Matthew 20:17-28 “Who Wants to be Great?”
Translation
& Sermon by Nate Wilson for Christ The Redeemer Church, Manhattan, KS, 07 Apr 2013
Translation
20:17
And as Jesus was going up into Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples alongside
Him privately on the road and said to them,
20:18
“Look, We are going up into Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered up
to the high priests and scribes, and they will sentence Him to death,
20:19
then they will deliver Him up to the Gentiles in order to be mocked and whipped
and crucified, yet during the third day He will resurrect.”
20:20
Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Him with her sons, bowing and
asking for something by Him.
20:21
So He said to her, “What do you want?”
She said to him, “Make a declaration to the effect that these two sons of mine
may sit, one by your right hand and one by Your left in your kingdom!”
20:22
But in answer, Jesus said, “Y’all don’t know that you’re asking for yourselves.
Do y’all have the ability to drink the cup which I myself am about to drink?”
They say to Him, “We are able!”
20:23
He says to them, “Y’all will drink my cup, but the seating by my right hand and
left hand is not mine to grant, but rather, in these [matters], it has been
prepared by my Father.”
20:24
Well, when the twelve heard [about this], they were indignant concerning the
two brothers.
20:25
But Jesus summoned them and said, “Y’all know that the rulers of the nations
lord it over them, and the great ones exercise authority down over them.
20:26
It will not be so among y’all, but rather,
whoever among y’all wants to become great will be your servant,
20:27
and whoever among y’all wants to be first will be your slave.
20:28 In this way the Son of Man did not come in order to be served,
but rather in order to serve and to give His soul to be a
ransom in the place of many.
Introduction
- All over America, little children are told, “You could be President one day,” or, “You could be the
first astronaut to walk on Mars,” or, “You could be one of those stars on
T.V.”
- It is a wonderful
blessing to live in a land of such opportunity and freedom, but with such
dreams comes the danger of wanting to be great in the wrong way for the
wrong reasons.
·
In business we see it in the ambition
of cutthroat employees stepping on other people to make their way up to
leadership.
- On the Forbes
Magazine website this week I saw an article entitle: “How To Fast-Track
Your Way Up The Corporate Ladder” It spoke of how to make a career plan
that would get you to where you want to be in your organization.[1]
- Here’s a
quote from another article: “Getting to the top of the corporate ladder
is everyone's dream. However don't wait for a miracle to happen to take
your career to the pinnacle.” The first tip for making your way up the
corporate ladder is, “Make Your Work Visible… until and unless anyone
acknowledges your hard work, all goes in vain. Toot your own horn about
your accomplishment and dedication, because if you don't do it no one
else may do it on your behalf.”
- However,
“Jesus has been emphasizing that, in His kingdom, greatness is measured by
the yardstick of humility (18:1-4), that salvation belongs to the little
ones – and to those who have become like them (19:14), and that trusting
fully in the Lord, denying oneself, and giving instead of getting, is the
mark of His true followers (19:21).” ~William Hendricksen
And that wasn’t just empty
talk for Jesus, He modeled that with His life, as we see in our next passage:
Exegesis
20:17 And as Jesus was going up
into Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples [apartKJV/aside] alongside Him privately on the road and said to them,
Και
αναβαινων ‘ο
Ιησους εις
Ιεροσολυμα
παρελαβεν τους
δωδεκα μαθητας
κατ’ ιδιαν εν τῃ
‘οδῳ
και ειπεν
αυτοις,
20:18 “Look, We are going up into
Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered [betrayed]
up to the high priests and scribes [teachers of the lawNIV] and they will sentence Him to death,
Ιδου
αναβαινομεν
εις Ιεροσολυμα
και ‘ο Υιος του ανθρωπου
παραδοθησεται
τοις
αρχιερευσιν
και γραμματευσιν
και
κατακρινουσιν
αυτον θανατῳ
20:19 then they will deliver
Him up to the Gentiles in order to be mocked and whipped [scourged/flogged] and crucified, yet during the third day He will
resurrect.”
