Goshen Baptist Church

Introduction

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Have you ever thought that posts on social media seem too good to be true? In some ways, social media has become a place where people post the best parts of their lives in the best possible light.

I’ve heard that people go into debt to stay in really nice places just to make social media posts.

Could you imagine going into debt to stay at the nicest hotels, eating at the finest restaurants, posting all those things online, then getting back to your rundown home without power for the month because you decided to sacrifice paying your electric bill so you could get some good photos for your social media?

It seems a little ridiculous doesn’t it?

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We all have a desire for things to be authentic. It’s annoying to find out that something we have appreciated or enjoyed has ended up being fake.

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Jesus addresses what it means to be authentic in Matt 23. This will be seen both in what we do and who we are. This will be seen in contrast with the hypocrisy of the scribes and pharisees.

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Matt. 23:1-12

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What Hypocrisy Does in vv. 1-7, and What Hypocrisy Becomes in vv. 8-12What Hypocrisy DoesMatthew 23:1–7ESV

1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, 3 so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. 4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, 6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues 7 and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.Revelation

Jesus opens up with a bit of biting irony, we may even call it sarcasm. He says that the scribes and Pharisees have sat on Moses’ seat. They have claimed his authority. And Jesus commands, “Do and observe whatever they tell you.”

But later he calls them, “blind guides” and critiques the very things they teach. It seems odd that he would tell people to do what they say and then critique what they say. Well there are two ways to look at this 1) either he is commended what they say as long as it accords with the law of Moses, or 2) he is speaking sarcastically.

The tone of the passage may truly be something like this:

“Oh, they’ve seated themselves in Moses’ seat? Then by all means, do whatever they tell you…”

The Gospel of Matthew1. Warning against the Scribes and Pharisees (23:1–12)

“Follow their teaching if you must, but be sure not to follow their example

The “real” point of the first three verses is not that the Pharisees are trustworthy teachers, but that they are false leaders who claim Moses’ authority while completely missing Moses’ intent. That point can be seen at the end of v. 3 when Jesus says, “They preach and do not practice.” Jesus’s main charge against the scribes and Pharisees is hypocrisy.

In vv. 4-7, Jesus gives two main ways that they are hypocrites.

v. 4 is the first reason and vv. 5-7 is the second.

The first reason is that they bind together heavy burdens that they are unwilling to help with. “Tying up” in v. 5 probably refers to the endless debates, textual study, and so on and so forth that they do in order to come up with more and more things to obey.

One commentator notes, “

MatthewExegesis

Some rabbis openly admitted their tendency to produce volumes of rulings from even the briefest and simplest Old Testament command.

So they bind up, more and more rules to follow, and when the poor person who cannot keep up with all the commands asks for help, the scribe and Pharisee responds with a nose in the air. In smugness they scorn anyone who would dare need help following these simple series of commands. They put on the appearance of doing all these things, but in reality, they don’t do them either.

In vv. 5-7, Jesus indicts the scribes and Pharisees because, “

The Gospel of Matthew1. Warning against the Scribes and Pharisees (23:1–12)

their religious practices were designed to win the approval of other people rather than that of God.

They’ve enlarged their phylacteries. These were small boxes worn on the arm and forehead containing Scripture. Wearing this little box was a misunderstanding of Moses in itself. But going beyond just misunderstanding, the scribes and Pharisees were making the phylacteries larger so they would be noticed by others for their piety.

It’s the same thing they would do with the fringes of their robes. They were required to wear four tassels on their cloaks according to Num. 15. Jesus also would be wearing these. However, the scribe and Pharisees made theirs extra long in order to be seen.

They also enjoyed the prestige in front of others when it came to their seating and greetings (you can see in vv. 6-7)

MatthewExegesis

The greeting for an ordinary man was simply, “Peace be unto you.” But the greeting for a rabbi was “Peace be unto you, my Master and Teacher”

Phylacteries, fringes, and front row seats all used to flaunt how righteous they are in front of other people. All the while they seem to not have one concern for what God thinks.

And that is why it is so ironic that they have taken Moses’s seat. Just like everything else they had done, sitting in Moses’s seat was a form of self-exaltation.

Moses had on all-consuming passion displayed when he said to God, “Show me your glory!”

Moses was passionate about the legal code because he was passionate about honoring God. The scribes and Pharisees are passionate about the legal code because they want to be honored.

This is what made the scribes and Pharisees so inauthentic, or hypocritical. They claimed Moses’ seat, and they claimed to live for God, all the while they were simply living for themselves.Relevance

Who do you want to be honored in your life? Yourself or God?

And I know many, many of you in here are in Christ. If you are a Christian, if you are in Christ, you know at the depths of your heart that you want God to be honored above all else.

Do you know what happened before Moses made that statement, “show me your glory”?

Moses had gone to be in God’s very presence while Israel committed one of its greatest idolatries. Israel by this point knew the commandments, they agreed to do every bit of it. And yet, they took some gold and fashioned it into a calf to worship. God responded by displaying his wrath. The people were punished. God showed his holiness by saying he would not dwell with this people. But when Moses interceded, God relented, showing his mercy. And it was at that moment Exodus 33:18 “18 Moses said, “Please show me your glory.”” And God responded Exodus 33:19 “19 And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.”

The scribes and Pharisees were really good at knowing the commandments. They wanted big phylacteries, long fringes, the best seats and the best titles. They were using the commandments to bring glory to themselves.

Moses, though, did not want to use the law to bring himself glory, he wanted God to be seen as glorious

So how do we live a life authentically?

The Scribes and Pharisees used Scripture to tie large burdens. They made God impossible to follow while pretending to do all the things they prescribed. They made a standard too high for anyone, and then pretended to attain it, thus exalting themselves.

It’s easy for us to do something similar. It’s easy to shred the Scriptures apart and make it a list of “do’s” and “don’t’s.” It’s also easy to pretend to hold to that morality on the outside while our heart on the inside lacks passion, love for God, has doubts, and maybe even some bitterness. Then that turns us to the comparison game: we compare how we are doing to other believers, in order to exalt ourselves and ensure that we are doing okay.

But Scripture is not merely a moral list. It is a radical story of how God made a way of salvation for humanity. We shouldn’t merely comb Scripture to find a list of rules, but to feed our souls, to get a better glimpse of who Christ is, so that we too might yearn for more, like Moses.

Second, the scribes and Pharisees did all the pious acts in order to be seen by others. That is hypocrisy, because pious acts should exalt God, but they twisted it into something to exalt self.

An authentic life does pious acts so that Christ would be seen by others. You know one of the greatest ways to help people in their struggles? It is to confess your own struggles and reveal how you repented and Christ brought you through. This too can easily turn into self-exaltation, it can become “who’s struggle is bigger.” But that shouldn’t be the point. The point of confession, and any act of piety should be to humble self and exalt Christ. Bridge

Right now, we’ve seen how the scribes and Pharisees lived for the praise of others. They used their actions—their obedience, their religious practices—to exalt themselves.

But Jesus is not finished.

Because the problem is not just what they do… it’s also how they think about themselves.

It’s not just their actions that are disordered— it’s their identity.

And that’s where Jesus turns next.What Hypocrisy BecomesMatthew 23:8–12ESV

8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. 10 Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. 11 The greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.Revelation

Jesus continues to address his disciples while surrounded by the scribes and pharisees and the crowds he was teaching.

The scribes and Pharisees loved these titles such as “rabbi,” “father,” and “teacher.” and they used these titles to exalt themselves.

One second century rabbi told his disciples,

MatthewExegesis

“The reverence owing to your master should be like the awe owing to Heaven

The problem is not the title nor the position, but using the title or position to exalt self.

Jesus is not saying the use of titles is wrong, but the abuse of titles is wrong.

Jesus condemns using titles or status to rob God from the glory and honor he is due.

The scribes and Pharisees were so deceived that they actually thought they were due that glory. They believed the titles they gave themselves.

The point of all this is seen in vv. 11-12

The greatest is the servant, the one with the lowest status.

Then Jesus gives the warning in v. 12 that those who exalt themselves will be humbled.

And this is everything the scribes and pharisees were doing, exalting self to sit in Moses’s seat, exalting self with acts of piety, exalting self with their titles. Relevance

So what does this mean for us?

We may not go around asking people to call us “rabbi,” or “father,” or “teacher.” But that doesn’t mean we are free from what Jesus is addressing here.

Because the issue is not ultimately the title—it’s the heart behind it.

Why do titles matter? Why did the scribes and Pharisees love them so much?

Because titles give identity. They give recognition. They tell people who you are and where you stand.

And if we are honest, we are not all that different.

We may not seek a title, but we do want to be seen a certain way. We want to be known as the one who knows the Bible well. The one who is spiritually mature. The one who has it together.

And when that recognition does not come, something in us is bothered. When someone else is praised, and we are not, something in us compares. When we are overlooked, something in us wants to be noticed.

Jesus is pressing on that very thing.

Because He says—we already have an identity.

We are siblings. We have one Father in heaven. We have one Teacher—the Christ.

Which means we do not need to build a name for ourselves. we do not need to establish our own spiritual status.

So the question is not, “Do you have a title?” The question is:

Are we living out of the identity God has given us, or are we still trying to create one for ourselves?Bridge

And that is exactly where Jesus takes this.

Because once He strips away the titles, once He removes the categories we use to elevate ourselves, he gives us a completely different picture of what greatness actually is.

“The greatest among you shall be your servant.”

In other words the authentic life is not a life that is seen, it is a life that is lowered.

Not climbing upward, but willingly stepping downward.

Just like Jesus did for us.

And that sounds good when we say it, but it is much harder when we actually have to live it.

So how do we begin to do that?ApplicationSummary

The point of living a religious life is to exalt God. However, the scribes and Pharisees lives a religious life in order to exalt self. They wanted all the attention, the glory, the prestige. Jesus condemns them for it and warns that those who exalt themselves will be humbled. Tell

So, what should we do in light of this passage? What is something attainable? The goal of course is to ensure that every thing we do is exalting God and humbling self. But the danger is I give to broad of an application that it does not actually happen.

So, pick one act of piety that you regularly practice or pick one that you want to start this week. Maybe it’s scripture reading/study, prayer, confession to one another, gathering with the saints, generosity, fasting, whatever that act may be, just pick one.

Now that you have that one act of piety, we would call a spiritual discipline, now that you have that one in your mind, I want us to consider together, “when I do this, am I humbling self and exalting God?”

Every time this week you practice it, whichever one you picked, consider your motivations behind it. Look within your heart to see if you practice it authentically. If you do find yourself exalting God, say a word of praise and thanksgiving and continue to do so. If you find out that you have a tendency to exalt self, repent and turn to Christ. He is always a willing savior. Show

For me, I teach the Bible multiple times a week. It’s very easy to craft a sermon, or to be up here speaking and be concerned with myself, my wording, my presentation. I can easily allow a sermon to become a way I exalt self rather than God.

And so to avoid this danger the best I can, I have to step back and pray, “God may you be exalted. May I speak your words and not my opinions.” Then I have to engage honestly with the text. I have to ensure that what I am communicating through what I say is what God wants communicated through his word.

If the focus of my sermons ever becomes my delivery, my illustrations, my exegesis, etc., then I have failed at communicating God’s word.

And there have been times in my life when I have failed. There have been times when my main concern was being seen as relevant rather than communicating God’s word. But the point of the gospel is not that we are not allowed to fail. The point of the gospel, is that when we fail, we go to him. We seek his face. We confess our sin to him. We repent, and ask him for help. “Lord, help me exalt you and not myself.”Image

Jesus is a wholistic savior. Have you ever considered this? Sometime we allow hell to scare us so badly that we only think of Jesus saving our bodies in heaven. We only think of him saving us from a physical thing.

But Jesus saves all of us, and is saving all of us right now.

We are slowly but surely being conformed into the image of Christ, day by day,

And this includes our feelings, our beliefs, our desires. It also includes our motives.

We read a text that was heavily focused on peoples motives. And that can be scary because we only see people’s actions, we don’t always know people’s motives.

And sometimes, we can easily bury our motives.

The difference between the servant and servile is not seen in the actions, but in the motives.

But Jesus lived a life with perfect motives. He was the only real authentic life. He also died for our sinful motives, our mixed motives, our half-hearted motives.

And when we are honest, look inside and consider what motivates our action, we can bring that area under Christ’s dominion as well. We have the power by the Spirit to put to death wrong, sinful motives. And Christ gives us his power to replace those with righteous motives, so that we can live an authentic life, pleasing to him.Challenge

So take some time this week to examine those motives. What motivates your act of piety? Is it to exalt self or exalt God? If you discover any way that you are exalting self, don’t be afraid, don’t heap guilt upon yourself, don’t be sad, simply repent, ask the Lord to help you repent. Then turn to our good Savior who is motivated by his great love and mercy to redeem even our hidden motives.

In Christ, we can stop living to be seen, and start living to make him seen.

Jesus assumes the authority that rightly belongs to him over the recognized leaders in Jerusalem.

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Do you remember watching the Wizard of Oz movie? Think about the end of the movie when Dorothy and her companions finally meet the wizard. I hope I don’t spoil the movie for you. You know how it was, a giant head, booming voice, smoke going everywhere. It was very frightening. And then what happened? Dorothy’s little dog Toto pulled back the curtain to reveal a simple older man operating everything. And what did he say then, “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.” This great wizard who was known all around to be able to do any and everything was revealed to be something not so special.

In Matt. 22, we have seen the leaders in Jerusalem attempt to expose Jesus as a fraud. They want to humiliate him, get him arrested, anything they can to get the crowds to stop following him. And yet the more they try to expose him, the more he is revealed as the true Messiah, the true leader of Jerusalem. And the more they are exposed as simply the “man behind the curtain” we might say. In other words, the more the religious leaders tried to expose Jesus as some sort of fraud, the more they revealed their own ignorance and lack of faith and devotion for God.

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We were born into sin, our sin nature is pervasive, it effects every part of us, our will, our emotions, our thinking, our beliefs, our flesh. Because of sin, we are naturals at doing the same thing as the Wizard of Oz, though perhaps not as dramatic as him. We put up curtains to cover up our real selves and put on elaborate displays to make people think that we are something other than we are.

The more Jesus is unveiled it becomes more and more clear that he is the Lord of all.

The more the leaders of Jerusalem are unveiled it becomes more and more clear that they are far from what they present themselves to be

When our hearts are exposed, will it be revealed that Jesus is truly the Lord of our hearts?

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In Matt. 22:34-46, Jesus reveals that he is the Lord over the law and the Lord over all.

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Matt. 22:34-46

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Lord over Law vv. 34-40, Lord over All vv. 41-46

Matthew 22:34–40 ESV

34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

“Legal authority”

Jesus expresses his authority on legal matters.

What is Matthew doing? Showing that Jesus is the rightful leader in regard to the Law.

Jesus has been in a showdown between him and the leaders of Jerusalem. The leaders of Jerusalem have been trying to trap him and get rid of him. At the very least, they want to stop him from exercising authority over the crowds and gathering this following that he has. They want to show the emperor has no clothes.

So far the questioners have become more and more learned. First, it was the disciples of the Pharisees, then the Sadduccees, and now we have an expert of the law from the Pharisees. They are now sending out their foremost legal scholar in order to test Jesus. You can see this lawyer’s motivation at the end of v. 35. To be clear, though the translation calls him a “lawyer” this does not mean that he spends his time in a court of law advocating for clients in front of a judge. Rather, this means he is an expert in Old Testament law, the Torah.

When dealing with laws, especially these Old Testament laws, it can be sometimes difficult to know which to follow. For example, the law commanded that a son should be circumcised 8 days after he is born. The Sabbath law commands no work. What if the 8th day after the son is born lands on Sabbath? Which should a faithful Jew follow? Should he circumcise according to the law or should he keep the Sabbath?

A good lawyer—that is, a good expert in the OT Law, would tell you that the circumcision should be kept even if it landed on the Sabbath. In other words, they would argue that the law for circumcision is greater than the law for Sabbath. The legal scholars in Jesus’s day would argue about which law is the “greatest” or the “great” law. In other words, which law should be held above all others. And you could see how this could easily result in endless legal debate if the wrong law was considered to be the greatest.

