Category: Matthew 20

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Luke Luke 18 Mark Mark 10 Matthew Matthew 20

Looking beyond ourselves

The gospels

As I read the story of Bartimaeus and his friend, what strikes me is the incredible compassion and love Jesus had for people.

Here Jesus is, headed for the cross, and his closest friends, despite all he’s told him, still don’t understand what’s about to happen.

In that situation it would have been understandable for him to get lost in his own thoughts, frustrations, and anxieties. But as he is walking along, he hears a familiar cry.

Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us! (Matthew 20:30)

It would have been so easy to miss. And even easier to ignore, pretending that he didn’t hear these two men over the crowd. Particularly since the people around these men were telling them to shut up.

But instead, Jesus stopped, and said, “Call them.”

And when these two men came up to him, he asked, “What do you want me to do?”

They replied, “Lord, we want to see.”

And Matthew tells us that Jesus was filled with compassion for these two men, touched them, and healed them.

Instead of focusing on his own troubles and frustrations, Jesus saw beyond himself to the needs of those crying out for help.

I wonder. How often do we see beyond ourselves and see the needs of others as Jesus did.

How often do we instead only look at ourselves and our needs and frustrations? And because of that we either miss or ignore the opportunities we have to reach out with God’s love.

I found out yesterday that Robin Williams died, apparently from suicide. Here was a man that brought so much laughter and even comfort to others. And yet, he was also a man tortured by his own demons.

And I wonder, “Was there a Christian in his life that missed that chance to minister to him?”

Maybe there wasn’t. And if there was, I’m not saying that I’m condemning them for missing that chance. Because I have missed too many opportunities of my own. I’ve failed.

May we learn to be like our Savior. Looking beyond ourselves long enough to see the needs and hurts of those in our lives. And like our Savior, reaching out with the hand of God to bring healing in their lives.

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Mark Mark 10 Matthew Matthew 20

A totally different attitude

The gospels

As I mentioned in my last blog, though Jesus had been as crystal clear with the disciples as he possibly could, they still didn’t get it. They still didn’t get why he was there, and what was facing them.

Because if they had, I can’t imagine that James and John would have asked Jesus what they did, prompted by their mother or not.

They said,

Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory. (Mark 10:37)

One wonders how Jesus felt. Here he had just told them that he was going to die, and they were fighting for position in his kingdom. And so he said,

You don’t know what you are asking…Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with? (Mark 10:38)

In other words, “Haven’t you been listening to anything I’ve been saying? I’m going to die. You want to die on my right and left?”

That’s what he meant, but as usual, Jesus’ words went right over their heads, and they replied, “We can.”

Jesus then told them,

You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with. (Mark 10:39)

And in time, both of them would suffer for Christ. James was beheaded, and John was forced into exile.

But Jesus also told them,

But to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared. (Mark 10:40)

When the other disciples heard about James’ and John’s request, they became indignant.

Why? Because James and John were so insensitive to Jesus’ plight? No, they were indignant because they hadn’t thought of asking Jesus first. And each of them thought they were more qualified than the others.

But Jesus pulled them together, and he told them,

You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.

Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,
and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10:42-45)

Essentially what Jesus told them was, “Guys, you need a little attitude readjustment.

“All of you are so worried about your position in my kingdom, because you think that a high position means a cushy life. That it means ordering people around, and having them obey your every whim.

“But that’s not what greatness in my kingdom means. If you truly want to be great, you need to serve. And if you want to be at the very top, you need to be the slave of all.

“After all, I’m not here to have other people serve me. I’m here to serve and give my life for them.”

I’ve got to admit, I’m far from having this kind of attitude. And it’s a struggle sometimes, because it’s so easy to compete and compare myself with others.

But when we do ministry, the point is not to show ourselves better than others, it’s to serve them.

This is true not just in ministry, but in every aspect of life. At work, we need to be serving our customers and coworkers.

And in our homes, men especially need to have this kind of attitude as head of the household. An attitude of serving their wives and children.

And to be honest, I fail far too often in all three arenas.

And so I guess my prayer is the one that James and John offered in that old Christian musical “The Witness.” After hearing Jesus’ words, they prayed,

Lord make me like you. Please make me like you.
You are a servant. Make me one too.

O Lord I am willing.
Do what you must do to make me like you Lord.
Make me like you.

Whatever you do Lord, please make me like you.