και
παραδωσουσιν
αυτον τοις
εθνεσιν εις το
εμπαιξαι και
μαστιγωσαι και
σταυρωσαι και
τῃ τριτῃ ημερᾳ
αναστησεται.
- Jesus has been
making His way slowly but surely to Jerusalem starting at the Northern end
of Israel and walking the length of the country to the Southern end where Jerusalem was.
- The
parallel passage in Mark 10:32 indicates that there were more people
walking together to Jerusalem than just Jesus and the 12, and that Jesus
was fearlessly leading the group. But then Jesus calls aside His 12
disciples to say something privately to them:
- This was the third
time Jesus had prophesied of these things to His disciples (cf. 16:21 & 17:22)! This third time, Jesus reveals even more detail, including being captured
by the Jewish leaders, then handedNAS/turnedNIV over
to be flogged and crucified by the Romans.
- “Christ
suffered from the malice both of Jews and Gentiles, because he was to
suffer for the salvation both of Jews and Gentiles; both had a hand in his
death, because he was to reconcile both by his cross (Eph. 2:16).” ~M. Henry
- The parallel passage
in Luke 18:31-34 mentions that all these things were written by the
prophets and would be fulfilled in the Son of Man.
- Luke
also mentions (v.34) that the disciples did not understand what Jesus was
saying.
But later they would put it together. Very specific prophecy was
going to be very specifically fulfilled (for instance, the “flogging”
which was fulfilled in 27:29-31), and when the disciples realized in
retrospect that Jesus knew this ahead-of-time, they would be assured that
Jesus faced this awful death purposefully in order to save us!
What amazing love!
- Now, what happens
next seems to have nothing to do with this prophecy of Jesus’ death. In
fact, it is offensively incongruous with that Jesus has just said. But, I
think Matthew put these two passages next to each other on purpose, to
show a sharp contrast between right and wrong attitudes toward leadership
and greatness:
20:20 Then the mother of the
sons of Zebedee approached Him with her sons, bowing and asking for something
by Him.
Τοτε
προσηλθεν αυτῳ
‘η μητηρ των
‘υιων
Ζεβεδαιου μετα
των ‘υιων αυτης
προσκυνουσα
και αιτουσα τι παρ’
αυτου.
- Many people
think that this was Salome, who was Jesus’ aunt – His mother Mary’s
sister, so there would be a family connection as she makes the requestNAS/asks
a favorNIV.
- The sons of Zebedee,
as you may recall, were James and John.
- The Gospel of Mark
frames the request which follows as coming from them, so it was a joint
effort between Mrs. Zebedee and her sons. Perhaps James and John put their
mom up to it, thinking Jesus would be more receptive to the request if it
came from her.
- However, the plural
“you’s” in Jesus answer in Matthew 20:22ff reveal that Jesus saw through
this manipulative tactic and reprimanded not only Mrs. Zebedee but also
James and John – and anyone else arrogant enough push themselves forward
to prominence.
- Note that one can be
quite proud and insolent on the inside while acting all humble on the
outside (cf. Col. 2:18). This woman was bowing downNASB or
kneelingNIV before Jesus, paying Him the homage of worshipKJV.
Even her speech in the next verse is outwardly flattering, “You are so
powerful that all you have to do is say the word and my little request
will be fulfilled.” But what she was asking for was really quite insolent.
“Jesus, my sons are better than all your other disciples, and You, of
course, agree, for You have placed them in Your inner circle of three
disciples... But my sons are head and shoulders above that Peter bloke.
You’re not going to exalt Peter over them, now will you?”
- Mothers in the
congregation: It is entirely appropriate to love your sons and think the
world of them and seek the best for them, but beware of crossing the line
into pride over them and despising their peers, seeking unfair advantage,
or seeking your own self-affirmation through the greatness of your child’s
accomplishments.
