Greatness

Sunday Sermons

Mark Dunagan
11/11/07 - Sunday Morning

Greatness

Matthew 20:20-28

20:20 “The mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Him with her sons”: Mark records that James and John made this request (Mark 10:35). There is no contradiction here, for Matthew notes that the mother approached Jesus “with” her sons. 20:21 “What do you wish?” Jesus demands that they specify what they want. “He is not deceived either by His own love (affection) for them or by their fawning for His favors. He correctly requires that they commit themselves before He will commit Himself to sign any blank checks” (Fowler p. 916). 20:21 “Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left”.

Although James and John had heard lessons on the need for humility (Matthew 18:1-35), they apparently thought that Jesus’ statement about them sitting on twelve thrones (19:28) meant literal thrones. James and John perhaps envisioned a throne room with Jesus at the center and with the twelve seated on lesser thrones. If so, those enthroned next to Him would be presumed as worthy of greater honor than those seated to His far left and right. Fowler notes that they are asking to be the Messiah’s most exalted, most influential counselors. Note the word “command”; this mother is telling Jesus what to “command”! Do we make the same mistake—do we demand things of God?

“Not only do the Evangelists bare the disciples’ sordid presumption, but, in that act, convince the reader of the genuineness of its history. We are not in the presence of mythology created to glorify Christian heroes, but in the presence of an ugly fact too true to human nature to be denied” (Fowler p. 918).

20:22 “You do not know what you are asking for”: The disciples were so wrong about the nature of God’s kingdom and their role. “Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?”

To drink a cup is to experience its contents. The cup under consideration is the suffering that Jesus would endure (Matthew 26:39,41; Mark 14:36; Luke 22:42). At this point, Mark adds, ”And to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” (10:38). To be baptized with suffering means to be overwhelmed by it. “Because they steadily refused to see Him as a suffering King, they cannot see that a prayer for glory beside Him must be a request for suffering” (Fowler p. 919). 20:22 “We are able”: They still do not know what they are saying; they do not grasp what Jesus is telling them. In addition, this “we are able” sounds a lot like the boast that Peter made before Jesus’ arrest (Matthew 26:33). McGarvey notes that the apostles may have thought that Jesus referred to some battle or conflict which would attend the ushering in of the kingdom, and as they were not wanting in physical courage, they were ready enough to pledge themselves to endure it. “Honesty compels us to confess the same zeal for the Lord and the same selfish ambition; the same high courage and the same cruel disregard for brethren; the same readiness to suffer and the same readiness to make others suffer; the same concern for the Lord’s honor and the same disregard for the disaster that must come to the Lord’s work if our own ambitions were to be realized”(Fowler p. 921).

20:23 “My cup you shall drink”: James and John, as well as the other apostles, would suffer for the cause of Christ (Phil. 3:20; Romans 8:17; 1 Corinthians 4:9). In fact, James would taste of this cup first in Acts 12. 20:23 “But to sit on My right and on My left, this is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father” “Future rewards are indeed meted out by the hand of Christ (2 Timothy 4:8; Revelation 2:10,17,26,28; 3:12,21), but they are not distributed according to caprice or favoritism” (McGarvey p. 557). It appears, in the verses that follow, that Jesus lays down the principles upon which greatness in the kingdom will be pronounced.

20:24 “And hearing this, the ten became indignant with the two brothers” “The ten, sharing the same ambition as the two, jealously resented their efforts to take an unfair advantage of the Lord’s known affection for them. To restore peace among them, and to correct their false views, He draws the distinction between the worldly greatness to which they aspired, and the spiritual greatness which they ought to have sought… Jesus added power to His rebuke by showing them that their spirit was not even Jewish, but altogether heathenish” (McGarvey p. 558).

“But Jesus called them to Himself, and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. ‘It is not so among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many’”.

