Tag: Salvation

What Do You Think of the Christ? Matthew 22:41-46

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What Do You Think of the Christ?

Matthew 22:41-46

What do you suppose might be the most significant question that anyone could answer? In Matthew 22, we have witnessed the Jewish religious leaders in Jerusalem questioning Jesus just a few days before they would condemn Him and hand Him over to be crucified by the Romans.

You recall that in Matthew 21, Jesus had shaken the whole city when He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt to the praise of the multitudes, shouting,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!
‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’[fn]
Hosanna in the highest!” (Matt. 21:9).

The next day, after He cleansed the temple, saying, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves,’” the chief priests and scribes angrily complained about the praises of the children in the temple saying to Jesus, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”

In the temple again the following day, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and demanded, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?” (Matt. 21:23). And when they would not answer His question about the authority of John’s baptism, Jesus did not directly answer theirs, but rather He told a series of three parables that indicted them for their unrepentant unbelief and rejection of Him, saying, “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.” (Matt. 21:43).

Still unrepentant, the religious leaders then “went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk” (Matt. 22:15). Their plan was to press Jesus with questions designed to trap Him and discredit Him before the people. The Pharisees had asked Jesus about politics; the Sadducees had asked about the afterlife; and the lawyer had asked about the Law. But Jesus answered each question with great wisdom; and He exposed the hard-hearted unbelief of His opponents in the process. In the end, all they succeeded in doing was discrediting themselves.

Finally, Jesus turns the tables and asks them a question that gets down to the central issue. The real issue was not about taxes, or marriage in the resurrection, or the commandments in the law. The real issue was about the identity of the Christ, the promised Messiah. Is Jesus the Messiah? Is He the Son of David as the people had been proclaiming? So Matthew tells us,

41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?”

It’s the most significant question about the most important subject. It is the question that most reveals what is in the human heart, and that most determines our eternal destiny. “What do you think about the Christ?”

Let’s take a closer look at Matthew’s account here. The structure of the passage is simple enough: 1) Jesus questions the Pharisees about the Christ; 2) Jesus challenges the Pharisees with scripture; 3) Jesus silences the Pharisees. 

1. Jesus Asks the Pharisees about the Christ (Matt. 22:41-42).

Matthew tells us, “While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, ‘What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?’” (Matt. 22:41). This is the second time Matthew has shown the Pharisees “gathered together” to plot against Jesus (Matt. 22:15). It reminds us of the prophecy in Psalm 2 which reads,

1 Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the LORD and against His Anointed, … (Psalm 2:1-2).  

When they heard Jesus ask about “the Christ” (which is the Greek word for the Messiah—the Anointed One), they would have understood Him in terms of specific promises of Scripture. All throughout the Old Testament, God had been promising to send One who would deliver His people. The Pharisees all knew about these promises and claimed to believe them. But Jesus gets more specific, asking, “Whose Son is He?”  The word translated “son” in this verse has a wider meaning than our English word son and can also mean descendant. So, Jesus is not necessarily asking about the actual father of the Messiah, but rather the line of descent for the Messiah.

To the Pharisees, the answer was easy, “They said to Him, ‘The Son of David.’” And that made perfect sense. It was the obvious answer. The Messiah is the son of King David, the greatest king in their history, the king against whom all other kings of Israel were measured. They would have remembered the promise that the LORD God gave to David through the prophet Nathan in 2 Samuel 7,

 12 “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” (2 Samuel 7:12-13).

Jesus doesn’t tell them they are wrong. It’s the right answer in fulfillment of the prophecy of scripture. In fact, Matthew has presented Jesus from the beginning of His Gospel as “Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham” (Matt. 1:1) and even gave His genealogy from Abraham through Judah and David all the way to Joseph, the legal adopted father of Jesus. And as we have seen, many have recognized Jesus as the Messiah, calling Him, “the Son of David” (Matt. 9:27; 12:23; 15:22; 20:30,31; 21:9,15).

But is “the Son of David” the complete answer? Jesus goes on to show that that answer alone was only half-correct. A half-correct answer to the most important question of all is not sufficient. The Bible declares that to be our Savior, Christ must also be our Lord.

So we see that …

2. Jesus Challenges the Pharisees with Scripture (Matt. 22:43-45).

Jesus asks them, “How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord’ . . .?” (Matt. 22:43). Then Jesus quotes from Psalm 110:1,

‘The LORD said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool” ’ (Matt. 22:44).

Psalm 110 is a very important psalm. No other portion of the Old Testament is quoted more often in the New Testament than Psalm 110. It is quoted or alluded to at least thirty-three times. Peter preached it on the day of Pentecost. Paul quotes it in 1 Corinthians 15 about the resurrection of the dead. The writer of Hebrews majors on its prophecy. And whenever the New Testament quotes it, it always refers to Jesus.

Notice the authority of the scripture that Jesus appealed to. Jesus accepts the heading of the psalm that it is a “Psalm of David” (Psalm 110:1). Even more than that, He indicates the inspiration of that scripture saying that David wrote it “in the Spirit.” Further, Jesus teaches that the Psalm is a Spirit-inspired prophecy about the Messiah. In it, David looks ahead and expresses worship toward God for the promise of the Messiah that would one day be born from him.

Jesus’ question to the Pharisees about Psalm 110 is, “How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord’ …?” (Matt. 22:43). Why is this significant? Notice the phrase He quotes from Psalm 110:1, “The LORD said to my Lord.” Did you notice that the first word “LORD” is in all-capital letters in your Bible? This is the translators’ way of letting you know that, in the Hebrew, this is the most sacred name of God in all the Hebrew Scriptures—Yahweh. It is the covenant name of the almighty God of Israel. And notice that the second word “Lord” is not in all-capital letters. This is the translators way of letting you know that this second “Lord” is a different word than the first. This second word is Adon (אָדוֹן)—the Hebrew word for “Lord” or “Master”.

We can be sure that all those Pharisees and scribes understood—and rightly so—that here, David speaks of the Messiah. But Jesus’ perplexing question to the Pharisees is: If King David is here speaking of his promised Offspring—the Messiah—then how is it that he also, in prayer before Yahweh, calls his own Son Adoni? How can it be that, in the Spirit, David refers to his promised Son as his “Lord”? Who ever heard of a father calling his son “Lord”? A son might call his father “Lord”, but not the other way around. Everyone knows that a father is always honored as greater than his son. And everyone recognizes King David as the greatest of all the earthly kings of God’s covenant people. So how can it be that, in the power and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, King David calls his own messianic Son “Lord”?

And then, He is not only David’s Lord, but He will sit at the right hand of God. In other words, He will not only sit on David’s throne, but He will sit on God’s throne, at God’s right hand, the place of highest honor. How can that be?

Now that’s a puzzle! But I believe it wasn’t intended to trap them and confuse them—as they had been trying to do to Him. Jesus intended to challenge these men to let go of their preconceived notions about who and what the Messiah ought to be and change their minds (repent) about what they thought of Jesus.

You see; these religious leaders expected a strictly human Messiah. They expected someone to arise from the lineage of King David; and to, like David, be a mighty, conquering king in their own day. They had no thought of the Messiah being something even greater. In all their studies, they never picked up on the fact that the Messiah was not only human, but also God. They should have. Listen to the words of another messianic psalm, Psalm 2,

1 Why do the nations rage,
And the people plot a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,
3 “Let us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us.”
4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh;
The Lord shall hold them in derision.
5 Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,
And distress them in His deep displeasure:
6 “Yet I have set My King
On My holy hill of Zion.”
7 “I will declare the decree:
The LORD has said to Me, ‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
8 Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron;
You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ”
10 Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
11 Serve the LORD with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When His wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him. (Psalm 2:1-12).

The prophet Isaiah wrote about the Messiah,

6 For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. (Isaiah 9:6-7).

They should have know that the Christ was the Son of God not only from the prophesies of scripture, but they should have recognized Jesus was the Son of God by His words and His works. Jesus—though fully human—had been presenting Himself to them as more than a mere man. We’ve seen this throughout our study of Matthew’s Gospel. He had healed the blind and the lame, cleansed the lepers, cast out demons, and raised the dead. He commanded the wind and the waves of the sea, and they obeyed Him. He fed the multitudes and taught with authority as no man had ever taught before. He proved to them over the three and a half years of His earthly ministry that He was more than mere man alone.

But in their hard-hearted unbelief, they rejected the evidence of their own eyes and ears. Now Jesus challenges them to the conclusion about the Messiah that—in their unbelief—they simply would not accept. “If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his Son?” (Matt. 22:45). The Messiah is not only the Son of David. He is the Son of God. Psalm 110 declares that the Messiah sits at the right hand of God in the position of greatest authority and glory. The Messiah will be God’s appointed judge over all humanity. David calls Him “Lord” because the Messiah is God. As the Son of David, He is human. As the Son of God, He is divine.

Here in Matthew 22, Jesus challenges the Pharisees about the Messiah’s identity. But later that week, Jesus will affirm to them that He Himself is the Messiah, that He is the Son of God who fulfills the words of Psalm 110. When Jesus is on trial in Matthew 26, we read,

 “The high priest said to him, ‘I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.’ 64 ‘Yes, it is as you say,’ Jesus replied. ‘But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.’” (Matt. 26:63-64).

There, Jesus combines Psalm 110 with the prophecy of Daniel 7:13, affirming that He is the Christ, the Son of God and Son of Man. Paul confirms this in Romans 1, writing about “… Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.”

David calls the Messiah Lord, so how can he be his son? There is only one answer. The Messiah must be both the son of David and son of God. And there is only one person. Only Jesus is both the son of David as evidenced by His genealogy, and the Son of God as evidenced by His resurrection from the dead.

Look at how the chapter ends …

3. Jesus Silences the Pharisees (Matt. 22:46).

Matthew writes that, after Jesus finished asking His question, “And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.” (Matt. 22:46). They found that they could not answer Him. In their sinful pride, they either could not grasp the concept of God becoming man in Christ, or in their hatred for Jesus, they would not allow themselves to repent and believe.