Jesus does not answer with a ritual, a ceremony, a civil law, or even merely another moral rule. He goes straight to the center of our lives—our devotion to God. When He says, “with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind,” He is not dividing us into compartments, as though we could give God one part of ourselves and keep the rest. He means the whole of who we are. Every affection of the heart, every desire of the soul, every thought of the mind—every bit of our entire being is to be turned toward God in love.

I am reminded of a science teacher who stood before his class with a large glass cylinder. He filled it to the top with softballs and asked, “Is it full?” The students answered, “Yes.” Then he poured in a container of marbles, and the marbles rolled into the spaces between the softballs. Again he asked, “Is it full?” This time the students answered more confidently, “Yes.” But then he poured in sand, and even the sand found its way into the spaces the marbles had left.

That is what this commandment feels like. God is not asking for the large, obvious parts of our lives only. He does not merely ask for Sunday mornings, a few good works, or our outward obedience. He asks for the marbles too—the hidden motives, the quiet thoughts, the private desires. He asks for the sand—the smallest corners of our hearts that we would rather keep for ourselves.

And the more honestly we look at this command, the more we realize that we have never obeyed it fully. There is always another space not yet surrendered, another affection that competes with God, another thought, desire, or ambition that falls short of loving Him with our entire being. The commandment is so great that it exposes us. We may think we have loved God enough, until His Word pours in the marbles. We may think we have finally given Him everything, until His Word pours in the sand.

Jesus says the second is like unto it. “Love your neighbor” is the command. Love is a whole-being act, it involves our will, our beliefs, our emotions. Love involves believing truth about others, yearning for others wellbeing, and doing things for their wellbeing.

We live in a culture that had perverted love, so we always have to define it, sadly. Our culture says similar things: Love involves believing truth about others, yearning for others wellbeing, and doing things for their wellbeing. But our culture says that an individual’s feelings determines what is true, an individual’s decides what’s best for their own wellbeing.

But what is most loving is believing, yearning for and doing for the benefit of others what corresponds to reality—what corresponds to God’s reality. Because believe it or not, other people can yearn and have feelings for wrong things. That does not mean it is loving to give them things they yearn for. The determining factor for what is loving is God’s law: do not lie, do not hate, do not defraud, do not oppress, do not take revenge, etc . . .

Matthew 22:40 “40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”” The “law and Prophets: was a way for Jesus to say what we would call the Old Testament. And it’s on these two commands that all the Scripture hangs. One commentator notes:

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 8: Matthew, Mark, Luke7) The Greatest Commandments (22:34–40)

These two commandments are the greatest because all Scripture “hangs” on them; i.e., nothing in Scripture can cohere or be truly obeyed unless these two are observed. The entire biblical revelation demands heart religion marked by total allegiance to God, loving him and loving one’s neighbor.

Have you ever heard “good people get into heaven?” Or have you ever wondered, couldn’t a good Atheist be accepted into heaven? What about that Atheist who helps the old lady cross the street, isn’t that good?

All these questions have shown that not only has our culture redefined what love is, the culture has also largely redefined “goodness.”

Tell me, how can a “good person” get into heaven if that good person has never once even obeyed what Jesus said is the greatest commandment?

Think about what Jesus says is the greatest commandment: Matthew 22:37 “37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”

Consider the question: How many weeks of your life have you fully obeyed this command? How many days of your life have you fully obeyed this command? Hours? Minutes? Do you even have one second in your life where you could confidently say you obeyed this command fully?

And yet, the overwhelming majority of Americans today would say that they are good people, yet we cannot even obey what Jesus says is the greatest commandment for one millisecond of our lives.

Remember what Matthew is doing here. The religious leaders are trying to expose Jesus as some fraud. But instead, Jesus is revealed to be the Lord over the law, rightly discerning what the greatest command is.

And Listen to this, if you don’t hear anything else, hear this: when it comes to judgment day do you know who will be the one exercising judgment? 2 Timothy 4:1 “1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom:” Jesus, the Lord of the law will be the judge.

All these people going around believing themselves to be good, and yet what matters is the judge’s verdict. Jesus is the judge.

And guess what? Jesus has told us the greatest commandment. If you break the greatest commandment, wouldn’t that be the worst offense?

And all these people who think they are good don’t care one bit about God.

Matthew is not just revealing for us that Jesus is the Lord of the Law, he is also revealing how far short we fall.

When Jesus gives the greatest commands, on which the rest of Scripture hangs, he does not merely reveal his intellect or his ability to understand the law, he pulls back the curtain on our hearts. One day, we will stand before him with no curtain to hide behind. Nothing we can manipulate, nothing we can use to impress. And we will be asked, “Did you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might?”

What will you say?

Will you make and excuse? Will you lie?

Or will you be honest?

“No, Lord Jesus, I failed. I could never. I was so weak. But I know, Lord, I know you did. I know you are strong. And I know, trusting in your death, your resurrection, and I know, ‘all who trust in you will not be put to shame.’”

But Jesus is not satisfied with revealing himself to be Lord over the law, he goes on to question those who have been questioning him and proves that he is Lord over all.

Matthew 22:41–46 ESV

41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, 42 saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” 43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, 44 “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet” ’? 45 If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” 46 And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

Finally, Jesus turns to ask his interrogators a question, a question concerning the identity of the Messiah. He asks who’s son the Messiah is. To which they answer David’s son. And, of course, they aren’t wrong. David wanted to build God a house, but God responded saying he was going to build David’s house (i.e., dynasty) and make it everlasting. This would be fulfilled in the Messiah, Jesus. Matthew made it clear at the beginning of this gospel that Jesus was in the Davidic line.

But the leaders of the day assume that being a son of David makes him David’s inferior. But Jesus dismantles this thinking by quoting Psalm 110:1 “1 The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.””

David is speaking this Psalm about the Messiah. The way it is translated may make it confusing. But if you took the time to flip back and look at Psalm 110:1 you would see David saying, “Yahweh says to my Lord. . .” In other words, David is referencing the Messiah as his superior.

This Messiah figure in Psalm 110 does not rule like David, nor does he rule with David, this Messiah rules with God. In this Psalm, God says to the Messiah, “sit at my right hand.” The Messiah rules over all, “until I put your enemies under your feet. . .” According to this psalm, God will cause everything to be subjected to the Messiah.

And this is what is startling about the Messiah. Even though he is truly called the “son of David” he is much more than a mere son of David. David himself acknowledges this when he calls him “Lord.” This leaves the question open. . .who’s son is he?

And all throughout Matthew’s gospel, he has given the answer: the son of God. Matthew 3:17 “17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”” Matthew 17:5 “5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.””

The Pharisees cannot answer Jesus’s questions and are silent. They never again try to debate him or make a fool of him.

Jesus does not just claim to be the ruler of Jerusalem, or just the ruler of Israel, he claims to be the ruler of all, alongside God himself.

If Jesus is Lord of all, is he Lord of your heart?

This the question that faces all of us. Because he is either our Lord or our enemy, and we do not want him as out enemy. God himself promises to do away with all of Jesus’s enemies.

Have you ever seen one of those videos where someone in court disrespects a judge? Judge Judy was real popular for a long time. She would not allow a plaintiff or defendant to disrespect her.

There was a real popular video that went around. I think because of Covid, courts started running virtual sessions. Defendants could appear by video in front of the judge. There was a video of someone who was caught driving with a suspended license. He was required to appear in court through the video conference call. He got on the call in time, and you can tell he’s not looking at the camera very often. Then you notice that it appears he is in a car. This man is literally driving a car with a suspended license while being in court for driving a car with a suspended license. As you can imagine, things did not go well with him. The judge gave a much harsher consequence because of it.

When you swing out into eternity, when you stand in the heavenly court room, what are you holding on to? What are you hoping in?

There are so many people around here who think they are good enough, they think, “Oh sure, I believe in Jesus,” and yet they live as if Jesus is simply a way to avoid hell not as Lord of their life.

So don’t look into your heart and wonder, “Do I really believe in him?” don’t try to keep a tally to prove you are a good person, instead ask yourself this one question: do you live as though Jesus is Lord of your life? Because it makes a difference!

Jesus proves to the Pharisees that he is no mere earthly king, he is the Lord of all, above the greatest king they have ever had. And they question that leaves us with is he our Lord?

Jesus has pulled back the curtain. The Pharisees looked impressive, but they did not truly love God. And when Jesus pulls back the curtain on our hearts, we discover the same thing. We have not loved God with all our heart, soul, and mind. Yet the One who exposes us is also the One who stands at the right hand of God as Lord over all.

So stop pretending. Stop trying to convince yourself, others, or even God that you are better than you are. The greatest danger is not being exposed by Jesus; the greatest danger is spending your whole life hiding behind the curtain. Come to him honestly. Confess where your heart is divided, where your love has grown cold, where you have wanted him as Savior but not as Lord.

What does that look like this week? Pick one place where you know Jesus is not fully Lord. Perhaps it is your thought life, your entertainment, your money, your schedule, your bitterness toward someone, your fear of what others think, your secret sin. Do not make a vague promise to “do better.” Name it specifically before God. Then surrender that one area to him every day this week in prayer: “Lord Jesus, this belongs to you. Rule here too.”

Imagine standing before Jesus on the last day. Every curtain is gone. Every excuse is gone. Every hidden motive is brought into the light. And if all you have is your own record, you will stand there speechless like the Pharisees.

But imagine instead that beside you stands the very Judge himself. The Lord over the Law. The Lord over all. And he says, “This one is mine. I obeyed the greatest commandment for him. I loved the Father with all my heart, soul, and mind in her place. My righteousness is theirs.”

That is the gospel: the One who will judge you is the very One who died and rose to save all who trust him.

So here is the question: when Jesus pulls back the curtain on your life, what will be revealed? Will it be a person still hiding, still pretending, still saying, “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain”? Or will it be a sinner who has come into the light and said:

“Lord Jesus, I have failed to love God as I should. But you are Lord. You obeyed where I could not. Rule my heart, forgive my sin, and make me yours.”

Do not leave here merely admiring Jesus as Lord over the law and Lord over all. Bow to him as Lord of you

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Imagine you get a formal letter in the mail. You look at it and there’s a big stamp on the envelope that says, “jury summons.” You open up the letter to see and it says where you have to be and when. You also see some major consequences including a fine and some jail time if you don’t show up.

Imagine you make all the right plans to show up. You make sure to get that day off of work and notify them why. But when the day finally comes around, you just don’t go. It’s not about being busy. It’s not about forgetting. It’s about refusing authority.

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And if we’re honest, were not as foreign to that tendency as we would like to think. We often treat rightful authority as optional when it becomes inconvenient.

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Jesus tells a parable about people who respond in exactly the same way.

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Matt. 21:1-14

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Refusal, Reception , Removal

Matthew 22:1–7 ESV

1 And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, 3 and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. 4 Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.” ’ 5 But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. 7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

Jesus is again speaking to the chief priests and elders of the people in the temple in Jerusalem. He was originally teaching a crowd, but was interrupted by these leaders who wanted to challenge him, as we will see they will continue to do. He speaks in parables to drive the meaning deeper into the hearts of those who hear.

In v. 2, we see two main characters, the king representing God, and the son representing the Messiah, Jesus himself. In v. 3 this king sends servants to call those, notice what they text says, “who were invited to the wedding feast.” So let’s clarify this picture, guests in the story were previously invited to this feast, and now the servants are coming and announcing, “The feast is happening now! Come on!”

And this is emphasized in v. 4, “I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready.” The king is being generous, he is prepared, he has the food ready. Hardly anyone would refuse a king’s request; even more unlikely would someone refuse a king’s request that included a free and generous banquet.

And this is what makes v. 5 so startling. The first few words, “But they paid no attention. . .”

These special guests that the king has selected turn this celebration into sorrow. Because their apathy towards the invitation reveals the apathy they have toward the king. And more than just apathy, but outright rebellion.

And what is the king’s response? He sends his soldiers to burn the city, likely a prophetic reference to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70AD.

Imagine you are going to get married. You send out all the invites. You get 200 RSVPs. Then the wedding day comes and no one shows up. You think there must of been a printing error and so you call and text around. But every one who picks up says they just didn’t want to come. What would be your next natural question: “Then why did you even bother to RSVP?”

And I think that’s the question this text leaves us with. All of these guests were invited and accepted the invite, but when the call came that the feast has arrived, they couldn’t be bothered to come.

And it seems as though the arrival of the banquet is the catalyst for all this apathy and rebellion coming to the surface. Everything seems to be going fine. Clearly, they have already accepted the invitation to come to this wedding feast, but when the feast finally arrives it’s as though all the rebellion comes out.

Why is that?

Well, we have to say that the guests who were invited were willing to say yes because it benefitted them. They maintained their status with the king which game them certain benefits. But when it actually came to do something about it, they would rather attend to their own affairs or fight than honor the king and his son.

Their response to the invitation revealed what was in their heart. These guests always had themselves on the throne of their life. They were willing to use the king and what he offered as long as it benefited them in some way. But as soon as it was inconvenient, rebellion was ready to pounce.

And I think this is the most cutting thing for us in the text.

It’s easy for us to go along with the song and the dance. The evangelist tells a moving story and its easy to be overcome with emotion and say yes to the first invitation. A problem arises in your life that seems to big for you to handle and so you pray, you go to church more, it’s easy to say yes to the first invitation.

Think about how many kids have walked the aisle, prayed the prayer and been baptized. Where are they now?

It’s easy to say yes to the first invitation.

But when it actually costs you something. When God finally demands something from you. When God brings you to a place that you have to recognize he is God and we are not. That’s when the apathy comes out. That’s when the rebellion comes out.

And the most frightening thing about it is that God does not let such a people off the hook. God does not throw himself a pity party when his guests fail to arrive and rebel against him. He brings judgement. Not vindictive, not out of spite, but just judgement because God is the king of the universe.

But God does not just throw away his feast, he makes sure that there’s someone who will enjoy it.

Matthew 22:8–10 ESV

8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ 10 And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

The king in this parable says that those who were invited are unworthy. Their unwillingness to come revealed their rebellion and showed how unworthy they were. No king wants rebellious subjects to come to a feast to honor his son. That’s not just a feeling a king would have, but anyone.

Because of the original invited guests unworthiness in this matter, he gathers an indiscriminate crowd. “The main roads” and “as many as you can find” in v. 9 were a part of the king’s instruction. The king is going to gather anyone and everyone for this feast. And notice in v. 10 the servants “gathered all whom they found.” Then it says, “Both bad and good.” What does that mean? Within the context of Matthew and the context of this parable, this does not mean that repentance is not required to be saved. This does not mean wicked, unrepentant sinners will find themselves in heaven. But look at what Jesus said earlier about those who responded to John the Baptist in 21:32, “The tax collectors and the prostitutes believed.” So when the servants are gathering the “good and the bad” this is based on reputation, those who appear to be good in front of others, and those who are notorious sinners such as tax collectors and prostitutes.

We know theologically, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). All are invited to the feast, but even among these new guests, there may be some who are unworthy as we will see in the next portion.

But what is the point of this section? Look at the end of v. 10, “So the wedding hall was filled with guests.”

At the end of the matter, the king gets what he wants. He has guests who honor his son, guests who want to be there to enjoy the feast.

The problem with the old covenant was that God’s law was written on stone. It could be learned, and people could attempt to follow it, but it did not have the power to change people’s heart. Under the New covenant, God’s law is written on the heart.

Because of Christ’s death and resurrection, because of the Holy Spirit’s power, when the gospel goes out, people’s hearts can actually change. Like in Ezekiel’s vision, dry bones can become alive again.

What does that mean? That means there’s hope for every single one of us.

