Daily Bible Commentary (15 April-20 April 2013)

Monday – 15^th April

Topic: The King’s Demands

Read: Matthew 19:16–19
We Must Love Christ Supremely (19:16-26).
We cannot follow the King without paying a price. After all, He went to the cross for us! Have we the right to escape sacrifice and suffering? In this section, our Lord explains the rightful demands that He makes upon those who want to trust Him and be His disciples.

Each of the first three Gospels records this event. When we combine the facts, we learn that this man was rich, young, and probably the ruler of a synagogue. We can certainly commend this young man for coming publicly to Christ and asking about eternal matters. He seemed to have no ulterior motive and was willing to listen and learn. Sadly, he made the wrong decision.

The event seems to develop around several important questions .

'What good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?" (19:16-17) The man was obviously sincere, although his approach to salvation was centered on works and not faith. But this was to be expected among the Jews of that day. However, in spite of his position in society, his morality, and his religion, he felt a definite need for something more.

But our Lord's reply did not focus on salvation. He forced the young man to think seriously about the word good that he had used in addressing Jesus. "Only God is good," Jesus said. "Do you believe that I am good and therefore that I am God?" If Jesus is only one of many religious teachers in history, then His words carry no more weight than the pronouncements of any other religious leader. But if Jesus is good, then He is God, and we had better heed what He says.

Why did Jesus bring up the commandments? Did He actually teach that people receive eternal life by obeying God's Law? If anyone could keep the commandments, he certainly would enter into life. But no one can keep God's Law perfectly, "Therefore by the deeds of the Law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight: for by the Law is the knowledge of sin" (Rom. 3:20). Jesus did not introduce the Law to show the young man how to be saved, but to show him that he needed to be saved. The Law is a mirror that reveals what we are (James 1:22ft).

"Which  commandments?" (19:18-19) Was the young man being eva­sive? I don't think so. But he was making a mistake, for one part of God's Law cannot be separated from another part. To classify God's laws into "lesser" and" greater" is to miss the whole purpose of the Law. "For whosoever shall keep the whole Law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all" (James 2:10). The Law represents the authority of God, and to disobey what we may think: is a minor law is still to rebel against His authority.

Of course, the young man thought only of external obedience. He forgot about the attitudes of the heart. Jesus had taught in the Sermon on the Mount that hatred was the moral equivalent of murder, and that lust was the equivalent of adultery. We rejoice that this young man had such good manners and morals. But we regret that he did not see his sin, repent, and trust Christ.

Tuesday – 16^th April

Topic: The King’s Demands

Read: Matthew 19:20 - 26

The one commandment that especially applied to him, Jesus did not quote: "Thou shalt not covet" (Ex. 20:17). The young man should have pondered all of the Commandments and not just the ones that Jesus quoted. Was he looking for easy discipleship? Was he being dishonest with himself? I believe that his testimony was sincere, as far as he knew. But he did not permit the light of the Word to penetrate deeply enough. Jesus felt a sudden love for this young man (Mark 10:21), so He con­tinued to try to help him.

"What lack I yet?' (19:20-22). No where in the Bible are we taught that a sinner is saved by selling his goods and giving the money away. Jesus never told Nicodemus to do this or any other sinner whose story is recorded in the Gospels. Jesus knew that this man was covetous; he loved material wealth. By asking him to sell his goods, Jesus was forcing him to examine his own heart and determine his priorities. With all of his commendable qualities, the young man still did not truly love God with all of his heart. Possessions were his god. He was unable to obey the command, "Go and sell. . . come and follow . . ."

The young man went away grieved, but he could have gone away in great joy and peace. We cannot love and serve two masters (Matt. 6:24ff). We can be sure that, apart from Christ, even the material possessions of life give no lasting joy or pleasure. It is good to have the things money can buy provided we do not lose the things 'that money cannot buy’. Unless this rich ruler eventually turned to Christ, he died without salvation, one of the "richest" men in the cemetery.

"Who then can be saved?" (19:23-26). The Jewish people of that day believed that riches were an evidence of God's blessing. They based this on the promises God gave the Jewish nation at the beginning of their history. It is true that God did promise material blessing if they obeyed, and material loss if they disobeyed (see Deut. 26-28). But in the infancy of the race, the only way God could teach them was through rewards and punishments. We teach young children in the same manner.

However, the highest kind of obedience is not based on a desire for reward or the fear of punishment. It is motivated by love. In His life and His teaching, Jesus tried to show the people that the inner spiritual blessings are far more important than the material gains. God sees the heart, and God wants to build character. Salvation is the gift of God in response to man's faith. Material riches are not a guarantee that God is pleased with a man.