The conflict is far from over, though. Jesus is about to unleash on them His strongest words ever in Matthew 23. We will look at this stunning chapter next week as Jesus pronounces seven woes on the teachers of the law and Pharisees, exposing their hypocrisy and warning them of the condemnation of hell. This, of course, will set up the final conflict between Jesus and the religious leaders which will end with Jesus going to the cross to suffer and die for our sins.

Jesus silenced the Pharisees, but the Pharisees could not silence Jesus. They tried to silence Him with their questions, but they failed miserably. Next, they will try to silence Him by putting Him to death on the cross. But three days later, He rose from the grave and lives forever. Today, He sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven until all His enemies are made His footstool. And He will come again as He promised to judge and reign forever.

What do you think about the Christ? It’s the most important question ever asked. To make it personal, let me ask you, “What do you think about Jesus Christ? Do you believe He is the Son of God, Savior of the world, and Lord of all?”

This is not just a speculative theological question. It is the question that determines your eternal destiny. The testimony of the Bible is that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God who—without ever ceasing to be God—took full humanity to Himself, became one of us, and died on the cross in our place. We cannot be saved unless it is true that God has sent His Son into the world to die in our place for our sins. We cannot be saved unless God raised Him from the dead and He lives as Lord and King. Praise God! He has done it! And the only right response is to repent and believe on Jesus Christ as both fully human and fully divine and trust that His righteous sacrifice on the cross is the payment for our sins.

And having believed, the right response for us is to worship Him as Lord. He is the eternal Son of God, the second Person of the triune Godhead, the very King of Heaven who sits at the right hand of the Father! Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

Have you placed your trust in Him as “the Christ, the Son of the living God?” Have you responded to Him accordingly? Do you express your love and worship for Him? Do you declare Him to be the One you trust in for salvation before God? Do you affirm Him to be your hope for future glory?

What do you say about Christ?

 

 

 

 

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Who Is This? Matthew 21:1-11

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Who Is This?

Matthew 21:1-11

Matthew 21 begins the last week of Jesus’ ministry before He would be crucified. Matthew devotes seven chapters to the events of this week. It is the culmination of Jesus’ mission as the Son of God. From the beginning of his Gospel, Matthew has presented Jesus to us as the promised Messiah and King.

But most Jews in Jesus’ day missed Him as their Messiah and King because they were expecting a different kind of Savior. They thought that Messiah would be a mighty political deliverer, who would lead Israel to military victory over their Roman oppressors. They were not looking for a lowly Savior, riding on the foal of a donkey. They could not conceive of a suffering Savior, who offered Himself as the sacrifice for sinners. And so, tragically, they missed the coming of their King![1]

Yes, the multitudes rejoiced as Jesus rode that donkey’s colt into Jerusalem. But did they truly understand Who He was and why He came? Our text today calls us to worship Jesus as our King with rejoicing. Yet if our praise is to be more than just empty emotion, we must understand correctly who Jesus is and what He came to do. In Matthew 21:10, the people were shaken when Jesus rode into Jerusalem, and they voiced this decisive question, “Who is this?” Who is Jesus? Matthew answers that question for us in this passage (Matthew 21:1-11).

Notice first …

1. The Planned Presentation of the King (Matthew 21:1-5)

Our text begins, “Now when they drew near Jerusalem …” (Matt. 21:1). As we know from our previous studies of Matthew, Jesus had planned His arrival in Jerusalem. On several occasions, Jesus had told His disciples that they were headed to Jerusalem and why. In Matthew 16:21, Jesus “began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.” He repeated this prediction in Matthew 17, adding that He would be betrayed (Matt. 17:22-23). Then again, in Matthew 20, Jesus told them again in more detail, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again” (Matt. 20:18-19).

Jesus went to Jerusalem for a specific purpose: to suffer at the hands of sinful men, die upon the cross, and rise again. In Matthew 20:28, Jesus told us the purpose of His death, “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” His death was a redeeming death, a sacrificial death, a vicarious death, and a saving death. When Jesus died, He paid the debt for our sins.

Everything that Jesus did as He entered Jerusalem and everything that occurred that day was on purpose. Jesus planned it and executed it on purpose. Remember, up to this point, Jesus had not broadcasted the fact that he was the Messiah. Throughout His ministry in Galilee, Jesus often warned those He healed to “tell no one” (Matt. 8:4; 9:30; 12;16). In Matthew 16, after Peter confessed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!” (Matt. 16:16), Matthew writes, “Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ” (Matt. 16:20). After Peter, James, and John saw Jesus transfigured before them in His divine, royal splendor, “He commanded them, saying, ‘Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead’” (Matt. 17:9).

But now, Jesus intentionally goes public. Jesus knew that the hour for His suffering and death was at hand. He will no longer conceal who He is. He is the Christ, the Messiah who has come giving sight to the blind and raising the dead. He is the Davidic King who has come to save His people. But He is not the kind of Messiah and King the people are expecting.

So, look what Jesus does:

1 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. 3 And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” (Matt. 21:1-3).

Jesus is in control of everything that happens here. First, Jesus sent two disciples to bring His ride to Him. Notice that the disciples didn’t have to look for the animals. He said that, as soon as they came into the village, they would “immediately” find not just a donkey, but a donkey and her colt tied together. Two animals—requiring two disciples to bring them.

Second, we see that they were instantly allowed to take the animals. Jesus told them, “And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them” (Matt. 21:2-3). Luke’s Gospel tells us that’s exactly what happened. When the owners saw the two disciples untying the donkeys, they wanted to know what they were doing. And when the disciples said what the Lord told them to say, they just let them go.

Everything went exactly according to plan. Now, some will say that these things took place just as Jesus had spoken because Jesus had made prior arrangements with the owner of these donkeys. That’s pure speculation, because the scripture doesn’t say that. Since Jesus had clear foreknowledge of the specifics of His crucifixion and resurrection, it’s not a stretch to believe that Jesus simply knew where the donkeys were and how the owners would respond.

Whether Jesus prepared for it supernaturally or not, the point is Jesus was clearly in charge of the events surrounding His death, including the triumphal entry, the betrayal by Judas, and the death plots of the Jewish leaders. None of it took Him by surprise. He is the King of authority who controls all things according to His purpose, even the events of His death (Acts 2:23; 4:27-28).[2]

And all of this, Matthew tells us, was in keeping with the promise of the Scriptures, “All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet” (Matt. 21:4). Then Matthew quotes from Zechariah 9:9, “Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.’” (Matt. 21:5). The “daughter of Zion” refers to the people of Jerusalem. It’s a prophecy to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

It’s important for us to know that when Matthew quotes the fulfillment of an Old Testament prophecy, he doesn’t just pull a verse out of thin air. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Matthew is writing his Gospel to Hebrews who know their scripture and the context in which it was written. Zechariah prophesied four centuries before the coming of Christ to the Jewish remnant who returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile. In the first part of Zechariah 9, God promised to judge the nations surrounding Judah through the coming of a conqueror from Greece. From history, we know him as Alexander the Great. He would strike terror into the hearts of those in his path. He often slaughtered all the men in a city and sold the women and children into slavery. He was a conqueror obsessed with his own power and dominion. The later part of Zechariah 9 then predicts the future prosperity of Judah and how God would then bring judgment on Greece.

However, right between these prophesies of judgment, Zechariah gives a prophecy to Judah about their coming King (Zech. 9:9) who would speak peace to the nations and whose dominion would be to the ends of the earth (Zech 9:10). Here is what the Lord said through Zechariah,

9 “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your King is coming to you;
He is just and having salvation,
Lowly and riding on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.

10 I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
And the horse from Jerusalem;
The battle bow shall be cut off.
He shall speak peace to the nations;
His dominion shall be ‘from sea to sea,
And from the River to the ends of the earth.'” (Zech. 9:9-10).

Zechariah says that the Messiah King would be “just” or righteous. He will exercise justice perfectly. And Zechariah says this King will come “having salvation”. He will come to save His people. Zechariah says, “He shall speak peace to the nations” (Zech. 9:10).

However, the part of the prophecy that Matthew stresses is the humility of this promised King. In contrast to the proud Alexander on his war horse, Jesus came “Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey” (Matt. 21:5). The donkey was a lowly animal, used for peaceable purposes by those who were of no rank or position. By riding the foal of a donkey, Jesus was showing Himself to be the King, in fulfillment of our text, but not the exalted political king and military commander that the people expected. MacArthur shows the contrast, writing,

Alexander the Great inspires fear. Alexander the Great inspires dread. Alexander the Great makes war. But this king in verse 9 and following does not inspire fear and dread, but praise. He doesn’t make war; He makes peace. He’s not a foreign tyrant; He is Israel’s own king. He’s not cruel and oppressive; He’s kind and righteous. He doesn’t slay; He saves. He’s not rich; He’s poor. He’s not proud; He’s meek. He’s not riding a white horse; He’s riding a colt of a beast of burden. Very stark contrast.[3]

Jesus is the gentle King who said, “28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28-30). He is the humble King who said, “27 And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave– 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Matt. 20:27-28). The angel told Joseph to name Him Jesus because, “He will save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). In His first coming, Jesus was the suffering Messiah who offered salvation and peace with God through His death for us on the cross.

God spoke it through His prophet four hundred years before Jesus came. And the Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled it perfectly according to God’s word. God sovereignly determined how the Lord Jesus would present Himself as King in Jerusalem. It was a planned presentation.

Who is this? He is Jesus Christ, the King of authority, justice, salvation, peace, and humility.

How did the people respond to Him?

2. The People’s Praise of the King (Matthew 21:6-9)

Matthew tells us, “6 So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.” (Matt. 21:6-7). Having retrieved the donkey and colt as Jesus instructed them, the disciples then made a saddle using their own cloaks, and Christ sat on this colt as the procession began to wind its way to the city of Jerusalem.

