Kingdom of God

Day 96 – Matthew 20:20-28; Mark 10:35-52; Luke 18:35-19:27; John 11:55-12:11

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A Contrast of Kingdoms.

Matthew 20:20-28; Mark 10:35-52; Luke 18:35-19:27; John 11:55-12:11

The replied, “When you sit on your glorious throne, we want to sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.” – Mark 10:37 NLT

One of the things that jumps out in the Gospels as we near the end of Jesus earthly life and ministry, is the growing contrast between the views of Jesus and the disciples regarding the coming Kingdom. The story recorded in Matthew and Mark gives us a pretty clear indication that the disciples were still expecting Jesus to set up His Kingdom on earth. He would rule and reign from the throne of David right there in Jerusalem. He would defeat the Romans and make the Jews a power to be reckoned with just like they were in the glory days of David and Solomon. The nation of Israel would once again have power, prestige, and experience peace and prosperity. And the disciples saw themselves as playing significant roles in Jesus’ earthly Kingdom, because they had sacrificed everything to follow Him. Remember Peter’s statement to Jesus back in Matthew 19? “We’ve given up everything to follow you. What will we get?” (Matthew 19:27 NLT). Each of the disciples were hoping to benefit greatly from their relationship with Jesus. They fully expected to be part of His inner circle when He finally quit beating around the bush and established His Kingdom.

But Jesus had a different view of what was going to happen in the days ahead. He knew full well that His mission, as given to Him by God, would first involve a crucifixion, not a coronation. He would have to suffer and die before He could rule and reign. A cross would be His next stop, not a throne. So when James and John take Jesus aside and ask Him to do them a favor and assure them the two top spots in His administration, Jesus has to correct their thinking. Matthew even indicates that they had gotten their mother involved in this whole matter. The ironic thing is that they ask Jesus to let them “sit” on His right and on His left. Jesus breaks the news to them, “You don’t know what you are asking!” They really didn’t want to be on His right or His left when the time came for Him to be “lifted up.” Those two spots were actually reserved for two unnamed, common criminals. Jesus knows what He is about to go through in the not-too-distant future, and He asks them, “Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink? Are you able to be baptized with the baptism of suffering I must be baptized with?” (Mark 10:38 NLT). As was so often the case, the two disciples assure Jesus they are fully capable. “We are able!” they exclaim. They still didn’t get it. They were clueless as to what was really about to take place, even though Jesus had told them repeatedly that He was going to Jerusalem to suffer and die.

When the other disciples caught wind of what James and John were doing, they were indignant. They were jealous and upset that they hadn’t gone to Jesus first. All of these men were jockeying for position and battling for prime spots in what they believed to be was Jesus upcoming royal administration. So Jesus reminds them that things are slightly different in God’s Kingdom. It will not be about who is the greatest. It will not be a matter of who is first and foremost. No, Jesus tells them, “Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else” (Mark 10:43-44 NLT). This was not exactly what they wanted to hear. What Jesus was saying made no sense whatsoever. But Jesus assured them that this was the way things were in God’s Kingdom and it even applied to Him. “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for man” (Mark 10:45 NLT).

Over in the book of Luke, Jesus tells a parable to the disciples, “to correct the impression that the Kingdom of God would begin right away” (Luke 19:11 NLT). Jesus was going away. After His death and resurrection, He would be returning to His rightful place at the side of His Father in heaven. And He would be leaving the disciples on earth to accomplish the mission He would be giving them. They would be expected to faithfully use all that He had given them over the last three years, and to steward the gifts that would be provided for them by the Holy Spirit when He came. So that when Jesus returned the next time, they would be found to have been faithful and rewarded in full. “…and to those who use well what they are given, even more will be given” (Luke 19:26 NLT). There was much to be done before any of the disciples received their rewards or places of prominence in Christ’s Kingdom. And before that could happen, they would have to faithfully complete their assignment, just as Jesus was about to do.

