Deserve or Serve

Introduction

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I’ve coached in two very different contexts. One time I coached for Upward, which was a church-sponsored sports program. My goal coaching here was to allow everyone to learn the game and for everyone to have equal play time. I also coached for the private highschool where I taught. Our goal was to build honor—to do so best by winning games. I coached 5th-8th grade boys. I had some 5th grade boys who were really good and started for me. And I had one 8th grade boy who was clumsy and sat the bench for a lot of games.

And every coach knows this tension.

Do you reward the ones who deserve to play— the skilled, the strong, the ones who help you win?

Or do you make room for the ones who can’t offer much in return?

Because deep down, we all understand how the world usually works:

You earn your place. You prove your value. You deserve your spot.

And if you don’t… you sit on the bench.

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We want to be in the game. In our hearts, we want the honor, we want the glory. And quite frankly, we often get to the point were we think we deserve to be in the game and not sit on the bench.

Whatever that “game” may be:

Maybe that game is our vocation where we think we deserve to be respected for our accomplishments

Or home where we think we deserve to relax and have our way

Or church where we think we deserve to be uplifted

Or our relationships where we think we deserve to be valued.

Or with God where we think we deserve to be blessed.

Sin twists our hearts so much that we think the only bench we should be warming is a throne—a throne from which we command everyone and everything else to do our bidding.

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The disciples think they deserve a throne too. But Jesus addresses that deserving attitude and reveals the kingdom attitude that should take its place. A kingdom attitude that he exemplified by giving his life.

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Matt. 20:17-34

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THRUST:

In the kingdom of God, willingness to suffer and sacrifice to serve others is valuable; whereas ambition to gain honor and authority is to be rejected.

Access Foretold

Matthew 20:17–19 ESV

17 And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, 18 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death 19 and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”

Revelation

In v. 17 you see Jesus going up to Jerusalem. This “going up” has to do with elevation because Jerusalem is at a higher elevation. He takes his disciples aside. Aside from what? Well, they are in great crowds who are all making a pilgrimage from Galilee to Jerusalem for Passover.

Jesus begins his aside to his disciples, it must seem serious being taken away from the crowds. And he beings, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem.” This statement should be one that’s full of hope. They are making a spiritual pilgrimage. They are going to the temple, the very place where God dwells. They are going to celebrate one of the most sacred times: Passover—with God’s people. While normally such a phrase “we are going up to Jerusalem” would be a cause for jubilee, Jesus is preparing his disciples for a darker hour.

This is the third time that Jesus tells them about his death. And this time, he gets more specific. He opens up with the Son of Man being delivered over to the chief priests and scribes. This was probably shocking to the disciples. The previous passage, Jesus connects this Son of Man figure with being on a throne. The Son of Man figure in Dan. 7 is only known being presented to the Ancient of Days and being a ruler. But now, Jesus is saying this figure who is supposed to be presented before God himself to be exalted is instead going to be handed over to the chief priests and scribes to be killed.

But the Son of Man who is exalted in Dan. 7 is also the Anointed One who “will be cut off and have nothing” in Dan. 9:26. Though the chief priests and scribes condemn Jesus to death, they do not have the authority to carry out that sentence; and so, he must be, “delivered over to the Gentiles”—that is, the governing Roman authorities. There Jesus spells out precisely what will happen: mocked, flogged, and crucified.

Each stage is important. First, Jesus would be mocked. It’s easy for us to think of mockery as if it were nothing. We don’t care of the opinions of others.

Matthew Exegesis

But Jesus lived in an “honor and shame” culture, in which many would rather die than lose their honor, and the shame of public humiliation was a fate far worse than death

Flogging was the brutal whipping that would take place before the crucifixion. Some victims did not even survive the whipping.

Jesus specifies that crucifixion is the specific form of death. No one could survive crucifixion, and Jesus does not intend on surviving it. He plainly says that he will die and tells exactly how he will die.

But he also tells when he will specifically rise from the dead it is predicted “on the third day.”