Matthew 21:8 says, “And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road…” Multitudes of pilgrims and disciples joined Jesus on the way to Jerusalem for the Passover. And seeing Jesus riding the donkey’s colt, they did what would have been appropriate for the coming of the long-awaited King. First, they create a royal carpet of sorts by spreading their cloaks on the road before Him. This custom goes back to Old Testament times where the people would spread their cloaks on the ground before the approaching king. One example is with King Jehu, in 2 Kings 9:13: “Then each man hastened to take his garment and put it under him on the top of the steps; and they blew trumpets, saying, ‘Jehu is king!’” Spreading your cloaks on the ground was a sign of submission and respect. So, when the people spread their cloaks on the ground before Jesus, they are welcoming Him into Jerusalem and symbolically saying they submitted to Him as their King.

Matthew tells us that “others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road” (Matt. 21:8). Palm branches were a sign of joy, especially in the occasion of a military victory. And so we begin to understand what kind of king the people expected Jesus to be. If Palm Sunday for Jesus was all about the humility of a donkey, for the people it was all about the pageantry of the palms.[4] They weren’t looking for a gentle and peaceful king. They were looking for a military king who would deliver them from the power of Rome and inaugurate the Jewish kingdom.

The crowds got bigger as they approached Jerusalem, and now there were crowds of people ahead of Jesus as well as crowds of people following, and they are all shouting: “Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ Hosanna in the highest!” (Matt. 21:9). “Hosanna” is a cry of salvation from Psalm 118:25. It literally means, “Save us, now!” “Son of David” is a messianic title. The Old Testament prophesied that the Messiah would be a direct descendant of David. The Christ would be a King who would take the throne of His father David and reign forever. So, when the people cry out, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”, they are proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah.

They also said, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD,” quoting Psalm 118:26 about the coming of the Messiah. And they shouted, “Hosanna in the highest!”, affirming that Jesus’ coming into the city was a cause of praise to God. It echoes the worship of the heavenly host at Jesus’ birth in Luke 2:14, “Glory to God in the highest!”

As Christ entered Jerusalem, the people were singing a prayer that the Son of David might save them. And Jesus truly is the Savior. Only He didn’t bring salvation in the way that the Jews expected. When we read Matthew 21 in the context of everything else that takes place in the rest of the book, we clearly understand that Christ’s kingdom isn’t a political kingdom. He didn’t come to physically reign over Jerusalem that day. Jesus was establishing a spiritual kingdom. He came to save His people from their sins by giving His life a ransom for many.

Who is this? This is Jesus, the Messiah and King who has come to save. He is blessed for He comes in the name of the Lord in fulfillment of God’s word. He is worthy of the highest praise. And as He comes, the people rejoice and praise Him as the King in fulfillment of prophecy.

But did they really understand what kind of King and Savior He would be?

Finally we see …

3. The Perplexing Person of the King (Matthew 21:10-11)

We see the confusion of the crowd as Matthew reports, “10 And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?”” (Matt. 21:10). Imagine this great multitude, as they marched into the city, shouting, celebrating, and singing ‘hosannas’ to the Lord! It caused quite an uproar! The whole city was shaken. Due to all the commotion, the people of Jerusalem were asking, “Who is this?”

So, who is this? We have already seen the people welcome Jesus as their King. We have seen them proclaim Him as Messiah. And now they also identify him as the Prophet. Matthew 21:11 says, “11 So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”” What did they mean by this? Perhaps some simply meant that Jesus of Nazareth was a prophet sent by God who, like the prophets of the Old Testament spoke the word from God. It was clear from His miraculous power that He was from God. But was He more?

Back in the Old Testament Moses told the people of Israel: “The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear.” (Deuteronomy 18:15). Now, the people in the city ask, “Who is this?” and the crowds answer, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.” Jesus was the prophet like Moses whom God raised up in fulfillment of prophecy.

We can view the Lord’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem in two ways, for it was two things at once.[5] It was a planned presentation of Jesus as King, a public declaration of His Messiahship. By entering Jerusalem this way Jesus threw down of the gauntlet to the religious leadership. He forced the people and their leaders to make a decision about Him. Was He the King and Messiah? Would they accept Him? Or would they carry out their plot to destroy Him (Matt. 12:14)? Jesus came into Jerusalem as a King and dared the religious authorities to do something about it. His hour had come. There was no turning back. Jesus knew that He came to Jerusalem to suffer and die. And when the people hailed Him as Messiah, Prophet and King, it put Him on a direct collision course with the chief priests and teachers of the law, who later that week will condemn Him to death and turn Him over to the Romans to be mocked, beaten, and crucified.

Because, while the triumphal entry presented Jesus as the Messiah and King, it also declared that He was not the Messiah that the people were expecting or what the leaders wanted. He had not come to overthrow the Roman oppressors but to give His life a ransom for their sins. He entered Jerusalem as a king, to be sure, but as a meek and lowly king, riding a donkey. Jesus boldly proceeded into Jerusalem, knowing everything that would happen to Him there. He accepted the praises of the crowd, knowing that everything they proclaimed about Him was true. Jesus stirred up the city, knowing that this would lead to His final confrontation with the religious leaders.

Who is this and how should we receive Him? Let’s receive Him as the Messiah whose coming was promised by God, and prepared far in advance for our salvation. Let’s recognize Him as the King who comes meek and gentle and lowly—not as our Judge now but as our Savior—and as One who takes our sins upon Himself at the cross, so that we need not experience the fear of judgment for our sins. Let’s celebrate Him as the promised King, who’s coming is the answer to the cry, “Save now, O Lord!” And above all, let’s be sure that we place our trust fully in Him who came into Jerusalem to give His life on the cross for our sins.

Because although Jesus comes to us as the humble, servant King today, He has also promised that He will come again. And at His second coming, Jesus will return as the mighty sovereign to judge and to reign forever. Instead of a donkey, He will ride a white horse. Instead of bringing peace, He will make war. Revelation 1911-16 describes it:

11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

What a contrast there is between that first entry into Jerusalem and the second! The first was on a meek and mild donkey—a symbol of gentleness and peace, but the second will be on the white stallion of a warrior. The first was to make atonement for our sins, but the second will be to judge, to make war, and to tread the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. Jesus wore no crowns at that first entry; but at His second, He will wear many crowns. At His first entry, the clothes of the happy crowds were thrown before Him, but at His second, He will wear a robe dipped in blood. Crowds of humble people went before Him and behind Him at His first entry, but at His second, He will be accompanied by the white-robed armies of heaven. He came to His own people that first time to be struck down, but He will come the second time to strike the nations and rule them with a rod of iron. When He came that first time into the city, they announced Him as Jesus, the prophet from the humble town of Nazareth of Galilee, but when He comes the second time, He will be called by the name “The Word of God“, and will bear the title “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS“.[6]

Listen, your eternal destiny at the time of Christ’s second entry into Jerusalem is going to depend upon whether or not you have properly responded to His first coming. If we receive Jesus as the Lord and Savior now, we will reign with Him when He comes again. The crucial question today is, “Who is this?”

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[1] Steven Cole, Lesson 12: Rejoice! Your King is Coming! (Zechariah 9:9-10 and Matthew 21:1-11), https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-12-rejoice-your-king-coming-zechariah-99-10-and-matthew-211-11

[2] Cole, ibid.

[3] John MacArthur, The Humble Coronation of King Jesus, https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/81-42/the-humble-coronation-of-king-jesus.

[4] Ray Fowler, Destination Jerusalem, https://www.rayfowler.org/sermons/matthew/destination-jerusalem/.

[5] Robert Rayburn, The Triumphal Entry, Matthew 21:1-11, https://www.faithtacoma.org/matthew/the-triumphal-entry.  

[6] Greg Allen, “Jesus’ ‘First’ Triumphal Entry”, https://www.bethanybible.org/archive/2008/030208.htm.

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Lord, Have Mercy on Us

matthew-the-kingdom-of-heaven

Lord, Have Mercy on Us

Matthew 20:29-34

In our study of the Gospel of Matthew, we come today to a short passage at the end of Matthew 20 where Jesus heals two blind men. It is also the end of Jesus’ journey toward Jerusalem that began in Matthew 19:1 when Jesus departed Galilee. Over the last few months of Jesus’ ministry, He has been very focused on teaching His disciples. And we have seen two major recurring themes in His teaching during this period. Jesus has been repeatedly telling His disciples about His looming betrayal, arrest, suffering, death, and resurrection that waits Him in Jerusalem. His crucifixion is close and certain. On the other hand, because His disciples keep bringing it up, Jesus has been teaching about true greatness in the kingdom of heaven.

The healing of the two blind men here in Matthew 20 has many correspondences with the passages we have already looked at in Matthew 18-20.[1] This section on Matthew began in Matthew 18:1 with the disciples showing their spiritual blindness by asking who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. In Matthew 18:9, speaking of the dangers of sin, Jesus said that it is better to enter life blinded in one eye than to have two eyes and to be cast into hell fire. In Matthew 18:10, Jesus spoke of the little ones and how their angels always see his Father’s face in heaven.

In Matthew 18:21, after Jesus taught about restoring a sinning brother, Peter, blind to the extent of forgiveness, asks how many times he must forgive. Jesus responded by telling the parable of the unmerciful servant, which stresses the importance of showing mercy because we have received mercy (Matt. 18:33). In today’s passage, the two blind men cry out for mercy and Jesus extends His compassion.

In Matthew 19:3, the Pharisees were blind to who Jesus is and tested Him with a question on marriage and divorce. In Matthew 19:13, the disciples were blind about the value of little children and their place in the kingdom. In Matthew 19:16 the rich young ruler was blind about how to obtain eternal life.

In Matthew 20, when Jesus told the parable of the workers in the vineyard, the owner of the vineyard pointed out the blindness of the complainers who were hired first, saying, “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 my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?” (Matt. 20:14-15). In Matthew 20:22 James and John were blind about what it means to have the highest seats in the kingdom of heaven. And finally in Matthew 20:20-28, we come full circle because once again the disciples are blind about what it means to be great in the kingdom of heaven.