There is an invitation for you. And invitation to trust in Christ and be apart of the marriage supper of the lamb. There is an invitation for you to this wedding feast in heaven, to be with God, to be a part of his people. There is an invitation to turn from your sin and trust in him. There is an invitation bought with the blood of Christ. We could never live a life that would please God on our own, we could never live a life that could make up for our sins. Jesus lived that life for you. He never once sinned. The invitation is open, do you trust in him? We could never bear the punishment for our sin, eternal separation from God under constant torment. Jesus bore that punishment for you when he suffered on the cross. The invitation is open, do you trust in him?

Our invitation to the king’s feast is not based on pedigree, status, or performance. It’s not based on our record. It’s not based on how many laws you kept. It’s not based on how many times you sinned or not sinned. It’s not based on how long you’ve heard of Jesus or how many times. It’s not based on how many times you’ve been to church. It’s not based on if you walked the aisle or talked to the preacher. It’s not based on how well you have you life together or how you feel like your life is falling apart.

Do you hear this text? Do you feel this text? Listen again, “Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ 10 And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.”

Can you hear my voice? This invitation to trust in Jesus, to trust in what he did for you, to turn from your sins, to acknowledge Christ as Lord, this invitation is for you.

But we are left with a sober warning. That even some who appear to accept this invitation, truly haven’t. Look at v. 11

Matthew 22:11–14 ESV

11 “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. 12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”

In the time that Jesus was telling this story it would have been a major issue to not show up to a wedding or funeral in proper attire. Our society has grown a little more casual in how we approach funerals and weddings. But even in our own society for the longest time there were certain things we would be expected to wear when in mourning.

For a funeral in Jesus’s time, it would be expected to wear simple black clothing. And it would be the same for a wedding except it would be white.

Notice some of the details in the story. The king looks at the guests, immediately notices the person standing out without the proper attire, then questions him. His question presumes innocence as he says, “Friend” The question “How did you get in here without. . .” assumes that the king has servants at the entrance ensuring everyone had a wedding garment coming in the room. But the guest without the proper attire was speechless.

So what does the wedding garment represent in this parable that Jesus is telling?

In the simplest way:

MatthewExegesis

the wedding garments portray giving proper honor to the king and his son

John who wrote Revelation associated white wedding garments with the righteous deeds of the saints (Rev. 19:8)

MatthewExegesis

Thus, the soiled everyday garments of the man represented evil behavior and speech, which demonstrated that he had not truly repented and did not belong to the kingdom (7:17–18; 12:34–35). He did not honor the king (God) nor his son (Jesus)

This man was a wedding crasher. He thought he could enjoy the celebration, eat the finest of feasts for free, drink as much as he wanted, and just have a good time without actually respecting the king and his son.

But his punishment points to the eternal punishment endured by all those who are not “the chosen.” It’s more that just being cast out of the wedding feast, it’s being bound and thrown into the outer darkness with weeping and gnashing of teeth.

This invitation goes to all without discrimination, but it does not mean there are no expectations.

Jesus says, “Many are called, but few are chosen.” The words “called” and “chosen” sound similar in the original language, and I think the word choice both starting with “C” is supposed to help us. But the word “called” is the word “invited” used throughout.

Many are invited. The invitation went to everyone. It went to these original guests who refused, then it went to anyone who would listen.

But few are the chosen. What does this mean?

Remember that Jesus is telling this story to the chief priests, the elders of the people, the Pharisees.

They would be the first to confess, “We are the chosen people.”

Consider this Scripture:

Deuteronomy 7:6–7 “6 “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. 7 It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples,” Deuteronomy 7:8 “8 but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”

The representatives of the people in Jerusalem would have quickly said, “We are God’s chosen people!”

But Jesus in front of everyone is saying, “No, you are not chosen, you were invited but refused the invitation.

So what does it mean to be the chosen? The same thing it has always meant in all of Scripture. Here’s how one commentator put it:

MatthewExegesis

that kingdom entrance requires repentance (3:1; 4:17), faith in Jesus as Lord, commitment to do the Father’s will as expressed in the teachings of Jesus (7:21), and the character and behavior that displays this repentance, faith, and devotion

A life reflecting repentance, faith, and devotion. That is the chosen people.

So what is the call of this text? I believe the call is clear: check your garments.

Search your hearts

Are you invited? Many are invited. But that’s not enough.

The question is are you the chosen?

Do you have a life, not perfect, but one marked by, in your deepest self, marked by repentance, faith, and devotion?

Or, do you carry around an invitation and hope to get into heaven just to enjoy eternal bliss. If you are hoping in the invitation, let me tell you, friend, that your garments are soiled. The chosen don’t hope in the invitation, they hope in the king.

So we looked at this one parable in three ways. We saw the original guests apathy and rebellion when the feast came. We saw the new guests who were invited from any and everywhere. Then we saw the guest who was expelled for failing to honor the king and his son. Jesus concluded this parable, and really all three parables with that saying, “Many care called, but few are chosen.”

Here’s what God has always wanted, “I will be your God, you will be my people, and I will dwell in your midst.”

We’ve all heard the invitation to be God’s people. And if your not clear here it is again, repent, turn from your wicked ways, turn from trying to rule over your own life and instead, trust in Christ. He lived a life that was worthy before God. He died a cruel death that we deserved. He invites us to trust in him. We believe in him and receive his righteousness as a free gift. We believe in him and he takes away the punishment of hell we deserve.

This is the invitation, repent of sin and believe in Jesus.

Now, the question is, what will you do with that invitation?

There were three main responses to the invitation in this parable.

One group said yes, but then didn’t bother to go.

One man showed up, but was still saying no in his heart

The rest at the banquet were there, honoring the king and his son.

Which are you?

Have you outright rejected the invitation?

Have you believed you said yes, but you still are not trusting in Christ and just expecting the banquet?

Or do you have your proper attire and you are waiting for that day that Christ will return?

Where do you get this attire?

The difference between the invited and the chosen is not effort— it’s whether you have been clothed by the King.

You don’t bring your own garment. You don’t clean yourself up.

Christ is the garment. His righteousness. His obedience. His perfection.

And those who truly receive Him—are changed by Him.

So if you are not saved, not truly a believer, the call is to accept the invitation. Turn from your sin, place your trust in him.

If you are a Christian, wake up every morning choosing repentance, faith, and devotion. Live as if you are chosen.

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Imagine you and your spouse want to go on a date so you hire a babysitter to watch your kids. You have a lovely evening and come home to find your babysitter watching TV and your kids are no where to be found. When you ask about your children, the babysitter shrugs and asks, “Can I get paid now?”

Imagine your parent is in the final stages of life. So, you hire medical professionals for end-of-life care. You discover one day that a nurse has ensured her name appears on the will instead of yours. Furthermore, this nurse is speeding up the death process for your parent. This is no longer just a neglect of duty, this is betrayal.

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Most of us recognize that injustice immediately. When someone is entrusted with responsibility and uses that position for themselves instead of the one who entrusted them, something has gone terribly wrong. But here’s the uncomfortable question: What if we sometimes treat God the same way?

What if we take the life God has given us, the gifts he has entrusted to us, the opportunities he places before us, and instead of using them for him, we quietly start using them for ourselves?

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That is exactly what Jesus confronts in Matthew 21. The religious leaders believed they were the caretakers of God’s kingdom. They believed they were faithfully serving God. But Jesus exposes something shocking. They weren’t just failing in small ways. They were saying the right things while refusing to obey. They were treating God’s kingdom like it belonged to them. And when the Son of God finally came, they would reject him altogether.

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Matt. 21:28-46

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Jesus exposes the people of the Old Covenant through Unexpected Citizens (28-32), an unexpected plan (33-41) and an unexpected stone (42-46)

Matthew 21:28–32 ESV

28 “What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ 29 And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. 30 And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.

Jesus begins to address the Jewish leaders, earlier identified as the chief priests and elders of the people. They came to him in front of the crowd he was teaching to challenge him. But now, Jesus is going to challenge them.

Consider the essence of the parable. The man has two sons and says to both of them “Son, go and work in the vineyard today.”

He gets two very different responses. One is the response you may want to hear, the other the response you don’t want to hear. But one was honest, and the other one wasn’t.

The first son responded in v. 29, “I will not,” and really he’s saying, “I don’t want to.” We don’t get a rebuttal from the father. But we do see this son is at least being honest. He’s being honest and acting from his heart.

The end of v. 29 though says, “afterward he changed his mind and went.” That right there is the picture of repentance. Even when he goes and does as his father requested, he is still being honest and acting from the heart because he had this change of mind.

Then we have the other son in v. 30. He says to the same request, “I will, sir.” It was almost as if he knew about his brother’s refusal, and saw himself as superior. “He won’t obey, but trust me Father, I will do it.” Notice this son says, “Sir” conveying his respect of his Father. And yet, he does not do it. And notice what’s missing? He didn’t change his mind, he just never did it! As one commentator noted:

MatthewExegesis

The absence of any reference to him changing his mind implies that he never had any intention of obeying his father

And this is the scathing remark that Jesus has against the religious leaders. These religious leaders have all the respect for God, they have all the pomp and circumstance, they have all the formalities, all the rituals, all the legal code, all the heritage of being in the nation of Israel, and yet they have no intention of actually doing what God said.

And hear what Jesus says at the end of v. 31 “ the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you

The essence of this expression:

MatthewExegesis

the worst of sinners would enter the kingdom before the chief priests and elders ever did, and this implied that most of these leaders would never enter it at all

Jesus stacks up the evidence: You saw John the Baptist proclaiming the way of righteousness and did not repent, you saw the worst of sinners change their lives for God and did not repent. Jesus is saying that they honor God with their lips, but their hearts are far from him.

The people of Israel always had one job: to bring about the kingdom of God through the Mosaic covenant. And this representatives of the people refused to do so. Why? Because they would rather use that covenant to build their own kingdom rather than God’s.

We can all fall into the danger of using what God has given us to build our own kingdom rather than his.

Rituals, heritage, and status have a way to numb the conscious before God. They have a way to cause the lost soul to ignore the reality and power of sin. They ignore it to their detriment because one day God will judge the living and the dead according to their works; according to their fruit.

Rituals, heritage, and status also have a way to make us apathetic towards our dependance upon God. “I’m a church member, I shouldn’t face spiritual attack.” “I sit in this pew every Sunday, I shouldn’t be depressed.” “I always read my Bible and pray, I won’t face temptation.”

Morning and EveningMorning, March 14

It is a curious fact, that there is such a thing as being proud of grace. A man says, “I have great faith, I shall not fall; poor little faith may, but I never shall.” “I have fervent love,” says another, “I can stand, there is no danger of my going astray.” He who boasts of grace has little grace to boast of

Morning and EveningMorning, March 14

Some who do this imagine that their graces can keep them, knowing not that the stream must flow constantly from the fountain head, or else the brook will soon be dry. If a continuous stream of oil comes not to the lamp, though it burn brightly to-day, it will smoke to-morrow, and noxious will be its scent.

In all our spiritual disciplines, our prayers, our church attendance, our faith it’s easy to become the second son who comes to God and pledges, “Wherever you lead, I’ll go!” And then live lives of “No.”

But what is the answer to that dilemma in this short passage? Repentance. Repentance is so good and refreshing. You see it twice in the text written as a “change of mind.”

When we find ourselves leaning on our own heritage, status, rituals, or performance, we can simply repent. And we can pray, “God, I trust in you, not in me.”

But these religious leaders did not just fail to bring the kingdom of God into the world through the covenant, they rebelled against the king. And Jesus exposes that rebellion.

Matthew 21:33–41 ESV

33 “Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country. 34 When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit. 35 And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. 37 Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ 39 And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”

It was always Israel’s mission to build God’s kingdom through the covenant. And yet, they so often decided to build their own.

Isreal where the one, true God of the universe was king. Israel often confused their own national interests with God’s interests. They often conflated their kingdom with God’s kingdom. God said of Israel, “Out of Egypt I have called my Son.” And yet, how many times did he allow plagues to break out against Israel in the wilderness? When Israel approached the promise land, Joshua met with the angel of the Lord and asked, “

English Standard VersionChapter 5

Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” 14 And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the LORD

Just before they had a king, they tried to use God to win a battle against the Philistines. When they did get their first king, he was interested in building his own kingdom more than God.

And there are so many other examples throughout Israel’s history of building the kingdom of self.

However, God has always been in the business of building his kingdom, and He’s always building it with those who trust in him and obey him. Those who “will give him the fruits in their seasons.”

For so long the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Isreal were seen as one and the same. The chief priests and elders of the people saw themselves as the leaders of the very kingdom of God, but they did not realize that this vineyard was just lent out to them. The leaders were not the owners of the vineyard, just tenant farmers.

Not only were they just tenant farmers, they were not producing fruit for the owner. What was the owner to do? He sends in servant after servant. And they continuously kill and beat all the servants that the owner sends. Of course we know, these are all the prophets that God sent to Israel.

At this point, one would think this owner would send in armed mercenaries to enact vengeance against these murdering tenant farmers. But there’s something shocking in his plan, his plan is unexpected: he sends in his own son. Saying “they will respect my Son” in v. 37

The Gospel of Matthew2. The Vineyard (21:33–44)

When the son goes as his father’s messenger he goes with all his father’s authority, and so deserves “respect” and obedience. To reject the son’s demand is therefore the climax of rebellion.

And the tenant farmers climax their rebellion in the most ridiculous way. They kill the son reasoning among themselves that killing him would cause them to gain the inheritance. Of course, that is ridiculous. But that draws to the point: these farmers in the parable are so twisted against the owner that they will do anything to be rid of him and take what rightfully belongs to him.

Then Jesus asks the pointed question: what should the owner do?

The religious leaders respond with a self-indictment in v. 41: kill the tenants and lease out the vineyard to those who will produce its fruits.

The picture is that these farmers are living in this beautiful vineyard and not even growing anything.

Not only are they failing to produce fruit, they are openly rebelling against the owner, that is, God himself. So you can say, in a sense they are producing fruit, rebellious fruit.

Matthew10. Kingdom of Heaven

“Fruit” in the Gospel of Matthew is consistently a reference to the deeds, words, and character that exhibit what is truly in one’s heart

And that says something. We can all act in ways that do not truly exhibit what is in our heart. But as we have seen throughout this gospel, Jesus is not after behavior modification, he is after heart change. And this is the same thing that God has always been after.

The tenants in this parable did not simply neglect the vineyard—they tried to take ownership of it. They wanted the fruit of the vineyard without submitting to the authority of the owner. And that same instinct still lives in the human heart.

We want the blessings of God—peace, forgiveness, hope, eternity—but we often resist the rule of God over our lives. Like the tenants, we can slowly begin to treat God’s vineyard as if it belongs to us rather than to him.

This is the danger we all face. We get comfortable in the routine and stop producing fruit of the kingdom, and start producing fruit of complacency

But everything we have—our lives, our gifts, our church, our opportunities—has been entrusted to us by God. We are not owners. We are stewards.

But Jesus gives the key to that danger we face. Because the religious leaders fail to establish God’s kingdom through the Mosaic covenant, God will bring about a new way to make that happen.

Matthew 21:42–46 ESV

42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “ ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? 43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. 44 And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.” 45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. 46 And although they were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet.

The very people who were supposed to be building the kingdom of God, these religious leaders, have now discovered the very cornerstone to the kingdom, but like the tenant farmers in the parable, they will reject it. Jesus brings this out by again quoting Psalm 118. And yet, all of this was apart of God’s plan, for it is through the rejection and the death of the Messiah that he becomes this cornerstone.

In v. 43, Jesus gives the indictment. Jesus does not give a resolution in the parable, but he does give in in this quotation of the Psalm. Just as the tenant farmer rejected and killed the Son, so the builders of God’s kingdom in Psalm 118 came across the cornerstone and rejected it. But their rejection will be overturned and that stone will be given the place of highest importance.

The Gospel of Matthew2. The Vineyard (21:33–44)

the son you have rejected and killed is the one God has chosen to take your place

But Jesus does not just say he is replacing it with himself. He says, “a people producing its fruits” Whose fruits? The Kingdom’s fruits.

Jesus is establishing a new covenant, a new people, in order to bring the kingdom to earth. And Jesus is the very foundation of that new covenant and new people.

