Matthew 20
COMMENTARY:
: 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and said to them “Why stand you here all the day idle? (692 “idle” [argos] means lazy, useless, unemployed, careless, ineffective, indolent, slothful, or living without labor.)
DEVOTION: There is only one hour left to work in the day. The householder still sees people who want to work standing around idle. They have not been hired. They had come late in the day to be hired.
They want to have some money but didn’t get up early to earn the money they needed. There could be some good excuses why they weren’t there at the beginning of the work day but they were there now.
The household owner still hired them to do work and offered them what he thought was fair as their pay for the day. When it came time for these individuals to be paid they received the same reward or pay as those who had worked the twelve hour day.
It didn’t seem fair to those who worked all day that they should receive the same pay. The householder said that he did what he thought was right and that it was a matter of right and wrong. Not being fair.
God offers those who become believers on their death bed the same reward of heaven as those who became believers at a young age. It doesn’t seem fair but HE is doing what is right in HIS eyes and those are the only eyes that matter.
Our responsibility is to reach all we can even those who are dying for the LORD. Witnessing is what is very important in the eyes of the LORD. HE wants laborers in HIS harvest working even if it is only for an hour.
CHALLENGE: No believer should be idle or lazy when it comes to reaching people for the LORD.
: 13 But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do you no wrong, did not you agree with me for a penny. (91 “wrong” [adikeo] means unfair, unjust, wickedly, criminal, hurt, mistreat, guilty, be an offender or sin against.)
DEVOTION: Most of us have had a job or in a job where others get treated as favorites while we seem to be the low man on the totem pole. It seems like others can be lazy and we can work hard and they still get the compliments.
Here we have a parable that deals with workers in a farmer’s fields. It was hard work then as they had to do all the work by hand in the heat of the day. Today we have tractors with airconditioned cabs, some even have radios. Also, today we have people who have to walk the fields to harvest the crop. It is hard work for minimum wages.
In the parable the landowner offers a fair wage for a day’s work. The wage of the day was a penny. Each man was promised a fair wage. Those who worked most of the day came to receive their wages and found that everyone got the same wages. They had worked many more hours than those who came at the last hour of the day. It is thought that work was from sunrise to sunset in those days.
What happened? Well those who worked longer hours thought they should receive more pay than they were promised at the beginning of the day. They thought they desired a bonus. It is normal for us to want more than we receive.
However, the owner of the farm said that he could do what he wants with his money. He was not a wicked person for being gracious to those who came late to the job. He was no mistreating them. He was not being unfair.
Too often we see some people in our churches being blessed more than we seem to be blessed and we tend to complain about it. We think God is not being fair with us. We think we need more and should get more from HIM. We think we are more talented than others and yet they get the responsibility and the praise.
This type of thinking comes from the enemy. He wants to sow discord in our life and in the life of the church. God wants us to be content in what HE gives us. HE knows what we can handle.
CHALLENGE: Watch out for thoughts that the enemy puts in our heads that we should be better treated than others.
: 28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. (1247 “minister” [diakoneo] means to be servant, attendant, domestic, wait upon, to wait on tables and offer food and drink to guests, supply food and necessities of life, to administrate the office of deacon, or that may serve the interests of another.)
DEVOTION: The disciples were still learning the chain of command from Jesus. They were looking out for themselves instead of the interests of others. They all wanted to be great and have people wait on them.
They were disturbed that Zebedee’s wife asked for a special place for her sons. The mother of James and John wanted her sons to be in the place of honor on each side of Jesus when HE set up HIS kingdom. They still had the wrong impression that HE was going to set up HIS kingdom soon. HE had told them many times now that HE was going to die. Also, that HE was going to be raised from the dead. These facts didn’t seem to sink in. Mothers have the interests of their children at heart. That is not all bad.
In this case, Jesus had to tell the mother NO. HE informs her that the Father has chosen those who will be in that position. There is delegation in the Godhead. There is delegation in the church. It is important that individuals realize that Jesus is teaching these truths to HIS disciples and to us.
HE then instructs the disciples that if they want to be great, they have to be a minister to others. HE informs them that if someone wants to be chief, he is to be a servant. It is not right to want to be in an important position if we do it in the right way. Too often it is done in pride rather than in humility. Jesus is teaching that humility is first and then advancement to those who do it with the right attitude.
Jesus tells them that the purpose of HIS visit to earth was to be a servant to others. First, HE came in humility. HIS second coming is going to be in GLORY. HE came the first time to die for the sins of HIS people.
We are an individual among HIS people if we are a follower of HIM. HE didn’t save everyone in the world, because many have chosen to follow HIM their own way and not HIS. If we are followers of HIM, we are to be servants to others.
Are we serving? OR Are we looking to position ourselves in a place of honor? Are we the ones who stay and clean up after an event or do we just leave? Are we the ones who help set up an event or just attend? What is our thought process? What is our attitude? Is it a servant thought process or one who wants to be served process? Remember we are here to encourage one another. Helping them with their personal needs is serving them for the glory of the LORD. Who have we served this week?
CHALLENGE: Pray about who needs your services this week and give them to them.
: 32 And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will you that I shall do to you? (5455 “called” [phoneo] means cry, request, summon, invite, to send for, or address.)
DEVOTION: Why does the LORD ask questions that seem too simple? Here we have two men who are blind and they are shouting to the LORD to have mercy on them. The people who are following the LORD tell them to be quiet.
What do they do? They shout louder until the LORD hears them. HE knew what was happening but HE wanted to know if they would listen to those who were following HIM.
HE went over to them and asked this question, “What do you want …?” It was obvious. They would want HIM to heal their eyes or was it? They could have asked for money. They could have asked for salvation. They could have asked for any number of things from HIM.
To us it seems obvious that they would like their sight. Yet, the LORD wanted to dig deeper into their thinking for the purpose of those who were following HIM. HE could have read their thoughts and known the answer but HE wanted them to state what they want.
HE wants the same things from us. Yes, HE knows what we need but HE wants us to show our dependence on HIM. If we don’t ask, we will never receive. If we try to do things in our own power we will fail.
HE wants HIS children to be honest with HIM and ask what they really want from HIM. If it is according to HIS will, they will receive it.
CHALLENGE: Are you asking the LORD for what you really need or what you think you need?
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