Reading: Matthew 19-20
But Jesus called them unto Him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many (Matt. 20:25-28).
For three years, Jesus had been in the company of these twelve men, spreading the message of the Kingdom of God. Now, as they approached the climactic end of His earthly ministry, Jesus once again sought to prepare them: Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn Him to death, And shall deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify Him: and the third day He shall rise again (Matt. 20:18-19). Although He had spoken of it before (16:21-28; 17:22-23), the responses He had received made it clear that the disciples did not fully comprehend what He was telling them. This time proved to be no different. No sooner had He made the grim pronouncement than He was approached by the mother of two of His disciples with a rather ambitious request: And He said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto Him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom (20:21). Even with Jesus' proclamation ringing in their ears, these men and their mother still clung to the notion that the Kingdom of God would mirror the earthly kingdoms of which they were familiar. Based upon that notion, they sought to reserve their positions in the royal hierarchy. They proclaimed their willingness to suffer with Christ (20:22) but were equally concerned that they received appropriate recognition once He was installed as King.
Many of us today serve Christ with the same attitude as the sons of Zebedee. We genuinely love the Lord and have accepted Him as our Savior. We are willing to stand up for our beliefs in the face of public ridicule and persecution, but we do so with our ‘eye on the prize.’ We want a place of honor in heaven and to ensure we receive the recognition that is our ‘due.’ Our primary motivation is not love for our fellow man. Instead, we are seeking a promotion in the Kingdom of God.
The Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many. Jesus’ only motivation for coming to earth was a love so great and so pure that it could not be contained (John 3:16; 15:9-17). He had nothing personal to gain; He allowed Himself to be broken so that we could be made whole (Is. 53:5). It is with this attitude that we are being called into service. If we are to follow the example set by Christ, there is no room in our hearts for anything but love. Our top priority must be the furthering of His kingdom. We need not worry about our future because we have already placed it in God’s hands.
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13).
Thought For Today:When we place our lives in God’s hands, our future belongs to Him. We need not waste our time worrying about it.
Cross Reference: For Matt. 18:16: See Deut. 19:15. Matt. 19:4: See Gen.1:27; 5:2. Matt. 19:5: See Gen. 2:24. Matt. 19:7: See Deut. 24:1-4. Matt. 19:18: See Ex. 20:13-16; Deut. 5:16-20. Matt. 19:19: See Ex. 20:12; Lev. 19:18; Deut. 5:16.
Word Studies:18:6 offend = do wrong, cause to sin; 19:14 Suffer = Permit; 20:3 third hour = about 9 a.m.; 20:11 murmured against the goodman of the house = were indignant, critical of their employer; 20:15 Is thine eye evil? = Are you begrudging, jealous, or envious?; 20:26 minister = servant.
Pray For Government Official:Rep. David Kustoff (TN), Mark Molinaro (NY), Rep. Kelly Armstrong (ND)• Country: Belize (340,844) Central America • Major Languages: Spanish, Creole • Religious Freedom • 39.3% Roman Catholic; 30.9% Protestant; 1.6% Jehovah Witness; 9.9% Other (Hindu, Muslim, Baha'i, Buddhism, Mormon); 3.1% Unknown; 15.2% None • Prayer Suggestion: Pray for your adversaries (Ps. 109:4).