Matthew 20:1
Outline:
I. \\#Matt 1:1-3:17\\ The Presentation of the King
II. \\#4:1-7:29\\ The Person of the King
III. \\#8:1-11:1\\ The Power of the King
IV. \\#Matthew 11:2-14:13\\ Decisions Concerning the King
V. \\#Matt 14:13-16:12\\ Training the Disciples
VI. \\#Matt 16:13-20\\ Decision by the Disciples
VII. \\#Matthew 16:21-20:28\\ Final Instructions of the King
A. \\#Matt 16:21-23\\ A New Emphasis
B. \\#Matt 16:24-28\\ A Higher Degree of Commitment
C. \\#Matt 17:1-13\\ A Preview of His Glory
D. \\#Matt 17:14-21\\ A Higher Degree of Service
E. \\#Matt 17:22-23\\ A Continual Reminder
F. \\#Matt 17:24-27\\ A New Relationship and An Abiding
Respect
G. \\#Matt 18:1-35\\ Instructions on Getting Along
1. \\#18:1-6\\ Be Humble
2. \\#18:7-9\\ Be Self-Controlled
3. \\#18:10-14\\ Be Active in the Work
4. \\#18:15-17\\ Be Ready to Heal Rifts
5. \\#18:18-20\\ Be Aware of His Power and Presence
6. \\#18:21-35\\ Be Ready to Forgive
H. \\#Matt 19:1-20:34\\ Instructions on the Road to Jerusalem
1. \\#19:1-2\\ Jesus’ Journey
2. \\#19:3-12\\ Instructions on Marriage
3. \\#19:13-15\\ Jesus’ blessing
4. \\#19:16-20:16\\ Instructions of Possessions and
Rewards
a. \\#19:16-26\\ The Reward for Working Your Way to
Heaven
b. \\#19:27-30\\ The Reward for Those Who Serve
c. \\#20:1-16\\ The Rewards of Heaven Will Be Right
5. \\#20:17-19\\ Jesus’ Warning
6. \\#20:20-28\\ Instructions on Leadership and Humility
7. \\#20:29-34\\ A Healing in Jericho
I. #Matt 21-Holy Week
I. \\#19:16-20:16\\ Instructions of Possessions and Rewards
A. \\#19:16-26\\ The Reward for Working Your #Matt 16:21, 17:23 Way to Heaven
B. \\#19:27-30\\ The Reward for Those Who Serve
C. \\#20:1-16\\ The Rewards of Heaven Will Be Right
1. Elements of the Parable
a. \\#1\\ "the kingdom of heaven"-The topic is God’s
kingdom. While the Jews would have thought of God’s
kingdom as only the millennium reign, Jesus sometimes
expanded the term to include the His first coming and
the church age.
Mt 11:12 And from the days of John the Baptist
until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth
violence, and the violent take it by force.
Lu 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or,
lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is
within you.
b. "an household"-God is the Master or the vineyard.
c. "labourers"-Those who will serve and work for the
Owner or Master of the vineyard.
d. "his vineyard"-God’s place of work for His servants.
This is this world and now.
2. Lessons
a. Notice how hard God works to get laborers into His
work!
(1) He went out "early in the morning" \\#1\\,
"about the third hour" \\#3\\, and the "sixth
and ninth hour" \\#5\\, and yet again during
the "eleventh hour" \\#6\\.
(2) The master had a crop that was important to Him,
and He worked hard to bring as much of the crop
to Him as was possible.
b. The laborers will be rewarded.
(1) Scriptures.
(a) \\#2\\ "…he had agreed with the labourers
for a penny a day."
(b) \\#4\\ "…whatsoever is right I will give
you."
(c) \\#5\\ "… did likewise."
(d) \\#7\\ "…whatsoever is right, that shall
ye receive."
(e) \\#8\\ "…and give them their hire."
(2) One should not miss that the point of the
parable is to teach lessons concerning reward
for the Lord’s servants in His kingdom.
(3) The first lesson is that there will be a reward.
c. The reward will be RIGHT and based on the master’s
goodness.
(1) In this parable, the master only promised the
first generation of workers a specific reward.
From that point forward, He promises to do what
is RIGHT \\#4, 7\\.
(2) In this parable, the master gives all the same
reward. "a penny," but that need not be the main
truth that is being presented.
(a) Certainly, if God wants to give every
laborer the same reward, He may. He is
God, and He is just; but that is probably
placing too much emphasis on the penny.
(b) For example, I read the works of one writer
who thought the parable taught that God was
giving the same heaven to all of His
children no matter how hard they had
worked.
(c) I think the emphasis should be that God will
give to every work that which He deems is
RIGHT.
(3) But the reward will not be based just on what is
deemed right, but on the fact that God is also
good.
Matt 20:15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I
will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I
am good?