In v. 45 Jesus picks up imagery from Is. 8 and Dan. 2. In Is. 8, God is depicted as a rock that is a sanctuary for those who trust in him and a stumbling stone for those who do not trust in him. In Dan. 2 the kingdom of God is pictured as a stone that crushes all the pagan nations and fills the earth and lasts forever.

The leaders who one might expect after being exposed and facing such an indictment would turn and repent. But they refuse. In stead they begin to plot to do exactly what Jesus said they would do.

So what has Jesus shown us in this passage? God has always been building his kingdom through his covenant people. But again and again his people failed. They said the right things but refused to obey. They were entrusted with the vineyard but tried to take it for themselves. And when the Son finally came, they rejected him.

But the rejection of the Son was not the end of God’s plan. The very Son they rejected became the cornerstone of a new people who trust him and produce the fruit of the kingdom.

So the question Jesus leaves us with is simple: Are we truly citizens of this kingdom?

Not because of ritual, heritage, appearance or performance—but because our lives are built on Christ and producing the fruit of repentance, the fruit of the kingdom.

So here is one simple way to apply this passage this week. Every day ask yourself one honest question: “Where is Christ not yet the cornerstone of my life?” Maybe it is an area of obedience you have resisted. Maybe it is a sin you keep excusing. Maybe it is control over your life. Wherever Christ is not the cornerstone, the structure of your life will eventually begin to crack.

So bring that area to him in repentance.

And say,

“Lord, I want my life to be built on you.”

And here is the good news: The cornerstone they rejected is the Savior we receive. Jesus was rejected by the leaders, crucified outside the city, and buried in a tomb. But through that rejection God accomplished salvation. He was raised from the dead and forms the foundation for the very Kingdom of God. The rejected Son became the foundation of a new people—his church. Not people who earn their way into the kingdom. But people who repent of sin, trust in Christ, and build their lives on him.

The religious leaders heard Jesus say these things and instead of repenting, they began plotting how to arrest him. They encountered the cornerstone—and rejected it again. But we have a different opportunity. We can stumble over Christ in pride, or we can fall upon him in repentance and find that he becomes the foundation of our lives.

The kingdom of God is not built by perfect people. It is built by people who repent, trust the Son, and produce the fruit of his kingdom.

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I’ve coached in two very different contexts. One time I coached for Upward, which was a church-sponsored sports program. My goal coaching here was to allow everyone to learn the game and for everyone to have equal play time. I also coached for the private highschool where I taught. Our goal was to build honor—to do so best by winning games. I coached 5th-8th grade boys. I had some 5th grade boys who were really good and started for me. And I had one 8th grade boy who was clumsy and sat the bench for a lot of games.

And every coach knows this tension.

Do you reward the ones who deserve to play— the skilled, the strong, the ones who help you win?

Or do you make room for the ones who can’t offer much in return?

Because deep down, we all understand how the world usually works:

You earn your place. You prove your value. You deserve your spot.

And if you don’t… you sit on the bench.

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We want to be in the game. In our hearts, we want the honor, we want the glory. And quite frankly, we often get to the point were we think we deserve to be in the game and not sit on the bench.

Whatever that “game” may be:

Maybe that game is our vocation where we think we deserve to be respected for our accomplishments

Or home where we think we deserve to relax and have our way

Or church where we think we deserve to be uplifted

Or our relationships where we think we deserve to be valued.

Or with God where we think we deserve to be blessed.

Sin twists our hearts so much that we think the only bench we should be warming is a throne—a throne from which we command everyone and everything else to do our bidding.

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The disciples think they deserve a throne too. But Jesus addresses that deserving attitude and reveals the kingdom attitude that should take its place. A kingdom attitude that he exemplified by giving his life.

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Matt. 20:17-34

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THRUST:

In the kingdom of God, willingness to suffer and sacrifice to serve others is valuable; whereas ambition to gain honor and authority is to be rejected.

Matthew 20:17–19 ESV

17 And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, 18 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death 19 and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”

In v. 17 you see Jesus going up to Jerusalem. This “going up” has to do with elevation because Jerusalem is at a higher elevation. He takes his disciples aside. Aside from what? Well, they are in great crowds who are all making a pilgrimage from Galilee to Jerusalem for Passover.

Jesus begins his aside to his disciples, it must seem serious being taken away from the crowds. And he beings, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem.” This statement should be one that’s full of hope. They are making a spiritual pilgrimage. They are going to the temple, the very place where God dwells. They are going to celebrate one of the most sacred times: Passover—with God’s people. While normally such a phrase “we are going up to Jerusalem” would be a cause for jubilee, Jesus is preparing his disciples for a darker hour.

This is the third time that Jesus tells them about his death. And this time, he gets more specific. He opens up with the Son of Man being delivered over to the chief priests and scribes. This was probably shocking to the disciples. The previous passage, Jesus connects this Son of Man figure with being on a throne. The Son of Man figure in Dan. 7 is only known being presented to the Ancient of Days and being a ruler. But now, Jesus is saying this figure who is supposed to be presented before God himself to be exalted is instead going to be handed over to the chief priests and scribes to be killed.

But the Son of Man who is exalted in Dan. 7 is also the Anointed One who “will be cut off and have nothing” in Dan. 9:26. Though the chief priests and scribes condemn Jesus to death, they do not have the authority to carry out that sentence; and so, he must be, “delivered over to the Gentiles”—that is, the governing Roman authorities. There Jesus spells out precisely what will happen: mocked, flogged, and crucified.

Each stage is important. First, Jesus would be mocked. It’s easy for us to think of mockery as if it were nothing. We don’t care of the opinions of others.

MatthewExegesis

But Jesus lived in an “honor and shame” culture, in which many would rather die than lose their honor, and the shame of public humiliation was a fate far worse than death

Flogging was the brutal whipping that would take place before the crucifixion. Some victims did not even survive the whipping.

Jesus specifies that crucifixion is the specific form of death. No one could survive crucifixion, and Jesus does not intend on surviving it. He plainly says that he will die and tells exactly how he will die.

But he also tells when he will specifically rise from the dead it is predicted “on the third day.”

Matthew6. Jesus Predicts His Crucifixion and Resurrection (20:17–19)

Τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ is dat. of point in time: “on the third day.” Since the ancients calculated time inclusively, this referred to any part of a first day, an entire day, and any part of a 3rd day

A figure known only so far for exaltation will be humiliated * key

Will the Son of Man be exalted? Yes. He will rise from the dead. However, is he exalting himself? No. He is willingly laying his life down and entrusting himself to God. One of the most striking details in what Jesus says to his disciples is that the very figure known for his exaltation, his throne, here’s Daniel 7:14 “14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”

This exalted figure—Jesus himself—is willingly laying his very life down.

What’s valued in the kingdom? We might here Jesus trying to get across to his disciples. What’s valuable in the kingdom is not self-exaltation, but self-sacrifice.

We instinctively admire self-sacrifice. When someone lays down comfort, reputation, even life itself for the good of others, something in us says, That is right. That is beautiful. That is noble. Yet if this world is only matter, survival, and personal preference—if there is no God, no real good beyond what we choose—then self-sacrifice is not noble at all. It is irrational. Why give your life away if survival is the highest value? Why suffer for others if pleasure is the only good? As C. S. Lewis argued in The Abolition of Man, once you remove objective moral reality, you remove the very foundation that makes courage, honor, and sacrifice meaningful. But we do not live in a meaningless world. We live in God’s world. And because this is God’s world, self-giving love is not foolish—it is the deepest truth in the universe. Which means when Jesus walks toward suffering instead of away from it, He is not losing. He is revealing what is truly valuable in the kingdom of God.

Luke’s account tells us the disciples had no clue what Jesus was talking about. Matthew narrates that fact with a story and gets to the heart of the matter. Because while Jesus would like to have this attitude of self-sacrifice in his followers; his followers have a major hurtle to overcome: the attitude of deserving the throne.

Matthew 20:20–28 ESV

20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. 21 And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” 22 Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” 23 He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” 24 And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

At the beginning of v. 20, that small little word “Then” connects this story to the previous one. Matthew is telling us with the word ‘then’ that whatever that the point of the last portion (vv. 17-19) will be completed by this portion. So this is bigger than just the fact that Jesus is going to die, that is true, but Matthew is doing something with that fact by including this story.

Jesus just finishes explaining his humiliating death, and the mother of James and John approaches him as someone who wants to make a request from a king. She prostrates herself before him perhaps saying something like, “I beseech thee, my king.” Jesus is willing to hear this request.

The mother asks that her sons would have exalted positions in his kingdom (21). Notice in v. 20 she is “with her sons” and in v. 21 she basically points to them by saying, “these two sons of mine.” There is emphasis on the fact that her sons are with her.

Jesus responds in v. 22. Jesus says, “You do not know what you what you are asking.” Here there is a shift that is not recognizable in modern English because we no longer have a separate word for a plural “you.” It’s reflected in the King James by, “Ye know not what ye ask.” We might say in Southern, “Y’all don’t know what y’all are asking.” And it’s that second plural that we should focus in on. “Y’all are asking”. . . I thought only the mother asked. But it seems that Jesus understands this request is not simply from a doting mother. It seems as though the mother has been put up to making the request by her sons. Striking.

One commentator speculates about this:

MatthewExegesis

The sons probably remembered that a little earlier, on this pilgrimage from Galilee to Jerusalem, Jesus had blessed children who were brought to him by their parents (19:13–15). Perhaps they thought that Jesus would not be able to resist this mother’s plea either.

These disciples are making the request, and perhaps even using their mother as a tactic to ensure the request is granted.

But Jesus denies this request, but does so gently.

He asks if James and John are able to drink from the cup which he will drink. Jesus is asking if they will be able to share in the lot that Jesus is destined for. What is that cup? The context explains that it is Jesus’s excruciating and humiliating death. His suffering. His loss of both his honor and his life.

The disciples’ response prove that don’t know what they are talking about.

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 8: Matthew, Mark, Luke6. Suffering and Service (20:20–28)

It is often ignorance that seeks leadership, power, and glory: the brothers do not know what they are asking. To ask to reign with Jesus is to ask to suffer with him

The disciples do not understand this and say that they are indeed able.

But Jesus gives a prediction (v. 23): that they will drink from the cup of suffering—and indeed they do. James is beheaded. John is supposedly boiled alive in a vat of oil before being exiled.

The other disciples become indignant in v. 24, perhaps because they did not get to make the request first. Each of the disciples feel as though they are the ones who deserve to be first. They all have a deserving spirit. And it is revealed in their indignance.

MatthewContext

The tragic irony is that at the very moment when Jesus faces humiliation, his disciples seek their own exaltation

V. 25 brings us to the heart of this entire unit. Jesus calls all these deserving disciples to himself and tells them to no longer focus on what they think they deserve, but instead to serve. Its not about what we deserve, it about how we serve. This shifts the focus off of self and on to others.

He compares that get off the bench and onto the throne deserving type attitude to the Gentile rulers—basically calling this a pagan attitude.

Those who exalt themselves will be humbled. Look again at the second half of v. 26:Matthew 20:20–28 ESV

But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Notice how Jesus sees his own death in v. 28. Jesus is not some misunderstood political or religious revolutionary. He did not see his death as some martyrdom to convince others to further his cause. Jesus saw his own death as a service. A service that did something in particular: a ransom.

Matthew works hard to drill this point into his readers. Jesus predicts his own death three times. I think we can take that for granted in Christian circles that center on the death of Christ. But there are many who want to minimize or contradict that fact.

Some preachers, even in our own day, would have us think that the cross of Christ is merely a lesson to admire. They say, “Jesus died to show us love. He died to inspire us. He died to stand with the poor and the oppressed.” And yes, the cross does these things. But listen closely: if that’s all it accomplished, then the Savior’s death has no power. It becomes a story to ponder, a moral to admire, but it saves no person, delivers no soul, and pays no debt.

But did you hear what he said? (v. 28)Matthew 20:20–28 ESV

the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Ransom! Not suggestion. Not example. Not mere inspiration. Ransom. Jesus came to pay the price, to lay down His life, to stand in our place, to bear the weight of our guilt and sin. His blood poured out is what washes all our sin, all our shame, all our guilt, all our brokenness. His death is a ransom.

Don’t be swindled by the so-called Christians who deny this ransom! You might admire Christ, you might follow His example, you might delight in His teaching—but until you trust in the death of Christ, you have come close to touching the fountain of grace. The cross is not complete for you until you lay your own sin upon Him and believe that He died in your stead. That is ransom.

Do you trust Him today? Will you rest in the sufficiency of His sacrifice, not your striving, not your merit, not your worthiness? Come, lean wholly on Jesus. Let His death be your ransom, your peace, your hope. For here is the truth of the kingdom: the King gives Himself, that you might live eternally; and in that gift, you find glory beyond all honor, service beyond all reward, and rest for every weary soul.

How many times have we thought we were deserving of more—more honor, more respect, more attention, more love, more power, more pleasure, more more more. And we set up our own little makeshift thrones and command everyone around, even God, to do give us what we think we deserve. Today is the day we pick up the axe and tear down the throne we built for ourselves and cling to that old rugged cross. Trade that chair for a cross.

Matthew 20:29–34 ESV

29 And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. 30 And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 31 The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 32 And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” 33 They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” 34 And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.

Jesus continues on his way to Jerusalem. There is a high expectation that Jesus will be enthroned in Jerusalem. And now this crowd is following him—not as devoted disciples, but as populist opportunists. They aren’t going to die for Jesus, but they sure would like to see him on the throne rather than Herod or Pilate.

Then set in foil against this crowd, there sits two blind men. Pan handlers set themselves at places where opportunity to get money would take place. We no nothing of the background of these blind men, but they way the crowd responds to them makes it seem as though the crowd might consider them as deplorables—not worth anyone’s time.

Like the mother of James and John, these blind men make a request of Jesus. A request like one to a king—formal just as the mother made a request. Notice the content of what they say in v. 30— “Son of David” is a messianic title recognizing Jesus as the son of David and rightful king of the Jews. But when they cry, “Lord, have mercy on us” they are using a phrase that is almost always used of God. In fact, who else but God can truly have mercy on us?

Only people who recognize they need help can truly ask for it. And only people who recognize themselves as poor and needy spiritually can ask for mercy. And that’s exactly what they ask for. The crowds though demand that they be quiet. Jesus is a king on his way to be placed on his throne, he has not time—it seems the crowd assumes—to deal with deplorable blind men.

Yet there we see Matthew’s emphasis at the beginning of v. 32, “And stopping.” The way royalty traveled back then is the way we might think of the president traveling today—a caravan of vehicles, police escort, no stopping at red lights, and the like. In the Roman Empire, it was so that if the emperor planned a visit to a city, some cities would pave a new straight road through the city for the emperor to travel.

This crowd sees Jesus as such royalty. He needs such royal treatment to get to Jerusalem—they assume. But the king of the kingdom of heaven did not come to be seved, but to serve. He stops. He asks the blind men, just like he asked the mother before, “What do you want?” They request that they would be able to see.

And we see the heart of Christ in v. 34 – he is moved with pity.

The irony is the request of a mother fills the disciples with indignation. The request of these blind men fills Jesus with pity—compassion.

These blind men have been benched by society, never to be put in the game at all, so to speak. And they recognize just how destitute they are. And that person who is poor in spirit is just the type of person our savior stops and shows compassion. A person who is deserving never asks for mercy because mercy is undeserved. And yet these blind men recognized their need for mercy.

These men did not demand recognition. They were not trying to claim something they thought they deserved. They recognized their need.

This is exactly the type of person Jesus stops for. This is exactly the type of person that is valuable in the kingdom. The one who is humble, needy, dependent on him, not the proud and self-assured.

What is our mindset? Are we concerned with what we deserve or are we ready and willing to serve?

We have seen the great contrast. Jesus was willing to give his life as an act of ultimate service. The disciples were consumed with the throne they believed they deserved. But Jesus honored poor blind men who recognized they deserved nothing.

