“DISCIPLINED SERVICE.” MATT. 20:20-28, R0M. 12:
9-13.
MATTHEW 20: 20-21, 22-24, 25-28. ROMANS 12:
9-13.
PLEASE OPEN YOUR BIBLE TO MATTHEW
20.
In Matthew
20: 17-19 we have the first clear description of what Jesus would
experience at the hands of the lawless men in Jerusalem. When we come to vs.
20-28 we see the disciples still expecting Jesus to set up His kingdom on earth.
They still have faith in Jesus accomplishing His kingdom. Yet, they had been
confused ever since Caesarea Philippi. He was always making them uncomfortable
by talking of a cross, and they could not believe that by death life could
begin; that through defeat a crown would come.
The disciples, even as the world today, measured a person
in terms of his greatness. Jesus measures a person in terms of his service.
These two contrasting value systems come into conflict in our lesson today. So
let’s look first at the bold request of these relatives of Jesus.
1. PLEASE READ MATTHEW 20:
20-21.
The most amazing thing about the request is that it came
right after Jesus prediction of His approaching voluntary humiliation. The King
had set His face toward Jerusalem, and the next thing was the cross, the thing
for which He was almost eager; the thing concerning which He continued to speak
to these men. But they were anxious about the keys, and the seats of power, and
precedence. How familiar these are in our pursuits today.
Now comes His Aunt Salome, His mother’s sister with the
two sons of Zebedee, James and John. Kin-folks are usually less hesitant to ask
favors than others. We do not know if it was these two cousins of Jesus or their
mother who initiated the request that was made. They came with a “blank check”
request. How did Jesus respond to their request?
If Salome did not initiate the bold request, she was
willing to ask this favor for her sons. She was not the first or the last parent
who was overly ambitious for her children. More than likely James and John were
behind the request. Jesus responded in vs. 22-23 by addressing the two men.
All the three came to Jesus in a spirit of worship or at
least reverence, since the word may be rendered “knelt down”. Salome came
desiring a certain thing of Him.
This was like asking, “Will You do us a favor?” Jesus asked, “What do
you want?” She responded: Grant that these two sons may sit, the one on
thy right hand, and the other on the left in thy kingdom.
The right hand was the place of highest honor and the
left was the next.
James and John may have thought that they were the
logical choices to be in these places. After all, In Matt. 17: 1 Jsus took only
Peter, James and John with Him to the Mount of Transfiguration. They probably
felt that these three formed a kind of inner circle among the twelve disciples.
They may have felt that the outspoken Peter had lost his role as spokesman for
the group. He had dared in Matt. 16:22-23 to rebuke Jesus. If Peter was out of
the picture, that left only the two sons of Zebedee. Plus, these two were
related to Jesus and Peter was not.
As we read this request, we are embarrassed for this
mother and her two sons. Seen from the perspective of the cross and the
resurrection, their request was totally inappropriate. The request showed that
they had totally missed the main point that Jesus had been trying to teach them.
Beginning with Peter’s confession, Jesus had been telling them of the necessity
of His suffering, death, and resurrection. On that day He had told them whoever
followed Him must deny himself and take up his cross. Peter had rebuked Jesus,
showing how little he understood of the mission of the suffering Servant. Jesus
repeated this teaching after the transfiguration. Jesus had made the same basic
prediction just before this request was made.
The failure of James and John to understand is seen in
the fact that their topic of conversation was which of them would be the
greatest in the coming kingdom. On one occasion, during their argument, Jesus
placed a little child in the middle. Then He said that no one would enter the
kingdom until he came like a little child. He reinforced this by saying In Matt.