(a) Like the workers in the parable, you and I
have received no specific promise of reward.
i. There are only twelve thrones mentioned
in this section, one for each of the
twelve apostles.
Mt 19:28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say
unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the
regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in
the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon
twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of
Israel.
ii. But we need not fear that God will
slight us who have come to the work
late in the day.
iii. God will give to us what is right based
on His goodness and not the time we
had or even the results we
accomplished.
3. Conclusion-This may seem like a strange lesson to
teach, but it reveals an important truth, especially
for the young Christian who wants serve His Lord. I
recall as a young minister, the fear that Jesus might
return before I had opportunity to do anything for Him.
This lesson teaches us that our Lord will reward us not
based so much on what we accomplish but based on His
goodness.
D. \\#20:17-19\\ Jesus’ Warning
1. This is now the third time that Jesus has given His
disciples this warning since the Pharisees decided to
reject and kill Jesus.
Mt 16:21 From that time forth began Jesus to
shew unto his disciples, how that he must go
unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the
elders and chief priests and scribes, and be
killed, and be raised again the third day.
Mt 17:23 And they shall kill him, and the
third day he shall be raised again. And they
were exceeding sorry.
2. In this warning, Jesus gives more details.
a. It will be at Jerusalem.
b. A betrayal will be involved.
c. The chief priests and scribes will orchestrate it.
d. Jesus will die.
e. The Gentiles will mock, scourge, and crucify Him.
f. Jesus will arise on the third day.
3. Despite these repeated warnings, the disciples do not
comprehend what they mean. Perhaps this is a situation
where the Holy Ghost prevented them from understanding
until after the events had occurred.
E. \\#20:20-28\\ Instructions on Leadership and Humility
1. \\#20-23\\ The Setting
a. \\#20\\ "the mother of Zebedee’s children" - This
would be the mother of James and John.
Mt 4:21 And going on from thence, he saw other
two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John
his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father,
mending their nets; and he called them.
b. \\#20-21\\ The mother came for two reasons.
(1) \\#20\\ "worshipping him" - She came to worship.
One good thing which can be seen from this event
is that the disciples were able to influence
their families for Christ!
(2) \\#21\\ "Grant that… my sons may sit… on thy
right hand, and… the left, in thy kingdom." She
came to make a request.
(a) To sit on the right and left hands of a
monarch are the two most powerful positions.
Mother was asking that her sons be the
highest in Jesus’ kingdom.
(b) We know that the disciples strove among
themselves for who would receive the highest
position in Jesus’ kingdom, for the Bible
tells us so.
Mt 18:1 At the same time came the disciples unto
Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom
of heaven?
(c) Now we see that this type of solicitation
was not just among the twelve, but their
families also encouraged it.
(d) While such behavior is forward and may speak
of pride, it is also true that "we have not
because we ask not." This mother wanted
the best for her sons, and she was not too
bashful to ask for it.
c. \\#22-23\\ Jesus’ Answer
(1) \\#22\\ "Ye know not what ye ask."
(a) Although mother made the request, Jesus
seems to direct the answer to James and
John. Perhaps the sons put their mother to
this task.
(b) Jesus’ first response indicates that those
who sit in these very high positions will
do so because they paid a high price for
it, suffering and sacrificing his or
herself in fashion as Christ will do. To
be granted such a position will no doubt be
a reward for one of God’s choicest
servants.
(2) \\#22-23\\ "Are ye able…? We are able. …Ye
shall drink of my cup…." Jesus’ second response
is to question the willingness of these men.
Although it is certain that neither of the sons
really knew what they were volunteering to do,
they answered with a most bold answer, but
as Jesus agreed with these men, and they
themselves did give their all for Jesus, it is
apparent that their statement was justified.
(3) "…but to sit… is not mine to give" - Even
though these two men were worthy to sit in those
positions, the last part of Jesus’ response
demonstrated His submissive role to the Father
for what they sought was a reward which could
only be given by the Father.
2. \\#24-28\\ The Lesson
a. \\#24\\ "the ten… were moved with indignation" -
The brazen attempt of the Zebedees angered the
remaining disciples. The desire for the highest
position in the kingdom was not a fleeting wish.
These men lived in the time of king and knew the
advantages of being high in the rankings. Jesus used
this as another opportunity to teach.
b. \\#25-28\\ Jesus’ Answer
(1) \\#25-26\\ A Wrong Example - "Gentiles exercise
dominion… and… authority upon them (their
subjects). It shall not be so among you." The
Gentiles most in mind were the Romans. The Lord
made it clear that His kingdom was not to be a
kingdom of rulers. This was something that His
disciples had to learn quickly—and they did.
(2) \\#27-28\\ A Right Example - In Jesus’ kingdom,
the greatest is the one who ministers and the
highest the one who serves… "Even as the Son
of man came…." This is the example that Jesus
gave to us.
