Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

“But he answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I am not doing you wrong. Did you not come to an agreement with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go! But I want to give to this last person the same as I gave to you also. Is it not permitted for me to do whatever I want with what is mine? Or is your eye evil because I am generous?’ Thus the last will be first and the first last.”’” (Matthew 20:13-16)

Chapter nineteen starts with the Pharisees challenging Jesus about divorce. Jesus is clear: one male and one female covenanted together with God equals the ONLY proper way to have a spouse AND divorce was NEVER acceptable. Divorce came from human hard-heartedness, not God’s approval. Next, people were bringing children to be blessed by Jesus and the disciples tried to prevent it. Jesus WANTED to bless the children. Jesus has a special place in His heart for children because they naturally BELIEVE what He says. Then a young man came to Jesus to find out what would earn him a place in Heaven. He had kept the Law from when he was little. He leaned into it. But he knew he was missing something. Jesus told him to let go of everything he was holding onto. To sell his possessions and give the money to the poor, then come follow Jesus. The young man left sad. The disciples struggled with this teaching, because being blessed is so much a part of who they were as God’s children. It was considered evidence of worship of Yahweh. But Jesus pointed out that it wasn’t HAVING things, it was having things first place. God comes first. When He does, everything follows. But the love of things is not what makes you blessed. It is the love of GOD. We can have things, but things should never have US.

In chapter twenty Jesus continues this train of thought. He tells a parable where workers get upset about their pay – even though their pay was prearranged. They get mad at how much the man who hired them paid other workers who hadn’t worked as long as they had. But the man told them he could do what he liked with what was his. He had given them what they had contracted for – he had been fair. It was not evil to bless people and you should never get upset about what you had fairly received. Jesus took the Twelve disciples aside and for the third time talked about His death and resurrection on the third day. The mother of James and John asked for a special place for her sons in Heaven, but Jesus told her in the Kingdom people don’t fight for position. They serve others. The Kingdom is about blessing others, not gaining a spot and lording it over other people. When they were leaving the area, two men who were blind heard that Jesus was nearby. They called out for the Son of David even though the crowd told them to hush up. Jesus heard their cry and had them brought over. They asked Him for healing and like always, He responded to their trust in Him and healed them.

Summary

Key Players: God, Jesus, Disciples, Pharisees, Rich Young Ruler, Jews

Key Verse(s): Matthew 19:8-9; 20:1-16