The First Steps: Read:
Matthew 20Focus Verse: "So the last will be first and the first will be last." Matthew 20:16
Meditation: Disappointed with God We all have certain expectations that hold true no matter how old we are. Expectation like...
- God should reward the good. And punish the bad.
- Life is fair...or should be.
- Everyone should get what they earned. No more. No less.
These expectations affect everthing we do in life. From which denomination we attend to which political party we follow. Everything in life hinges upon these expectations. And anger comes when these expectations are broken. Disappointment sets in as the world turns completely on its head. And where disappointment is, hopelessness comes, followed by anger followed by violence. Find any one of these things and you can trace them down to one central disappointment.
Jesus today sets us up to have these expectations shattered. He begins with a story of a group of workers in a vineyard who don't get what they deserve...only what is promised. Those who work the whole day and those who work just a few minutes all get the same wage. Of course they don't like this arrangement and complain. And in typically Jesus fashion, the landowner says to them: "Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?"(vs. 15)
What Jesus doesn't tell you in the parable itself is what the workers do to that landowner. That he says in the verses following this parable. "...the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death...to be mocked and crucified."
No one likes disappointment. And people are gonna be disappointed with Jesus. That disappointment will become hopelessness and anger and eventually violence. Jesus doesn't match their expectations. He doesn't fit the bill of any Messiah they would ever expect. And this, world-turning thing, only adds insult to injury.
But still Jesus doesn't relent. Not one bit. God is turning the tables on the world. He's not gonna give them what they earned. Not a single one of them. He's not gonna reward the good and punish the bad. He's gonna save them all. He's gonna give life, and grace, and salvation to all through the blood of his Son. He's gonna turn the world completely on its head. "Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant and whoever wants to be first must be your slave."(vs. 26-27)
And it's not gonna be fair. Not in the slightest. When the least enter the kingdom of heaven before the great. When God stands with the sinner, the prostitute, the tax collector over the righteous. When the party becomes not for the good people but for all the bad ones who came home, It's just not fair. But that's what God is doing in Christ Jesus right here and right now.
And we are a part of that turnabout. We are all a part of God turning the
world on its head. And it affects our lives. It changes the way we see ourselves in our professions. It changes how we are at home. It alters all of life. So that now...
- The greatest person in the organization is not the CEO...but the mailcarrier who connects the company people together and lays his life down for others, even as Christ did for him.
- The greatest husband is not the one who is aloof over the family or inaccessible to them, but instead is the greatest servant in the family, the one who lays down his life for them, even as Christ did for him.
- The greatest pastor in the world isn't the one with the biggest church, the most staff, the best programs, the most books published, but is the one who lays down his or her life and service others, even as Christ served him.
Greatness itself has changed. Our world has been turned over. It's funny when you see how our definitions of greatness and fairness, what's right and wrong and who's better and worse, affect how we deal with other people. We are so much like the mother of the Zebedee boys who asks Jesus, "Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom." We just don't get it. Ask anyone what their idea of success is...and you'll see this is true.
But God in his grace still holds us, still loves us. And even when we are as clueless as the disciples about how God is working in our world, God still takes care of us. Even when we're ready to crucify this God who brings change, God still loves us. Even as he welcomes the sinner and the tax collector and all the other outcasts into heaven, just as he welcomes us. Amen.
Questions to Ponder...1) What are your expectations of God? Write them down. Are these realistic expectations?
2) How would you feel if you were one of the first people hired? How would you feel if you were one of the last? Does the landowner really treat them justly?
3) What do you wrestle with God about? What does that say about YOU?
A Prayer to Pray...Almighty God, you have called us to work for you in the fields and has promised eternal life through the blood of your Son, Jesus. Help us trust your wisdom, your grace, and your compassion as we labor for you and with you, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
