Written ~ 01-26-2024
Read Matthew Chapter Twenty
Matthew 20
When I first read through chapter 20, I was trying to figure out how all the subject matter could fit together. At the first glance it all seems a little random. We start off with a parable about some vineyard workers, then a couple of verses where Jesus predicts His death again, then Jesus has a teaching moment for His disciples about serving others and finally we see Jesus healing two blind men. Each set of verses is extremely important all on their own, but how do we tie them together in this one chapter.
I think this entire chapter’s theme is about servanthood.
In verses 20:1-16 we find a landowner hiring workers to tend his vineyard, he hires some workers early in the morning, then he hires more at 9:00am, at 12:00pm, at 3:00pm, and then again at 5:00pm. At the end of the day each worker received the same amount of pay. Though some may say that is unfair, the parable’s meaning has to do with being a servant, having a servant’s heart. In verse 20:1 is says the “Kingdom of Heaven is like the landowner…” The Lord is asking His followers to serve Him, however He needs you, that’s what you are do to. In Matthew 9:37-38 it says, 37 He said to His disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. 38 So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask Him to send more workers into His fields.” What could than mean to you personally? What if you have been a believer since childhood, you have followed the Lord’s commands your entire life. Then what if a dear person, on their deathbed, finally accepts the Lord as their Savior. Does the Lord treat you or that brand new believer differently when we come into His presence? Will each believer whether young or old receive the same reward in Heaven? That is completely up to the Lord! Our purpose on earth is to serve the Lord. So whether it is with our actions from childhood or it’s with that final breath that we give our hearts and lives to the Lord, we are both coming to Jesus with the same purpose, to follow Him, the timing may just be a little different.
In verses 20:17-19, Jesus is telling His disciples once again the purpose of why He came to earth. The disciples may not see it that way, but that’s what Jesus is doing. Then in verses 20:20-21 the mother of James and John asked a simple request, “In Your Kingdom, please let my sons sit in places of honor next to You, one on Your right and the other on Your left.” That request caused a bit of scene with the other disciples! But look how Jesus ties it into the chapter’s theme of servanthood…
Verses 20:26-28,
26 “…among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. 28 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
Let’s combine verses 20:18-19 with 20:28…
18 “Listen,” He said, “we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence Him to die. 19 Then they will hand Him over to the Romans to be mocked, flogged with a whip, and crucified. But on the third day He will be raised from the dead. 28 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve others…
That’s why we see so many accounts in the New Testament like the one found in verses 20:29-34 where Jesus heals two blind men. Jesus came to heal the sick, help the lame to walk and have the blind see. He came to spread the Good News and show others the truth of Salvation. He came to die for our sins. All of that shows His servant’s heart. As we learn to be more like Christ, that’s the type of servant’s heart each of us should desire. To spread the Gospel and to help others.
This chapter gives us a lot to think about! Are we jealous like the workers who were paid the same for a 12 hour day as the ones who worked a 2 hour day? Do we think we are working harder than another person and expect a grander reward? Do we think only of ourselves, rather than what God would have us do?
A humble countenance and a servant’s heart is what the Lord desires from each and every believer.
Verse 20:16…
“So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.”
Look back at verse 19:30…
“But many who are the greatest now will be the least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.”
God looks at our hearts and knows each thought, to become more like Jesus is to become a servant like He is…
~AMEN~