Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ (Ro 1:7). Amen.
How do you describe life? There might be a few different ways. We could go with the obvious—heart beating and lungs breathing. That is medical. From there we might go on with our jobs or our joys—what we do or what we like. That is philosophical.
But is there more? Maybe instead of our theories as we determine life, we get Jesus’ thoughts as he defines it. And he does. Jesus explains life. The Christ serves. The Christian serves. We read from …
Matthew 20:17-28
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus, whose service for us lead to service from us,
I mention it because for a long time I missed it. And it bears repeating. It is Lent. We spend a lot of time speaking of Jesus’ death. It is our focus for 6 weeks. It is our emphasis with extra services. And rightfully so. Jesus heads to the cross. He gives up his life. Gladly and willingly. For us.
But that is not all. It is not just about Good Friday. We stop at Calvary. But we don’t stay there. Jesus was there. It is also about Easter Sunday. We sprint to the tomb. We stare in it. Jesus is not there. In a way, today is a reminder of his exit from the grave since it is the first day of the week. There is life. Jesus shows it. And he shares it.
Jesus Explains Life
1. The Christ serves (17-19,28)
2. The Christian serves (20-28)
1. The Christ serves (17-19,28)
“Now this is life.” Perhaps that sounds like an adult on a nice vacation—whether it is the sun on the back or sand between the toes at a beach or the sights on the trial and snow on the peaks in the mountains. It is a matter of personal preference. But there is more to life than relaxing in such a way. Jesus explains it. The Christ serves.
It wasn’t the first time that Jesus brought up the subject material (Mt 16:21; 17:22,23). That is because the disciples needed to know. And it was going to happen soon. Jerusalem was the final destination. The Passover was approaching. But that was not the real reason for the trip to the city in the south. So as they walked, Jesus talked (Mt 20:17). They get some private instruction from Jesus along the way.
Jesus speaks with amazing clarity. There is no ambiguity (nor is there hesitancy). It is more than a father stating, “We are going to Mt. Rushmore someday.” He cannot be exact. “This summer we are going to put the vehicle in space 117 in the parking garage and view the four presidents at 2:34 PM on Tuesday.” There are some things that are possible to relay—the month and means like in July and by car, but not to that extent. Jesus can. And Jesus does.
As he grabs their attention, he goes into detail. It is as if to say, “Boys, this is how it is going to go down. Listen up.” He is specific and straightforward without suggesting options or seeking opinions.
There would be ugly disloyalty. We wonder if Judas was taking notes. “The Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law” (Mt 20:18). “Son of man” was Jesus’ favorite label for himself. He became one of us—flesh and blood—to rescue us (Mt 1:21). But not all would be excited, especially the religious leaders (Jn 1:11).
There would be a distinct sentence. “They will condemn him to death” (Mt 20:18). That was their judgment. Guilty—worthy of death (Mt 26:66).
There would be horrible mistreatment. “And they … will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified” (Mt 20: 19). As God’s people handed Jesus over to godless people, there would be no throwing of stones, but pounding of nails. As we read through the Passion History, we see looking back on what Jesus spotted looking ahead.
There would be a glorious return. “On the third day he will be raised to life!” (Mt 20:19). The disciples left that out when they locked the doors out of fear after Jesus died. We don’t want to skip it. It is critical—not just another point, but an important part. It makes all the difference that Jesus’ death does not mean the end. So if we want to be precise, we would not state: “Jesus predicts his death.” But add, “Jesus predicts his life.” It is not just Jesus’ crucifixion. It is his resurrection. That is crucial because it is comforting. His life guarantees ours. Because he lives, we live (Jn 14:19). This is not tragedy. It is triumph.
Jesus didn’t miss much when it came to his mission. “The Son of Man [That is the second time in this section.] did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mt 20:28). I always put that in terms of dining out at a restaurant. It is clear who is the one waiting on because there is a stroll to the kitchen and the ones who are waited on because there is a seat in a booth. Jesus is the waiter. We are the waited. He could have demanded service from us. But he delivers service to us. Now we are not talking about lunch. But life. He gives his to pay the price necessary to set us free from sin. And his holy, precious blood was sufficient to ransom us and release us from its curse. He offered himself instead of us, in place of us. He took on the form of a servant and became obedient to death, even death on a cross (Php 2:7,8). He is our Substitute, our Servant. He is the one Savior for many sinners. He is the only One for all (1 Ti 2:6).