The disciples, being good Jews, were amazed at the Lord's statement about riches. Their question reflected their theology: "If a rich man cannot be saved, what hope is there for the rest of us?" Of course, Jesus did not say that the possessing of wealth kept a man from the kingdom. Some manuscripts of Mark 10:24 read, "How hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God." This is certainly the import of our Lord's teaching. Abraham was a very wealthy man, yet he was a man of great faith. It is good to possess wealth if wealth does not possess you.

We cannot follow the King and live for worldly wealth. We cannot serve God and money, The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (1 Tim. 6:6-10), Jesus Christ demands of all who will follow Him that they love Him supremely.

Wednesday – 17^th April

Topic: The King’s Demands

Read: Matthew 19:27 – 20:16

We Must Obey Him Unreservedly (19:27-20:16)

Peter was quick to sec the contrast between the wealthy ruler and the poor disciples. "We have forsaken all, and followed Thee; what shall we have therefore?" Jesus gave them a marvelous promise of rewards in this life and in the next. They would even share thrones when HE established His kingdom. Whatever good things they had forsaken for His sake would be returned to them a hundredfold. In other words, they were not making sacrifices-they were making investments. But not all of the dividends would be received in this life.

However, Jesus detected in Peter's question the possibility of a wrong motive for service, This was why He added the warning that some who were first in their own eyes would be last in the judgment, and some who were last would end up first. This truth was amplified in the parable of the workers in the vineyard.

This parable has nothing to do with salvation. The penny (a day's wages in that time) does not represent salvation, 'for nobody works for his salvation. Nor is the parable talking about rewards, for we are not all going to receive the same reward. "And every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor" (1 Cor. 3:8).

The parable is emphasizing a right attitude in service. It is important to note that there were actually two kinds of workers hired that day: those who wanted a contract and agreed to work for a penny a day, and those who had no contract and agreed to take whatever the owner thought was right. The first laborers that he hired insisted on a contract.         

This explains why the householder paid the workers as he did: He wanted those who were hired first (who insisted on a contract) to see how much he paid the workers who were, hired later. It was one way the owner could show those workers how really generous he was.

Put yourself in the place of those workers who were hired first but paid last. They each expected to get a penny, because that was 'what they agreed to accept. But imagine their surprise when they saw the laborers who were hired last each receiving a penny! This meant their own wages should have been 12 pennies each!         .

But the three o'clock workers also received a penny-for only three hours of work. The men last in line quickly recalculated their wages: four pennies for the day's work. When the men hired at noon also were paid a penny, this cui the salary of the contract workers considerably, for now they would earn only two pennies.

But the Owner gave them one penny each. Of course, they complained! But they had no argument, because they had agreed to work for a penny. They received what they asked for. Had they trusted the goodness of the owner, they would have received far more. But they insisted on a contract.

Thursday – 18^th April

Topic: The King’s Demands

Read: Matthew 20:1-16

The lesson for Christ's disciples is obvious. We should not serve Him because we want to receive an expected reward, and we should not insist on knowing what we will get. God is infinitely generous and gracious and will always give us better than we deserve.

Now we can understand the perils that were hidden in Peter's question in verse 27. For one thing, we must not "Suppose" (20:10) that we will get something more if we really do not deserve it. It is possible to do the Father's work and yet not do HIS will from the heart (Eph. 6:6). If we serve Him only for the benefits (temporal and eternal), then we will miss the best blessings He has for us. We must trust Him unreservedly and believe that He will always give what is best.

There is the danger of pride. “What shall we have?" asked Peter. This parable warned him, "How do you know you will have anything?" Beware of overconfidence when it comes to the rewards God will give, for those first in their own eyes (and in the eyes of others) may end up last! Likewise, do not get discouraged; for those who consider themselves "unprofitable servants" may end up first.

Beware of the danger of watching 'other workers and measuring your­self by them. "Judge nothing before the time," Paul warns in I Corin­thians 4:5. We see the worker and the work, but God sees the heart.

Finally, we must beware of criticizing God and feeling that we have been left out. Had the early morning workers trusted the owner and not asked for an agreement, the owner would have given them much more. He was generous, but they would not trust him. They did not rejoice that others received more; instead, they were jealous and complained. The goodness of the Owner did not lead them to repentance (Rom. 2:4). It revealed the true character of their hearts: They were selfish! Whenever we find a complaining servant, we know he has not fully yielded to the master's will.

Friday – 8^th April

Topic: The King’s Demands

Read: Matthew 20:17-34

We Must Glorify Him Completely (20:17-34)

For the third time, Jesus announced His arrest, crucifixion, and resurrec­tion (see 16:21; 17:22). In the previous announcements, He had not specified how He would die. But now He clearly mentioned the cross. He also clearly mentioned His resurrection, but the message did not penetrate the disciples' hearts.