(3) \\#28\\ In giving His answer, Jesus reminded His
disciples what He had come to do.
(a) He had come "to minister." God not only put
on human robes, He put on humble robes.
He, the God of all, literally came with a
basin to wash our feet!
(b) He came "to give his life a ransom for
many." A "ransom" is a payment given for a
prisoner or captive. Jesus came to give
His life as the payment for our freedom
from sin. What a Savior!
F. \\#20:29-34\\ A Healing in Jericho
1. \\#29\\ "As they departed from Jericho"
a. Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem is just about over.
Jericho is less than 20 miles from Jerusalem and on
the same side of the Jordan River. On this path,
Jesus would be coming into Jerusalem from the east.
b. Matthew only recorded what happened as Jesus left
Jericho while Luke tells us what happened when He
both approached and while He was in the city.
(1) \\#Luke 18:35-43\\ A blind man was healed as
Jesus entered Jericho.
(2) \\#Luke 19:1-10\\ Zacchaeus was saved inside the
city.
(3) \\#Luke 19:11-27\\ And Jesus taught a parable
about a prince receiving a kingdom, who left
servants to work while he was gone and judged
them when he returned.
(a) \\#Luke 19:11\\ says that He "spake a
parable, because…they thought that the
kingdom of God should immediately appear."
(b) Obviously, it was not to be so.
2. As Jesus travels "a great multitude followed him."
Perhaps some of the crowd which began the journey
\\#Matt 19:2\\ is still with Him, but the crowd probably
grew from those in and around Jericho. The crowd will
play an important role in the upcoming miracle.
3. \\#30-33\\ "two blind men… cried out… "Have mercy on us,
O Lord, thou Son of David."
a. These two men, sitting on the side of the road, have
an opportunity to meet Jesus, and they take full
advantage of it.
b. Mark records that just one blind man called out to
Jesus, Bartimaeus by name.
Mr 10:46 And they came to Jericho: and as he
went out of Jericho with his disciples and a
great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the
son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging.
(1) Is that a contradiction?
(a) No. The fact that one writer only mentions
one does not mean that there were not two.
(b) If I say, "My eye hurts." That does not
mean I have only one eye. So the fact that
Mark only mentions one blind man does not
mean there was not another.
(2) Why did Mark only mention the one? Perhaps
because he only knew the name of one,
Bartimaeus, and instead of recording the other
man as an unknown stranger, he simply left him
out of the story all together.
c. Notice the faith of these two men.
(1) They call Him "Lord."
(a) Lord means master or ruler. At the least,
these men were demonstrating allegiance if
not obedience to Jesus.
(b) Although they had never met Jesus, they had
heard of Him and were convinced that He was
a man worthy of their loyalty.
(2) They call Him "Son of David."
(a) This term connects Jesus with David and the
Messianic promises relating to David. God
promised David an eternal kingdom and an
everlasting reign. Those promises could
only be fulfilled through the Messiah.
(b) By calling Jesus the Son of David, these men
were demonstrating a faith that Jesus was
the Messiah.
(3) \\#30-33\\ They ask for mercy.
(a) By asking for mercy, these men were asking
Jesus to do something for them which they
had no right or payment for. They were
asking for some kind of favor.
(b) \\#31\\ The multitude that was following
Jesus tried to silence the two men. The
crowd’s action makes one think that they
did not think the two blind men had any
right to Jesus either, yet the two men
would not be silenced!
(c) \\#32\\ "What will ye that I shall do unto
you?" - Jesus, hearing the men, stops to
meet their request. They had asked for a
favor, believing that Jesus was able to
grant it. Now, Jesus asks what kind of
favor they desire.
(d) \\#33\\ "that our eyes may be opened"
i. Now the depth of their faith is seen.
They wanted what they needed most and
they trusted that Jesus was able to
give it to them.
ii. These men had great faith in this Man
who passed by them on the road.
4. \\#34\\ Two actions are recorded.
a. "Jesus had compassion… and touched their eyes…."
Both the heart and power of Jesus is seen in His
actions. He cares when no one else does and helps
like no one else can.
b. They "received sight, and… followed him." The
action of the two men was easy and joyful. They
gladly received the miracle which they had requested
and they just as gladly followed Jesus.
This concludes Matthews’ coverage of Jesus’ final instructions. From
this point, Matthew will turn to giving the facts of Jesus’ passion
week. Interestingly, John will pick up shortly after the place that
Matthew left off. John will record with great detail the hours of
Jesus from shortly before they eat the Passover to the cross. John’s
detailed account of that time period begins in John 13:1, meaning
more than 1/3 of John’s gospel centers on the last 24 hours of Jesus’
life and His resurrection.
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