- “There
was pride at the bottom of it, a proud conceit of their own merit, a proud
contempt of their brethren, and a proud desire of honour and preferment;
pride is a sin that most easily besets us, and which it is hard to get
clear of… ‘Seekest
thou great things for thyself,’ when thou hast just now
heard of thy Master's being mocked, and scourged, and crucified? For
shame! ‘Seek them not’
(Jer. 45:5).” ~M. Henry
- “They are wandering
from their goal who are not content with Him alone but seek this or that
outside Him and His promises. It is not enough for a mind to be sincerely directed
to Christ in the beginning, but it must keep on always in
the same path of purity; for often depraved thoughts and feelings come
over us in the middle of our race and turn us off course… If
this happens to two of the foremost disciples, how carefully we ought to
walk if we do not want to swerve from the straight line. Especially when
some plausible occasion offers, we must beware lest a greed for honors
infect our attitude of godliness… We should ask the Lord not only to open
the eyes of our mind but also to continue to direct them and keep them
fixed on the right aim.” ~John Calvin
20:21 So He said to her, “What do you want [willKJV/wishNAS]?”
She said to him, “Make a declaration to the effect that these two sons of mine
may sit, one by your right hand and one by Your left in your kingdom
[glory-Mark 10:37]!”
‘Ο
δε ειπεν αυτῃ Τί
θελεις; Λεγει
αυτῳ Ειπε
‘ινα καθισωσιν
οὗτοι ‘οι δυο
‘υιοι μου εἷς εκ
δεξιων σου
και εἷς εξ
ευωνυμων σου
εν τῃ βασιλειᾳ
σου.
- Jesus had
earlier said that His disciples would sit on 12 thrones judging the tribes
of Israel (19:28)
- To their
credit, they believed Jesus despite the fact that He didn’t look very
likely to become a king. They had faith in Him.
- However, James,
John and their mom must have gotten pretty excited about those thrones
and heard nothing else: “Wow, thrones! This is gonna be great! I’m
finally going to become famous and everybody is going to have to kiss up
to me after all these years of poverty and obscurity! Hey, wait a minute!
Who is going to get the two thrones closest to Jesus? Well, somebody’s
got to take those places – might as well be us, right?”
- “We merely ask for
the two greatest places of honor right next to your throne in heaven.”
20:22 But in answer, Jesus
said, “Y’all don’t know that you’re asking for yourselves. Do y’all have the
ability to drink the cup which I myself am about to drink?”
They say to Him, “We are able!”
Αποκριθεις
δε ‘ο Ιησους
ειπεν Ουκ
οιδατε τί
αιτεισθε.
Δυνασθε πιειν
το ποτηριον ὃ
εγω μελλω
πινειν
Λεγουσιν αυτῳ
Δυναμεθα.
- The
plural verbs indicate Jesus is not just speaking to the Mom, but rather to
the disciples.
- “To ‘drink of
a cup’ is in Scripture a figure for getting one’s fill either of good (Psalm
16:5; 23:5; 116:13; Jer.16:7) or of ill (Psalm 75:8; John 18:11; Rev. 14:10).
Here it is the cup of suffering…” ~JFB “the measure of affliction that the
Lord appoints for each [person]”~Calvin
- The KJV adds “and be
baptized with the baptism which I am baptized with.” That phrase is
undisputed in Mark 10:38, so Jesus did say it, but it is debatable
whether this was originally in Matthew’s account.15 I
think that the “cup” and the “baptism” however, are referring to the same
thing, which is Jesus’ death on the cross.
- At any rate, James
and John said, “We can handle it!”
- Like a couple of 6th
grade linesmen who had a winning football season and then asked to be put
on the starting string of the varsity team. You gotta admire
the enthusiasm of freshmen,
- But with great
blessing comes great responsibility:
- I may wish I had a
million dollars, but if I had that much money, all kinds of difficult
decisions would come along with it, not to mention great responsibility,
for “to whom much is given, much is required” (Luke 12:48).
- Some folks may wish
they were blessed with more children, but with more children comes more
self-denial, more fatigue, and more logistical challenges.
- I may wish I had a
bigger house, but if I did, it would come with a greater responsibility
for practicing hospitality toward others.
- How often we wish
to be blessed, but if we got what we wanted, we might realize, “Wow, this
isn’t as easy as I thought it would be; I don’t know that I would have
aspired to this if I had known what it really entailed!”
