Recapitulation
This is part 2 of a longer section in Matthew dealing with
entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven. In
our last study, we looked at two pericopes in Matthew 19 dealing with the issue
of entrance into the kingdom of heaven.
How does one gain entrance? In
that first pericope we saw that Jesus commended the children who came to Him
because it was such as these who were citizens of the kingdom. The disciples were hindering them but Jesus
said, ‘Don’t hinder them from coming to Me.’
Then the very next pericope has the wealthy young religious
leader asking about what ‘good thing’ he should do in order to gain entrance
into the kingdom. Jesus followed his
line of reasoning showing him that the only source of moral good was God
Himself Whose standard was perfection. The
young man insisted that he had kept the commandments, but Jesus’ answer
revealed that for perfection God needed to be more important to him than his
wealth. As the young man sorrowfully went
away, Jesus declared that wealth was a hindrance that made it very difficult to
gain entrance into the kingdom. As the
disciples reeled from this shocking information, Jesus explained that with man,
entrance into heaven was impossible but with God everything is possible. Wealth is one of many obstacles to entering
the kingdom but with God all things are possible.
Matthew is contrasting the children who came to Jesus and the
wealthy young religious leader who left Jesus.
The key to gaining entrance into the kingdom then is to see that God alone
makes entrance possible. So, we need to come to Jesus for entrance. He is the One we need to believe. Many deceitful
distractions will hinder our entrance like pride, earthly things and thinking
pertaining to this world, so, for Matthew, belief in Jesus is aptly illustrated
by the children coming to Jesus and unbelief by the wealthy young religious
leader leaving Jesus.
Pericope 3: Obedient Efforts vs. Needy Belief
Now we take up the third pericope that Matthew has recorded
in this series which further explains entrance into the kingdom of heaven. It is a parable that Jesus told His disciples
to help them understand that God’s generosity in granting citizenship in heaven
is not connected with our efforts but our need.
It is not our hard work but our need that explains God’s mercy.
But first, we pick up Peter’s comment to Jesus after the
wealthy young religious leader walked slowly and sorrowfully away. Peter said in verse 27, “See, we have left
everything and followed you. What then
will we have?” Notice two points. The disciples have left many hindrances
behind them and have come to Jesus. This
is exactly what the rich young religious leader was unable to do. It is also what the children had been able to
do. The disciples hindered them but
Jesus made it possible for them to come to Him—which they did. Peter is excited because he believes that
they—the disciples—also seem to have qualified.
So, now he wants to know exactly what they will receive in the
kingdom. It’s not a question about
getting in but about being rewarded as faithful followers.
Obedient Efforts Rewarded Besides Entrance into the
Kingdom
Jesus says, “In the new world [or “regeneration”—the
Messianic kingdom], 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. And everyone who has left
houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for My name’s sake, will receive a
hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last,
and the last first.”
This word translated “new world” or “regeneration” is a
reference to the kingdom when things are put into their proper order
again. It is not now for the Son of Man (Jesus) will be also seated on His
glorious throne. (Things have not yet
been put into their proper order! Those
who choose to see this word referring to the present gospel age of grace with
Christ ruling in the hearts of faithful believers will have much difficulty in
seeing this current era as the promised kingdom foreseen by Isaiah for instance.) In the kingdom, Jesus’ disciples (the ones
who followed Him—not Judas) will sit on twelve thrones ‘judging the twelve
tribes of Israel.’ (This also has NOT
happened yet). This seems to clearly identify the twelve disciples although
Judas was replaced with Matthias in Acts 1.
What is this ‘judging?’
It is the common word used for legal decision-making. The Twelve would have authority to render
legal decisions in a future nation of Israel as part of a new world order. (Again, a great deal of word twisting is
required to see this as referring to the current era!) They would receive
authority and responsibility for their nation in the kingdom. Apparently,
Israel is not the only nation that is part of the kingdom rule of the Messiah
so others may be judging other nations.
Jesus has great plans for “everyone”—not just His twelve
disciples—who has overcome hindrances of family ties or things of this world
because they valued Jesus more. They
would receive a ‘hundredfold.’ The idea
is that the recompense for losing so much in this life would be way more than
made up for in the life to come. Have
you lost family because you followed Jesus?
You will have a better family in heaven.