That is what the apostle Paul pointed out. “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Ro 8:1). There is no charge of guilt against us in any way, at any time. It is gone, all gone. For good. For ever. So rather than the insincerity of the Israelites, we encourage one another: “Let us acknowledge the LORD” (Ho 6:3). We look for him earnestly. And we add our voices to the psalmist who taught us to sing: “Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” (Ps 42:5; 43:11). That is who Jesus is—our Savior. And that is what Jesus did—saved. It cost him his life. But he came back to life. Jesus explains life. The Christ serves by dying and rising.
2. The Christian serves (20-28)
“Now this is life.” Possibly that comes from a student on a spring break. It is a chance to sleep to noon and sit in front of the TV. There is also the command that supper be supplied while sprawled on the sofa. Someone has to bring it. There is more to life than resting in such a manner. Jesus explains that. The Christian serves.
Right on the heels of that plain commentary comes a peculiar request from a protective mother. It is not for herself, but for her sons. She lands on her knees because she wants what is best for James and John (Mt 20:20). (Doesn’t every mommy long for that?) With Zebedee’s two sons in tow, she made her appeal hoping Jesus would be on board: “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom” (Mt 20:21). Her desire was that they be prominent and prestigious men in Jesus’ cabinet—#1a and #1b.
None of those three got it (Mt 20:22). But Jesus doesn’t give a tongue lashing. But this is an opportunity for true learning. Jesus corrects as he continues. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” (Mt 20:22). Jesus implies a “no” answer. He would redeem the world all by himself. It would require the Father to press to his lips the ultimate cup of suffering. And inside of that is the full fury of God’s anger against our sin. Jesus would swallow our shame and drink the hell that we deserved—all the way to the bottom.
When they come back with a “yes:” “We can” (Mt 20:22), Jesus keeps educating patiently. He has two responses:
“You will indeed drink from my cup” (Mt 20:23). There would be persecution due to their connection to Jesus. Herod’s sword would separate James’ head from his shoulders as a martyr (Acts 12:1,2). Rome’s power would separate John from his people on the island of Patmos as an exile (Re 1:9).
“But to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father” (Mt 20:23). Sometimes there is a “no.” That was the Father’s business, not his. They were not to busy themselves with that.
That maternal plea didn’t sit well with the other 10. “They were indignant with the two brothers” (Mt 20:24). They were upset that it didn’t cross their minds first. “Why didn’t I think of that?” There was competition among the men as opposed to cooperation. And that had to change. So Jesus invites them to a group study. “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them” (Mt 20:25). Absolute power can lead to an abuse of power. It is selfish and not selfless. There is plenty of examples in the past. Even in the present.
“Not so with you” (Mt 20:26). Jesus contends that there is to be a noticeable contrast between the kingdoms of the world and the kingdom of heaven. It’s not about me; it’s about you. “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave” (Mt 20:26,27). A great life comes through humble service. And service of others is modeled after and motivated by Christ’s service for everyone who did not just wash feet from any dirt as he did in a room upstairs, but washed souls from every stain as he did on an instrument of torture.
Those are striking words. And hard to hear. We prefer to turn things around for our benefit, not the blessing of others. We think along the lines of how many are below us, not above us.
But Jesus alters that mindset as he explains life. The Christian serves. “What is useful or helpful for you?” becomes a concern for us like a servant carries out the wishes of his lord and a slave the will of his master. Forgiven for our self-centeredness, we imitate Jesus—serving, not being served. The Holy Spirit aids us in thinking about others (Ro 8:5). Alive in Christ, we are active in Christ. We have many occasions to serve at home, at school, at work, at church. Jesus explains life. A Christian serves in in every activity and with every ability.
We are not cheating Lent by charging ahead to Easter. They fit together rather than one first and the other second. They flow into one another. Jesus hangs on the cross, but he heads out of the grave. It is not about his death, but also his life. Jesus explains life. The Christ serves everybody. The Christian serves each other. Now that’s life. Amen.
The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you (Ro 16:20). Amen.
March 26, 2017
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