And so, even though this is a healing story, and Jesus only speaks one question in it, the Lord is still teaching His disciples—and us. The context shows a deliberate contrast between two disciples who sought for greatness and two blind men who cried out for mercy—two who sought to be first and two of the last who sought the Savior. The setting compels us to ask, “Which set of two were truly blind?” And it forces us to ask ourselves, “How well do I see Jesus?”

Considering those questions, let’s look into this brief healing story. First we see the …

1. Cries of Blind Men for Mercy (Matt. 20:29-30)

Matthew sets the stage for this story writing, “Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.” (Matt. 20:29). Jericho was the last major city that Jesus passed through on His way to Jerusalem. In the very next passage (Matthew 21), Jesus will arrive there as the long-awaited King of the Jews, “lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Matt. 21:5) just as the scriptures promised He would (Zechariah 9:9). The excited multitudes who followed Jesus from Jericho and those in Jerusalem will greet Him with palm branches in hand; and will spread their cloaks before Him, shouting “Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ Hosanna in the highest!” (Matt. 21:9).

And just a few days after that, the crowd will cry out, “Let Him be crucified!” (Matt. 27:22), and He will hang on a cross beneath an inscription that read, “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS” (Matt. 27:37). Jesus Himself will cry out with a loud voice and yield up His spirit as a sacrifice for sinners (Matt. 27:50). That day, the veil of the temple will be torn in two—opening up the way for sinners like you and me to enter into fellowship with a holy God (Matt. 27:51), and the precious body of Jesus will be laid in a tomb (Matt. 27:60). And in just a few days more, He will be gloriously raised from the dead—forever our mighty Victor over the grave!

We know that all of this was on the mind of Jesus as He passed through Jericho on His way to Jerusalem. He had been reminding His disciples over and over again that this is where He is going and why. And it’s this unique context that makes this healing story stand out so remarkably. It highlights not only that Jesus is Lord, King, and Messiah, but also how merciful and compassionate our Savior is.[2] Even though Jesus was on His way to His suffering and death, He willingly stopped to show compassion to two men who cried out for mercy. It remind us of what Jesus taught about Himself just before this event, “… the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Matt. 20:28).

Matthew highlights the surprising interruption in Jesus’ quest with the words, “And behold!” What got everyone’s attention was “two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, ‘Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!’” (Matt. 20:30). It was not unusual for blind men to sit by the road at the entrance to the city. Mark’s Gospel tells us they were begging (Mark 10:46). In Jesus’ day, the blind were, for the most part, discarded by society. Often, their blindness was caused by some infection or disease—resulting in a grotesque redness or swollenness, and a constant running of the eyes. People were afraid to touch them. They were usually quite helpless, rejected, and despised, and they could only survive through the occasional mercy of others.

These men heard the commotion of the crowd and learned that it was because Jesus was passing by. The obviously had also heard about Jesus’ compassion and His power to heal. Remember in Matthew 9, Jesus had healed two other blind men who cried out to Him for mercy. Even though Jesus sternly warned those healed men, “See that no one knows it,” (Matt. 9:30), news about it spread all over (Matt. 9:31).

You can tell by what they said that they had come to some important conclusions about Jesus. They called Him “Lord“, and although this may be a way of showing respect and reverence, it also is a term that the New Testament uses to indicate that Jesus is the divine Son of God and Savior. The fact that they call Jesus “Lord” three times indicates its significance. They also called Him “the Son of David“, which is a Messianic title, meaning that Jesus is the long promised King whom the prophets foretold. It’s the same title that the people will use in praise to Jesus in the triumphal entry on Palm Sunday.

They believed that because Jesus was the Lord, Messiah, and King that He could even heal their blindness. In the Old Testament, it is only Yahweh, the LORD God who can heal blindness. Psalm 146:8 says, “The LORD opens the eyes of the blind; The LORD raises those who are bowed down.” Prophesying about the LORD God coming to save (Isa. 35:4), Isaiah says, “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.” (Isa. 35:5). And prophesying of when “the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel” (Isa. 29:19), Isaiah says, “In that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, And the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness” (Isa. 29:18).

These men knew their helpless condition and their need for healing. They also knew the only one who could help them was the Lord. That’s why they cried out for mercy.

In contrast to what they asked for, look at what happens next, the …

2. Callous Crowd Showed No Mercy (Matt. 20:31)

Matthew 20:31 says, “Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet…” As these poor men cried out for mercy, the crowd tried to silence them. Can you imagine what an embarrassment they were? They were making a nuisance of themselves. They were loud and simply would not stop crying out at the top of their lungs. Matthew says, “…but they cried out all the more, saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!”” (Matt. 20:31).

The callous crowd did not see these men as worthy of Jesus’ attention. These were just some insignificant, dirty beggars. The crowd didn’t have time for them, so they thought Jesus shouldn’t either.

But praise the Lord! How wrong they were! So finally we see the …

3. Compassionate Lord Showed Mercy (Matt. 20:32-34)

Matthew 20:32 says, “So Jesus stood still …” Just think about that statement. The Lord Jesus—the Son of David, King and Messiah—was even then on His way to the cross to die for the sins of mankind. What could have been more important? And yet, at the cries and pleas of these two blind men, He came to a complete stop. The Matthew says that Jesus “called them.” With all the people around the blind men telling them to be quiet, and with all the crowds pressing in around Jesus wanting Him to speak to them, He calls out instead to these two blind men in response to their cries and asks, “What do you want Me to do for you?” (Matt. 20:32).

Jesus’ question stands in stark contrast to the question of the rich young ruler who asked Jesus, “… what good thing shall I do…?” (Matt. 19:16). The rich man was blind to the way of salvation, blind to the depth of his own sin, and blind to the Savior. When it comes to salvation, the right question is not, “What can you do for Jesus?” but “What can Jesus do for you?”

Now, it’s obvious that Jesus knows what they want. Jesus didn’t ask questions because He didn’t know things, but in order to teach and expose motives and draw out faith in people. Surely, most of the time that these blind beggars have asked people for mercy, it was to receive a handout—food or money to help them in their poverty. But these men didn’t ask Jesus for a mere handout. They were asked for a miraculous healing. “They said to Him, “Lord, that our eyes may be opened.”” (Matt. 20:33). You don’t ask for something like that unless you believe that Jesus really is the Lord, Messiah, and King.

Jesus immediately responds to their faith (Mark 10:52). Matthew 20:34 says, “So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.” Jesus, motivated by His deep love, touched their eyes. I imagine that the first thing these men saw was the face of Jesus. The blind hymn writer Fanny Crosby was once pitied by a preacher, who said that it was a shame that she had lost her eyesight as a young child. She replied that she was grateful, “because when I get to Heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior!” These men must have felt the same way.

Having received their sight, they did the only thing appropriate for them to do—they followed Jesus. They joined the rest of the disciples who were following Jesus to Jerusalem.

And knowing the context of this miracle, we can’t help but see the spiritual meaning of it. Like these two beggars, all of us, before we meet the Savior, are spiritually blind. We are helplessly lost in the darkness of our own sin. But then Jesus comes. By the grace of God we hear He is passing by. Knowing we have no other hope, we cry out for mercy to the Lord who alone can save us. By grace God opens our blind eyes to the truth of the gospel—that Jesus is the Messiah and Savior, who died on the cross to pay the ransom for us, that He is the Lord of glory who was raised from the dead, that He will have mercy on us, forgiving our sin and giving us the gift of eternal life. And by God’s grace, He has compassion on us, calls us to Himself, heals our spiritual blindness, and saves us completely. And in joyful gratitude, we follow Him.

One commentator put it this way:

The giving of sight to the blind is a dramatic miracle that points to the dawning of the era of messianic fulfillment. The Son of David is present among his people. And as he compassionately delivers them from their literal darkness, so he continues on his way to Jerusalem, where in his sacrificial death he will deliver all of humanity from an even greater darkness—that of the bondage to sin and death.[3]

Thus, the cry of the blind men, “Lord … have mercy on us!” Becomes the cry of all believers. It is how we approach the Lord’s Table today—trusting in Jesus as the only One who can save us from sin.  

When you come to Jesus believing, He will save you from your sins. He will give you new life and make you a child of God. He will open the eyes of your heart to His goodness and grace. He will make you able to enter the kingdom of heaven where one day you will see him face to face. What can be better than to see Jesus? Oh, what glory that will be!

Jesus asks you this morning, “What do you want me to do for you?” Would you respond, “Open the eyes of my heart, Lord, that I may see and follow you.”?

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[1] Ray Fowler, What Do You Want Jesus to Do?, https://www.rayfowler.org/sermons/matthew/what-do-you-want-jesus-to-do/.  

[2] Greg Allen, The ‘Importune’ Blind Men, https://www.bethanybible.org/archive/2008/020308.htm.

[3] Donald Hagner, Word Biblical Commentary Volume 33b: Matthew 14-28, Word Publishers, p. 588.

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The Last Will Be First

parables-of-the-kingdom

The Last Will Be First

Matthew 20:1-16

Christianity is supremely a religion of grace. We sing about God’s amazing grace, grace greater than our sin. Paul’s epistles are saturated with the concept of God’s grace. But, even so, I think that God’s grace is often not well understood and sometimes not really believed. In his book, “What’s So Amazing About Grace,” Phillip Yancey points out that part of our problem is in the nature of grace itself.[1] Grace shocks us in what it offers. Grace is a gift that costs everything to the giver and nothing to the receiver. It is given to those who don’t deserve it, barely recognize it, and hardly appreciate it. In grace, God does for others what we would never do for them. By grace God saves what we think are the not-so-bad people and also the very worst of sinners. In fact, no one is saved apart from God’s grace.

Today we are looking at Jesus’ parable of the workers in the vineyard in Matthew 20. Although our text does not use the word “grace”, it powerfully illustrates it.  