- “[A] prayer for
glory is a prayer for suffering.” ~William Hendricksen
- James and John asked
for greatness, having no idea of the hardships, challenges and self-denial
that would come with it, and while they did reach greatness, it was at a
terrible price:
- James was the first
to be martyred; he was captured by Herod, abused, and hacked up with a
sword while the Jews cheered (Acts 12:1-3).
- John was the last to die for Christ; he was boiled in oil and,
when he survived that, he was imprisoned for the rest of his old age as a
slave in the Patmos stone quarry (Rev. 1:9). Anyone here interested in a retirement plan like that?
- “We know not what we
ask, when we ask for the glory of wearing the crown, and ask not for grace
to bear the cross in our way to it.” ~M. Henry
20:23 He says to them, “Y’all will drink my
cup, but the seating by my right hand and left hand is not mine to grant, but
rather, in these [matters], it has been prepared by my Father.”
Λεγει αυτοις Το μεν
ποτηριον μου
πιεσθε ,
το δε καθισαι
εκ δεξιων μου
και
εξ ευωνυμων
ουκ εστιν εμον
δουναι αλλ’ οἷς
ητοιμασται
‘υπο του πατρος
μου.
- In Greek, the phrase
“what has been prepared by my Father” matches in gender and number with
the words for “Left” and “Right,” so it is possible that it refers to the
placements at the right and left of Christ. Thus the NIV paraphrases,
“These places belong to those…”
- So why can’t Jesus
seat James and John at His right and left in glory?
- One explanation
is that they’re asking the wrong person. In the division of labor
between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, making this
sort of decision is the Father’s business, so the Son defers to Him. It
should not be seen as a denial that Jesus has the power and authority do
whatever He wants to do, but of allowing the proper person to make the
decision.
- “Christ is not belittling
Himself, but only saying that the Father did not lay on Him the task…
[I]t should suffice us that there awaits us the inheritance won by His
blood. It is not ours to inquire in what degree some surpass others;
nor does God wish Christ to reveal this to us. It is delayed until the
final revelation.” ~John Calvin
- “Jesus
points out that the degrees and positions of glory in His kingdom have
been determined in the Father’s eternal decree. They cannot now be
altered by the Mediator.”
~William Hendricksen
- Another explanation
is that they are asking at the wrong time.
- Chrysostom
put it this way: What if a King were to put on an athletic contest, and
two of the racers came up to him and asked Him to just go ahead and
award them first and second place before the race started? If the King
said, “That is not mine to give but rather for the one for whom it is
prepared,” “should we indeed condemn Him as powerless? By no means, but
we should approve him for His justice, and for having no respect of
persons… in like manner now should I say Christ said this, from every
motive to compel them, after the grace of God, to set their hopes of
salvation and approval on the proof of their own good works.” Run the race first and then we’ll see who gets
those places of honor.
- “Christ tells
those who snatch untimely at the prize that they must occupy themselves
in practicing the offices of godliness… [I]t is one thing, in the divinely-inspired hope
of reward to prepare for the battle and to direct all our efforts keenly
to this, but it is quite another to forget that a battle is raging… and
anticipate the triumph which should be waited for in its own time, and
this unseasonable haste usually leads men away from their
calling.” ~John Calvin
- “It is not mine to
give to those that seek and are ambitious of it, but to those that by
great humility and self-denial are prepared for it.” ~M. Henry
- Another indication that this is the wrong time to ask is the
Perfect tense of the verb “prepared,” which indicates the seats have already
been prepared for somebody. (viz. Matthew Henry, William Hendriksen.)
20:24 Well, when the twelve
heard [about this], they were indignant concerning the two brothers.
Και
ακουσαντες ‘οι
δεκα
ηγανακτησαν
περι των δυο
αδελφων.
- This, of course, from the same guys that had been arguing over
which one of them was the greatest! Let
us be careful not to tolerate vices in ourselves which we wouldn’t
tolerate in others!
- Parents, take note
from Jesus’ example: When you hear your children arguing over something,
don’t shrug it off; go after it! Sin has been exposed by the fact that
there is a dispute, so the time is ripe for some instruction in Godliness!
