January 30th Matthew 20

January 30^th

Christ will die and rise again

17: And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them, 18: Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, 19: And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.

A mother’s ambition

20: Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. 21: And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. 22: But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able. 23: And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father. 24: And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren. 25: But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. 26: But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; 27: And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: 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.

Christ heals two blind men

29: And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him. 30: And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. 31: And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. 32: And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you? 33: They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened. 34: So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.

The Lord Jesus explains very clearly what was going to happen to him at Jerusalem yet the Disciples could not accept or comprehend that he was going to the Cross. There are some people that say that what Christ preached is the same as we preach today – this cannot be the case. John the Baptist, Christ and the Apostles never preached the Cross of Christ. Now we know that nobody can preach the Gospel today without preaching the Cross. Paul states that the Gospel is, ‘that Christ died for our sins was buried and rose again according to the scriptures’. What Christ and the Apostles preached throughout the cities of Israel was the glad tidings of the coming Kingdom. This is very different to the Gospel of the grace of God. Faith in Christ’s atoning work was never preached before the cross. The men of old did not even imagine such a thing. Next we have the interesting case of the Mother of Zebedee’s children. She comes to Christ asking that her sons might sit next to Christ in the Kingdom. Christ says you do not realise what you are asking. Then he says will you be baptised with the baptism that l will suffer – The execution of crucifixion. They say yes – not knowing what they are saying. Christ says yes you will. However to sit on my right and left is not mine to give, but it will be given of my Father to whom he wills. This little passage shows the Father to be a separate person to Christ and one who has a separate will and determination. Those who say that there is only one God and this one God is Jesus, are quite wrong. Christ now uses this opportunity to teach the proper relations between brethren. Christ contrasts the dominion which is exercised over men by the princes of this world. Christ says very clearly this shall not be so among you. In fact, Christ says the one who is great is your servant. Christ says it’s even like this will me l did not come to be served but to serve and to give my life. As they were leaving Jericho for the long upward journey west to Jerusalem, from the Jordan valley. Two blind men called out for healing, (It would be their last chance) they called Him Lord – Son of David. They knew he was the Messiah. Christ never left the road but called them to him. Their eyes were opened and the first thing they saw was Jesus and they followed him.

• What did Christ actually say was going to happen to him at Jerusalem?
• What did the mother of Zebedee's children ask of Christ? And what was the antidote to ambition like this?
• Who does Jesus meet on the way up to Jerusalem?