Think about the context in which Jesus taught this parable. Jesus is on His final journey to Jerusalem with His disciples (Matt. 19:1). The conflict between Jesus and His adversaries began to intensify, and the time for our Lord’s sacrificial death was drawing near. In Matthew 19, when some parents brought their little children to Jesus for Him to bless them, the disciples tried to prevent them. But Jesus rebuked His disciples saying, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 19:14). The scribes and Pharisees didn’t see it that way. They thought that heaven belonged to them, because of their religious efforts, and because of their positions.

Then a man came up to Jesus and wanted to know what he needed to do in order to have eternal life. He was young, rich, powerful, and moral—a success by this world’s standards. And yet, he knew that he didn’t have eternal life. Since this man felt that he had fully kept the law from his youth, Jesus had to show him how far he came from measuring up to God’s standards. So, Jesus told this “rich young ruler” to sell all that he owned, give the proceeds to the poor, and come follow Him. That was too high a price to pay, and so sadly, the rich young ruler went away without Jesus and without eternal life.

Jesus then turned to his disciples and pointed out how hard it is for the rich who trust in their wealth to enter the kingdom of heaven. When Jesus said that “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” (Matt. 19:24), the disciples were shocked. Jesus highlighted God’s grace when He said, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matt. 19:26).

Then Peter looked at himself and the other disciples. They certainly weren’t powerful and successful like that rich, young, ruler. And yet, they had done what he could not do. And so, speaking behalf of the others, Peter said to the Lord, “See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?” (Matt. 19:27). Jesus told them,

28 Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. (Matt. 19:28-29).

Jesus assures them that following Him would certainly be worth it in the end. They would have the very thing that the rich young ruler could not earn for himself—eternal life. But lest any of His followers should think of themselves as “greatest in the kingdom” because they sacrificed more, or followed longer—or, on the other hand, lest any of them should be discouraged and think that they would never amount to much in His kingdom—Jesus then teaches: “But many who are first will be last, and the last first” (Matt. 19:30).

And to help explain this proverbial statement, Jesus told the parable of the workers in the vineyard, showing that our rewards for salvation and service will not be on the basis of human merit but rather on the principle of “grace”. Our Lord evaluates His servants in a far different way than the people of this world do. He loves to shower His grace on those who are the most unworthy in this world’s eyes. When it comes to the work of His kingdom, “many who are first will be last, and the last first“.

I have divided Jesus’ parable into three parts for our study today: the hiring of the workers (Matt. 20:1-7); the unusual payment of the workers (Matt. 20:8-13); and the owners explanation (Matt. 20:14-15). Then Jesus concludes His teaching by repeating what He said at the beginning, “So the last will be first, and the first last” (Matt. 20:16).

1. The Hiring of the Workers (Matt. 20:1-7).

Jesus begins by saying, “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard” (Matt. 20:1). Like most of Jesus’ parables, the subject is “the kingdom of heaven.” In our context, that means salvation and eternal life. What is the kingdom of heaven like? It is “like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.”

In those days, a normal day was numbered in twelve hours from sunrise to sunset. So, “early in the morning” was probably the beginning of the work day around 6:00 am at sunrise. It was probably time to harvest, and the landowner needed workers to pick his grapes. So he went to the place where the day laborers gathered to seek work. These were unskilled workers near the bottom of the social-economic scale. Many lived at a level not far above beggars. They worked from job to job, many of which lasted no more than a day. So, they would gather in the market place, the local labor pool, before dawn to be available for hiring.

Jesus goes on to say, “Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.” (Matt. 20:2). A “denarius” was the standard wage for a Roman soldier. It was a generous wage for a day laborer. And so, that agreement being settled, off they went to work.

But as Jesus tells the story, clearly the landowner needed more laborers than those he had just hired. So Jesus says,

3 “And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. 5 Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.'” (Matt. 20:3-7).

The third hour would be about 9:00 am. As the owner goes to the marketplace again, he finds more unemployed men and hires them as well. This time, saying “‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you” (Matt. 20:4). Even though the owner did not promise them a particular wage, these workers obviously trusted him to pay them what was fair. The owner then goes back again “about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise” (Matt. 20:5)—that is, about noon and 3:00 in the afternoon he hired more workers. Finally, “about the eleventh hour,” just an hour before the work day concluded at sunset, “he went out and found others.” They were not “standing here idle all day” because they were lazy but because “no one hired” them yet. The fact that they were still there at the eleventh hour shows just how desperately they needed the job. Even getting paid for one hours work would help in their hopeless situation.

So the workers are hired. The first went to work after the promise of a certain wage. The rest, including the last, went to work trusting the goodness of the master.  

Next in the parable Jesus tells about …

2. The Unusual Payment of the Workers (Matt. 20:8-13).

In Matthew 20:8 Jesus tells us how this took place, “So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.’” The landowner’s steward must have lined up all of the workers. The first in line were those who had agreed to begin working last, at the eleventh hour. To the shock of everyone, we read, “And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius.” (Matt. 20:9). What a pleasant surprise for those men who were late in getting hired! They had expected fair payment for the one hour they worked. What they got was extremely generous compensation, a whole day’s wage—much more than they deserved! I’m sure that they went away rejoicing. They had wasted most of the day standing idle in the marketplace with nothing to show for it. But, then, this kind landowner came along and paid them a full day’s wage! What looked like the worst work day ever just an hour ago has suddenly turned into the best day ever!

I’m sure that as the others watched, they were pretty excited. They began calculating in their mind what might possibly take place. “If these guys who worked only an hour received a full denarius, I wonder what is in it for us? Certainly, we will receive even more because we worked more.” Then the twist in the story comes in Matthew 20:10, “But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius.” Does that seem fair? They didn’t think so. Jesus tells their response, “And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.’” (Matt. 20:11-12). In their minds, this was really unthinkable and totally unfair. So, they grumbled and complained because even though they worked longer and harder in the heat of the day, they all received the same amount no matter how long they had worked.

That brings us to …

3. The Explanation by the Vineyard Owner (Matt. 20:13-15).

The landowner said to one of these complaining, grumbling workers, “Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?” (Matt. 20:13). The laborers who signed up at the beginning of the day agreed to work in the vineyard for a denarius. They worked all day. They received their denarius. The contract was fulfilled. There ought to have been no complaint. Therefore, the landowner tells the complainer, “Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.” (Matt. 20:14).

Now remember, this parable is about the kingdom of heaven. It is about salvation and eternal life. The landowner clearly represents the Lord. He calls men into His kingdom and compensates them for their service to Him. So what does this teach us about God and salvation?

Three lessons:

A. God will keep His promises (Matt. 20:13).

The landowner kept his promise to pay the first workers what they agree to work for. He did not cheat them. And even though they did the most work, they only had the opportunity to work at all because the owner graciously agreed to hire them.

We should never forget that it is a privilege to be called to serve the Lord in His kingdom. It is an unspeakably great honor to serve the Lord.  Have you been called to teach a Sunday School class? Have you been called to provide some repair or maintenance work in the house of God? Have you been called to visit someone who is sick? Have you been called to provide transportation or meals to someone? Have you been called to share your faith in some particular setting? Do you see something in the work of the kingdom that needs to be done that you have the unique capacity to do; and are you feeling God’s call to get to work?

It doesn’t matter God called you to salvation and service early in life or in your twilight years. If He has called you, He has work for you to do. Whenever He called you into His service, don’t question the fact that He called you when He called you! Go to the vineyard and work—knowing that He knows what He has planned for you to do, and that He will reward you rightfully for your faithful service.

If the Lord has called you into the service of His kingdom in any capacity, Rejoice in it; and rise up immediately and get to work! Give yourself fully to that thing the Lord has given you to do. Don’t hold back, waiting for something better to do. Don’t put it off, looking for some other time. Do what He has called you to do now for His kingdom’s sake!

Jesus said, “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.” (Matt. 19:29). God will keep His promises.

B. God will be sovereign (Matt. 20:14-15)

The landowner said to the complainer, “I wish to give to this last man the same as to you,” and then asked him the rhetorical question, “Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?”  God is free to do what He desires with each of us. After all, it is His universe. He created it all, including us, for His own purposes. We belong to Him. He can do as He pleases. God calls whoever He wants to salvation and service and He does it whenever He wants. He is God.

We must understand that our salvation and our service to God is all a matter of grace—from beginning to end. It what God does—not at all what we do. We could not be saved apart from the gracious work of God and we could not serve except for the grace of God. If we don’t keep that in mind, we won’t have the right attitude about our service or about others whom He calls into His service.

On the one hand, we think that because we’ve come to believe on Him too late in life, or that we’ve spent too many years in sin, we couldn’t possibly do anything of significance for the kingdom. Or we may fear that we’re too unskilled or untalented to do anything that would really count for much to Him. And this parable lets us know that, because He operates on the principle of grace rather than human merit, we can give ourselves faithfully to His service in whatever area He has called us—knowing that we work for a Master who does not measure the value of His laborers as the world does.

But on the other hand, if we forget it is by grace, we may begin to feel that we deserve a higher place of honor in His kingdom because we have walked with Him longer, or because we believed sooner, or because we have labored more diligently, or that our efforts were more valuable than others. And this parable reminds us that, because our Lord operates on the principle of grace, we must be humble and not think of ourselves more highly than we ought, nor look down on others.

Our Lord is sovereign in who and how and when He calls people to salvation and service.

C. God will be gracious (Matt. 20:15-16)

When the landowner gave those hired last a full day’s pay, he was not being unfair, he was being gracious. It was an act of mercy and kindness because the owner was good. Knowing that they had not been able to work a whole day because no one had hired them, he nevertheless gave them what they did not deserve. He gave them the means to provide for their families. He didn’t reward them on the basis of human merit; but rather on the basis of grace. Just as God always gives what He promises, He also gives more than we deserve.