Matthew 6. Jesus Predicts His Crucifixion and Resurrection (20:17–19)

Τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ is dat. of point in time: “on the third day.” Since the ancients calculated time inclusively, this referred to any part of a first day, an entire day, and any part of a 3rd day

A figure known only so far for exaltation will be humiliated * key

Relevance

Will the Son of Man be exalted? Yes. He will rise from the dead. However, is he exalting himself? No. He is willingly laying his life down and entrusting himself to God. One of the most striking details in what Jesus says to his disciples is that the very figure known for his exaltation, his throne, here’s Daniel 7:14 “14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”

This exalted figure—Jesus himself—is willingly laying his very life down.

What’s valued in the kingdom? We might here Jesus trying to get across to his disciples. What’s valuable in the kingdom is not self-exaltation, but self-sacrifice.

We instinctively admire self-sacrifice. When someone lays down comfort, reputation, even life itself for the good of others, something in us says, That is right. That is beautiful. That is noble. Yet if this world is only matter, survival, and personal preference—if there is no God, no real good beyond what we choose—then self-sacrifice is not noble at all. It is irrational. Why give your life away if survival is the highest value? Why suffer for others if pleasure is the only good? As C. S. Lewis argued in The Abolition of Man, once you remove objective moral reality, you remove the very foundation that makes courage, honor, and sacrifice meaningful. But we do not live in a meaningless world. We live in God’s world. And because this is God’s world, self-giving love is not foolish—it is the deepest truth in the universe. Which means when Jesus walks toward suffering instead of away from it, He is not losing. He is revealing what is truly valuable in the kingdom of God.

Bridge

Luke’s account tells us the disciples had no clue what Jesus was talking about. Matthew narrates that fact with a story and gets to the heart of the matter. Because while Jesus would like to have this attitude of self-sacrifice in his followers; his followers have a major hurtle to overcome: the attitude of deserving the throne.

Access Denied

Matthew 20:20–28 ESV

20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. 21 And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” 22 Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” 23 He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” 24 And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Revelation

At the beginning of v. 20, that small little word “Then” connects this story to the previous one. Matthew is telling us with the word ‘then’ that whatever that the point of the last portion (vv. 17-19) will be completed by this portion. So this is bigger than just the fact that Jesus is going to die, that is true, but Matthew is doing something with that fact by including this story.

Jesus just finishes explaining his humiliating death, and the mother of James and John approaches him as someone who wants to make a request from a king. She prostrates herself before him perhaps saying something like, “I beseech thee, my king.” Jesus is willing to hear this request.

The mother asks that her sons would have exalted positions in his kingdom (21). Notice in v. 20 she is “with her sons” and in v. 21 she basically points to them by saying, “these two sons of mine.” There is emphasis on the fact that her sons are with her.

Jesus responds in v. 22. Jesus says, “You do not know what you what you are asking.” Here there is a shift that is not recognizable in modern English because we no longer have a separate word for a plural “you.” It’s reflected in the King James by, “Ye know not what ye ask.” We might say in Southern, “Y’all don’t know what y’all are asking.” And it’s that second plural that we should focus in on. “Y’all are asking”. . . I thought only the mother asked. But it seems that Jesus understands this request is not simply from a doting mother. It seems as though the mother has been put up to making the request by her sons. Striking.

One commentator speculates about this:

Matthew Exegesis

The sons probably remembered that a little earlier, on this pilgrimage from Galilee to Jerusalem, Jesus had blessed children who were brought to him by their parents (19:13–15). Perhaps they thought that Jesus would not be able to resist this mother’s plea either.

These disciples are making the request, and perhaps even using their mother as a tactic to ensure the request is granted.

But Jesus denies this request, but does so gently.

He asks if James and John are able to drink from the cup which he will drink. Jesus is asking if they will be able to share in the lot that Jesus is destined for. What is that cup? The context explains that it is Jesus’s excruciating and humiliating death. His suffering. His loss of both his honor and his life.

The disciples’ response prove that don’t know what they are talking about.