18:4, “Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as
this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
James’s and John’s request may have been based on what
Jesus said in Matt. 19:28. “And Jesus said unto
them, verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration
when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon
twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel,” but they failed
to hear these words in light of the context. After the rich young ruler had
failed to give up all things in Matt 19: 16-26, Peter asked Jesus what their
rewards would be. Jesus answered their question in two ways. First He assured
the disciples of an abundant reward. He states these rewards in earthly terms
that they could understand. One promise was that each of them would sit on one
of 12 thrones, judging the 12 tribes of Israel. Picking upon this picture, James
and John were asking to be on the thrones of greatest honor. They missed the
second part of Jesus’ answer, which had the theme, “But, many that are first shall be last, and the last shall
be first.” In order to illustrate this enigmatic saying; Jesus told
the parable of the labors in the field in Matt. 20: 1-16. This story is not a
lesson on fair payment for work; it teaches that all our so-called rewards are
actually gifts of God’s grace.
2. PLEASE READ MATTHEW 20:
22-23.
What did Jesus do with these disciples? Observe first,
His patience in that He did not say one single angry word. Instead, in all
tenderness He said, “You know not what you ask. Are
you able to drink of the cup that I am about to drink?” And when they
said, “We are able,’ He did not even then tell them that it was
impossible. No, He allowed them to come into fellowship. Jesus told them that if
they wanted to share the glory, they would have to share the suffering. Jesus
then spelled out something of what that suffering would be. He tried to open
their eyes to His mission and theirs.
Quickly and somewhat glibly they answered. We are
able. There must have been sadness in the eyes of Jesus as He thought of the
irony of their answer. They spoke more truth than they knew. He acknowledged
that they would indeed share His cup and baptism, although only later would they
realize what Jesus meant.
James was the first one of the to be put to death. Herod
Agrippa 1, grandson of Herod the Great, executed James in Acts 12:1-2. John was
exiled to an island late in his life in Rev. 1:9. Some ancient records say that
he too was a martyr: others have him living to an old age. In light of John
21:22, the latter tradition was probably correct. In either case, both brothers
faced persecution. They were able to face it because the Spirit empowered
them.
Responding directly to the original request, Jesus said that He as the incarnate Son of God was not able to assign places on His right and left hand. These places were prepared of His Father. “During His incarnation, the Son of God remained functionally subordinate to the Father, despite their equality in essence.” Matthew 28:18 says that all authority will be delegated to Christ after His resurrection, but for now Jesus has voluntarily relinquished some of that authority.
In Philippines 2:5-8 Paul wrote, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But
made himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was
made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled
himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the
cross.”
3. PLEASE READ MATTHEW
20:24-28.
The other 10 disciples heard the conversation between
Salome, Jesus, James and John. They became indignant with the two
brothers. They might have thought Salome and her sons had taken unfair
advantage based on their family relationship to Jesus. Probably the disciples’
indignation arose more from jealousy than anything else. Jesus praised
selflessness, not selfishness.
When Jesus heard or saw the indignation that the 10
disciples had toward James and John, He called them over to Him and taught them
how they and anyone else could become great and occupy a high place in His
kingdom. First, He reminded them how the Gentiles looked at greatness and how
their great leaders used their positions. Their rulers would dominate or lord it
over their people and make the people serve them. But that is not the principle
of His kingdom. His disciples must not be like the leaders of earthly kingdoms
by seeking the highest place and lording it over the people and make the people
serve them. On the contrary, in His kingdom anyone who would be great must be a
servant, not a lord.
In earthly kingdoms, greatness is thought to be in those
who hold the highest offices and exercise the most power over others. In Jesus’
kingdom, greatness is found in those who have given their lives to serve others.
Also, in His kingdom the person who wants to be first
must be a slave to others. The word “slave” referred to a person who was owned
by another, who was under their authority, and whose life was spent serving them
and doing as they commanded. People in earthly kingdoms reward and look up to
people whose greatness is due to office or position. In the Lord’s kingdom,
people are rewarded by the Lord for their willingness to let Him be Lord and
their willingness to serve Him as His slave. Neither kingdom acknowledges the
principle used by the other. That is why serving others instead of seeking to
rule over others is so strange and foreign to today’s world.