Another compelling reminder that Jesus’ Kingdom was not going to be earthly in nature, was the anointing He received at the hands of Mary, the grateful sister of Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead. Mary took a 12-ounce jar of very expensive perfume and anointed Jesus’ feet, wiping it off with her hair. Jesus indicates that this was in preparation for His coming burial. In other words, He was not being anointed in preparation for His coming coronation, but His crucifixion and death. So when Jesus told the disciples, “You don’t know what you are asking,” He knew what He was talking about. Neither James or John would want to be on His right or left when Jesus completed His God-given assignment. He would be hanging on a tree, and hanging beside Him, on His right and left, would be two guilty criminals. For the Kingdom of God to be established, the Son of God had to suffer and die. For Jesus to eventually rule and reign, He would have to conquer sin and death.

Things were not what they seemed. The Kingdom of God would not be what the disciples expected. His Kingdom was of a spiritual nature. It involved suffering, sacrifice and servanthood. It required the sinless Son of God to selflessly give His life so that others might live. The earthly Kingdom of God is coming. Jesus will eventually rule and reign from the throne of David in Jerusalem. And the disciples will have places of prominence in that Kingdom. But much had to happen first. The enemy Jesus came to defeat was not the Romans, but Satan. The Kingdom He came to establish was not to be temporary, but permanent. And that day is coming.

Father, thank You for sending Your Son to suffer and die. Your plan was not what the disciples expected and it is often not what I would choose. But it is perfect because You are righteous, all-knowing, and good. I am grateful that Jesus sits on a throne even now and that He rules in my heart, when I am willing to allow Him to do so. He is exalted on high and sits at Your right hand, and some day He is coming back. I am grateful that the kingdom the disciples wanted never came about. I am thankful that Your plan is going to be fulfilled in perfection and the ultimate rule and reign of Christ over all the earth is coming. Amen.

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Day 95 – Matthew 20:1-19; Mark 10:17-31; Luke 18:31-34

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A Kingdom and A Cause.

Matthew 20:1-19; Mark 10:17-31; Luke 18:31-34

“Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be jealous because I am kind to others?” – Matthew 20:15 NLT

Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem. His time on earth is coming to a close. His mission is reaching its final conclusion. And as He journeys toward His final destination, He continues to teach His disciples, attempting to prepare them for what they will face when they reach Jerusalem, and to equip them with an understanding of His Kingdom. All of this will be needed when He returns to His Father in heaven, leaving them to continue His ministry as His ambassadors and messengers.

Chapter 20 in Matthew follows nicely after the incident with the rich young man who came to Jesus asking, “What good deed must I do to have eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16 NLT). His view of the Kingdom of God was based on earning and effort, and he was not alone. The disciples held the same view, because it was prevalent among the people of Israel. Their religion had become performance-based and was based on a concept of earning and reward. This young man had come looking for one more thing that he must do to secure eternal life for himself. He was probably wanting assurance that he had already done all that was necessary, and was basing his belief that he was in God’s favor on the fact that he was richly blessed by God in this life with “many possessions.” Therefore, God was surely going to bless him in the next life. But Jesus broke the news to him that all his possessions were useless to him in either this life or the next. He told the young man to sell all that he had and give it to the poor and follow Him instead. But the man walked away sad. The cost was too high. The commitment too great. His wealth had become his savior and security.

Now Jesus tells His disciples a parable that is designed to give them a better understanding of the Kingdom of God. He compares it to a landowner who went out early one morning to hire workers for his vineyard. Through the course of the day, at nine o’clock, Noon, three o’clock, and as late as five o’clock in the afternoon, he hired workers and promised to pay them all “whatever was right at the end of the day” (Matthew 20:4 NLT). When he came upon the group, he had asked them why they weren’t working and they replied, “Because no one hired us” (Matthew 20:7 NLT). This is an important point, because it indicates that these individuals wanted to work, but were deemed either unqualified or incapable. But this landowner was willing to put them on his payroll and invited them to join the others in the vineyard.