When I think the great grace that was shown to these last worker, it reminds me of the story of the thief on the cross next to our Lord. Luke tells us that, as Jesus hung on the cross, one of the criminals who hung next to Him blasphemed Him; saying, “If You are the Christ, save yourself and us” (Luke 23:39). Mark, in his Gospel, even lets us know that the other criminal had chimed in and was blaspheming the Lord almost to the very end (Mark 15:32).

But something had happened in the heart of one of those dying criminals. He eventually turned to the other criminal and said, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” We’re told that he then said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom“, and that Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:40-43).

What grace! There was no time for this criminal to do any good deeds in order to make himself worthy. He didn’t have any time to reform his life. All that he had time to do was to repent and believe in Jesus saying, “Remember me when you come into Your kingdom.” He was literally called at the eleventh hour of his life. And yet, Jesus promised that he would be that very day with Himself in Paradise! And his single act of service to the kingdom—giving us an example of how to be saved—has done more for the service of the kingdom than any human being could estimate! Truly, the last shall be first! Our Lord will be gracious!

God’s rewards in the kingdom of heaven are not according to the merit system. They are according to grace. Salvation is the gift of God. It is not by works, lest any should boast (Eph. 2:9).

Aren’t you glad that God is more than just? Aren’t you glad that God is generous? Or as the landowner said, “Or is your eye evil because I am good?” (Matt. 20:15). Be careful that you do not despise the grace of God. God is not unfair to you when He is generous to someone else. The first workers complained to the landowner, “You made them equal to us!” That’s right. We are all equal in God’s kingdom – equally sinners, equally loved, equally redeemed. That is how the last are first and the first are last—because we all finish equal. We al receive far more than we deserve. How do the last become first? By grace. By God’s grace. By God’s grace alone.

Some of have sinned a little. Some of us have sinned a lot. Some of us come to Jesus early in life. Some of us come to Jesus much later in life. Some of us serve God in many ways. Some of us serve God in very few ways. But everyone who puts their faith in Jesus receives eternal life.

You are never too old to come to Christ. You are never too sinful to come to Christ. Come to Christ now, even in the eleventh hour, and he will gladly welcome you into his kingdom. Our God is a good and gracious and generous God. The more you feel your need for grace, the better candidate you are to receive it. Hold out your empty hands and ask God for His grace. You will not be turned away. It’s never too late. Though your sins are as scarlet, God says they will be white as snow. Here is good news for sinners. Free Grace! Free Grace! Free Grace! Shout it, sing it, tell it, and share it. And above all else, believe it, for in believing, you will be saved.

When we get to the kingdom of heaven, there will be no contest to see who is most deserving, because none of us deserve heaven. There will be no contest to see who has earned more rewards because God rewards according to grace, not merit. Maybe the only contest will be to see how truly grateful we are when we sing Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.

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[1] Phillip Yancy, What’s So Amazing About Grace, Quoted by Brian Bill in his sermon, The Scandal Of Grace, https://sermoncentral.com/sermons/the-scandal-of-grace-brian-bill-sermon-on-salvation-57664

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Who Then Can Be Saved?

matthew-the-kingdom-of-heaven

Who Then Can Be Saved?

Matthew 19:23-30

Last time, we looked at Matthew’s account of the rich young ruler and his encounter with Jesus. Looking at this young man from the outside, it appeared like he had it all—wealth, youth, influence, and morality. He seemed to the life that many would long for. Yet he knew that things were not right with his soul. So, he came to Jesus asking, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” (Matt. 19:16).

Jesus first questioned him about his understanding of who is good, then directed him to keep God’s commandments, hoping to bring the young man to see his own sinfulness and need of the Savior. Although the young man claimed an eternal righteousness of keeping the commandments, he still did not have assurance of eternal life. So, he asked Jesus, “What do I still lack?” (Matt. 19:20).

And exposing this man’s heart, Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me” (Matt. 19:21). Matthew concludes the man’s encounter with Jesus writing that “he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions” (Matt. 19:22). Sadly, the young man chose his possessions over following Jesus, proving he did not love God with all his heart or love his neighbor as himself. He had to choose between his sin and eternal life—and he chose sin. The young man refused salvation and forfeited eternal life.

So, Jesus turned to His disciples in this teaching moment. The disciples had just seen a man reject the opportunity to receive eternal life. This rich man loved his possessions more than he loved God. He would rather have the comfort of things in this life, than give them up for the life to come. And Jesus wasted no time in teaching His disciples about salvation.

The theme of the whole passage is salvation. What did the young man come asking Jesus about? Eternal life. What did the disciples ask Jesus about in Matthew 19:25? Who can be saved. And what did Jesus promise in Matthew 19:29 to those who forsake all and follow Him? Eternal life. To be saved is to have eternal life.

Our text is structured around Jesus’ statements in response to the rich man’s leaving and the disciple’s questions. In Matthew 19:23-24, reponding to the rich man’s parting, Jesus teaches how riches make salvation difficult. In Matthew 19:25-26, responding to the astonished disciples’ question, Jesus teaches that God makes salvation possible. And in Matthew 19:27-30, responding to Peter’s question, Jesus teaches that rewards make salvation worth it all.[1]   

1. Riches Make Salvation Hard (Matt. 19:23-24).

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.”” (Mat t.19:23). Why is it hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven? Why is it difficult for the rich to be saved? To answer that, let’s think about the rich young ruler again. He walked away from Jesus and eternal life because it was too hard. It would cost him too much.

What did riches have to do with it? Everything for him. His wealth had blinded him to his sin. Jesus had forced him to think about what is good and the commandments of God to expose his sin. But in his pride, the rich man refused to acknowledge his sin. He thought he could obtain eternal life by his goodness. Many in Jesus’ day viewed wealth as a sign of favor with God. They believed God blessed with riches those who were good. Proverbs 28:11 says, “The rich man is wise in his own eyes” or “in his own conceit” (KJV). Riches often make a person boastful and arrogant. The rich young ruler boasted that he had kept the commandments from his youth. Paul tells Timothy to “Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy” (1 Tim 6:17).

Moses warned the Israelites about the danger of riches before they entered the promised land. In Deuteronomy 8 he wrote,

10 When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land which He has given you. 11 Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, 12 lest–when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; 13 and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; 14 when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; 15 who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; 16 who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end– 17 then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’ 18 And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. (Deut. 8:10-18).

Riches tempt us to think we did it all ourselves. They can make us conceited and smug. The boastful, proud, haughty person will find it difficult to enter the kingdom of heaven. Why? Because the kingdom of heaven belongs only to those who humble themselves like little children. Jesus taught in Matthew 18:3, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” You must be converted, changed in your heart and attitude. You must come humble, not depending on your achievements or merits, but on God’s grace in Christ.

Riches are deceitful. Remember in Matthew 13, Jesus told the parable of the soils? Jesus said that “he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful” (Matt. 13:22). Wealth and possessions shout for our attention. They distract us from what is truly important. They promise to satisfy us with good things. They can steal our heart away from loving God. The young ruler’s riches deceived him into thinking he could do something to obtain eternal life and drew him away from the only One who could give him salvation.  

How hard is it for a rich man to enter the kingdom? Look at how Jesus illustrates it in Matthew 19:24, “And 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.” What a picture! The camel was the largest animal that the disciples would be familiar with. The eye of a sewing needle was the smallest opening that was used. To think of pushing a camel through a needle was absurd. You can’t fit a camel through the eye of a needle. It was impossible. If you even tried, all you would get is a broken needle and a very perturbed camel!

And yet, Jesus says that, as hard as it may be, it’s easier to push that camel through the eye of a needle than it would be for a rich man—a man who would have to give up his love for his wealth—to enter the kingdom of God. That’s how hard it is. It’s not just “you’ve really got to work at it” hard. No, Jesus says it is on the “impossibility scale” of hard for the rich to enter God’s kingdom.

At this point, you might wonder, “How rich is too rich to enter the kingdom?” Jesus doesn’t give a number because it’s not so much a matter of what you have but rather your attitude towards what you have. You don’t have to be extremely wealthy for money to be a snare. Even the desire to be rich can keep someone from Christ. Paul writes in 1 Timothy 6:

9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (1 Tim. 6:9-10).

The Bible’s teaching is clear. Whether you are actually wealthy or just want to be wealthy, money can be an obstacle to faith. It doesn’t have to be. There are many rich people who love God and serve God and give generously to God’s kingdom. Money is not the root of all evil. It’s the love of money that’s the root of all kinds of evil. That was the rich young ruler’s problem, wasn’t it? He loved his money more than Jesus.

Riches make salvation hard—so hard it is impossible. And that’s bad news if you are rich.

But wait! There’s good news! We see in Matthew 19:25-26 that …

2. God Makes Salvation Possible (Matt. 19:25-26)

Now when Jesus gave this illustration of putting a camel through a needle, the disciples were blown away. Matthew 19:25 says, “When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished…” They were struck out of their wits.[2] They are shocked because they (along with everyone else) were used to viewing wealth as a sign of God’s blessing or approval. And if it’s impossible for a person whom God has blessed to go to heaven, then how can anyone be saved?

They looked at the rich, influential, moral young man who was walking away, and felt that so many of their preconceived notions were destroyed. In their mind, such a man was most certainly blessed of God. He would most certainly been “worthy” of eternal life. He was among the best that humanity had to offer. But as it turns out, even he could not do enough “good things” to be able to inherit eternal life. In their minds, the disciples were thinking, “If the rich, the most blessed of God, can’t enter the kingdom, can anybody?”

So, in their astonishment, the disciples ask, “Who then can be saved?” Look at Jesus’ answer in Matthew 19:26, “But Jesus looked at them and said to them, ‘With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’”

Notice what makes the difference between the impossible and the possible. “With men” it is impossible for anyone to be saved. “With God” it is possible for everyone to be saved. In other words, only God can save. We can’t save ourselves. Every time a person is saved it is a direct miracle of God’s grace and mercy. There is not a single thing or a multitude of things you can do to be saved. You can’t live good enough. You can’t be pleasing enough. You can’t sacrifice enough. God’s standard is too high. It is perfection. You can never save yourself. You can never earn or purchase eternal life. The cost is too high. With men, it is impossible.