Remember at the heart of sacrificial service to others is not merely out of piety, it’s not an ascetic practice, it’s not about having good feelings. At the heart of Jesus’s sacrificial service was to make a ransom. At the heart of our service we want to be like Christ. We cannot accomplish atonement, but we can point people to Jesus. So what can we do?

One thing we can do this week is serve someone who cannot return the favor. Identify someone that is overlooked or undeserving. Look around in your home, school, or workplace. Maybe there’s a coworker no one notices, a child who struggles, and elderly neighbor who’s unable to get out. . .Then do something for them that costs you comfort or convenience without expecting praise or reward.

This does not have to be immaculate or world-changing. It can simply be a kind word. At work yesterday someone who was normally happy was obviously struggling. Someone came up to him and asked, “Are you okay?” And he responded (it looked as though he may cry) “I’m just feeling a bit overwhelmed right now.” Then the one who noticed him just assured him, “I’m sorry your feeling overwhelmed, but just know you’re doing a good job.”

We live in a world where there is a power struggle between the bench and the throne. The people whose eyes are fixed on what they deserve are blind to those who need to be served. But Christ’s eyes were not so fixed on his true, universal throne that he was blind to the needs of those two blind men. He stopped, he listened, he was moved with compassion. Christ was not so deserving that he ignored us. He stopped for you. He listened to your cries for mercy. And he answers them with compassion—even now.

So may we be like Christ—stop, listen, and act with compassion. This week, pick one person the world has benched, and give them your time, your attention, your mercy—because in serving the undeserving, you follow the King who gave Himself for you.

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Imagine standing at the gates of heaven and being asked one question: “Why should you be let in?”

Most people already have an answer rehearsed.

“I tried to live a good life.” “I went to church.” “I wasn’t perfect, but I wasn’t as bad as most.”

In other words—we come holding something.

We don’t come empty-handed. We come calculating.

We come assuming there must be something—some obedience, sacrifice, sincerity, decision, or devotion—that tips the scale.

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And that instinct doesn’t disappear when someone becomes religious. In fact, religion often sharpens it

The human heart is a master negotiator. We are always looking for leverage.

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In Matthew 19, Jesus dismantles that instinct—piece by piece.

He shows us four people: children, a rich young man, stunned disciples, and a faithful apostle.

And through them all, Jesus teaches one lesson: There is no haggling for heaven—and no bargaining for reward.

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Matt. 19:13-30

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Matthew 19:13–15 ESV

13 Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, 14 but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” 15 And he laid his hands on them and went away.

The text does not specify, but presumably parents brought their children to Jesus for a particular reason: so he would lay his hands on them and pray. Most likely these are younger children, again like a toddler age, or younger. These parents wanted the wise, well known, man of God to bless their children and say a prayer over them like Israel conveyed a blessing to his grandchildren. The disciples rebuked “them” (v. 13, end), that is, most likely, those who brought the children.

But Jesus rebukes the rebukers. He tells the disciples to “Stop!” essentially. He wants the children to come to him for a specific reason: “for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” Notice that he specifies that this is a figure of speech by saying “to such” which means “to those who become like children.”

So what is the characteristic of children that Jesus is getting to? We’ve mentioned before the idea of God-dependance and humility being characteristics which connect the saints to children. But this text is going to give another characteristic, a characteristic defined by the rest of the passage.

Jesus is welcoming those who have nothing to leverage. No status, no authority, no wealth, no performance.

And this passage is going to force us to answer this question: What are we holding in our hand when we come to Christ? In other words, we all have a tendency to think there is something that makes us great or more important in the eyes of others. What is the thing we hold onto that we believe will convince Jesus to accept us?

Maybe we hold our moral performance, our decision to follow Christ, how many years we have been a Christian, our faithful church attendance, our great possessions, our earthly status, our authority over others. The list can go on and on.

The children brought nothing in their hand. But in the next story, one who has everything in hand approaches Jesus.

Matthew 19:16–22 ESV

16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

The young man comes to Jesus addressing him as “teacher,” which is the gospel of Matthew is a sign of respect but not a full recognition of who he is. Most who have positively addressed Jesus has done so as “Lord” not simply “teacher”

He is searching for eternal life. He believes he can attain that by performing some “good.” The word “deed” is supplied to make sense, but he asks, “Teacher, what good should I do in order that I should have eternal life?” But notice something big that is missing from his question: God. He says nothing about God, and the way he addresses Jesus fails to recognize that he is conversing with God incarnate. It’s almost as he views God as a distant cosmic banker. “If I deposit X, I must get a return Y” Or perhaps a distant karmic judge who only needs balanced scales to allow one into heaven.

Jesus’s immediate response challenges his assumption that anyone can be sufficiently good. Job 25:4–6 “4 How then can man be in the right before God? How can he who is born of woman be pure? 5 Behold, even the moon is not bright, and the stars are not pure in his eyes; 6 how much less man, who is a maggot, and the son of man, who is a worm!””

Jesus asks “why do you ask me concerning the good?” If the man assumes Jesus is a mere man—as it seems by his addressing him as teacher—there would be no sufficient reason for he or any other man to define good. And so Jesus points him to the source of goodness saying “one is good.” This is a reflection of the Shema Deuteronomy 6:4 “4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”

Essentially, Jesus is saying, “If you’re so concerned with goodness, go to the One who is the source of goodness.” Jesus is not denying that he is God, but he is pointing out to this young man the options that are already available for him to know goodness. If this young man is so concerned with goodness, he does not need a mere teacher—as he assumes Jesus to be—he needs God himself. And God has already established what goodness is via the law.

And this is what Jesus brings up—some of the ten commandments. Which the young man was aware of these commandments. But notice that the commands Jesus listed are also missing the commandments regarding God, such as “You shall have no other gods before me” In fact, this is what the “One God” commands right after the Shemah Deuteronomy 6:5 “5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” Complete devotion to God. And this is what the young man lacks.

The young man quickly acknowledges that he has kept all these commandments in v. 20 then asks what he still lacks. The question concerning what he lacks is filled with strong irony because of course what he lacks is any yearning for God.

Psalm 73 defines that yearning as a major part of goodness. Psalm 73:1 identifies God as the source of goodness. Psalm 73:1 “1 Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.”

Notice, “to those who are pure in heart” that is, without mixed motives. And yet, the Psalmist struggles with the fact that the wicked seem to prosper. He comes to the conclusion that no matter how things appear in this life, it’s really the end that matters. And the end for the wicked is not good. But then he reflects on his own end.

Psalm 73:23–28 “23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. 24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. 25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 27 For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you. 28 But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.”

What does this rich young man lack? Look at that question: Psalm 73:25 “25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.” Could that rich young man utter those words and mean it? Can we say pray these words and mean it?

Notice what “goodness” is for the Psalmist, Psalm 73:28 “28 But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.”

“to be near God.”

This is exactly what Jesus invites. When Jesus gives the list of commands, the man believes he has followed them. So Jesus gives a specific demand: to sell everything. This specific demand exposed the reality of this young man’s supposed goodness. This man looked in the mirror and saw his definition of goodness reflected. But Jesus shattered his mirror, his world, with one demand.

Jesus is not giving this demand as if it is a key to get on God’s good side. That would miss the point of this text entirely. The point is that this young man is trying to haggle to get into heaven. He’s trying to find the leverage point. And Jesus is teaching there is no leverage point.

We like to have control, we like to have sway.

We want to haggle to balance heaven’s scales.

Yet this is why Jesus looks at little children and says the kingdom belongs to such as these. Why? Because children have nothing to leverage, nothing to barter with God.

Any yet, here comes this “one” (v. 16) who has everything—worldly speaking—and still has nothing. So Jesus points him to the “One” (v. 17) who should be his everything.

The man came bartering for eternal life, but ended up getting more than he bargained for. And because of that, he went away sorrowful.

And isn’t that the average American’s view of heaven? Be good, and then you get to go to heaven. What does it mean to be good? According to online, “Being “good” to the average American often means finding satisfaction in a life that balances personal, professional, and civic responsibilities, aiming for stability rather than exceptional, high-profile success.”

Yet even the most perfect person according to this standard of goodness cannot end up in heaven. The most perfect person according to any standard of good will not reach heaven because there is a big problem. In fact, we may say it’s worse than that. The person focused solely on being good will not get to heaven because his focus is good not God.

Moralism infected our churches when preachers stopped preaching the Bible and started preaching topics. You can go online now and find a preaching series on almost any topic: marriage, finances, evangelism, spiritual disciplines, anger, greed, community, etc. Moralism attempts to find a problem in the congregation then seeks to preach a text in such a way to address that problem. Moralism teaches being good is more important that knowing God. It teaches that following principles is more important that following a person.

You sent under topical preaching long enough and it turns you into this rich young man. You’re left asking, “What good must I do so that I might have eternal life?” And the preacher responds through his many sermons “tithe more, have a good marriage, pray more, read your Bible more, make sure to have inner peace,” and on and on the list grows. Topical preaching transforms your Christianity into performance and crushes you under a moral standard you can never perform.

And I feel that many walk away sorrowful from the church because preachers have crushed them with a law they could never achieve and refused any gospel hope.

The call of the gospel is not easy, but it is freeing. The call of the gospel is to forsake competing gods and follow Christ. Matthew 19:21 “21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”” Heaven is not a pursuit of moralism, it’s a pursuit of more of God.

Jesus points out that such a moral pursuit is impossible.

Matthew 19:23–26 ESV

23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

During Jesus’s day, the wealthy assumed to have God’s favor simply because they had wealth. But Jesus said that it’s practically impossible for them to get into heaven. Then he gives the exaggeration: it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. You may have heard somewhere along the way that there was a gate into Jerusalem nicknamed the eye of a needle. And that it was so small a camel had to crawl on its knees to fit. Well, there’s not such historical evidence for this. This was not Jesus’s point. The point was to think of how impossible it would be to thread a large animal through a tiny needle hole.

The disciples were astonished because they viewed the wealthy as better candidates to get into heaven.

MatthewExegesis

Rabbi Meir (mid-second century AD) taught that God granted riches and possessions. Thus, neither poverty nor wealth came from a man’s chosen trade, “but all is in accord with a man’s merit”

If their merit was leverage for such earthly riches, the argument would go, how much more would it be for heavenly riches?

But Jesus flips that argument upside-down. Jesus argues that earthly riches are not a sign of divine favor but actually could get in the way of getting into heaven. “You cannot serve both God and gold.”

But I think if we take “rich” to include “rich in spirit” I think we get closer to the heart of this passage. I think it’s very possible, and I believe Jesus would understand that it’s very possible, for a person to be very wealthy and hold those possessions with an open hand.

To the disciples, this man’s wealth was a sign of his merit, a sign that he does have good standing with God. But in reality, his wealth was the very thing that showed he was rich in spirit. His wealth showed his relation to God was merely economic, transactional. His material wealth revealed his spiritual bankruptcy.

But focus in on v. 26. Because it is the key to interpreting this. Matthew 19:26 “26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.””

You see, people tend to strictly focus in on the wealth aspect of this story. My commentaries largely focused in on that. But is this what Matthew is doing? Just giving advice on how to handle material wealth? Is our application to sell everything and live as a monk?

Jesus says, “with man this is impossible.” What is “this”? “This” is salvation. That was the question in v. 25: who can be saved? With man, salvation is impossible. There is nothing you can leverage, that’s the point. Your meticulous keeping of the law only takes one flaw to ruin your chances. There’s no haggling for heaven.

“You contribute nothing to your salvation except the sin which made it necessary.” Jonathan Edwards

But we like to barter with God. Decisional evangelism like to convince people they can barter with God.

Say this prayer, write your name on a card, take the preacher’s hand, get baptized, join the church, do any one of these things, the evangelist will tell you, and you will be saved.

Have you not read, dear evangelist, that “with man [salvation] is impossible”?

No wonder we have more American “Christians” who are willing to barter with God than just be with him.

Topical preaching makes people conclude they can be moral enough on their own. It teaches essentially, “With man, this is possible.” Topical preaching teaches you to calculate all your successes and use them as bargaining chips in your favor. It teaches you to look at your spirit and think, “Wow, I sure have it together.” Topical and moralistic preaching produce people who are rich in spirit and do not depend on God. And it crushes the rest who are unable to live to that moral standard.

But there is still hope. “with God, all things are possible.” With God, the rich in spirit can become poor in spirit. With God, those who believe themselves good with God based on their merit learn to mourn over their sin. With God, those who are vindictive become merciful. With God, those who hunger for glory instead hunger for righteousness.

Why?

Because there is no way man can tip the divine scales in their favor. No amount of law keeping, no amount of physical possessions, no amount of decisions, prayers, petitions, promises, resolutions, will ever make God look favorably upon you.

We have nothing to leverage.

But with God. . .

God loved this world in this way: he sent his only begotten Son. His Son who lived a righteous life. Who died the death we deserved. His Son laid down all his leverage to love—to love a worm like me.

And now we can say, we don’t want to barter with God, we just want to be with him. We don’t want leverage with God, we just want to love him. We don’t want to haggle for a spot in heaven, we want his name to be hallowed in heaven. We don’t want to the scale in our favor because we know tipping is impossible. It took Christ’s sacrifice to topple the scales so we can come empty handed, poor in spirit, to the foot of the cross and throw ourselves upon his mercy.

But if we can’t haggle for salvation, maybe we can haggle for our reward? At least that’s what Peter appears to think. But Jesus answers this in an unexpected way.

Matthew 19:27–30 ESV

27 Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

Peter recognizes that they have done the very thing that the rich young man refused to do. Now he wants to know what they will have. It seems Peter did not learn the “no haggling for heaven” lesson and is ready use his own sacrifice to see what he will get. He assumes that forsaking is the bargaining chip.

Instead of an outright and immediate rebuke, Jesus assures them that the reward is great. He says, in the “new world”—that is, the new Genesis, they will rule with him. This of course, was God’s design in the original Genesis: that mankind would rule creation with him. Now Jesus promises that his disciples (those of the 12 that follow him) will judge Isreal. What a reversal! Furthermore, there is also a reward promised for all those willing to forsake for Christ’s name’s sake. “Will receive a hundred fold” is an immense return on investment, intended as an exaggeration, not a calculation.

But, it seems Peter’s intent on calculating. He wants to put a number to the reward, like he put the number seven to forgiveness. But Jesus’s answer “hundredfold” is a way to say it’s not a calculation.

Then Jesus says Matthew 19:30 “30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

There is no way to calculate the reward, nor is there any way to guarantee what reward is recieved.

*The reward is truly immense, but not dependent on man’s achievement as Peter assumes.

The Gospel of Matthew4. Rewards (19:27–30)

Those who have borne the greatest weight of loyal service for the kingdom of heaven cannot assume that their reward will be greater than that of others (20:1–15). In the kingdom of heaven nobody earns their status, even by spectacular renunciation. They may rightly expect a reward, but not necessarily the reward of preeminence

And this is exactly what the next parable will go on to teach as we will see.

There’s no haggling for heaven, nor is there any bargaining for the reward.

The reward is real, but pursuing the reward more than the rewarder is the danger that results from Peter’s presumption.

Most of us don’t ask Peter’s question out loud. We ask it quietly. We ask it when obedience feels costly, when faithfulness goes unnoticed, when someone else seems to get more with less.

And the question underneath it all is the same: Was it worth it?

We’ve watched four encounters.

Children come with empty hands—and are welcomed. A rich man comes with full hands—and walks away. The disciples realize salvation is impossible by human effort. And Peter asks what faithful sacrifice will earn.

Every scene exposes the same instinct: the desire to leverage something before God.

Practice coming to God with empty hands.

This week, once a day, come to God with nothing in your hands.

Not a list. Not a promise. Not a defense. Not a résumé.

Just come and say: “Father, I bring nothing today. I just want to be with You.”

No fixing. No bargaining. No explaining why you deserve grace.

Most of us don’t realize how often our prayers sound like negotiations.

“God, I’ll do better.” “God, I’ve been faithful.” “God, after all I’ve done…”

This week, refuse that script.

When guilt rises, don’t compensate. When pride rises, don’t justify. When anxiety rises, don’t promise.

Just come

Picture a toddler being picked up.