Have you lost valuable things in this life? You will have much more
valuable things in the life to come. And
furthermore, you will have ‘eternal life’—citizenship in the kingdom of
heaven. Two things are promised to all
those who overcome hindrances and come to Jesus: entrance into the kingdom and huge recompense
for the things counted loss in this life for the sake of following Jesus. This does not mean that our efforts are
needed to enter but that all who have labored for Jesus’ sake will be rewarded
besides gaining entrance. How do we know
this? Don’t stop reading at the end of
the chapter!
Jesus first added one last cryptic statement: “But many who
are first will be last, and the last first.”
To explain this saying, He told the parable found in 20:1-16.
The Parable of the Laborers
While this is not directly called a parable in the text, it has
all the features of a parable. It begins
the same way all the kingdom parables begin: “For the kingdom of heaven is like—”
This parable compares God’s ways in the kingdom with the
ways of a landowner who hires workers for his vineyard one day. You need to know a little bit about the work culture
of Israel in which this parable is set. The system of keeping time divided the
daylight into twelve hours. The daily wage for a common laborer was one
denarius—which was a silver coin that was at least enough to feed your family
for a day. Workers were paid at the end
of each day.
Citizenship Based on Needy Belief
Now, in the parable, the landowner goes out to the town
square—the marketplace—at three-hour intervals beginning at sunrise—and hires
workers all at the same agreed wage—a denarius—and then he even comes at the ‘eleventh
hour’—an hour before sunset (5pm)—and hires even more workers. (By the way, this is where the English idiom
referring to the last minute –called the eleventh hour—comes from). While the landowner
is concerned about the work that needs to be done, he seems to be even more
concerned about the workers—especially the ones who don’t have jobs. Those who believe in the landowner’s promise are
hired.
Like all parables, this one has a surprise twist. This unexpected punch line helps us to
understand the meaning of the parable.
The other details play a supporting role. So, the fact that this is a ‘vineyard’ or
that that they are paid a silver denarius or that the landowner went looking
for workers every three hours are only supporting details. The punch line is delivered at the pay
window. The foreman lines everybody up
at the end of the day and according to his instructions from the landowner he
first pays the last workers hired. (The
last are first!) Then working backwards,
he pays all the workers until he has finally paid those who were hired first.
(The first are last!) This means that
those hired first thing had to stick around to watch these latecomers get paid
before them. The shock is that everybody
got paid the same thing—just as they had agreed. The early birds (those who were first) were
paid last and discovered that the guys who worked just one hour got paid for an
entire day just like they did. Their
complaint: “You have made them equal to us.”
They felt they should “receive more” than they had agreed upon because
they had “borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.”
But the landowner stepped in as they argued with the foreman
and said “to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a
denarius? Take what belongs to you and
go. I choose to give to this last worker
as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do
what I choose with what belongs to me?
Or do you begrudge my generosity?” The landowner’s generosity is
looked upon as “wrong” because in so doing, he has “made them equal.” (This does not negate Jesus’ promise to
reward those who made sacrifices in this life for His sake. He has already spoken to this idea in plain
speech.)
There is another well-known parable in which one person
begrudges the generosity and mercy experienced by another. This is the parable of the two brothers
(sometimes called the prodigal son but the punchline is really about the older
son’s pain over the Father’s joy and generosity in seeing the younger son’s return.) In both parables, we understand that God’s mercy and generosity is sometimes
wrongly looked at as something earned and deserved rather than an expression of
joy and concern in the time of need.
In our parable, those who are “first” must realize that
their citizenship in the kingdom is not based on their own merit but is based
on their need and God’s generosity and mercy.
For us, this does not mean that our work is unimportant, but it does not
buy us entrance into the kingdom. Rather
we work because we are citizens of the kingdom.
Some may complain about the thief on the cross going straight to
paradise. Or what about seniors trusting
in Christ just months or hours before exiting this life? Or those who believe at the ‘eleventh hour’
just before the return of Christ?
This does not negate the rewards and hundredfold
recompense for things lost in this life for the sake of Christ, but
it does shed an interesting light on those who might feel the right to a
‘superior status’ in the kingdom based on their own merits. There are rewards to be sure. But they are based on work founded in trust
and obedience to Christ—not necessarily on my own sense of accomplishment. Like the wealthy young religious leader,
keeping the externals of the law is great but in the kingdom, it is worthless
without putting relationship with Christ first.
Because we first believe Him, we ought to follow Him, trust
Him, and serve Him obediently and humbly.
This is something believers need to be constantly told throughout
Scripture. It is never automatically
assumed to be true. And, by the way, busyness
is no substitute for relationship with Jesus that starts by coming to Him in
belief.
© 2018 Eric Thimell
No comments:
Post a Comment