Here’s what Jesus did:
20:25 But Jesus summoned them
and said, “Y’all know that the rulers of the nations lord it over them, and the
great ones exercise authority down over them.
‘Ο
δε Ιησους
προσκαλεσαμενος
αυτους ειπεν
Οιδατε ‘οτι ‘οι
αρχοντες των
εθνων
κατακυριευουσιν
αυτων και ‘οι
μεγαλοι
κατεξουσιαζουσιν
αυτων,
- Jesus sets up a
contrast between the common practice of political leaders and what
should be the common practice of church leaders.
- He uses the word kata-kurieu-ousin – “exercise
dominion/lord it over” to describe what the rulers of the Gentile nations
do:
- This is a compound
Greek word combining the preposition for “down” with the word for
“lord/master.” So it literally indicates top-down control.
- It
is used in the Greek translation of Genesis in the Dominion Mandate where
God gave to Adam and His posterity “rule over the earth to subdue/take
dominion over it.”
- In
the book of Numbers, the word seems to take on an adversarial
or exploitative meaning to describe armies marching across the
land to conquer it.
- And
in the N.T., in Acts 19:16, the word is used to describe the
demon-possessed man beating up the 7 sons of Sceva.
- The word in
the parallel phrase “exercise authority over” is similar. It’s a compound
of the Greek preposition for “down” and then the word for “authority.”
- Top-down authority is common among hoi
megaloi – which is the Greek word literally meaning “the great
ones.” It seems to be used in a technical sense in Daniel 3:3 to refer to
an upper echelon of political leadership in the Persian empire, so the NIV
renders it “high officials.” (cf. Rev. 19:5)
- Here, Jesus
may be alluding to Psalm 10, where the Greek version uses the word katakouriou a couple of times to
describe the oppression of wicked men: “The sinner has provoked the Lord:
according to the abundance of his pride he will not seek after him: God is
not before him. His ways are profane at all times; thy judgments are
removed from before him: he will gain the mastery over all his
enemies. For he has said in his heart, I shall not be moved, continuing
without evil from generation to generation. Whose mouth is full of
cursing, and bitterness, and fraud: under his tongue are trouble and pain...
He lies in wait in secret as a lion in his den: he lies in wait to ravish
the poor… he has katakouriou’ed
the poor. (Ps. 10:4-10, Brenton)
- “[W]orldly people… spend all their energies in
order to get to the top, and once having reached that peak, they cause all
others to feel the weight of their authority… and cause all their subjects
to quail under the crushing weight of their power. Their rule, in other
words is oppressive.” ~William Hendricksen
20:26 It will not be so among
y’all, but rather, whoever among y’all wants to become great will be your
servant,
ουχ
‘ουτως εσται
εν ‘υμιν αλλ’ ‘ος
εαν θελῃ εν
‘υμιν μεγας
γενεσθαι
εσται
‘υμων διακονος,
20:27 and whoever among y’all
wants to be first will be your slave.
και
‘ος εαν θελη εν ‘υμιν ειναι πρωτος εσται
‘υμων δουλος.
- This is consistent
with what Jesus has been teaching all along:
- Matt. 18:1-3 …unless…
y’all become like the children, you shall never enter into the kingdom of
the heavens.” (NAW)
- Matt.
10:38-39 he who is not accepting his cross and following after me is not
worthy of me. The one who has found his life will destroy it, but the one
who has destroyed his life for the sake of me, he will find it! (NAW)
- Matt. 16:24-25
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If someone wants to come [along]
behind me, he must renounce allegiance to himself and take up his cross
and keep following me. For whoever wants to save his soul will abandon
it, but whoever abandons his soul for my sake will find it. (NAW)
- Classical Greek
master Marvin Vincent wrote that the last word of v.26 “servant” - the
Greek word Διάκονος, is probably
from a root meaning “to pursue, represent[ing]
a servant, not in his relation, but in his activity... The attendants at the feast at Cana (John 2:5) are called διάικονοι. In
the epistles διάκονος is
often used specifically for a minister
of the Gospel (1Cor. 3:5; 2Cor. 3:6; Eph. 3:7). The word deacon is, moreover, almost a
transcription of it (Philip. 1:1; 1Tim. 3:8-12).” But Jesus progresses to
an even more servile word at the end of v.27. The word “slave” is the
Greek word Δοῦλος, which comes from a
root meaning “to bind, [that]
is the bondman, representing
the permanent relation of
servitude.”