They don’t bring a reason. They don’t explain their day. They don’t prove their worth.

They lift empty hands—and trust they’ll be received.

That’s how Jesus says the kingdom works.

So, here’s the challenge:

What do you instinctively bring to God to feel acceptable— and can you leave it at the door this week?

This week, come empty-handed.

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Whose on the throne in your relationships with others?

There’s an infinite possibilities but it usually boils down to two major possibilities: either you are own your own throne, or you recognize that Christ is truly on that throne. Either you have a puny attempt to usurp Christ’s rule and live in misery or you recognize the one who is really on the throne and submit to him.

This was pretty much a decade ago. Emily and I were recently married. I was working at my first Chick-fil-A in north GA. I know I had already been struggling with anger at work. We had been at Chick-fil-A together for whatever reason and I was pulling out of the parking lot. Emily was getting on to me for how I was driving then she got on to me for the direction I was going.

I was fed up. I stopped the car, abruptly, slammed my fists on the stirring wheel and yelled, “I just want to do what I want to do!”

My reign had been threatened. My kingdom was crumbling. And I was ready to sacrifice anything to maintain my rule. And I did, I sacrificed our oneness. I sacrificed our mutual concern for one another. I hurt my wife to maintain my rule.

This is what happens when we place ourself on the throne of our relationships. Instead of bringing unity, we bring division. Instead of seeking the wellbeing of others, we only look our for ourselves.

Marriage is a life-long, no-matter-what covenant. “for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part.” And yet when we place ourselves on the throne it no longer becomes a no-matter-what covenant but a as-long-as-it’s-convenient relationship. When I’m on the throne it no longer what I can give, but what I can get.

The world believes that there is nothing sacred about marriage, and the world wants you to believe there is nothing sacred about marriage, and sadly, its working.

2025 Barna data: https://www.barna.com/trends/marriage-divorce-trends-2025/

The majority of American adults are not married. Younger Americans are postponing marriage longer than ever.

Unmarried Cohabitation is an accepted practice with 42% of practicing Christians now saying it’s “wise” to live with someone before marriage.

Marriage has become a way to prop up self on the throne of relationships, but that is not the way it has always been.

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We like to be in control. We like to be satisfied. We like to get what we selfishly want. We like to rule our relationships. But when we do, it only leads to ruin and broken relationships. The only way to live whole is to have Christ on the throne.

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Jesus addresses kingdom implications for how we relate to one another.

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Matt. 19:1-12

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Oneness (1-6), Selfless (7-9), and singleness (10-12)

Matthew 19:1–6 ESV

1 Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. 2 And large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. 3 And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” 4 He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Verse 1 signals a transition for us. All of chapter 18 has been inwardly focused—how Jesus’s disciples should treat one another. We might call it the community guidelines for the people of God. In chapter 19, it transitions into striking and controversial teachings of Jesus. So we move from community guidelines to kingdom obligations. This section will challenge how we view everything and demand that we view it by the kingdom’s standard. It will challenge our view of marriage, material possessions, eternal rewards, and honor.

Today we want to ask: “Is my view of marriage more shaped by culture or by Jesus’s words?”

This is the topic that the Pharisees try to challenge Jesus on. They could be trying to simply get him to contradict the law of Moses. But they are also not too far in time and location from John’s beheading. John was killed for challenging Herod’s divorce. Perhaps the Pharisees are trying to get Jesus killed that way as well.

Regardless of their motivation, Pharisees believe that divorce is legal no matter what. At least as long as it was the man divorcing his wife. Notice the question they ask Jesus, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” Notice two things: first the one enacting the divorce is the husband; second, the reasoning is any cause. The Pharisees get this from Deuteronomy 24:1 “1 “When a man takes a wife and marries her, if then she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, and she departs out of his house,” The key phrase that was debated during the time of Jesus was “he has found some indecency.” for the Pharisees, “some indecency” meant literally anything. As one commentator notes:

MatthewExegesis

The Mishnah permitted divorce if the wife had certain physical defects that made her unattractive (poor posture, thinning hair, missing teeth, or knobby knees were among the grounds explicitly mentioned). Women who failed to perform a lengthy list of chores daily or did not offer sexual relations frequently enough (daily for the wife of a man who was home every evening) were also subject to divorce

Notice the glaring ramifications of this. If divorce is allowed for any reason, then marriage is just a matter of convenience—at least, just for the man in the first century. In this view, marriage is just a means for male gratification. The Pharisees have taken a legal code, what we would call “case law” in order to twist an entire institution. The law in Dt. is intended to prevent remarriage, not to redefine marriage. ** EXAMPLE?

Instead of addressing the Dt. text as the Pharisees hope, Jesus jumps to what the Scripture teaching about the nature of marriage. The nature of marriage for the Pharisees by implication of their view of divorce is simply a matter of convenience for the service of the husband. But Jesus goes to Genesis to argue that the nature of marriage is very different. look at his words and vv. 4-6.Matthew 19:4–6 ESV

4 He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

One theological aside. Our culture is in chaos in regards to marriage. Our culture is trying with all its might to make marriage a matter of convenience based on sexual gratification and identity fulfillment. So, our culture tries to argue that Jesus never condemned homosexuality, transgenderism, polyamory, or other non-traditional understandings of marriage. If anyone ever tries to argue that, bring them right here to this verse. Here, Jesus defines what marriage is. So, by default, Jesus excludes every other possible definition of marriage.

Jesus gets at the heart of the nature of marriage. Notice marriage involves one male one female. They are made for one another. This is seen in v. 4, and in the end of v. 5 “the two shall become one flesh”

Jesus, quoting Genesis, contrasts the marriage relationship to the relationship between parent and child. A child is closely connected to his parents: he depends on them, lives to please them, and so on. But marriage in some way call him to leave that parent relationship. This does not mean for a man to forsake his parents, but that his main relationship, his main focus will no longer be his parents. Because now he will “hold fast” or “weld himself” or “be joined with” his wife. The word “hold fast” in v. 5 has to do with a permanent joining. The clear implication is that this is not a matter of convenience or self-gratification. Instead, it is an exclusive, permanent bond. In the pharisees’ extensive legal debate in Deuteronomy, they have completely missed their redefinition of marriage into a casual relationship of convenience.

The Gospel of Matthew1. Marriage, Divorce and Celibacy (19:3–12)

In the Genesis context the “one flesh” image derives from the creation of the woman out of the man’s side to be “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” (

And notice who, according to Jesus, is doing this uniting? God himself.

MatthewExegesis

to separate a husband and wife through divorce was to seek to undo God’s own doing, to reverse God’s own action

Jesus is teaching the Pharisees that the nature of marriage is such that even issuing a divorce is an attempt to destroy what God created.

There are two claims about marriage, about the very nature of marriage. The world says marriage is just a casual agreement where two people try to get and get as much satisfaction out of the other person, or else. When the satisfaction wanes, the agreement goes away either through divorce or avoidance, coldness, and ignoring issues. This is where each person is resolved to maintain a peice of paper without a care for the other person.

That’s not oneness, that’s not the ideal that Scripture—or Jesus himself—paints for marriage. Oneness involves physical, social, spiritual, and emotional unity that puts God at the center.

We must pursue oneness in our marriages. We must pursue oneness more than we pursue our appearance as a married couple in front of others, more than we pursue our own satisfaction, more than our own gratification, more than our convenience. It’s easy to grow complacent in marriage and just live life as business partners or parents or housekeepers. But don’t be satisfied with anything less than the oneness that Jesus describes in the verse. Why be satisfied with something less than God’s design?

And generally speaking, it’s easier for men to grow complacent and be satisfied with something less than oneness, and women to grow bitter and say nothing or be angrily reprimanded when they do say something. Men, take the first step. Ask your wife what you can do to pursue oneness better. Be ready to listen, without critique, without anger, without judgment. Be ready to take steps together to pursue oneness.

This is me for years. For years I allowed lies that I believe, shame that I held onto deeply to prevent true oneness with my wife. I had the Bible knowledge, I read the marriage books, I went to the marriage conferences, and yet I purposefully did not allow my wife into certain areas of my life because I believed the lie that if I did, she would utterly hate me. I believed I was worthless, and I believed that if someone else, anyone else really knew who I was they would come to see just how worthless I am too.

I say all this because I’m about to give some tools that have helped Emily and I further oneness in our marriage. But it does not matter how many tools, principles, or practices you know if you are unwilling to truly live them out from the heart.

Another caveat I would say: Only the Holy Spirit of God can bring true oneness, these tools can assist, but they cannot manufacture something the the Holy Spirit of God generates. Unbelievers can have unities around ideals, but only truly regenerate can have genuine oneness.

Prayer together. Regular prayer together is an essential tool for oneness. When we pray we often share what’s on our hearts. It builds oneness to know what your spouse would bring before the throne of God.

Study together. Read a book together, or share with each other what you read in your daily devotion. Read the Bible together. It builds oneness to know what your spouse does to process and please God. Emily and I share about our daily devotions with one another. We also listen to a podcast on marriage called Fierce Marriage.

Be open, be honest, be vulnerable, and be prepared to be forgiving. Don’t allow fear and shame to hold anything back.

Have fun with one another. Carve out time to spend together. Go on dates, go on retreats. (Fall retreat),

If you are married, I have printed out a questionnaire for you and your spouse to complete together. It’s in the table in the foyer. Grab one on your way out. Be prepared to answer honestly, discuss your answers. Pursue oneness at all costs. If you think it brings up too many soar spots, come talk to Emily and I. We are here for you. If you think it’s too close to home to talk to me, seek out a biblical counselor. Work through any issues that come up because all of it is worth it. Oneness at all costs.

Maybe you feel as though your marriage has been hollow and shallow for decades. There is nothing preventing you now from changing the trajectory of your marriage. God would command you, Christ would strengthen you, the Spirit would enable you to change the trajectory of your marriage. The past can be filled with so much pain, pain that is scary. The devil wants you to believe that pain hurts too much to be dealt with. Because the devil wants you divided. But God’s grace can be a balm for the most painful of wounds. Don’t wait, don’t hold back your pursuit of oneness, pursue it today at any cost.

American culture says to pursue your individual happiness at all cost. A lot of people sacrifice their spouse on the altar of their happiness. Jesus says to pursue oneness at all costs. But oneness will be thwarted when selfishness tries to get in the way.

(Marriage is not self-serving)Matthew 19:7–9 ESV

7 They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” 8 He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”

Since Jesus would not bring up the law in Deuteronomy 24 that the Pharisees wanted to debate, the Pharisees did it anyways. Notice the law is essentially, “If a divorce takes place, then these things must not be allowed afterwards. . .” The law says nothing good or bad about divorce nor does it say anything about marriage. However, the law does implicitly permit divorce on the grounds of “some indecency.” Yet, it seems the Pharisees twisted this law to suit their whims. Where Moses implies permission, the Pharisees saw a command.

Jesus says the permission was given because of the hardness of heart.

The Gospel of Matthew1. Marriage, Divorce and Celibacy (19:3–12)

The Deuteronomic legislation is a response to human failure, an attempt to bring order to an already unideal situation caused by human “hardness of heart”

The pharisees ignore the fact that this law is designed to to respond to human failure, and simply want a legal allowance for their own desire for even more failure. And that’s really at the root of the issue. The Pharisees see marriage as self-serving. But Jesus says that such self-serving divorces.

The Pharisees want to use marriage and divorce to serve self, but Jesus teaches that the selfless, self-giving permanence of marriage pleases God and builds his kingdom.

Our culture is not so male dominated as it was in Jesus’s day, but it still wants to teach the same thing about the nature of marriage: That it is a matter of convenience for the sake of self-gratification. Have you bought into that lie?

It’s easy to buy into that lie. I don’t have statistics on this, just anecdotal evidence, but to me, it seems that a lot of Christian marriages have bought into the lie that marriage means self-gratification. And what happens when self-gratification does not occur? Well, either divorce takes place, or we allow our Christian morals to prevent divorce and just lived trapped in a miserable state where you live your life and I live mine under the same roof.

When you live for what you can get out of your marriage, you will never get enough. But when you live for what you can give in your marriage, you will find a heart filled with joy and satisfaction in what God has so graciously given you. The Pharisees are focused on what they can get, but Jesus says to focus on the blessing of what you have.

(the goal for marriage and singleness is furthering the kingdom)Matthew 19:10–12 ESV

10 The disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” 11 But he said to them, “Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. 12 For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it.”

The disciples have seemingly drunk down their cultural waters concerning marriage. They too are shocked at Jesus’s teaching.

The Gospel of Matthew1. Marriage, Divorce and Celibacy (19:3–12)

the disciples’ incredulous reaction that if marriage is as binding as Jesus says it would be better not to marry at all.

The disciples say that it would be better to live life single than to marry. Perhaps from their perspective, and especially from the Pharisee perspective, if life centers on selfishness, taking, and self-gratification, than singleness would be preferred to a permanent , no-matter-what, one flesh covenant.

But Jesus defends singleness too, but not from that expected standpoint. Jesus says singleness is an option. He does not, as you can see, argue that either marriage or singleness is preferred or more holy. But he does say singleness is an option. He grounds singleness in three ways: by birth, by external force, and by personal choice. However, Jesus does not say singleness is preferred in order to perpetuate self-serving self-gratification. No, instead, singleness can be used “for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.”

The Gospel of Matthew1. Marriage, Divorce and Celibacy (19:3–12)

The whole pericope therefore constitutes a double challenge to conventional attitudes to marriage: on the one hand God intends marriage to remain unbroken, and the current acceptance of divorce is a surrender to human failure; on the other hand, for some people obedience to God’s will may properly mean that they do not marry at all.

The goal for marriage and singleness, whatever God has granted to you, is to further the kingdom.

Maybe you have remained single because you recognized God’s plan for you life. Use it to further his kingdom.

Maybe you did not plan on remaining single, but that’s how life worked out. It’s okay to mourn that loss. The pain of that loss may not go away. But don’t allow that pain to cause you to remain stagnant. Bring that pain to God, then take the next step forward.

Maybe you are single now because you are a widow or widower. Maybe you’re single now because a previous pain or hardship led to a divorce. The situations are numerous. No matter the situation, it’s okay, in fact, I would encourage you to mourn. Read a Psalm of lament. Bring your pain to God. But don’t allow every part of your life to be filled with lamentation. Use what God has given you now “for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.”

The law recognizes that marital statuses can be complex. Married, divorced, remarried, single, widowed, separated, estranged, etc. The church’s moral pressure, and cultural pressure stigmatizes certain marital statuses. Your own hopes and dreams may have stigmatized your own status. But being in Christ means that your number one status is not “married,” “divorced,” etc. No, your number one status is “for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.”

And that’s really the application. No matter our marital status, or nonmarital status, we can still use our relationships to build our kingdoms. But Jesus says it’s not for the sake of the kingdom of self, but for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.

So here are three things you can do today in light of this text.

Identify – surrender- replace

Identify an area in a relationship that you use to build your own kingdom. Perhaps your married and you have set and unsaid expectation on your spouse to be happy. Perhaps you got so fed up with your spouse that you said, “I just want to do what I want to do.” Maybe your wife got in the way of your hobby and you whined and groaned, “Don’t you know it’s hunting season?” Maybe your husband didn’t do what you asked him to do for the 30th time so you nagged and nagged and perhaps replied, “You’re about to be hunting for a new wife.” Where do you see that “What can I get” attitude in your marriage?

Perhaps you’re not married. Maybe it’s caused you to grow bitter. You avoid being around married couples because it just brings up pain in your own life. You’d much rather be by yourself doing your own thing. And so your scorn God’s people, God’s flock to go off by yourself to build your own kingdom.

Whatever self-seeking, self-building tendency, identify it. Ask God to help you see just one.

Then surrender it. If possible identify the root. Is it pride? Greed? Lust? Whatever it may be, surrender that one thing to God.

Then replace it. Replace shame with gospel assurance. Replace fear of man with fear of God. Replace the “what can I get” attitude with the “what can I give” attitude. Replace the “how can I establish my rule” mindset with “how can I establish God’s rule”

And some status specific application, I’ll just break it down into two:

If you are married, pursue oneness at all costs. Grab that questionnaire on the way out.