To illustrate His principle of servant-hood, Jesus used
Himself as an example. He reminded the disciples that the Son of Man did not
come to this earth to be served, but to serve. The title Son of Man is one of
the ways the N.T. refers to Jesus as God in the flesh and the agent of divine
judgment. No one is greater than God, and no one is greater than the Judge of
all. Yet He came to earth to serve all.
The way the Son of Man serves humanity was to give His
life—a ransom for many. Christ willingly gave Himself so people could have
eternal life. Servant-hood is based on giving to others, not being served by
others. The ultimate gift to others is one’s life. Jesus gave people many great
things (bread, healing, blessings). But His supreme gift was his life. Serving
others in Christ’s name is a good discipline that advances personal growth in
Christ-likeness. Servant-hood is a lifetime commitment that will mean giving
one’s whole life to serving Christ.
Christ served all people by giving Himself as a ransom
for many. A ransom was a price paid for the freedom or deliverance of a slave or
a captive. We were captives and slaves to sin. But Jesus paid the price for our
freedom, which was to give Himself as a substitutionary sacrifice for our sins.
He died that all may be forgiven of their sins and experience His redemption.
Many have trusted in Him, and many more need to come to Christ.
When believers are servants, they become like Christ, who
is the ultimate Servant. Christians need to resist the temptation to want to be
served by everybody else, and they need to commit to the discipline of serving
God and others. The more we serve, the more we grow in Christ-likeness.
PLEASE TURN TO ROMANS 12.
Paul is here writing to a church he had never seen but he
knew several of the members of the church there. He was eager to have them
involved in Christian service.
4.
PLEASE READ ROMANS 12: 9-13.
Vs. 21 ends with “conquer evil by doing good.” Paul spent a lot of time at the beginning of his letter to Rome on the need for believing what is good. Now he is getting down where we live. In fact, he is starting to sound like a meddler. He wants us to do what is good. Literally, to be glued to what is good.
We Christians speak much of loving God, loving one
another, loving mankind. What does all this “lovely” talk mean? For one
thing, says Paul, it means that you quit playing “let’s pretend.’ Quit
being a phony.
For example, Paul says in vs. 9 that we should “Hate what
is wrong. Stand on the side of good.” This means more than just staying out of
trouble. It means getting involved with trying to change things for the
better---where we work, around your school and above all, in your own home with
your own family.
One of the major traps for Christians today is that we
are surrounded by so much evil and sin that we grow used to it. We are no longer
shocked. We learn to “get along,” to keep our mouth shut, to not make
trouble. A lot of Christians avoid evil, but they do not hate it.
A lot of Christians are for the good, but they do not fight for
it. A lot of what is called Christianity is really passive compromise
with sin.
But where do you get the power, the motivation to conquer
evil by doing good? Love. Genuine love is the needed thing.
“Don’t just pretend that you love others, really love them.” Romans 12 is a
short course in being concerned for others rather than yourself. This is the
hardest thing we can be asked to do. Our psychological make-up demands that we
worry first about Old No. 1. Self-preservation is as natural as
breathing. We are quick to defend ourselves and our rights. Our egos are labeled
“handle with care. We bruise easily.
When God saved us, He placed us in a family of faith called he church. That was by divine design. He knows that believers need tangible expression of His love. Therefore, God’s Word instructs us to show family affection to one another with brotherly love. Our knowing that fellow believers genuinely care for us strengthens us. And our showing other believers that we love them is a powerful means of Christians service.
And then we become Christians. Suddenly, we have no
rights, only duties. How unfair can things get? Yes, it would be unfair if
the Christians had no resources, no help. To live as Paul suggests in Romans 12
is humanly impossible. It is, however, supernaturally possible, as
he clearly pointed out back in chapters 6, 7, and 8 of Romans. Walking in the
Spirit is not some quaint religious exercise. It is for the street, where
you live.
Paul is getting painfully practical now. You say you are
crucified with Christ? You say you have “died to sin and risen again with
Christ?” What better way, then, to test all your new powers than to see if you
actually can live and love unselfishly. To try to love others unselfishly and at
the same time be concerned with standing up for your rights is a
contradiction in terms. You cannot serve God and self. You cannot go around
with the Bible in one hand and waving your personal Bill of Rights in the
other.
