Matthew 20:20-28 The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven

Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons, bowing down and making a request of Him. And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She said to Him, “Command that in your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit one on your right and one on your left.” But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said to Him, “We are able.” He said to them, “My cup you shall drink; but to sit on my right and on my left, this is not mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.” And hearing this, the ten became indignant with the two brothers. But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

People from the worldly realm do not understand power or glory. They understand the pleasure of recognition in front of men, as was the case with the Pharisees, but that recognition before God Almighty is not impressive. To the Father, a true servant is a good shepherd, one who takes care of the others, instead of being taken care of by the flock. A good shepherd leads the flock and provides for them. This is what Jesus said of himself. He said,” I am the Good Shepherd, and I lay my life down for them.” So when the disciples asked for places of honor in the kingdom, he could only say they no not what they ask.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, let me take what you have given me and multiply it for you. I ask not for more than what you have given, only that I use what you have given me wisely for your sake. I pray in your holy name Amen.

Matthew 20:17-19 Death, Resurrection Foretold

As Jesus was about to go up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, and on the way He said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, and will hand Him over to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify Him, and on the third day He will be raised up.”

The life of Jesus as told in the gospels presents periods of ups and downs. We see Jesus teaching, and then forecasts of doom. Then we will see Him working miracles and then the reminder of his ultimate death on the cross. The disciples became very perplexed how the magnificent Jesus would always speak of his ultimate and devastating death. But Jesus knew that He needed to place the constant reminders in their minds so that when the reason for His coming arrived, that they would remember and have faith for his resurrection and return. We also, need to have faith in Him that He not only died on the cross and was raised from the dead, but He will return to us in glory on the day of His triumph.

Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are our blessed hope. We long to see You face to face, but until that day, we continue to grow in faith and the knowledge of You. In Your holy name I pray Amen.

Matthew 20:1-16 Don't Covent Anything of Your Neighbor

“The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the market place; and to those he said, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ And so they went. Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did the same thing. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day long?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.’ When those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a denarius. When those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they grumbled at the landowner, saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.’ But he answered and said to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?’ So the last shall be first, and the first last.”

Reading the parable of the vine yard owner, many of us can identify with the first laborers hired. So often it seems in the work force, many who had few sacrifices made gains that took us back breaking labor to have. The point of this lesson by Jesus is to be satisfied with what he has given us and not to look with a desiring eye at what He has given others. Our response is a mix between jealousy and greed, neither of which are traits of those who come to the Kingdom of Heaven. Instead of envy, rejoice with your neighbor so that your Father in heaven will be satisfied with you..

Daily Prayer: Father, you have given to me generously. Thank you. Most of all, You gave Your only Son, so that through my faith in him, I will inherit eternal life. Apart from this, I can ask no more. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

Matthew 19:27-30 The Disciples’ Reward

Then Peter said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed you; what then will there be for us?” And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon 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 farms for my name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last; and the last, first.

The ways of the Kingdom of Heaven are the opposite of the ways of our earthly life. In our earthly life, we seek self-gain and treasure. We bond to our family and desire titles by which we can become known. In the Kingdom of Heaven, nobody lacks any good or physical thing. Our lives are not spent building up ourselves, but glorifying the Father and the Son. Might is not right and the lowly and humble in heart is counted as the greatest in this kingdom. We seek not rule over a group, but seek rule with Christ. Whoever is satisfied on earth, may have missed this kingdom altogether. Jesus declares that those who are satisfied in this life will be last in the end.

Daily Prayer: Father, count it all as joy those things that I go through now. My treasure is not great, but I do not lack bread. Honor belongs to others, but my Lord counts me worthy to die for. And I store up my treasure in heaven, because my Father owns all things and calls me His son. For these reasons, I count it all as joy the life you have given to me. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

Matthew 19:16-26 The Rich Young Ruler

And someone came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” And He said to him, “Why are you asking me about what is good? There is only one who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keeps the commandments.” Then he said to Him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER; YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY; YOU SHALL NOT STEAL; YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS; HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER; and YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?” Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property. And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “And Then who can be saved?” And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

The purpose of this life example is the futility of pleasing God in our flesh. When we depend only on our self, we are limited to our own resources. The Bible teaches us that we cannot serve both God and money. However when we realize that all things are owned by God, it is far wiser to come under God’s protection rather than your own, because God demands it from those whom he saves for eternal life.

Daily Prayer: Father, enable me to surrender all parts of my life to you. I cannot quarrel with you any more than the pot can tell the potter how to make him. Therefore permit me to surrender and join the army of the Lord of Hosts. In Your Holy Name I pray Amen.