If you are single, find a way to build Christ’s kingdom that would be impossible if you were married. Maybe it involves being more active in discipling your kids. Maybe it involves volunteering in a special way in the church or community. Whatever it is, as God to guide you.

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So far in Jesus’s teaching in the family discourse, Jesus has been reorienting his disciples’ perspective on how they treat one another. This was originally triggered by the disciple’s original question: who is the greatest? Implicit to the question was “how can I become the greatest?” This, of course, was a mindset that Jesus did not want his disciples to have, so he placed a little child and told them to convert into children who instead of being concerned with greatness are completely dependent.

Jesus turned their eyes away from making themselves great and toward the person who is often overlooked to ensure they can walk. In fact, Jesus encouraged pursuing those little ones who tend to wander.

But what if that wandering gets too personal? In other words, what if that wandering is specifically a sin against me? People concerned with being great will immediately consider how to retaliate: “An eye for and eye.” “An eye for and eye” is biblical. . .but the passage is not for people taking retaliation into their own hands. In fact, it is designed in order to prevent judges and kings from enacting to harsh punishments for crimes. It does not mean “I have the authority to take the law into my own hands and give you what I believe you deserve.”

So if someone focused on greatness is wronged their immediate response is retaliation. For the person focused on getting ahead of everyone else, being sinned against is a setback.

Have you ever seen the show Cutthroat Kitchen? It aired on Food Network and was hosted by chef Alton Brown. Contestants compete cooking against one another. The twist is, each contestant is given a certain amount of money that they can use in order to buy things to try and trip up other contestants. These sabotages are very creative. For example, if they are cooking a potato dish, all of their potatoes are substituted with potato chips. Or they have the chef will have to wear oven mitts the whole time. Or, all cooking has to be done in a microwave. The person focused on getting ahead purchase sabotages. Often times, the contestant who was sabotaged returns the sabotage in the next round.

It’s easy to make one’s whole life “cutthroat” when the focus becomes getting ahead. This is when the people around me become stepping stones to propel me forward. My only care for them is only if I get out ahead. If you cross me, I’ll do double to you.

Maybe you share something in confidence, but it quickly becomes the talk of the town. You go from feeling you have someone you can trust to being betrayed and find yourself saying, “I’ll remember who I can and can’t trust.”

Maybe you’ve cooked, cleaned, served for years. Then a decision is made without you. You feel as though after all these years that you don’t matter anymore. Aiming to get ahead you may think, “I won’t say anything, but I won’t support either.”

Maybe a disagreement between one person quietly becomes a divide between families. Something said years ago still shapes how you treat someone today. So maybe you respond passively, “I’ll keep my distance.” or aggressively, “I’ll make sure my people know how I was treated. . .”

Maybe a vote in a business meeting doesn’t go your way, and suddenly relationships change. A disagreement in the business meeting seems to linger after the meetings ends. Maybe your response is, “I’ll never vote again.” Or “Next time, I’ll bring back up.”

The tactics of the person pursuing greatness are spreading gossip, growing cold and passive, carrying grudges, and winning victories.

The person pursuing personal greatness loves this passage on church discipline because his first thought is, “How can I get that so-and-so that I don’t like out of church?”

But this runs counter to what Jesus teaches.

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Sacrifice our pride to gain our brother.

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Matthew 18:15–17 ESV

15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

Notice that Jesus immediately frames the discussion by calling the offender “brother.” That is, not someone who shares a parent with you, but a spiritual brother- someone who shares the same Lord and savior.

Jesus, however, flips the expectation. After being sinned against, we generally care only about getting even, but Jesus wants us to care about the offender’s well-being. If you were to examine your life and take a test, considering the moments when believers sinned against you, which would you say your major concern was? Getting even? Or their well-being?

Being concerned about their well-being does not mean to ignore the sin or pretend it never happened. The proper thing to do is, “Go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.” Here lies the issue though. One commentator says, “

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 8: Matthew, Mark, Luke5. Treatment of a Sinning Brother (18:15–20)

if it is hard to accept a rebuke, even a private one, it is harder still to administer one in loving humility

Notice, the goal is not public humiliation or retaliation. In fact, the goal is not even getting even. The goal is winning a brother. This is what Jesus says at the end of verse 15, “Then you have gained your brother.” Commentator R.T. France notes:

The Gospel of Matthew5. Dealing with a Brother’s Sin (18:15–17)

“Win” suggests that the person was in danger of being lost, and has now been regained; it reflects the preceding image of the shepherd’s delight in getting his sheep back

v. 16 discusses the what would happen if the brother does not repent. Still, the desire is there to not make the matter a spectacle. Two or three witness are brought in to establish the matter. This is citing Deut. 19:15. And again, consider why. Why bring in more witnesses? Why establish the matter? All of this is designed to win the brother.

Look at v. 17. Now the matter is brought before the entire church. Why? To shame the person? No. To win him. The entire assembly of believers is the final earthly authority on the matter of this particular case. Such an interesting thing that it’s not a pastor or pope or elder board or deacons. It’s almost as though the Baptists have it right. The gathered assembly, the church proper, this is the authority to call the brother back.

And notice that they act in one accord in order to win this brother. The entire church does not want a sin, any sin to ensnare one of their own. And so they call the brother to repentance.

If there is still no repentance, the offender is no longer to be treated as a brother. The term Gentile is as though he is an unbeliever. The term “Tax collector” refers to his immoral state. Commentator Charles Quarles notes:

MatthewExegesis

Tax collectors were also generally avoided since even to be seen by them might invite their abuse. The rabbis compared encountering a tax collector to meeting up with an angry bear. Such an encounter never ended well

Practically, how this would flesh it self out: such a person is no longer a member of a church, but would be treated as though he is an unbeliever. The matter of the particular sin would be dropped. Unbelievers are sinners by their fallen nature, they will sin. Instead, such a person could continue to sit in the pew, as a visitor might do so. The person would be encouraged to trust in Christ.

2 Theological issues quickly.

This does not mean this person “lost” their salvation. People make false professions all the time. If their profession was believable, though false, the church could accept them into membership. After multiple attempts to call the sinner out, their refusal to repent reveals their profession was false, not that they lost salvation.

The church operates as God’s sanctioned identifier of divine realities, not as Lord over it. In other words, the church does not send someone to heaven or hell. In stead, the church merely recognizes based on physical and biblical evidence heavenly realities. But the church can do so confidently, as we shall see.

But again, it brings us to the question: why? Why would the whole assembly gather, call a single person out, and then change the publically acknowledged status of a person from brother to gentile? The answer is given in v. 15. The purpose of the whole process is to win the brother.

Paul recognizes this in 1 Cor. when he instructs the church to remove a member. He writes:

1 Corinthians 5:5 “5 you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.”

The goal of the removal was not “conveneince” or purity, or revenge. Rather, it was to save him. The goal for church discipline is restoration. But restoration requires confrontation.

The goal for the entire process whether privately or before the whole church is to win the brother back. Sin is pictured like a beast, satan is pictured like a lion, the world is depicted as a prostitute, each trying to seduce and devour every human soul.

It’s easy to come away from this passage just focused on the procedure and miss the goal. I read many ecclesiology works that focused on going through procedure for church discipline using this passage. But Jesus is not giving a “how-to” manual. Jesus is stressing how important it is and what extent we should all go to win a brother back.

Imagine an oncologist who hated cancer patients. He shifted focus into this field we he himself was diagnosed with cancer. He has a love for the subject, he is enthralled in research. He has some of the best studies on the subject, and some of the best equipment to conduct research. But when it comes to actually meeting with patients, he gets easily angered, annoyed and down right cold. Imagine he begins to neglect time with his patients and even certain procedures because he would rather spend his time in books and research.

Lord, forgive us for how quickly we can turn against our brothers and sisters who are weak and beset with sin.

When a brother sins against us our concern should immediately be for their well-being, not to ger even. We should care for the brother, because both that brother and me, we are on the same side. We are on the same side against sin. You and me together can fight it.

But it becomes to easy to ignore, to give the cold shoulder, to outcast, to sweep under the rug, to live with a grudge or live as a door mat.

Yet Jesus is interested in the restoration of a sinner at any cost, in fact- even a radical cost. Such a radical cost that he would die a cruel death. He would be nailed to the cross. The blood spilled on that rugged cross was of infinite value because it was blood of him who was spotless, completely holy, eternal, all-powerful. How much was Christ willing to endure to bring you life? Was it worth it?

Now consider: How much are you wiling to do to restore a brother? Your fed with a scriptural sermon- the meat of the text. You have the fellowship of the flock.

This whole process of calling out and restoring would mean little if God did not care about any of it.

Matthew 18:18–20 ESV

18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

In v. 18, we have the idea of binding a loosing, or tying and untying. Remember these are legal terms. To bind is to not allow an action, and to loosen is to allow something. The translation here makes it sound as if heaven will respond to the church’s decision. However, it’s best translated, “Whatever you bind on earth will already have been bound in heaven” In other words:

MatthewExegesis

God will grant supernatural insight to the church as it hears and decides cases of personal grievance. Due to divine guidance, the decisions reached by the church will be those previously reached in heaven. The church will enact God’s own will

V 19 is one of those passages that is often taken out of context. But notice a couple of things. First the word “Again” means that Jesus is stating the same point in a different, perhaps more memorable way. In other words. v. 19 is trying to emphasize and restate the point v. 18 is making. Notice also the tie between heaven and earth in both verses. Both verses are concerned with heaven’s position when a judicial matter is settled on earth. More likely, v. 19 is about the specific 2 in v. 15. One who sinned, and one who was sinned against. They come to agreement about “anything” the word for “thing” here is pragma which is used of judicial matters. So it’s more lilely that these brothers were in dispute and now have come to an agreement about a judicial matter. Now God himself stands behind their agreement. What was formalized on earth, is also ratified in heaven.

Why can any of this restoration take place? Because, as it says in verse 20, Jesus is in the midst of them. They are carrying out this process to restore a brother notice, “In Jesus’s name” That is, they are doing this as Christ’s representatives. Then Christ says he is there in their midst.

An early Christian named Cyprian famously made the statement, “One who does not have church as mother cannot have God as Father.” I can appreciate the logic behind such statements, logic in passages such as this one. However, I cannot get behind the logic in front of such statements. Logic that leads to people in the church to believe that they can bar people from heaven. That is not the intention of this passage. We don’t have power over anyone’s regeneration or salvation.

Nevertheless, our earthly judicial decisions have heavenly ramifications.

*Read church covenant

In the first half of this passage, Jesus teaches that restoration requires confrontation. The emphasis is on the extent we should go to restore a wandering brother. The second half of the passage assures us that God is with us in those judicial endeavors. Whether the brother is restored (which is the hope of us all) or decides to remain unrepentant, heaven stands behind the church’s decision.

What is Jesus doing with all of this: he is trying to instill in us the same resolve to deal with sin which leads to restoration.

Do you have a name? Do you have someone that you have acted coldly towards? Someone that you have been withdrawing from, someone you have been rehearsing what you can do to get back?

Matthew 18 is not about every annoyance, but certainly if you are withdrawing, dwelling on it, or rehearsing, it qualifies.

Write that name down. Is it a brother or sister here? Seek this week to bring restoration to that relationship.

Jesus tells us implicitly what not to do.

Before Jesus tells us what to do, He implicitly tells us what not to do.

When someone sins against us, our instinct is often:

to talk to everyone except them

to grow cold and call it wisdom

to wait for them to come apologize

to pray about them instead of speaking to them

None of those are obedience. They are delays dressed up as maturity.

Notice Jesus does not ask you to resolve everything at once. He asks you to take the first step.

You are not responsible for their response. You are responsible for your obedience.

Start it off easy, “I want to talk to you because I care about our relationship.”

This is not easy because it requires sacrifice.

We have to swallow our pride, sacrifice our dignity, throw out our comfort. How much are you willing to sacrifice for the sake of restoring a brother?

Jesus was willing to sacrifice it all to restore us. Shouldn’t we do likewise?

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Dream falling. . .

Friend dangling off Yonah – driven by greatness can lead to disaster

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Our drive to be seen as great quietly reshapes how we treat sin and how we treat one another—often endangering fragile faith, including our own.

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True greatness in Jesus’ family is revealed by how we protect fragile faith—by receiving the humble and ruthlessly removing stumbling blocks.

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Matt. 18:5-9

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Matthew 18:5–6 ESV

5 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, 6 but whoever (causes) σκανδαλίσῃ one of these little ones who believe in me (to sin), it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

Revelation

Jesus has been using an image of a toddler to represent his follower. In this passage the image of the toddler is fully transferred. That is why Jesus says, “one such child” because he is no longer referring to the literal toddler he has in their midst, but to the idea the child represents: the humble Christ follower who recognizes he his fully dependent upon God.

There are two contrasting attitudes in this passage, reception of the humble, God-dependent Christ follower and trying to get such a person to fall away, reject Christ, become independent.

The phrase “cause to sin” in the ESV is the one word in Greek σκανδαλίσῃ. This is a word that refers to more than just sinning, but a complete rejection of Jesus. The literal renedering would be, “Whoever trips” or “traps” one of these little one. . . The idea is not so much “cause to sin” as it is “cause to reject.” This is where the falling image comes into play. Falling is not just sin in this passage but a rejection.

To be clear, the theology of the Bible is “once saved, always saved.” Or better said than that, “Those who truly believe will persevere to the end.” But the focus of what Jesus is saying is not that it’s possible for true believers to reject Christ. Rather, Jesus is focusing on the attitude of “reception” or “tripping.” Notice that there’s no middle ground.

Reception is the attitude and action of the believer (“he also received me” Jesus says). You would think the natural opposite of that would be rejection, but Jesus takes it one step further in the contrast. The world, here, is not just passively rejecting followers of Christ, but actively trying to cause them to fall.

Jesus does not give the actual punishment here in this verse of the person who actively tries to cause one of his little ones to fall. But he does give something “better” than the actual punishment.

And again, sometimes we like to approach Scripture as if the choir is singing, and everything is reverent and black and white. But the image Jesus gives is purposefully ridiculous. The image is a giant millstone, not a little one. Then notice Jesus says, “fastened around the neck.” He’s picturing this millstone like a necklace. Maybe it opened on a hinge and closed back. Maybe it was knotted around the neck. Either way the image is supposed to stick out. Then the person attempts to cause the fall is drowned in the depth of the sea. This entire event, remember, is not what actually happens has the punishment for the one who produces stumbling blocks, but is better than the actual punishment for that person.

Relevance

You remember what it was like when your child was beginning to walk for the first time? The other night we had Kameran (who played piano for us) his wife and child over. His son, Michael, is about 1 and a half, and has just learned to walk. We have a threshold that separates our kitchen from our dining room. Most people don’t even look down at it, but step over it without thinking. But for one-year-old Michael, that threshold was like a mountain. He stopped, but his hands down on the floor. And when he was on all fours, he carefully put one foot over, then brought the other foot over before standing up and walking around again.

As a parent, our child’s first steps are an exciting thing. Usually when our toddlers are taking first steps, you can hear parents say encouraging things like, “Good job” “you can do it.” And often parents take their child’s hand and help them walk along.

But could you imagine someone going up to a toddler about to take his first steps and pushing him to the ground, then laughing in mockery? Saying something like, “ha, ha ha, you can’t walk.” The horror is not so much that the child fell, but that someone wanted him to fall.

Bridge

But as horrible as that sounds, that just how the world operates.

Matthew 18:7 ESV

7 “Woe to the world for σκανδάλων temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes!

Revelation

Jesus gives a double woe here. And again, the woe is not merely for “temptation” it’ the same word that is used in the previous passage. Some call it stumbling stones, or cause for stumbling. The woe, the deep sorrow, the prophetic curse is pronounced on the world because it is actively trying to get Christ’s followers to ultimately reject him.