But so few Christians really show unselfish love. Why
should I be the one to start? Yes, why should you? You probably wouldn’t do a
very good job of it anyway. People would just think you had suddenly gone a
little hyper-spiritual or something. You could even lose some social
prestige.
There all kinds of excuses ”to not get carried
away” with the list of good deeds in Romans 12. But the excuses don’t make
the standard any less valid. Paul is not nailing up a list of laws that the
Christian has to obey without a slip. He is setting up goals to aim at, to set
our sights on.
Do not lack diligence in vs. 11 is a way of saying,
“Don’t be lazy.” How easy it is to drift spiritually, to let others do
the praying and serving. Each church needs every member to grab and oar and row.
Related to that is being fervent in spirit. Some Bible students view spirit as
the Holy Spirit and understand this as a call to be constantly filled with the
Spirit. The resulting idea in either case is being zealous to serve the Lord.
The Spirit uses God’s people, God’s Word and prayer
to renew and to fuel our passion for Christ.
Of course we won’t do a perfect job of unselfish loving.
Of course we may be criticized, even laughed at. But when Paul talks in Romans
12 of honoring others, of never being lax in Christian zeal, of being glad and
patient in trouble, of helping others in need, of praying for those who harm
us…he is simply putting muscle on the idea of presenting our body as a
“living sacrifice” as commanded in Rom.
12:1.
This business of being a living sacrifice was well put by
a missionary who had this advice for a young fellow who was thinking about the
mission field. “Instead of going to the refrigerator for a bite before gong to
bed, or to the corner drugstore for a coke, try going to bed without it. You
won’t die and you won’t miss it when you can’t get it out
there.”
“But I’m not going to the mission field,” you say. Aren’t you? Where do you think you are right now? Is your home, or school, or place of work really any less a mission field than the streets of Bombay or the Auca country of Ecuador?
Every Christian is a missionary, because a missionary is
one who is sent to bring and to be the Good News to others. Every Christian is
called to present his body as a living sacrifice. Don’t just pretend to love
others. Really love them---by going out of your way to help them, by taking
their guff, by overlooking their faults, by refusing to retaliate.
Does our Christianity reveal a bogus brand of counterfeit
love? Genuine Christian love means first that we sincerely, unselfishly offer
our daily life to God. He then proves, tests, and tempers
our sincerity and unselfishness by sending us out to live among our fellow
men.
Christ came, lived, and died to
serve all humanity. Everything that He said or did as well as how He said and
did things had to do with His service. Everything Paul instructed believers to
do in these verses were things Jesus did as God’s servant. As Christi’s
servants, we must be consistent, genuine, and Christ-like.
That goal is the reason for the need to exercise the discipline of service.
We all fail, some of us many times, to show perfect
Christian love. But faith begins where failure leaves off. We are not only saved
from the penalty of sin by faith. We not only conquer sin and temptation by
faith. We serve and love by faith as
well.
Serving others often is more difficult than it sounds. Some people are more difficult to serve than others. Some show appreciation; others do not. Having the heart of a servant means that we sincerely care about others just as Jesus cared for us. We should want His love to flow through us to others regardless of whether we think they deserve it or not. After all, since Christ loves us, how can we do anything less than share His love with those around us? Let us diligently practice the discipline of serving others in Jesus name.
It is this living and loving and serving… it is in the
daily routine---the “rat race” of life---that we have countless opportunities to
be a living sacrifice… or just a burnt offering.
NEXT SUNDAY’S LESSON CERTAINLY FITS THE TIME IN WHICH WE
LIVE. “COURAGE TO STAND FOR GOD.” DEBORAH AND BARAK ARE THE TWO JUDGES THAT
‘DEMONSTRATE SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP.” JUDGES 4 & 5.
A.V. DAUGHERTY SS02-29-04.