Parables - Kingdom of Heaven - Humility
Parables of Jesus • Sermon • Submitted
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While not technically a parable, our first story, told in all three of the synoptic gospels, does teach us about the kingdom of heaven and how to be a part of it.
Humility
Humility
Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, “What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?” But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest.
BUSTED!!!
When I was a child, I never did understand not only how our mother knew that my sister and I were fighting, but what we were fighting about.
At least the disciples weren’t fighting over who was on whose side of the couch, or who was touching whom.
What were the disciples arguing about?
Who would be the greatest.
Arrogance and pride were nothing new to humanity,
And they’re still with us today.
[Muhammad Ali Flying story]
Arrogance is part of the fallen human condition.
So is comparing ourselves to others.
How many of us today compare ourselves to others?
Our co-workers?
Who hasn’t been angry when someone else got a promotion, thinking it should have been us?
Our families?
Who hasn’t looked at the family member and been jealous of their success or “holier than thou” and their failures?
Our friends?
Who hasn’t offered unsolicited advice because we “knew better”?
Who hasn’t compared themselves and thought they were greater than others?
And how many have asked God why what we’ve done wasn’t recognized?
And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”
Wait? What?
If I want to be first I need to be last?
This doesn’t make sense to us.
You don’t win a race from last place.
So much of the kingdom of God confuses us because we forget we are looking at it backwards, from a fallen point of view.
God created a universe, then we screwed it up.
And because of that, we see things like we’re looking in a mirror.
Everything is backwards.
In this world, you get to be first by being ahead of everyone else.
Working more hours,
Promoting yourself,
Being better than everyone else.
But what does Jesus say is the way to be first in the kingdom of heaven?
Don’t be first, be last.
Be the servant of everyone else.
Don’t bring attention to what you are doing.
But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
Where in the world you are expected to share your charitable deeds in public.
In the kingdom of God, they are private.
Don’t glorify yourself.
But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher.’ Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you.
Think about how this understanding should permeate our lives?
Deacons and Ministers in the church are leaders:
Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon 1249 διάκονος
[diakonos /dee·ak·on·os/]
But the word literally means servant.
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
Wives are told to submit and respect their husbands,
But look at what the husband is supposed to do
To serve the wife,
To sanctity and cleanse her,
To love her as his own body.
Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, “Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.”
We’ve all heard the saying “Children should be seen and not heard.”
But Jesus says to receive a child in His name is to receive Him,
And the Father who sent Him.
Rather than ignoring or pushing aside a small child, we should treat them the way we would treat Jesus.
Matthew has a very interesting spin on this story.
Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.
Unless we are converted and become like a little child, we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven?
Think of what the life of a child is like.
They are dependent on others,
They are curious,
They have a lot of questions.
Are we like that?
Are we dependent on God for our very being?
Are we curious about our Father and what He is doing?
Do we have a lot of questions, trusting that God can give us the answers?
This is the attitude we are to have if we want to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Not thinking we can take care of ourselves.
Not educated to the point we think we know better than God.
And never running out of questions.
The parable of this story is, the disciple of Christ is to be humble.
Not just in church, but in everything.
Forgiveness
Forgiveness
There is another attitude we should have for the kingdom of God.
Forgiveness.
Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”
Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
Is forgiveness a math issue?
OK, I’ve forgiven you 490 times, now you’re gonna get it?
Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.
Jesus immediately leads into a story about the kingdom of heaven being like a king who wanted to settle his accounts.
One man was brought to him who owed 10,000 talents.
We aren’t told talents of what, but a talent of silver weighed about 100 pounds.
At the current price of silver, that’s about $330M.
A talent of gold weighed 200 pounds,
Or about $62B at todays prices.
Any way you look at it, this man was DEEPLY in debt.
And he was forgiven this massive debt.
Now think about the debt you owe God.
Remember the prayer Jesus taught His disciples?
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
The debt we owe put Jesus on the Cross.
All debts get paid,
In the story, the debt is paid by the king,
In our lives, the debt is paid by the King of kings.
“But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.
A denarii is a day’s wages.
So this man owed the servant about one-third of his annual salary.
And after being forgiven his huge debt, he would not forgive the small debt of his fellow man.
Now remember the tremendous debt we owe God.
Will we not forgive the much smaller debts our neighbors owe us?
Do you see yourself in the story of this greedy man?
Look what happens to him.
So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.
“So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”
Does this mean we could loose our salvation?
NO
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
But it does mean our lives may be tortuous, as we are made to pay what we would not forgive our fellow image bearer.
If we wish to live in the kingdom of heaven, we must be forgiving.
The question is, do you want to live in the kingdom of heaven here and now,
Or suffer until you enter the kingdom at your death, bloody and beaten?
Conclusion
Conclusion
What we see in these two stories, are the need for humility and forgiveness in our lives.
The kingdom of heaven is not like this world,
With people trampling over each other to get ahead,
Rather, the people are serving each other in love and devotion.
Where we recognize the tremendous debts that have been paid for us,
And are therefore are willing to forgive the debts of others.
So are you living like a citizen of the kingdom of God?
Or as a citizen of the world?