- “You want to be
great?” says Jesus, “Then change your attitude:
- Quit thinking about
how much status you have over other people.
- Quit thinking about how much more intelligence or academic degrees
you have over others.
- Quit
thinking in terms of how much ability you have to manipulate and control
outcomes.
- Quit thinking in
terms of how high a position you hold in relation to others and how many people
you can command from that position.
- It doesn’t matter
who your Daddy is, or how long you’ve been a member of the church or even
how much better you could lead than the men in current leadership.”
- Without love and a
heart to serve, those things are all worth nothing. (cf. 1 Cor. 13)
- We see this
principle illustrated in lives of the apostles later on:
- Paul
could have lorded it over the Corinthian church. In 1 Cor 9:1 he reminds
them, “Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our
Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?” But then he says in 1 Cor. 9:19 “For
though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to
all, so that I may win more,” and in 2 Cor. 1:24 “We don’t lord it over
your faith, but are workers with you for your joy…”
- The Apostle Peter, late in his life, wrote to the leaders
of the church about this same principle, using the same word Jesus used
for “lord it over”: “Therefore, I exhort the elders among you… shepherd
the flock of God among you… yet [not] as lording it over those
allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock.” (1Pet.
5:1-3, NASB)
and Peter modeled this very attitude by saying this, not from the
attitude of an authoritative apostle demanding obedience, but rather he
wrote in 5:1 – “I appeal to you as a fellow elder, a
witness of Christ’s afflictions, and a fellow-sharer of the glory
to be revealed.”
- “The followers of
Christ must be ready to stoop to the meanest offices of love for the good
one of another, must submit one to another (1Pet. 5:5; Eph. 5:21), and
edify one another (Rom. 14:19), please one another for good (Rom. 15:2). The great apostle made
himself every one's servant (see 1Cor. 9:19).” ~Matthew
Henry
20:28 In this way the Son of
Man did not come to be served but rather to serve and to give His soul to be a
ransom in the place of many.
‘Ωσπερ ‘ο
Υιος του
ανθρωπου ουκ
ηλθεν
διακονηθηναι
αλλα
διακονησαι και
δουναι την
ψυχην αυτου
λυτρον αντι
πολλων.
- “The word translated
‘ransom’ is the one commonly employed in the [ancient Greek] papyri as the
price paid for a slave who is then set free by the one who bought him, the
purchase money for manumitting slaves.” ~A.T. Robertson
- God says, “The
price of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). Mankind has sinned and therefore
deserves eternal death.”
- Then Jesus
says, “Wait, I offer my own death to ransom these people” (Rom. 3:23-25).
- And God says, “O.K.
then, the price is paid for them. They may live.”
- Jesus paid His soul
“for/in the place of/in exchange for/ante
many.”
- The word “many”
indicates that not everyone will be in heaven, but nevertheless
there will be a lot of people in heaven.
- This
statement is an echo of Isaiah 53:6-11 All we like the flock have
strayed, each has faced toward his own way. But Jehovah interposed in Him
the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He Himself was afflicted,
but He did not open His mouth, like the lamb is led to the slaughter … He
was torn away from the land of the living, from the rebellion of my
people, the stroke went towards Him. And His grave was given to be with
wicked men, however, in His martyrdom, it was with a rich man, because He
had done no violence, and there was no deceit in His mouth. And His
beating pleased Jehovah. He caused grief if His soul would place itself
for a sin-offering, He
will see seed; He will prolong days. And in His hand, what Jehovah pleases
will make progress. From the labor of His soul, He will see - He will be
satisfied. By His knowledge, my righteous Servant will make
righteous the many, And their iniquities He Himself will bear. (NAW)
- It
is as if Jesus said, “[B]y the things which I do and suffer, receive the
proof of my sayings. For I have myself done something even more. For being
King of the powers above, I was willing to become man, and I submitted to
be despised, and despitefully entreated. And not even with these things
was I satisfied, but even unto death did I come.” ~Chrysostom
- “The
Son of man is the outstanding illustration of this principle of
self-abnegation in direct contrast to the self-seeking of James and John.”