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 8: Matthew, Mark, Luke 6. Suffering and Service (20:20–28)

It is often ignorance that seeks leadership, power, and glory: the brothers do not know what they are asking. To ask to reign with Jesus is to ask to suffer with him

The disciples do not understand this and say that they are indeed able.

But Jesus gives a prediction (v. 23): that they will drink from the cup of suffering—and indeed they do. James is beheaded. John is supposedly boiled alive in a vat of oil before being exiled.

The other disciples become indignant in v. 24, perhaps because they did not get to make the request first. Each of the disciples feel as though they are the ones who deserve to be first. They all have a deserving spirit. And it is revealed in their indignance.

Matthew Context

The tragic irony is that at the very moment when Jesus faces humiliation, his disciples seek their own exaltation

V. 25 brings us to the heart of this entire unit. Jesus calls all these deserving disciples to himself and tells them to no longer focus on what they think they deserve, but instead to serve. Its not about what we deserve, it about how we serve. This shifts the focus off of self and on to others.

He compares that get off the bench and onto the throne deserving type attitude to the Gentile rulers—basically calling this a pagan attitude.

Those who exalt themselves will be humbled. Look again at the second half of v. 26:

Matthew 20:20–28 ESV

But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Relevance

Notice how Jesus sees his own death in v. 28. Jesus is not some misunderstood political or religious revolutionary. He did not see his death as some martyrdom to convince others to further his cause. Jesus saw his own death as a service. A service that did something in particular: a ransom.

Matthew works hard to drill this point into his readers. Jesus predicts his own death three times. I think we can take that for granted in Christian circles that center on the death of Christ. But there are many who want to minimize or contradict that fact.

Some preachers, even in our own day, would have us think that the cross of Christ is merely a lesson to admire. They say, “Jesus died to show us love. He died to inspire us. He died to stand with the poor and the oppressed.” And yes, the cross does these things. But listen closely: if that’s all it accomplished, then the Savior’s death has no power. It becomes a story to ponder, a moral to admire, but it saves no person, delivers no soul, and pays no debt.

But did you hear what he said? (v. 28)

Matthew 20:20–28 ESV

the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Ransom! Not suggestion. Not example. Not mere inspiration. Ransom. Jesus came to pay the price, to lay down His life, to stand in our place, to bear the weight of our guilt and sin. His blood poured out is what washes all our sin, all our shame, all our guilt, all our brokenness. His death is a ransom.

Don’t be swindled by the so-called Christians who deny this ransom! You might admire Christ, you might follow His example, you might delight in His teaching—but until you trust in the death of Christ, you have come close to touching the fountain of grace. The cross is not complete for you until you lay your own sin upon Him and believe that He died in your stead. That is ransom.

Do you trust Him today? Will you rest in the sufficiency of His sacrifice, not your striving, not your merit, not your worthiness? Come, lean wholly on Jesus. Let His death be your ransom, your peace, your hope. For here is the truth of the kingdom: the King gives Himself, that you might live eternally; and in that gift, you find glory beyond all honor, service beyond all reward, and rest for every weary soul.

How many times have we thought we were deserving of more—more honor, more respect, more attention, more love, more power, more pleasure, more more more. And we set up our own little makeshift thrones and command everyone around, even God, to do give us what we think we deserve. Today is the day we pick up the axe and tear down the throne we built for ourselves and cling to that old rugged cross. Trade that chair for a cross.

Bridge

Access Granted

Matthew 20:29–34 ESV

29 And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. 30 And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 31 The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 32 And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” 33 They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” 34 And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.

Revelation

Jesus continues on his way to Jerusalem. There is a high expectation that Jesus will be enthroned in Jerusalem. And now this crowd is following him—not as devoted disciples, but as populist opportunists. They aren’t going to die for Jesus, but they sure would like to see him on the throne rather than Herod or Pilate.

Then set in foil against this crowd, there sits two blind men. Pan handlers set themselves at places where opportunity to get money would take place. We no nothing of the background of these blind men, but they way the crowd responds to them makes it seem as though the crowd might consider them as deplorables—not worth anyone’s time.