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Luke Luke 18 Mark Mark 10 Matthew Matthew 20

Failing to see what is clear

The gospels

As I look at this particular story, it is the last phrase in Luke’s account that strikes me.

The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about. (Luke 18:34)

“This” and “its” of course is referring to Jesus’ telling them that he would be betrayed and crucified, and then rise again from the dead.

Luke’s words strike me because Jesus spoke so plainly. I really don’t see how they could possibly misunderstand him. Yet, as clearly as Jesus spoke, they could not understand.

Why not?

Perhaps one reason was that they simply weren’t ready to understand. And that’s true with many of us as we look at scripture.

When we are young as Christians, some things are simply difficult to understand. But as we mature in our knowledge and our faith, we start to grasp the things God is telling us.

Perhaps there was some of this at work in the disciples, but I think there were other things as well.

For one thing, they didn’t want to understand. They didn’t want to believe that Jesus would die. And because they didn’t want to believe that he would die, any words concerning his death and resurrection went right past them.

For another, they were too focused on what they wanted, rather than what God’s will was. You only have to look at James’ and John’s request a few verses later to see that.

How often are we the same? We see something crystal clear in scripture, or God speaks to our heart so clearly that there should be no way that we can miss it, and yet we do.

Looking back, it should have been so clear to me that God was calling me to Japan. Time and again, people were telling me, “I can’t see you working at a regular desk job. I see you in ministry.”

Or sometimes they said outright, “I can see you being a missionary in Japan.”

But because I had no interest in ever leaving Hawaii, no less going to Japan, I couldn’t see it for a long time.

And whenever I read passages like, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” my thought was always, “Well, God isn’t calling ME to do that.”

It took several years, and a lot of work on God’s part to actually turn my heart, but when he did, I found the joy of following him and doing what he has said.

And so will you if you’ll soften your heart to him.

So the question is, “Where is your heart? Have you blinded yourself to what God is saying to you? Or have you opened your heart completely to what God is telling you?”

May our words to our Lord always be, “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.”

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Matthew Matthew 20

But it’s not fair!

Matthew

I believe this parable Jesus told was in direct response to Peter’s question of,

We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us? (Matthew 19:27)

And in telling this story, I think Jesus meant both to encourage Peter, but also to warn him.

Jesus told of a man who hired different workers throughout the day to work in his vineyard.

To the first crew he hired, he specifically negotiated an amount to pay them. (A denarius, which in those days was a typical salary for a full day’s work).

To the remaining crews he hired, no specific amount was negotiated. Instead, he simply said,

You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right. (Matthew 20:4)

At the end of the day, he paid the workers who started later first, and he paid each of them a denarius.

So when the people who had started from early in the morning walked up to get their pay, they obviously expected to get paid more.

Instead, they got one denarius as well. Because of this, they started to grumble. And rightfully so.

Some of the other workers only worked a single hour. And yet, they got paid the same as the ones who had worked all day.

But look at the landowner’s response.

I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you.

Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous? (Matthew 20:13-15).

In other words, the workers couldn’t complain that they had been cheated. They received the exact amount that they had negotiated for in the morning.

They weren’t angry because they were cheated, but because the landowner was generous with the others who had come later.

What was Jesus’ point to Peter?

“Don’t worry so much about ‘what you’ll get’ for following me. Don’t worry about getting ‘what you deserve.’

And don’t go comparing yourself to other people, concerning yourself with how much you’ve given up and how much they have given up. You will be rewarded.

But understand: God isn’t so much interested in giving people what they deserve. He is a God that delights in giving so much more.

That said, if you are too worried about getting ‘what you deserve,’ God may just give it to you…and nothing more.

But if you do what God asks, without worrying about what others are doing, or how much more you should be rewarded for what you’ve done, you’ll find that God is so much more generous than you can possibly imagine.”

How about you? Are you constantly comparing yourself to others? Are you always wondering why God seems to be blessing others more than you even though you are ‘doing more’?

Remember that grace has nothing to do with ‘what we deserve.’

Rather grace is all about God’s goodness to us though we deserve nothing.

Truth be told, the only thing we deserve from God is death, because all of us has sinned.

So let us not focus on what we deserve. Rather let us rejoice that in God’s grace, he gives us what we don’t deserve: Eternal life. Joy. Peace. Love.

And he gives to us abundantly.