20:26 “It is not so among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant”

The attitude that the disciples have at this time is that of the world.
The kingdom that Jesus will establish is unlike the kingdoms of this world. The kingdom of God is not to be structured along the lines of the secular state or a business. These verses certainly rebuke any attempt to pattern the Church after the same human power structure, and reveal that human maneuvering and grasping for power is not to be found among God’s people.
This is the Lord’s final word on the question of hierarchy and power structures in the Church.
“In short, there are no ring-side seats for honored spectators in God’s Kingdom, just places of service down beside the King Himself who is busy washing feet, mediating for others, and dying for sinners (John 13:12-17; Romans 8:29; 1 Peter 2:21)” (Fowler p. 929). Greatness in the kingdom is found in serving others, that is, to make someone a voluntary servant of others. The number of people you are able to serve measures greatness in the Kingdom.
The more talented or skilled one is, the more one is expected to serve.

20:28 “Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many”

20:28 “Just as”: Jesus’ self-sacrifice is the standard of service that God expects (John 13:34-35; Philippians 2:3-6). “Jesus could ever refer to Himself as the best example of the virtues which He taught. Since honor consists in being like the King, the highest honor consists in being most like Him. The closing words state the vicarious nature of Christ’s suffering as plainly as language can express it. The ransom is offered for all (1 Timothy 2:6), and will be efficacious for as many as accept it”(McGarvey p. 558). 20:28 “For many”: “Many” is the opposite of the concept of the privileged few. Jesus potentially died for everyone, but people must obey Him in order to receive the benefits of His sacrifice (Hebrews 5:9). If Jesus died for “many” then the disciples need to get busy and try to reach the “many”. Neither predestination, nor Jesus only dying for the chosen, is taught here.

“And as they were going out from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him. And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, ‘Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!’ And the multitude sternly told them to be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, ‘Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!’ And Jesus stopped and called them, and said, ‘What do you want Me to do for you?’ They said to Him, ‘Lord, we want our eyes to be opened.’ And moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him’”

20:30 “Have mercy on us Son of David”: These men certainly had heard about the miracles of Jesus. Note, they had never seen Jesus heal anyone, rather, they had only heard. Faith does not need perfect circumstances to develop; neither does it need the best possible evidence. The title “son of David” was the popular Jewish designation for the Messiah. 20:31 “And the multitude sternly told them to be quiet”: We wonder why the multitude sternly rebukes these two blind men: 1. Some might have been uncomfortable with Jesus being called the “son of David”. 2. “Others still, believing that Jesus was about to be crowned king, thought that it was high time that He should cease paying so much attention to beggars” (McGarvey p. 560).3. Were they angry because such shouting interrupted their own conversations or their own attempts to get near to Jesus? “Were there disciples crowding around Jesus, even now straining to pick up His every word, who resented this vigorously noisy interruption of their concentration?” (Fowler p. 945). 20:31 “But they cried out all the more”: “This frustrating hindrance only increased the intensity of their determination to receive help. Unlike the rich young ruler, these undiscouragaeable believers would not be rebuffed by setbacks and baffling handicaps. Their persistence evidences their conviction that the Son of David is their only hope and help…They feared that the opportunity of a lifetime was slipping through their fingers” (Fowler pp. 945-946).

Do we have this much persistence when it comes to our own salvation?
Like Bartimaeus, are we absolutely convinced that Jesus is the only answer for our problems?
Do we view our salvation as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?
What sort of things do we allow to discourage us from seeking God’s blessings and favor? Do we give up too easily?
What do we do when the world tell us to remain silent?

“These two blind men who had formerly had little hope of traveling clear to Jerusalem, except with someone patiently guiding them the 15 mile uphill trip, now march spiritedly along with every other pilgrim on the way to worship God. No wonder their exuberant joy pours itself out in unabashed praise to God! Their infectious enthusiasm and the exciting effect of the miracle opened the mouths of their fellow travelers who also took up God’s praise for the miracle they had witnessed. These penniless beggars, rather than seek first a stable income to care for their creaturely necessities, seek first the Kingdom of God” (Fowler p. 949).

Mark Dunagan/Beaverton Church of Christ/503-644-9017