At the end of the day, he had his foreman call all the workers in and had him pay each of the workers their wages, starting with the ones who he hired last and working up to those who had put in a full-day’s worth of work. To the surprise of the latecomers and the consternation of those who had worked all day, each received the same amount of money. When those who had worked all day saw that the latecomers had received a full-day’s pay, they expected to get a bonus for all their hard work. But their pay was no bigger or smaller. So they complained to the landowner, making sure he understood that they had put in greater effort and therefore, deserved greater pay. The complained of injustice and demanded justice. But the landowner defended his actions and let them know that he was fully in his rights to do with his money as he saw fit. They had received a fair day’s wages for a full day of work. They had not been cheated or treated unfairly. These people had lost sight of the fact that, until that morning, they were unemployed and without any waged, but the landowner had hired them sight unseen and offered them the opportunity to work for him. And they had received the benefits of accepting the landowner’s invitation. It seems that these people thought their pay was based on their effort and the amount of work they had performed for the landowner. In the story, Jesus makes it clear that each was payed, not based on the amount of work done, but based on the grace of the landowner. Remember, this is a story about the Kingdom of God. The issue is effort and earning versus grace and the unmerited favor of God. In Jesus’ day, the Pharisees and religious leaders thought that their place was secure because they “worked” for God. They believed that their pious lifestyle secured them a place in God’s Kingdom. But Jesus assures the disciples that that is not how things work in God’s economy. His is a grace-based economy. God can and does invite anyone into His Kingdom that He so chooses. It is not based on their worthiness, hard work, status in life, talents, or treasures. It is not based on how gifted they are or how much they can give. It is completely based on grace. Paul reiterated this point when he wrote, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NLT).

As Jesus made His way to Jerusalem, He was giving His disciples an intensive crash-course in the Kingdom of God. Their views were going to have to change. But it was going to be difficult for them. They were not going to get it at first. In fact, each time Jesus tried to inform them that He was on His way to Jerusalem to be unjustly tried and killed, they didn’t understand. Luke tells us, “The significance of his words was hidden from them, and they failed to grasp what he was talking about” (Luke 18:34 NLT). But in time, they would discover that things in the coming Kingdom were going to be a lot different than they ever expected. Humility would replace pride. The first would be last and the last first. The self-righteous would be left out and the repentant sinners included. God’s Kingdom would be grace-based, and made freely available to all who would simply believe.

Father, I can’t thank You enough that inclusion in Your Kingdom is based on grace and not effort. Because otherwise, I would not be included. I have done nothing to deserve Your good favor. My status as one of Your children is solely based on the work of Christ on the cross, and not on anything I have done or attempted to do for You. All of my works are as filthy rags in Your eyes. But the righteousness of Christ has been credited to my account. His work, done on my behalf, is what secures my relationship with You. And I did nothing to deserve it. Amen.

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Day 71 – Luke 9:46-62; John 7:2-9

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Wrong Priorities.

Luke 9:46-62; John 7:2-9

“And Jesus’ brothers said to him, ‘Leave here and to to Judea, where your followers can see your miracles! You  can’t become famous if you hide like this! If you can do such wonderful things, show yourself to the world!’” – John 7:3-4 NLT

Jesus had all kinds of followers – from faithful to flaky. There were the curious and the committed, the miracle seekers and the down-and-outers. He had those who wanted Him to start a rebellion, others who were looking for a free meal, and some who were like rubber-neckers at a car wreck, just attracted by the excitement of it all. But as Jesus’ time on earth began to draw to a close, the call to commitment for His followers was going to increase dramatically. Things would begin to heat up and, as a result, many of His followers would choose to drop out. Even the twelve who Jesus chose could prove to be a challenge and a disappointment at times. One minute they’re healing the sick and casting out demons in the power and authority of Jesus, then they suddenly find themselves unable to do so, and instead of turning to God in prayer, they simply turn the person away. When they see someone who isn’t part of their entourage casting out demons in Jesus’ name, instead of rejoicing, they get jealous and demand that he stop. When they are passing through a Samaritan village with Jesus and the citizens refuse to welcome them, they ask Jesus for permission to call down fire from heaven to destroy them. These men could be exasperating at times. They spent more time worrying and arguing about who was the greatest than listening to what Jesus was saying about His upcoming death, burial and resurrection.