But the gospel proclaims, “but with God all things are possible.” This is God’s amazing grace. God has done it all. God initiates salvation. God justifies lost sinners. God sanctifies them. God glorifies them. Salvation is completely of God—not of man. If it is impossible with men, but possible with God, then why are any saved? Because of what we do? No. But, because of what God does in opening our hearts to believe the glorious gospel of Christ. Consider John 1:12, ” But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name,” When people receive Jesus and believe in His name, is this because man initiated it or completed it? No. It is because God did it. John goes on in the next verse to say, ” who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:13).

If anyone asks you why you have eternal life, what is the answer? Because God saved me by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. It was nothing that I did. It was what God did in Christ. If you received Christ, you cannot take credit for it. God gave it to you. If you believe in Christ, you cannot boast about it because God granted you faith in Christ. He gave His only begotten Son. Jesus paid the debt of your sin. God drew you to Himself through the gospel message. He saved you. None of it was what you did. It was all what God did.

 So, yes, it’s hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. It’s hard for all of us. In fact, it’s impossible apart from God. Only God makes salvation possible.

Finally we see that …

3. Rewards Make Salvation Worth It All (Matt. 19:27-30).

When Peter heard Jesus say these things, he blurted out, “See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?” On the surface, this may seem like a selfish question. But Jesus did not rebuke Peter for asking such a question. Remember, Peter and the other disciples had already given up everything to follow Jesus. when Jesus called Peter. He and his brother Andrew were fishing. They were casting their net into the sea (Matt. 4:18). Jesus called out to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matt. 4:19). Matthew then records, “They immediately left their nets and followed Him.” (Matt. 4:20). Peter literally “left everything” to follow Christ.

In the gospel of John, chapter 6, we see many people who were following Christ deserting him, because He was teaching some difficult things for the crowds to swallow—like “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” (John 6:51). As a result, ” From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more” (John 6:66). Then, Jesus turned to His twelve disciples and said, ” Do you also want to go away?” (John 6:67). And Peter replied, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Holy One of God” (John 6:68-69). Peter had no other plans. By the grace of God he believed in Jesus. He could not turn back. He had no alternate plan.

Jesus had told them in Matthew 16, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matt. 16:24-25).

Instead of rebuking Peter, Jesus answers him with a gracious promise:

28 So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Matt. 19:28).

These words describe the day in which the kingdom of heaven is fully consummated. Jesus calls this “the regeneration.” I believe that He is referring to the time when everything is renewed. It is the time when Jesus returns, and those who have trusted in Christ will be raised from the dead and glorified together with Christ (1 Cor. 15). Even the creation itself will be renewed and “delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Rom. 8:21). And the twelve disciples will find themselves seated upon twelve thrones (Matt. 19:28). Upon those thrones, Jesus said that they will be judging the twelve tribes of Israel. They will have positions of leadership and authority in the kingdom of heaven. Their reward is so great that I don’t believe that the twelve will ever regret the sacrifices that they made to follow Jesus.

But rewards are not just for the twelve. Matthew 19:29 is directed to all followers of Jesus Christ, “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.” Mark 10:29-30 records that Jesus said, “there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall 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.”

I have learned something wonderful about the Body of Christ. In a sense, I have—right now—countless “fathers” in the older saintly Christian men who bear a kind and godly influence in my life. And I have countless “mothers” in the older saintly Christian women who love me with motherly love. Many may have had to leave “brothers” or “sisters” behind; but they have countless other brothers and sisters with whom they share loving fellowship and the hopes of eternity. A follower of Jesus may be called upon to give up the comforts and security of “houses” and “lands”; but in the family love of the kingdom of Jesus Christ, he or she can enjoy the comfort and security of the countless “houses” and “lands” of other brothers and sisters who share hospitality and the comforts of life with them.

But the rewards are not just temporal. They are eternal. Jesus said, “and in the age to come, eternal life” (Mark 10:30). We will “inherit eternal life” (Matt. 19:29). Eternal life—that’s what the rich young man wanted, but he wasn’t willing to follow Jesus to get it. So, he lost out on the ultimate reward. And all that money he was unwilling to part with? If he had followed Jesus, he would have received a hundred times as much, and he would have received eternal life.

The greatest reason to follow Jesus Christ is because He is eternal life! As Peter himself once wrote, we have been a living hope through the resurrection of Christ, “to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:4-5). We gain back everything in life that we give up in order to follow Jesus faithfully. And when it’s over, we gain eternal life with Him! We give up for Jesus what we cannot keep, in order to gain with Him what we cannot lose! Following Jesus is the greatest deal in the universe!

Jesus says at the end of this section, “But many who are first will be last, and the last first” (Matt. 19:30). This was one of Jesus’ favorite sayings. Everything gets reversed when it comes to Jesus. In the context of our passage: the little children who had nothing are welcomed by Jesus, while the rich man who had everything walks away. The disciples leave everything for Jesus, and they sit on thrones with Jesus. Those who sacrifice for Christ receive a hundred times as much in return.

Here’s the bottom line. We cannot save ourselves, because we are not good, and we are not God. Only God is good, and only God can save. And that is why God sent His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus changes everything. His blood paid the debt we owed for our sin. His resurrection assures us of eternal life because He is alive forever and saves forever those who come to Him believing. It is worth everything to follow Jesus. If you have Jesus, you have everything. He is the greatest treasure. He is our inheritance and great reward. Look to Jesus, church, and don’t look back.

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[1] Steve Brandon, Then Who Can Be Saved?, https://sermons.rvbc.cc/sermons/2004-037.  

[2] Greg Allen, The God of Impossible Salvations, https://www.bethanybible.org/archive/2007/120907.htm.  

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Jesus’ Gracious Invitation

matthew-the-kingdom-of-heaven

Jesus’ Gracious Invitation

Matthew 11:28

In John Bunyan’s classic analogy of the Christian life, Pilgrim’s Progress, the story opens with the character Pilgrim having a large and heavy burden upon his back. It weighs him down and makes everything that he does difficult. The first part of the story centers on Pilgrim’s efforts to find a way to get rid of the burden. It is not until Pilgrim comes to the cross of Jesus that he is set free from his burden. The rest of the story describes Pilgrim’s progress in the Christian life after he is freed of his burden.[1]

The analogy of a heavy burden on our back is a good description of what life is like apart from Christ. Even for the Christian, when we are not walking with the Lord in the power of His Spirit, striving to do things in our own power, it can feel like the weight of the world is on our shoulders.

Jesus invites the weary and burdened to come to Him for rest—not just physical rest or mental rest but rest for your soul. We are a restless people. Our lives are often filled with burdens, regrets, and guilt. People seek rest in activities, relationships, religion, entertainment, and other distractions but none of that cures the restlessness in our souls.

Augustine writes in his Confessions, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”[2] In Matthew 11:28, Jesus says, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Do you want rest for your soul? If your soul is weary and burdened, if your soul is restless this morning, then this invitation is for you.

Remember the context in Matthew 11. Jesus has answered those who were critical of both Him and His forerunner, John the Baptist (Matt. 11:16-19) and He strongly rebuked the cities in which He did many miracles because they did not repent and believe in Him. Then He prayed a prayer in Matthew 11:25 where He praises His Father for hiding the truth about Jesus and His kingdom from the wise and prudent and revealing it to babes. Those who think they are wise and righteous do not receive the kingdom, only those who know they are humble and dependent. And He states clearly that the only way to know God the Father, the only way to salvation, is through Him, the Son—the Son that most of them thus far have rejected.

The context, then, highlights the wonderful grace of our Savior. For the most part, His own people are rejecting Him, and yet Jesus gives them this gracious invitation.

I want you to see three things in these words of Jesus: (1) The Lord’s saving invitation, (2) The Lord’s sanctifying instruction, and (3) The Lord’s satisfying assertion.[3]

1. The Lord’s Saving Invitation (Matt. 11:28)

Our Lord says, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Jesus’ invitation is “Come to Me.” It is an urgent invitation. The word “Come” is an adverb or interjection used as a command. It literally means, “Come here” and has the intensity of “Come here now!” And it is a personal invitation. His invitation is to come “to Me.”—meaning “to Me and Me alone” not any another. In fact, notice Jesus stresses Himself using the first person pronoun repeatedly in these three verses: “to Me”; “I will give”; “My yoke”; “learn from Me”; “I am gentle”; “My yoke”; “My burden.” Rest for your soul, relief from your burden, and salvation from sin, is in the person of Jesus Christ alone.

“Come to Me”, Jesus says. Don’t come to the law. Don’t come to “religion”. Come to the Savior! Come to Jesus. Come to the Son of God Who has said (Matt. 11:27), “All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.” Come to Him directly and personally. He invites you. He welcomes you.

Notice those to whom Jesus gives this invitation. It’s for all those who “labor and are heavy laden”. Another translation says, “weary and burdened” (CSB). “Labor” comes from a verb meaning “to toil, expend great effort in hard and disagreeable work” making one “weary or tired to the point of exhaustion.”[4] “Heavy-laden” comes from a verb meaning “to place a burden upon; to load”[5] as when placing a load on a pack animal. Metaphorically, it came to mean “to oppress by legal burdens.”

I believe Jesus refers here first to those who labor and are heavy-laden under the horrible burden of trying to earn God’s righteousness by works of the law. In Matthew 19, we meet a man who came to Jesus under such a burden. We have labeled him the “rich, young ruler”. He was, outwardly, a righteous man who lived in strict conformity to the law of Moses. But he had no rest for his soul. He came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” (Matt. 19:16). Jesus told the man, “. . . if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” And when the man asked, “Which ones?”, Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matt. 19:18-19). Jesus told him what he already believed—that if he kept the commandments of God, he would have eternal life. And yet, the man knew that he did not have it. He had no rest for his soul. He told Jesus—in desperation, I believe—“All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” (Matt. 19:20). Oh, how weary of labor and heavy-laden any poor soul is who tries to make themselves perfect before God through keeping the law!