In contrast to this announcement of suffering and death we have the request of James and John and their mother, Salome. Jesus spoke about a cross, but they were interested in a crown. They wanted reserved seats on special thrones! We get the impression that the mother, Salome, was the real inspiration behind this request, and that she was interested in promot­ing her sons.

Before we criticize what they did, let's notice some commendable features in this event. For one thing, they did believe in prayer; and they dared to believe the promise Jesus had given about sitting on thrones (19:28). The word "regeneration" in that verse means "new birth," and refers to the new world over which Jesus and His followers will reign when He returns to earth. It must have taken faith on their part to believe He would establish these thrones, because He had just told them that He was going to die.

But there were several things wrong with their request. To begin with, it was born in ignorance. "Ye know not what ye ask," Jesus replied. Little did Salome realize that the path to the throne is a difficult one. James was the first of the disciples to be matyred , and John had to endure hard days on the Isle of Patmos. These three believers wanted their win, not God's will, and they wanted it their way.

Another factor was their lack of heavenly direction. They were think­ing like the world: James and John wanted to "lord it over" the other disciples the way the unsaved Gentile rulers lorded it over their subjects. Their request was fleshly (sensual), because they were selfishly asking for glory for themselves, not for the Lord. No doubt they felt relieved that they had gotten to Jesus with this request before Peter did!  

Finally, the request was not only of the world and the flesh, but it was of the devil. It was motivated by pride. Satan had sought a throne (Isa. 14:12-15) and had been cast down. Satan had offered Jesus a throne and had been refused (Matt. 4:8-11). Satan magnifies the end (a throne) but not the means to that end. Jesus warned Salome and her sons that the special thrones were available to those who were worthy of them. There are no shortcuts in the kingdom of God:

The result of this request was "indignation" on the part of the other disciples-probably because they had not thought of it first! The wisdom from above always leads to peace; the wisdom of this world leads to war (James 3: 13-4:3). Selfishness will only result in dissention and divi­sion.

Saturday – 20^th April

Topic: The King’s Demands

Read: Matthew 20:1-34

This disagreement gave Jesus the opportunity to teach a practical lesson of leadership. In His kingdom, we must not follow the examples of the world. Our example is Jesus, not some corporation president or wealthy celebrity. Jesus came as a servant; therefore, we should serve one another. He came to give His life; therefore, we should give our lives in service to Him and others.

The word minister in verse 26 simply means "a servant." Our English word "deacon" comes from it. The word Servant in verse 27 means "a slave." Not every servant was a slave, but every slave was a servant. It is sad to note in the church today that we have many celebrities, but very few servants. There are many who want to "exercise authority" (v. 25), but few who want to take the towel and basin and wash feet.

The key to greatness is not found in position or power, but in character.

We get a throne by paying with our lives, not by praying with our lips. We must identify with Jesus Christ in His service and suffering, for even He could not reach the throne except by way of the cross. The best commen­tary on this is Philippians 2:1-18.

To improve our praying we must improve our serving. If we are serving Him and others, then we will not be praying selfishly. If we honestly can say, "Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth, then He will say to us, "Speak, servant, for thy Lord heareth." If our prayers do not make us better servants, then there is something wrong with them.

Do our prayers make us easier to live with? The two disciples prayed selfishly and threw the whole fellowship into an uproar! Do our prayers make us more like Jesus Christ?

Do our prayers cost us anything? Prayer in the will of God does not mean escape; it means involvement. If our prayers do not bring us nearer to the cross, then they are out of God's will.

Salome learned her lesson. When Jesus was crucified, she was stand­ing near the cross (John 19:25, "his mother's sister' ') and sharing in His sorrow and pain. She did not see two thrones on either side of her Lord-she saw two thieves on two crosses. And she heard Jesus give her son, John, to His mother Mary. Salome's selfishness was rebuked, and she meekly accepted it.

The closing event of Matthew 20 is the healing of Bartimaeus and his friend, both of whom were blind (see Mark 10:46-52). Here Jesus put into practice what He had just taught the disciples. He became a servant to two rejected blind beggars. The crowds around Jesus tried to silence the two men. After all, what claim did they have on the great Teacher? But Jesus had compassion on them and healed them. He was the servant even of beggars.

This chapter contains some hard things for us to receive and practice. If we love the things of this world, we cannot love God supremely. If we are not yielded completely to His will, we cannot obey Him unreservedly. If we seek glory for ourselves, or if we compare ourselves with other believers, then we cannot glorify Him.

We cannot acknowledge Jesus as our King unless we love Him su­premely, obey Him unreservedly, and glorify Him completely. But if we do these things, we will share in His life and joy, and one day reign with Him!