Devotionals

Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him. And He said to her, "What do you wish?" She said to Him, "Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom" (Matthew 20:20-21).

When Jesus called the 12 to be His disciples, they left everything to follow Him - well, almost everything. They left their jobs and families, friends and fortunes to follow Jesus. They confessed Him as the Messiah, the Lord and Savior of Israel. But they did not leave their national pride and personal ambition. It is apparent in many of their discussions with Jesus that they anticipated a ‘pay day’ one day when He would be exalted as Israel’s Messiah.

Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again" (Matthew 20:18-19).

The resurrection of Jesus Christ was not an afterthought, a footnote, or an appendix to the crucifixion. It is a fact. Jesus had to rise again. It was the crucifixion of Jesus that won our salvation, but it was the resurrection of Jesus that sealed our salvation forever.

Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again" (Matthew 20:18-19).

In the days of Jesus there were several ways in which a person was killed: (1) drowning, (2) thrown off a high cliff, (3) burned alive, (4) eaten alive by insects, birds, and animal, (5) pour molten metal down one’s throat, (6) boiling in oil, (7) stoning, (9) strangulation, (10) beheading, and (11) crucifixion. Why did the Romans decide to crucify Jesus? Why didn’t Rome allow the Jews to stone Jesus to death, since historically that was their prescribed method of execution?

Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again" (Matthew 20:18-19).

Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again" (Matthew 20:18-19).

Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again" (Matthew 20:18-19).

Now Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again" (Matthew 20:17-19).

Now Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again" (Matthew 20:17-19).

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (1 Peter 1:3-5).

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God (Romans 5:1-2).

And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you’” (Exodus 3:14).

Genesis 1:1 reads, In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Moses wrote these words as a statement of fact, not as a theory or idea to be argued or confirmed through human means. God is - always has been, always will be. Because God is and has created all that exists or permits to exist all that exists, He is sovereign. Because He is the sovereign Creator, He is Lord over His creation and has the freedom to do with His creation as He wills.

GRACE & RETRIBUTIVE JUSTICE
Wednesday, September 15, 2021

Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine; the soul who sins shall die . . . The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself (Ezekiel 18:4,20).

And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace (John 1:16).

“Sin and despair, like the sea waves cold, threaten the soul with infinite loss;
Grace that is greater, yes, grace untold points to the Refuge, the mighty Cross.
Grace, grace, God's grace, grace that will pardon and cleanse within
Grace, grace, God's grace, grace that is greater than all our sin!” (Julia H. Johnston)

For many are called, but few chosen (Matthew 20:16).

This text has caused a great deal of controversy in the Christian church and much consternation in the mind and heart of many Christians. The angst comes from taking the passage out of context and trying to fit our personal theology into it. This is called eisegesis - reading into the text what is not there. Students of Scripture pronounce anathema on such practice. We strive to be diligent to present ourselves approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). To that end we practice exegesis - reading out of the text what is there.

For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard (Matthew 20:1).

There is a single point to The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard - God’s great grace shown toward us. There are, however, several truths that can be gleaned from this parable.

1.    As Charles Spurgeon said, “Salvation is all of God.” God is the Sovereign Lord over all creation and over all of salvation. Salvation is His, not ours. Well did King David say, Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit (Psalm 51:12). Salvation is God’s investment of grace in our lives, not our possession to have or to lose, or to do with as we please.

For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard (Matthew 20:1).

The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard is an illustration of the great grace of God and how it relates to the work of God’s Kingdom. Because this is a parable, we will need to identify the players and places in the parable.

But many who are first will be last, and the last first (Matthew 19:30).

The above cited text most likely was a common saying among the ancient Jewish people. Jesus repeated these words in Matthew 20:16; Mark 9:35; 10:31; and Luke 13:30. The common saying is a principle of exaltation and humbling. In reference to the rich young man who inquired about eternal life, Jesus pointed out that he, and others like him who were superior in riches and honor, were first in this world according to rank and order but will be the last in the world to come. Those who are last in this world according to rank and order, i.e. the Apostles, who were poor, seemingly insignificant, and hopeless and helpless, will be first in the world to come.

Then Peter answered and said to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?" So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first (Matthew 19:27-30).

Then Peter answered and said to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?" So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first (Matthew 19:27-30).

Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?" But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:23-26).

But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions (Matthew 19:22).

Discipleship is a serious calling. It’s a serious undertaking. It’s a serious life choice. Yesterday we said 3 things were required for a person to be a disciple of Jesus in that day and time: (1) a person had to be invited by Jesus to be a disciple, (2) a person had to obey what the Lord commanded, and (3) a person was to follow the Lord’s example and live as He lived. Understand that submitting to these 3 requirements may make a person a disciple, but they don’t save a person. In other words, a saved person is called to be a disciple of Jesus, but not everyone called by Jesus to be a disciple will be saved.

What do I still lack? (Matthew 19:20).

There have been times when I have been engaged in conversation with people that I noticed there was no light in their eyes. It was as though they were dead inside. Their conversation had no passion or conviction; it was almost mechanical and routine. 

If you will remember John the Baptist burst on to the scene of Jewish life 400 years after the last prophet of the Old Testament had spoken the Word of God. A lot of things developed in Jewish life during those 400 years. Most of it was not good at all. One of the more prominent developments from that period was the rise of the Pharisees, Scribes, and Sadducees. 

He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, honor your father and your mother, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?" (Matthew 19:18-20).

Jesus’ reply to the young man’s question, “Which ones?” was to select the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 5th Commandments, which constitute the 2nd Great Commandment, you shall love your neighbor as yourself (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:37-40). Why these and not the others?

First, the 2nd tablet of the Law (our duty toward men) is not the whole Law of God.

Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments (Matthew 19:17).

“Judged by the principles and strategy of much contemporary evangelism, Jesus seems to have made a serious and insensitive mistake. He not only did not take advantage of the man’s obvious readiness to make a decision but He even seemed to be teaching righteousness by works” (John MacArthur). 

Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16).

The word ‘good’ is agathos. It means that which is beneficial and well. There is another word in the Greek that is translated ‘good’ in the English. It is kalos. It means morally good; valuable and virtuous. What is the point?