Hope is Here / 09. Hope is Here // 5 What do you want? - Joel Virgo // Matthew 20:17-34
09. Hope is Here // 5 What do you want? - Joel Virgo // Matthew 20:17-34
Recap:
In Matthew 17 we read about the transfiguration where the voice of God says, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” After witnessing this, it would be fair to think that the disciples would listen carefully to all Jesus said. However, it seems that they only listen selectively, paying more attention to things that they wanted to hear, for example in Matthew 19:28, ‘Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.’ They focus much more on the twelve thrones that Jesus promised them but they do not listen when He speaks of His arrest, betrayal and crucifixion. In fact, they were all shocked when these events took place, despite Jesus having told them many times before.
Jesus’ popularity was growing and so the disciples felt that they were a part of something important and significant and they wanted honour, status and recognition for that. They felt that they deserved thrones in heaven, next to Jesus, but they did not want to acknowledge the pain and suffering that also comes from following Him.
They looked forward to the honour that they would receive but Jesus makes it clear that His path is leading Him to shame, knowing that He will be mocked, spat on and killed. Closeness to Jesus will constantly challenge our perception of honour and shame. He was a man of sorrows, despised and rejected and He walked boldly towards shame. We need to change our views about how we should be treated as Jesus has warned us that if we follow Him we will too shamed and despised. However, we can trust that we will be honoured in God’s timing and in His way.
Jesus asks, “Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” To drink from the king’s cup was an intimate but dangerous position. The job of the cupbearer was to drink any wine brought to the king to check for poison. Jesus talks here about pain and suffering. If you want spiritual authority and honour you have to understand that there is pain involved but you will also be lifted up.
At the end of the chapter, Jesus asks two blind men what they want, mirroring the question He asks the disciples at the start of the passage. The disciples, through their mother, ask for thrones at the right and left hands of Jesus, but the blind men ask for mercy. These two blind men show wisdom and maturity, not looking for honour but asking God to open their eyes to see who He is. They show us how to live and follow Jesus, we need to embrace the shame and understand that all we really need is His mercy and grace. Stop chasing other things and just chase Him.
Applications
1 - Let go of your own honour and reputation and let God lift you up.
2 - Don’t be surprised if you go through pain and difficulty when walking with Jesus, but know that He is giving you spiritual authority and honour.
3 - Stop chasing other things and know that Jesus is all that you need.
In Matthew 17 we read about the transfiguration where the voice of God says, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” After witnessing this, it would be fair to think that the disciples would listen carefully to all Jesus said. However, it seems that they only listen selectively, paying more attention to things that they wanted to hear, for example in Matthew 19:28, ‘Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.’ They focus much more on the twelve thrones that Jesus promised them but they do not listen when He speaks of His arrest, betrayal and crucifixion. In fact, they were all shocked when these events took place, despite Jesus having told them many times before.
Jesus’ popularity was growing and so the disciples felt that they were a part of something important and significant and they wanted honour, status and recognition for that. They felt that they deserved thrones in heaven, next to Jesus, but they did not want to acknowledge the pain and suffering that also comes from following Him.
They looked forward to the honour that they would receive but Jesus makes it clear that His path is leading Him to shame, knowing that He will be mocked, spat on and killed. Closeness to Jesus will constantly challenge our perception of honour and shame. He was a man of sorrows, despised and rejected and He walked boldly towards shame. We need to change our views about how we should be treated as Jesus has warned us that if we follow Him we will too shamed and despised. However, we can trust that we will be honoured in God’s timing and in His way.
Jesus asks, “Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” To drink from the king’s cup was an intimate but dangerous position. The job of the cupbearer was to drink any wine brought to the king to check for poison. Jesus talks here about pain and suffering. If you want spiritual authority and honour you have to understand that there is pain involved but you will also be lifted up.
At the end of the chapter, Jesus asks two blind men what they want, mirroring the question He asks the disciples at the start of the passage. The disciples, through their mother, ask for thrones at the right and left hands of Jesus, but the blind men ask for mercy. These two blind men show wisdom and maturity, not looking for honour but asking God to open their eyes to see who He is. They show us how to live and follow Jesus, we need to embrace the shame and understand that all we really need is His mercy and grace. Stop chasing other things and just chase Him.
Applications
1 - Let go of your own honour and reputation and let God lift you up.
2 - Don’t be surprised if you go through pain and difficulty when walking with Jesus, but know that He is giving you spiritual authority and honour.
3 - Stop chasing other things and know that Jesus is all that you need.
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Recap:
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