Jesus’ own family members offer us another insight into the kinds of “followers” He had. John makes it clear that Jesus’ brothers didn’t believe in Him, but they were all for Him becoming famous. They simply saw Jesus as their ticket out of the obscurity of Nazareth. So they pushed Him to take His miracle show on the road and head to the big time in Judea. They wanted Him to go where the crowds were. “Leave here and go to Judea, where your followers can see your miracles!” (John 7:3 NLT). These guys were more like PR consultants than true followers. They didn’t actually believe Jesus was the Messiah, but they couldn’t deny that He could do miracles. They had known it since the day He turned water into wine at the wedding in Cana, an event they probably attended. For them, it was all about the miracles and making a name for Himself. In essence, they told Jesus, “if you’re going to perform signs to authenticate yourself as Messiah, you should do them at Jerusalem” (NET Bible notes). The Greek word they used actually means: the deportment by which one becomes conspicuous or secures publicity. They wanted Jesus to make a name for Himself and as far as they were concerned, the best way to do that was to head for Jerusalem. “You can’t become famous if you hide like this! If you can do such wonderful things, show yourself to the world!” (John 7:4 NLT). And Jesus’ family members were not alone. There were others, including the disciples themselves, who wanted Jesus to become famous. They wanted Him to set up His kingdom and establish His authority, with them serving alongside Him, sharing in His power and prominence.

There was hardly a day that someone didn’t come up to Jesus and offer to follow Him. That was a common occurrence for all rabbis. Luke records three such incidents. As Jesus and the disciples were walking along one day, an individual approached Jesus and said, “I will follow you wherever you go” (Luke 7:57 NLT). But Jesus made it clear that following Him would be costly. The life of a disciple would not be easy. Jesus then invites another person to follow Him. This man initially agreed, but then said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father” (Luke 7:59 NLT). That sounds like a valid and reasonable excuse, but it would appear that the man’s dad was not dead, but that the man was asking for a leave of absence from following Jesus until some time in the future when his dad actually would die. Jesus tells him his priorities are out of whack. He says, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead” (Luke 7:60 NLT). This man’s father was not physically dead, but he WAS spiritually dead. The greater priority was telling him and everyone else about the Kingdom of God. Finally, a third individual approached Jesus and said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family” (Luke 7:61 NLT). Again, sounds like a reasonable request, but Jesus knew that this man would never come back if he went home. The pull of family, the pressure of other commitments, and the distractions of every day life would keep him from following Jesus. Following Him required all-out commitment. You couldn’t be half-hearted and there was nothing part-time about it.

The day was coming when all of His followers, including His own disciples would flake out on Him. He would later tell them, “All of you will desert me, For the Scriptures say, ‘God will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’” (Mark 14:27 NLT). Peter would vehemently deny it, claiming, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I never will!” (Mark 14:29 NLT). When Jesus would break the news to Peter that he would not only desert Him, but deny Him three times, Peter would angrily respond, “No! Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” (Mark 14:31 NLT). And Peter was not alone. Mark tells us that all the others agreed with him. And we all know how that story worked out. Following Jesus is costly. And the closer Jesus got to the cross, the more costly it would become. He would become famous, but not in the way His brothers were thinking. He would provide one last miraculous sign, but it would be His own death and resurrection. He would bring judgment on all those who rejected Him, but that is reserved for a future time, yet to come. Following Jesus requires that we set our priorities aside and embrace His instead. He was and still is focused on the spread of the message concerning His Kingdom. “Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God” (Luke 9:60 NLT). That task takes precedence over all else. It will require commitment, dedication, determination, perseverance, focus, faith, and the indwelling presence and power of the Holy Spirit. He alone can help us put our hands on the plow and not look back.

Father, there are so many things that distract us from following Your Son. The cares of this world can overwhelm us and pull us away from the task at hand. We can get so busy building our own little kingdoms that we lose sight of the fact that we are to be spreading the news regarding the Kingdom of Your Son. Help us remain faithful. Keep us from looking back or longing for something other than Him. Make us faithful, persevering followers of Jesus. Amen.

Ken Miller

Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org