~ATR
- Our example is
Christ:
- Christ, who “could have called down a legion of angels” (Mt.
26:53) to rescue Him from the cross, yet “endured the cross” (Heb. 12:2) in
order for us to be forgiven of our sins.
- Christ who could
have demanded the finest houses and food as God in the flesh, yet had “no
place to lay His head” (Mt. 8:20).
- Christ who could have raised up the very rocks (Luke 19:40) to be
His servants, yet “took on the form of a slave” (Phil. 2:7) and washed
the feet of His disciples (John 13:4).
- Christ who could
have demanded that sacrifices be made to Him by the thousands, yet
sacrificed His own life in order that the very humans who failed to
rightly honor Him might receive eternal life (Heb. 9:12).
Conclusion
1. CONFESS pride and forsake self-promotion.
- “Fear not then, as though thine honor were put
down, if thou shouldest abase thyself, for in this way is thy glory more
exalted, in this way it becomes greater. This is the door of the kingdom… The
boaster then desires to be greater than all, and affirms no one to be
equal in worth with him; and how much soever honor he may obtain, he sets
his heart on more and
claims it, and accounts himself to have obtained none, and treats men with
utter contempt, and yet seeks after the honor that comes from them… [W]hat
can be more unreasonable? For this surely is like an enigma. By those,
whom he holds in no esteem, he desires to be glorified… For indeed out of
arrogance did the first man sin, looking for an equality with God.
Therefore, not even what things he had, did he continue to possess, but
lost even these. For arrogance is like this, so far from
adding to us any improvement of our life, it subtracts even what we have;
as, on the contrary, humility, so far from subtracting from what we have,
adds to us also what we have not.” ~John Chrysostom
- “Every one that is proud in heart is unclean
before God.” (Prov. 16:5, LXX)
- “Lest,
being lifted up with pride, he should fall into the condemnation of the
devil.” (1 Tim. 3:6)
- “The sacrifice of God is a contrite spirit; a
contrite and humbled heart God will not despise.” (Psalm 51:17, LXX)
- “For
unto whom will I look, but to him that is meek and quiet, and trembles at
my words” (Isa. 66:2)
- The other apostle named James wrote, “But He
gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, ‘GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO
THE HUMBLE.’ Submit therefore to God... Humble yourselves in
the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.” (James 4:6-10, NASB)
2. CONTENT yourself with Christ - ask Him to keep your
eyes on His goal so that you don’t get distracted by honors.
- “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and
perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross,
despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of
God.” (Heb. 12:2, NASB)
3. COMPOSE yourself to suffer before you get
glorified.
- “Religion, if
it be worth any thing, is worth every thing; but it is worth little, if it
be not worth suffering for. Now let us sit down, and count the cost of
dying for Christ rather than denying him, and ask, Can we take him upon
these terms?” ~M. Henry Well, if you
put it that way, sure!
4. CONTINUE the race of trusting God and obeying His
will and leave the prize ceremony to God.
- Does
the spiritual battle look overwhelming? The very metaphor of a cup should
encourage us, as Matthew Henry put it, “It is but a cup, not an ocean;
it is but a draught, bitter perhaps, but we shall see the bottom
of it; it is a cup in the hand of a Father (John 18:11).”
5. CONSIDER others more important than yourself (Phil.
2:3) and serve them.
- “Do
nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind
regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look
out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who,
although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a
thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a
bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.” (Php 2:3-7, NASB)
- You want to be
great? Then start finding ways to serve the interest of others.
- Start doing
dirty-work, stuff that unimportant people do, stuff that important people
would think is beneath their dignity.
- “He that goes down
the deepest in these services of self-denying humility shall rise the
highest and hold the chiefest place in that kingdom.” ~JFB