Like the mother of James and John, these blind men make a request of Jesus. A request like one to a king—formal just as the mother made a request. Notice the content of what they say in v. 30— “Son of David” is a messianic title recognizing Jesus as the son of David and rightful king of the Jews. But when they cry, “Lord, have mercy on us” they are using a phrase that is almost always used of God. In fact, who else but God can truly have mercy on us?

Only people who recognize they need help can truly ask for it. And only people who recognize themselves as poor and needy spiritually can ask for mercy. And that’s exactly what they ask for. The crowds though demand that they be quiet. Jesus is a king on his way to be placed on his throne, he has not time—it seems the crowd assumes—to deal with deplorable blind men.

Yet there we see Matthew’s emphasis at the beginning of v. 32, “And stopping.” The way royalty traveled back then is the way we might think of the president traveling today—a caravan of vehicles, police escort, no stopping at red lights, and the like. In the Roman Empire, it was so that if the emperor planned a visit to a city, some cities would pave a new straight road through the city for the emperor to travel.

This crowd sees Jesus as such royalty. He needs such royal treatment to get to Jerusalem—they assume. But the king of the kingdom of heaven did not come to be seved, but to serve. He stops. He asks the blind men, just like he asked the mother before, “What do you want?” They request that they would be able to see.

And we see the heart of Christ in v. 34 - he is moved with pity.

The irony is the request of a mother fills the disciples with indignation. The request of these blind men fills Jesus with pity—compassion.

Relevance

These blind men have been benched by society, never to be put in the game at all, so to speak. And they recognize just how destitute they are. And that person who is poor in spirit is just the type of person our savior stops and shows compassion. A person who is deserving never asks for mercy because mercy is undeserved. And yet these blind men recognized their need for mercy.

These men did not demand recognition. They were not trying to claim something they thought they deserved. They recognized their need.

This is exactly the type of person Jesus stops for. This is exactly the type of person that is valuable in the kingdom. The one who is humble, needy, dependent on him, not the proud and self-assured.

Bridge

What is our mindset? Are we concerned with what we deserve or are we ready and willing to serve?

Move 4 (Application)

Summary

We have seen the great contrast. Jesus was willing to give his life as an act of ultimate service. The disciples were consumed with the throne they believed they deserved. But Jesus honored poor blind men who recognized they deserved nothing.

Remember at the heart of sacrificial service to others is not merely out of piety, it’s not an ascetic practice, it’s not about having good feelings. At the heart of Jesus’s sacrificial service was to make a ransom. At the heart of our service we want to be like Christ. We cannot accomplish atonement, but we can point people to Jesus. So what can we do?

Tell

One thing we can do this week is serve someone who cannot return the favor. Identify someone that is overlooked or undeserving. Look around in your home, school, or workplace. Maybe there’s a coworker no one notices, a child who struggles, and elderly neighbor who’s unable to get out. . .Then do something for them that costs you comfort or convenience without expecting praise or reward.

Show

This does not have to be immaculate or world-changing. It can simply be a kind word. At work yesterday someone who was normally happy was obviously struggling. Someone came up to him and asked, “Are you okay?” And he responded (it looked as though he may cry) “I’m just feeling a bit overwhelmed right now.” Then the one who noticed him just assured him, “I’m sorry your feeling overwhelmed, but just know you’re doing a good job.”

Image (Gospel)

We live in a world where there is a power struggle between the bench and the throne. The people whose eyes are fixed on what they deserve are blind to those who need to be served. But Christ’s eyes were not so fixed on his true, universal throne that he was blind to the needs of those two blind men. He stopped, he listened, he was moved with compassion. Christ was not so deserving that he ignored us. He stopped for you. He listened to your cries for mercy. And he answers them with compassion—even now.

Challenge

So may we be like Christ—stop, listen, and act with compassion. This week, pick one person the world has benched, and give them your time, your attention, your mercy—because in serving the undeserving, you follow the King who gave Himself for you.