My translation says, “it is necessary that temptation come.” That is probably best understood as, “it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come.” Why is it inevitable? Because the world actively rejects God. It is a stumbling block factory. The world has to convince itself to reject God and so, it will inevitably convince others.

Relevance

“Woe” is a pronouncement of a curse. That such a person will receive judgement. Why is it so severe? Perhaps the factor image is too passive. The world is not just a factory of stumbling blocks.

When we were in our cabin in KY, we were in the “clifty wilderness.” We went on a natural bridge. It was funny there was railing going up to the bridge and afterwords, but on the bridge itself, there was no such railing. One slip, (which was more likely given the snow on the ground) and off one would fall, tumbling down a mountain. At our cabin there was a fence on one side and a sign that said “steep cliff”

You see, the world is not just producing stumbling blocks, its setting them up alongside cliffs and luring Christ followers in to push them over. When the world realizes you won’t participate in their vanity fair (Pilgrim’s Progress image), it will do everything it can to push you off a cliff. Or rather, to convince you to jump. This is why Jesus gives this double woe.

So be alert. Jesus gives us these warning signs for a reason. Don’t grow lax. Don’t give up the fight. The road to the cliffside is paved with a mixture complacency, convenience, and fear of man. Don’t ignore Christ’s signs to turn back when you find yourself on such a path.

Matthew 18:8–9 ESV

8 And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.

Revelation

Jesus intensifies the image here recognizing that the pressure to fall is not just from the outside (the world) but also on the inside. Jesus uses a purposefully startling image of self-amputation.

But we also know that our body parts don’t have a mind of their own. So we must take the image for what it is. Perhaps we can say that the hand represents what we do, the foot represents the places we go, the eye represents the things we pay attention to.

Even still, that brings us closer to the root of the problem, our heart. What we do, where we go, and what catches our attention do not cause sin, but reveals what is already in our heart.

The point of the startling and gruesome image is clear: Anything that threatens allegiance to Christ must be treated as an enemy—even if it feels like part of you.

But refusing to amputate is evidence that the loyalty to Christ is not genuine. And the danger is eternal fire and the hell of fire. Which prophet preached the most on hell? It was Jesus. He first set a contrast between the person who accepts the disciples and the one who rejects. Now, we have a contrast between life and eternal fire in v. 8.

“Eternal life” begins now if you are in Christ. But you can live that life stunted. Stunted, ironically, by the current feet you have. We must be willing to cut off stumbling block loyalties no matter how close or ingrained they are, not only for the sake of ourselves, but also for the sake of others.

Relevance

And what is it in the context that might just feel as though it is an amputation? Perhaps our urge to feel and be great.

The urge for greatness will cause us to puff ourselves up. We ignore the seriousness of sin in our lives. We linger on our stumbling block loyalties. We give in to temptation. Then we either cover it up or act like it’s no big deal. We implicitly deny how desperately we need Christ’s mercy.

The urge for greatness will also cause us to step on one another. You see the correct attitude in v. 5 “whoever receives.” The urge for greatness covers up our own sin but is excited to expose the sin of others. “Can you believe so and so did this?” Or “I have a prayer request. . .the other day so and so did that.” Our urge for greatness can keep up from amputating our stumbling blocks and throwing out stumbling blocks in front of others so we get ahead. Our urge for greatness can cause us to be so horrible and ridiculous as to push down the toddler and say, “At least I can actually walk.”

Application

For my final paper in seminary it was for a biblical counseling class and I decided to write it on dealing with a prodigal child who goes away and cuts off all contact. For my research I read a book called “Come Back, Barbara” by pastor Jack Miller about his prodigal daughter. In it he shared about the urge that the parent has to think, act, and feel as if they can do no wrong in front of their child.

You see, when children are young, they believe their parents are the greatest thing ever. Most children sincerely believe, aside from cases of perhaps trauma and abandonment, their parents can do no wrong. A lot of times parents revel in this. They want to continue this even well after their children have realized their parent make mistakes.

Once children eat the proverbial fruit and realize their parents are messed up people in need of grace too, sometimes parents like to sow fig leaves to make it seem as though that aren’t in need of grace. What does that produce in the child? Resentment, rebellion, and ultimately rejection. Why? Because the child realizes that not only does the parent make mistakes, the parent is willing to live as if he does not and wants you (the child) to treat him as if he does not. The parent is willing to make his child live a lie just so he feels great and important.

The book reflected Jack Miller (the pastor) going to his daughter and apologizing for anything wrong he did. This honesty and sincere apology surprised the daughter. Then the pastor reflected on another family he knew of. He talked about a father who always asked God for forgiveness for sins in their family worship. This father had the habit of starting with the biggest sinner in his prayer. For the longest time, he started the prayer with his oldest rebellious son, who resented this. But after having a conversation with his pastor, Jack Miller, he decided to always begin this prayer with himself, and confessing his sins.

We all deal with this urge to be seen as great. To be seen as perfect, flawless. There’s no greater place that exists than in a church. We gather together and put on our smiles and pretend that there’s nothing desperately sick inside our hearts. We want other to see that we are great, and if we’re not careful, will trip other people then step on them to ensure that we are seen as great.

Imagine, you discover you have gangrene in you foot. The doctor tells you that you have to amputate or it will spread. Instead of amputating, you just dress it up and pretend like it’s no problem at all. You always wear the comfiest socks and most expensive shoes, but nothing will make the gangrene go away.

This is the stumbling blocks we have. There they are ready to trip us up and fling us into the eternal fire. Jesus says we must be willing to amputate.

What would you say marks our lives? Humble repentance? Tearing down idols in our hearts? Or complacently telling ourselves the stumbling block is no big deal. Or covering it up in self-righteousnessess.

If a visitor came in today and I asked them which of the following would best describe this church: repentance, complacency, or self-righteousness?

I’m afraid the answer might be complacency. We like our routine. We like our seat. We like the comfort we have with one another. Here we are going into another year, familiar with the same song and dance, familiar with the gospel, familiar with the songs, familiar with the sermons. But little do we know we could very well be walking down the path that leads to a cliff.

Instead may our attitude be humble repentance. May we be more willing to lift one another up than to push one another down. May we be alert to the stumbling blocks out there and cut off the stumbling blocks inside here. All of this showing we cannot treat the gospel as if it were some story. But instead, it is our life. We have a desperate need for God’s mercy and grace, not merely a long time ago, but right now in our lives everyday. We need God’s mercy in our lives when we receive other brother and sisters. We need God’s mercy when we watch out for the ways of the world. And we need God’s mercy when we begin to cut off desires that attempt to take Christ’s throne in our lives.

What marks our church? Our we more concerned with our reputation or our amputation?

When I was growing up, one of my favorite bands was Third Day. I listened to their Christmas album very frequently. One of their songs is called Christmas Like a Child

I want to feel Christmas, how it used to be With all of its wonder falling on me This season has felt so empty, oh, for quite a while I want to feel Christmas like a child

Some remember the excitement, the anticipation they felt as a child.

Did you ever count presents though? You know, how many presents did you get compared to your siblings? Maybe some of you still count presents.

Or, even worse, have you ever recieved a gift from someone you did not expect to recieve a gift from? And then felt terrible not being able to give anything in return?

Have you ever let someone slip your mind when buying Christmas gifts?

How quickly the season of generosity and giving can turn into a season of jealousy, figuring out who’s in and who’s out, and who’s going to get out ahead.

We’ve seen Jesus in the previous chapter announce that he was going to build his church on Peter. Then we just saw Peter’s temple tax being paid for. Jesus also proclaimed that while the others paying the tax were subjects, he and his disciples were sons. So the disciples want to know: who’s the best son. “I mean, come on Jesus, is it really Peter?”

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We like to know the pecking order, and we like to know our place on the pecking order. Furthermore, we like to know how to get ahead, and place “me” first.

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Jesus answers the question concerning who is the greatest in the kingdom of God. And the kingdom’s value system does not match the world’s or often our own value system for determining greatness. In these verses, Jesus gives the antidote for selfish ambition.

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Matt. 18:1- 4? Maybe

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Grasping for greatness, greatness in diapers, and giving up grasping

Matthew 18:1 ESV

1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

Matthew 18 is known as the family discourse because throughout you will see Jesus refer to his disciples as children, little ones, brothers, and fellow servant. Notice right at the beginning of the chapter it begins with “at that time.” What is “that time?” Remember the previous passage? Jesus paid the temple tax to not offend others and identified himself and his disciples as privileged compared to the people who had to pay the tax.

I hope the clear irony is not lost on us. Jesus’s main intention in teaching his disciples was to teach them to be willing to lay aside privilege for the benefit of others. Instead of laying anything aside, it seems as though the disciples want to find out who’s best.

The gospel of Luke makes this question even more precise when the disciples ask, “Who among us is the greatest?” Put on your speculative imagination and picture the scene: Jesus tells his disciples regarding tax, “Then the sons are free.” Then the disciples ignore the bit about not giving offense and begin discussing, “we’re sons? well, which of us is the firstborn?” “I bet it’s me” “No, it’s me. . .” and the bickering ensues until they go to Jesus and ask, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

When I graduated from college in 2015, I sent my resume out to a bunch of churches. I was met with a bunch of questionnaires to fill out. The process was tedious. I felt pressure to secure a position to support my family, but I also did not want to lie or anything else to get a position. The questionnaires were long, often 30 questions or more, spanning a wide variety of topics. I don’t think there was anything wrong with a church doing that, they should be thorough; however, having to answer all those questions on my end was a long process.

Several years later when I had prayed and considered with my wife sending my resume here, I went back and looked at those emails to find my resume. I also found some of those questionnaires and so I read through them. Immediately, what struck me was how arrogant I sounded. When I reread it, the tone came across as, “I know the Bible, you don’t, so hush up and listen.” I would not have hired me.

The disciples have been with Jesus now for a good while. We could estimate that by chapter 18, the disciples have been with Jesus for about two years. But even though Jesus instructed them and led by example, the disciples’ selfish ambition was still driving them.

Matthew 18:2–4 ESV

2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus answers the question by bringing a little child. The disciples are concerned with placing themselves in the center of it all, and Jesus places a toddler in the center. The disciples are looking for status and Jesus points to smallness. The disciples are grasping for accolades and distinction, and Jesus gives them a kid in diapers.

There’s nothing glorious about diapers. I’m not even sure if they had diapers like that back then. But this is not an older child. One commentator notes:

MatthewExegesis

The diminutive suffix on the Greek noun confirms that Jesus had little children in mind. He was not referring to adolescents resenting authority and demanding independence. He was referring to little toddlers who could only eat if someone else fed them, could only walk if someone else held their hand, could only survive if someone else protected them, and were very aware of how small and weak and needy they were in comparison to the adults who towered over them and cared for them

And notice some of the things that Jesus says. He begins emphatically in verse 3 saying “Truly I say to you.” That was Jesus’s way of saying “pay attention.” Then he says “unless you turn and become like children.” Consider that phrase. “Turn and become.” The word “turn” refers to a radical change. The word is used for turning water into blood in Revelation (11:6). What is this radical change into? It is to become like a child. Jesus is telling his disciples to turn into something that this child is an example of.

Now we must understand this analogy correctly otherwise we can misinterpret it. We want to use the context to help us understand the image. Sometimes the stock phrase “faith like a child” is used to refer to inexperience, gullibility, or simplicity. But the issue that Jesus is addressing is not unbelief. Jesus is not trying to make his disciples into simpletons who are willing to believe anything Jesus says and ignore common sense or observation. “Turn and become like a child” does not mean become gullible, ignore your doubts, ignore your feelings, or ignore what you can observe and learn.

Jesus was addressing the disciples’ arrogance, their selfish ambition. The disciples are trying to put themselves at the center of everything and Jesus puts a toddler there. Selfish ambition says, “I depend on no one but myself to get ahead and take what I want.” Humility says, “I depend on God to be satisfied in my soul.”

Jesus’s point was not that toddlers cannot be selfish. Rather any selfish ambition that a toddler may have is thwarted by his inability to feed himself, walk by himself, talk, or even go to the bathroom properly. Selfish ambition says, “Who can I walk on to get ahead.” Humility says, “I can’t even walk unless God takes my hand.”

Selfish ambition tries to take everything I’m given and use it to get out ahead. When selfish ambition is given some wood and nails it begins to build a tower to heaven. But Jesus shows that selfish ambition can build no sucessful tower. Notice what Jesus says. The disciples are concerned with greatness in the kingdom of heaven. But, Jesus tells the disciples that if greatness is their concern they will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Look in v. 3, “Unless you turn and become like children, you will never (emphatic) enter the kingdom of heaven.”

But there is a way into the kingdom of heaven. Jesus says, “Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” And I hope you see, especially in the season we are celebrating now, the significance of that statement. Who is the greatest in the kingdom? Well the king of course. The king in heaven who humbled himself to be born on earth. The omnipotent king of glory taking on human likeness in the form of a tiny newborn, doing all this willingly—not for his own sake, but for us. This is the heart of selfless ambition that Jesus himself lived. That Christ became manifest in the lowliest and humblest way in order to live, not an easy life, but a life of suffering under the curse in order to defeat the curse. And then in order to die in our place the very death we deserved. This is the heart of selfless, humble, and childlike dependence upon God.

The question of course becomes how do we develop that same attitude in our hearts?

Perhaps it can be accomplished through a good education?

I want to just say a big thank you to the church. Thank you for your abundant generosity. Thank you for allowing my family and me to attend my graduation. Thank you for all the cards of encouragement. I’m so grateful to be done.

It is an awesome thing to graduate from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. It is one of the earlier institutions of higher learning in our nation. It is one of the largest seminaries in the world. It has top notch faculty. It pursues excellence. The classes are demanding, not easy. When I hold that degree in my hand I know it was a lot of work, a lot of strain, but it was worth it.

But guess what that degree doesn’t do. It does not form childlike humility in my heart. In fact, it can easily be fuel for selfish ambition.

So how do we form childlike humility in a world where everyone lives to get out ahead?

Jesus gives the antidote for selfish ambition. Selfish ambition is defeated when we yearn, believe, trust, and live childlike dependence toward God. We deepen that dependence with gratitude toward God.

So we must confront postures of selfish ambition and develop in its place humility. This humility is formed by understanding just how dependent we are upon God.

Just yesterday at work I had a posture of selfish ambition. I was just boxing our little chicken minis. My screen was full of 4 counts and 10 counts. I just finished a small mini tray, and was about to make a nugget tray when someone came in and ordered a large mini tray. My GM asked if I wanted help, and I said, “I don’t know. . .” And my friend working beside me said, “Help? Jake never needs help. . .” There my pride grew, my selfish ambition grew. I knew I needed to do it all on my own. My actions displayed my drive to build myself up rather than displaying any childlike dependence upon God.

The Christmas season is a perfect time to practice living what Christ demands in this passage.

This Christmas season have you been consumed with what you will get? Maybe you’ve already given up on the notion of anyone else actually getting you anything, so you decided to treat yourself. Maybe you’ve been working out a list of things you could get. There’s nothing wrong with making a Christmas list or telling people what you want. Nor is there anything wrong with buying yourself something. But there can be a fuel in it that, if we aren’t careful can further ignite our selfish ambition.

Maybe not even the gift itself, but have your thoughts been, “Who really cares about me this year? Who is going to get me something? Who will even think about me?” There’s nothing wrong with feeling loved and cared for, of course. But when we depend on other’s concern for us rather than on God, it fans the flame of selfish ambition. It drives us to live to get others attention rather than a humble dependence upon God.

Selfish ambition is consumed with what will I get and who will give to me. Childlike humility is dumbfounded with gratitude that a gift was even recieved. Selfish ambition carefully calculates who to give a gift to in order to get ahead. Childlike humility puts together a trite gift and willing to give it to anyone.

So what is your focus this Christmas season “Who is the greatest?” Hoping the answer is , “Me.” This meditation fuels the attitude of selfish ambition.

Instead we should meditate on just how dependent we are on God for every little thing. If it weren’t for God, I could not give or receive anything at all. This cultivates the attitude of childlike humility—one that it fully dependent upon God and reflective of our incarnate savior.