What’s fascinating is that Jesus then adds to his labor and burden even further. “If you want to be perfect,” He said, “go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me” (Matt. 19:21) And with that, the young man went away sorrowful, “for He had great possessions” (Matt. 19:22). This man wanted to know what “good thing” he must do that he may have eternal life. Jesus wanted him to realize what an impossibly wearisome and heavy burden it was that he was trying to bear.

The scribes and Pharisees taught a righteousness before God on the basis of outward obedience and conformity to the law of Moses. Jesus said, “they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders” (Matt. 23:4). It was an impossible burden to bear; because, as the Bible tells us, “by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified” (Gal. 2:16). Israel’s entire history is nothing but “labor and heavy laden”. Over and over, God had promised rest for His people (Deut. 12:8-10; 25:19; 1 Kings 8:56; 1 Chron. 23:25; Mic. 2:10; Heb. 4:8,9; 1 Pet. 1:3,4). But because of their sin, idolatry, and rebellion the Jews never truly received the rest God intended.

The heavy load of the law which they could not keep caused them to be weary with guilt over their sin. King David spoke of this in Psalm 38. He said, “There is no soundness in my flesh Because of Your anger, Nor any health in my bones Because of my sin. For my iniquities have gone over my head; Like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me” (Psalm 38:3-4). Have you felt the heavy burden of the guilt of your sin and the weight of the condemnation of God’s judgment on you?

To all these Jews who were laboring under the heavy load of the law, and the guilt of their sin, Jesus says: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” “For”, as Paul writes, “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Rom. 10:4). This is Jesus’ wonderful invitation to all men and women who labor under the impossible task of trying to earn God’s favor, and earn eternal life for themselves through their obedience to the works of the law, through trying to be a good person. Jesus invites them to come to Him and find rest! For those who take Him up on His offer, the work is already done; “knowing that a man is not justified by works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ” (Gal. 2:16).

Jesus Himself bore the weight of keeping the law of God perfectly. And Jesus Himself bore the guilt of our sin on the cross having been made a sin offering for us. And now, the promise of God is, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1).

And so, for every man or woman who has ever felt the unbearable guilt of sin—guilt that no amount of good deeds could ever undo or erase—Jesus gives this invitation: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Notice the promise is to “all” who labor and are heavy-laden. It doesn’t matter who you are. It doesn’t matter if you are Jew or Gentile. It doesn’t matter if you are the world’s most outwardly moral Pharisee or the world’s most depraved sinner. Jesus extends this invitation to “all”.

Can you think of a more wonderful, more satisfying invitation than this? Have you come to Jesus for rest?

Next, please notice that the Lord not only gives a ‘saving invitation’ but we also see . . .

2. The Lord’s Sanctifying Instruction (Matt. 29a).

Jesus says, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me . . .”. In the original language, those words are spoken in the imperative, a command to be obeyed, an instruction to follow. And it’s a “sanctifying” instruction because it’s how we grow closer to Jesus and He makes us more like Him as we follow it.

First, Jesus commands those who come to Him to take up His “yoke”. A yoke was a large wooden crossbar that was carefully carved to fit over the necks of beasts of burden, like oxen. Yokes were usually to hold two animals together, bound by leather straps, so that the animals could be made to carry a burden together or pull together. It was an instrument that curbed the will of the animal and bought it under the master’s control.

And there are a couple of interesting things to notice about this. The word “yoke” was sometimes used in Jesus’ day as a figure of speech. Sometimes, the word was used to symbolize a heavy burden. The Bible uses it as a figure of speech for the heavy burden of the law of Moses. In Acts 15:10 Peter used it as a figure of speech for the heavy burden of the law. He said to those who sought to put new Gentile believers under the law of Moses, “Why do you test the God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?” Paul also wrote about this yoke to the Galatian believers who were trying to keep the law of Moses as a means of making themselves more righteous in the sight of God, saying, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage” (Gal. 5:1).

Sometimes, the word “yoke” was used as a symbol of being under submission to someone else or of being a disciple under the authority of a master. The ancient Jewish advice to students was, “Put your neck under the yoke and let your soul receive instruction.”[6] The yoke here symbolizes obedience to Jesus which includes learning His ways and following them. The word “learn” in Matthew 11:29 means to receive instruction and is related to the word for “disciple”.

Jesus here says that we are not only to take up His yoke, but also “and learn from Me . . .” The Greek word that is used (apo) can either mean to learn “from” Him, in the sense that He is our divine Teacher, or to learn “of” Him, in the sense that He is the divine subject. I believe both are true. When we come to Him, we learn from Him and of Him. He is both the reason we learn and the lesson we are taught.

When Jesus tells you to take His yoke upon you, He is asking you to become His disciple. He invites you to follow Him and to serve Him as your Master. Jesus is inviting those who are weary and heavy-laden under the unbearable burden of the law to come out from under the burden of trying to find righteousness before God on the basis of their performance in the law, and to take up another yoke which is easier and a burden which is lighter. The law is a heavy taskmaster. But not Jesus. Jesus is gentle and humble in heart. And when you follow him, you will find rest for your soul.

When we take up Jesus’ yoke, we are trading away an old burden-that is, the burden of the law-that meant our death before God. We could never keep it or find favor with God through it. It would only condemn us and bring us under a curse—”Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them” (Gal. 3:10). Instead, when we come to Jesus, we take up a burden that gives us life. We enter into a relationship with One who kept the law perfectly on our behalf; and now, we walk in life when we walk in union with Him through the Holy Spirit. Paul writes in Romans 8,

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ has made us free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirements of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit (Romans 8:2-3).

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ; when we accept Jesus’ wonderful invitation, we come to obey a command. We come to put on a yoke. But what a blessed yoke it is! It’s a yoke that is nothing less than a relationship with the wonderful Savior Himself.

He puts us to work as His followers, but it’s a work that is a delight to do because of what a wonderful Savior He is. He has done all that is necessary for us to be in the favor of His Father. He has purchased our pardon at His cross, and earned our righteousness by His own obedience. There is no more satisfying and fulfilling place to be than under His yoke.

Have you truly come to Him in that sense? In coming to Him, have you truly taken up His yoke and learned of Him? If so, then finally we see . . .

3. The Lord’s Satisfying Assertion (Matt. 11:29b-30).

He says to take up His yoke and learn from Him; “for I am gentle and lowly of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

First, Jesus gives an assertion or promise about Himself. Jesus lets us know that He is “gentle” or “meek”. He is not harsh or rough on those who come under His yoke. He doesn’t beat His servants. He loves them, and is good to them, and is kind to them. This speaks of His manner toward us.

And He also lets us know that He is “lowly” or “humble” of heart. Now, understand: He Himself is never “lowly” or “humble” in His being. Far from it! He is the King of kings and Lord of lords, awesome in His majesty and fearful in His wrath! But to those who come to Him weary and heavy laden, He is “lowly of heart”. This speaks of His approachability. He humbles Himself to reach down to those who are poor and lowly, weary and burdened by sin and guilt.

What a wonderful Master and Teacher He is. We need never fear to take Him up on His great invitation. He will always welcome us and love us. He will never give us more than we can bear but will always strengthen us and enable us to bear the burden He places upon us.

That’s the satisfying assertion He says about Himself. And then, notice the satisfying assertion or promise He gives us concerning His command. He tells us that, in taking His yoke, we will find “rest for our souls”. Here, Jesus quotes from Jeremiah 6. In Jeremiah’s day, God offered this rest, but Israel refused it. Jeremiah 6:16 16 “Thus says the LORD: ‘Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls.’ But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’”

Now God has sent His only begotten Son with the offer of rest for your souls. It is rest for the soul because the nature of the yoke or burden He places upon us is “easy”; and that means “well-fitted” or “agreeable” to us.

The Bible commentator William Barclay writes that when an ox was brought to a craftsman, it was first measured for the yoke. And then, the yoke was roughed out and the ox brought back to try it on. Then, the yoke was adjusted and shaped again, so that it would fit “easily” or “agreeably” to that animal-so that it wouldn’t hurt the animal to wear it.[7] And Jesus does the same for us. He knows us well; and will not place a yoke of service upon us that is not “easy” or “agreeable” to the way He has made us. He tailor-makes His yoke for those who come to Him.

And second, note that His burden is “light”. It is not something that we cannot carry. It’s not something that will crush us or destroy us. It’s something that He Himself gives us the strength to bear.

We cannot bear it in our own power. But we are not meant to bear it in our own power. Paul writes, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Phil. 4:13) His burden is light because it is Christ who gives it to us, and He who indwells us and empowers us to bear it.

Jesus has given His gracious invitation. But now there is a decision that you must make. Jesus is calling to you, “Come to Me.” Will you? Will you turn your eyes away from the sinful enticements of this world and look to Jesus? Will you lay down the burden of your sin and self-righteousness at the foot of the cross? Will you come to Him who can take your burden and give you rest for your soul? Will you take His yoke and be His disciple? Jesus is calling. Will you heed His call and come?

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[1] Scott Harris, Jesus’ Offer of Rest – Matthew 11:25-30, https://gracebibleny.org/jesus_offer_of_rest_matthew_11_25_30

[2] Augustine of Hippo, NPNF1: Vol. I, The Confessions of St. Augustine, Book I, Chapter 1, §1.

[3] Greg Allen, The Great Invitation, https://www.bethanybible.org/archive/2006/050706.htm, I adapted Allen’s outline and was helped by some of his points in this sermon.

[4] Larry Pierce, Outline of Biblical Usage, https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2872/nkjv/tr/0-1/

[5] Larry Pierce, Outline of Biblical Usage, https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g5412/nkjv/tr/0-1/

[6] Ecclesiasticus 51:26, https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Ecclesiasticus-51-26/

[7] William Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, vol. 2, p. 17.

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