charles Dickens. Some were great statesmen, such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, or Winston Churchill. 

I love the stories such as Harry Potter or The Lord of the Rings, where ordinary, insignificant people rise to greatness when faced with overwhelming challenges. 

But what is God’s definition of greatness? As I read through his Word, I am overwhelmed by the fact that the Lord’s definition of greatness is completely different from my own thinking. He doesn’t identify major talents, abilities, personalities, or even the amount of work that makes a man or woman great. Greatness in His eyes is built on one single factor.

The great person is the one who serves. It is not the authoritative leader but the willing servant who is great in God’s eyes.

Matthew 20:26-28
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.”

There are three scenes Matthew 20 related to greatness. In the first scene, the subject is about Jesus Christ himself. He has already told his disciples that He will die but now it is much more immediate and specific. As He is speaking, they are headed to Jerusalem where He will be betrayed, persecuted, tortured, and crucified. He will die the most humiliating and degrading death on a Roman cross. That is what is in store for the Lord Jesus Christ. But that’s not all, because after three days he will rise again.

The second scene, shortly after his announcement, happens when James and John bring their mother for a special request to Jesus Christ. They would like a special position in His Kingdom, to be able to sit at his right and left when He reigns as King Supreme. They are prepared to do whatever it takes, believing that they have the strength to suffer through the worst torture for this admirable goal. But they’ve missed the point of greatness in His kingdom. The great one isn’t the one who sits beside the King, the great one is the one who is willing to be a servant. Not just a day laborer, but one who totally lays aside his rights, and is a worthless slave to others. Jesus himself was their example because He did not come to be served but to serve had to give his life as a ransom for mankind. He gave his life for the very people who hated him!

And finally, we see the greatness of the Lord Jesus Christ in action. He was walking through the city of Jericho when he was accosted by two blind men, screaming for his attention. They knew who he was, that He could heal them, and so they begged for his mercy. He is a coming king, and won’t He help them? “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asks. “We want to see!” was their reply. Not only did the Lord heal them, but He held them up as an example of great faith. Jesus demonstrated His own service as He went through this town. He was ready to go and give His life to die, yet He stopped to minister to the needs of these two outcasts.

How many times do we shut down messages from the Lord because it seems like bad news? When we close our ears to anything but good news, we are missing His point. We cut out our ability to hear him and our ability to serve because we are no longer listening to the Master.

How many times do we look for an honored or a lofty place, when He would rather have us serve? We may never receive honor from other people, but the true definition of greatness is the one who willingly becomes a servant.

And finally, how many times do I focus on myself when a person with real needs walks directly by me? We need to be willing to stop what we are doing and be interrupted by real needs God‘s kingdom.

May we grow in true greatness as we find opportunities to serve our Lord and to serve others!

Previous post: The Last Will Be First

Thoughts from Matthew 20…

Matthew 19:27 – 20:16
Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ So the last will be first, and the first last.”

The last will be first, and the first last. 

Jesus bookends the parable in Matthew 20 with this statement. The last will be first, and the first will be last. In between, He illustrates this statement with the story of a landowner who needed workers for his vineyard. He found workers at the start of the day and agreed with them to work the day for a single coin.^a Then, throughout the day, he went back to the marketplace, finding additional workers and promising them a fair wage. The final group of workers was sent out at 5:00 — one hour before closing.^b

At closing time, the landowner assembled his workers to pay their wages, starting with the most recent hires. Each worker was given a single coin, regardless of when they started. The earliest group of workers, who had been working all day, expected a higher payment than the others, and grumbled when they received the same coin as everyone else. The master replied to these workers that he was not being unfair because they were being paid what they agreed upon. It was the master’s prerogative to pay as he saw fit and to give generously to others. He had done them no wrong by paying them the same wage as those who had worked for only an hour.

This is a simple parable, but what points should we make from this passage?

First, why had Jesus taught this lesson to His disciples at this time? We can see the intended point of this story by looking at the events that led up to it. The rich young ruler comes to Jesus but leaves in sorrow because he cannot part with his wealth to follow Him (see here). This scene prompted a discussion with the disciples regarding the difficulty of a rich man entering the kingdom of heaven, but with God all things are possible. Peter declared that they had left all of their worldly goods for Him, so what kind of rewards will they have? The Lord’s response is that the twelve apostles will have authority over the tribes of Israel, but all who sacrifice for Jesus Christ will be richly rewarded. Everyone who has left people or possessions behind for His sake will receive back a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

So what was Jesus teaching His disciples with this parable? He had taught that they would be richly rewarded for what they had given up for His sake, and will have eternal life. In this context, He uses the parable to show them that the extent of their rewards cannot be compared with others — neither in their amount nor in their timing.^c There is no room for personal pride nor entitlement in God’s kingdom. The rewards are totally up to God’s sovereign will, but he promises to bless all of us. Be happy that you are blessed and don’t focus on what the others have.

Some workers will work longer, will accomplish more, and may be more famous in His service. Some of His children will live and die in obscurity, completely forgotten by the rest of the world. But neither of these factors are important to The Lord. All who serve Him will have sufferings and persecutions in this world, but will be generously rewarded in His Kingdom.

As we apply this section of God’s Word to our own lives, we first need to to remember not to be concerned about others. God’s plan for others is none of our business. This was the same message that Jesus gave to Peter at the end of His ministry when he asked about John (see here). Our Lord’s message to Peter still applies to us today as he told him, “Don’t worry about my plans for him, you follow me!”

Secondly, we need to remember that God has not forgotten us. He is watching us through every trial and heartache that we are going through. When we obeyed Him and everything worked out with wonderful results, He was there! He has not forgotten and we will be richly rewarded for our service to Him. 

But there are the other times when we simply struggle to get up in the morning. We try to follow Him but things only seem to get worse. We have no words of wonderful praise in our hearts, and everything we do seems to be thrown back into our faces. Yet even in these dark days, He is still there. He has not forgotten and we will be richly rewarded for our struggle for Him. 

Some days we are like Daniel. We give counsel to kings and face down the hungry lions that would devour us. But other days we are like Jeremiah, crying out to God from the bottom of a muddy well. But take comfort that He has not forgotten us! He will give us strength to get through today and promises a wonderful reward in His kingdom!

Mark 10:29-30
Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.

Romans 8:18
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

Hebrews 13:5
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

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