A Roadside Reminder and Reproof, Part 1

Near the end of his ministry owners. Jesus told his disciples aside for a private chat Matthew recorded this conversation 20th chapter of the gospel that bears his name. While in this title Jesus began to describe what his future would hold particular suffering hands of his adversary today on Insight for living will attempt to relive this moment in such a way that we fathom the disciples confusion spare again.

Chuck invites us to follow along in Matthew chapter 20 as the dramatic story unfold in our journey through the book of Matthew we are right in the middle of the 20th chapter like have you turn in your Bible, or New Testament, Matthew chapter 20 and always remember when we read from the word of God.

It is reading from a book that is like no other book in the world. No other book is alive and no other book has truth that is active and sharp. Sharper than a double edge sword above an illustrated by saying you could tear out a page of Scripture and put it in the and and in a bottle and plug it up and toss it on the middle to see and if that bottle finally floats to a shoreline somewhere in its found and opened that page of Scripture is alive and active and able to change a life just the truth on that page and we have the privilege of having all the pages all the chapters all the books went up what I unique privileges hours reading from Matthew 20 verse 17, down through 28. I'll be reading from the new living translation.

Matthew 2017, as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the 12 disciples aside privately and told him what was going to happen to him listen. He said were going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die, then they will hand them over to the Romans to be mocked, flogged with a whip and crucified. But on the third day he will be raised from the dead. Then the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus with her son. She knelt respectfully to ask a favor.

What is your request, he asked, she replied, in your kingdom. Please let my two sons sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.

But Jesus answered by saying to them, you don't know what you are asking are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering. I am about to drink all yes they replied we are able. Jesus told him, you will indeed drink from my bitter cup, but I have no right to say who will sit on my right or my left.

My father is prepared. Those places for the once he is chosen when the 10 other disciples heard what James and John had asked they were indignant.

But Jesus called them together and said you know that the rulers of this world.

Lord it over their people and officials flaunt their authority over those under them, but among you, it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slate for even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for men to study the book of Matthew with Chuck Swindoll.

Be sure to download his searching the Scriptures study by going to Insight world.org/studies another message from Chuck that he titled a roadside reminder and reproof we have a saying that goes like this. I don't think were on the same page and by that we mean you're saying something but I am clueless on. I'm not getting it. You know what you're talking about and I know where I am and I know the setting that surrounds me, but I can't connect with your your words we we aren't on the same page of the summer before my second year at Dallas seminary homage decision that I later questioned and understand. Back then everyone who was at the school took a four-year course in the Masters program in each year, it became measurably more difficult and we were in the second your class entering the second your class realize that we were facing a number of real academic hurdles. For example, we were beginning our second year of four years of New Testament Greek.

We would be starting the first year of three years of Hebrew.

We also would be advancing in our study of the eras of church history. As I recall, we would enter the Reformation in Iraq and our study theology class would now really get down to business and we were going to study Christology and new metrology unit and its materiality in home archaeology that entire second year and along with that of we would be continuing several Old Testament books and Bible exposition, not to mention a couple of other mind stretching courses that we would be taking so the one that was the most feared was Hebrew so we learned that there was going to be a course offered that summer between my first and second year in Hebrew and we knew that it was a dreaded course and we thought if we could get a jump on it would be at least a head and in that the course was taught by a young professor who had just returned from his second doctoral program at at Harvard where they offered him a position to stay, understand, and some of us wished he had stayed and there, but he didn't. He chose to come back to seminary and work for really less than half what they would pray to him at Harvard to build in the lives of of young Felix and so he was our neighbors Bruce walking and brilliant man who's teaching this course that he was so familiar with teaching it to the 20 or so of us that summer were totally unfamiliar with it, and I if you're not at all familiar with Hebrew. You know you may not know that English we read from left to right Hebrew you read from right to left.

In English we have valves that are that are actual letters but there are no lettered valves in Hebrew. They're all little dots and dashes that get tucked away underneath the consonants and the owner sort of run together and in fact the very first time I looked at the page of Hebrew. I thought I was looking at of small rag rug that had been put into print and here is in front of me was was Dr. Wilkie who would cradle his Kindle is a Hebrew Bible in his arms and cut a rock on the stool he was sitting on his. He would read of the received Elohim Hashemi and tears would come to is I had tears in my eyes for other reasons, but he was he was so moved by what he was reading.

I had help me to realize second that it upside down. So I turned my Bible back like it should abandon that that help but to give you an idea of Dr. Wilkie's a speed with which you want to teach us as much as he possibly could. The very first assignment for that night was that we were to we were to memorize the Hebrew alphabet, and we were to not only learned though we could give it back verbally. We were to be able to write all the faith give a valid hey well designed That the oath complement maintenance on the guy pay zydeco fraiche's Intel 22 characters and not a soul in our class did was able to do it, not one so will follow as a matter of fact, our average grade.

That summer was 17 rear class scholars. I mean it was a study in humility. We know well from several and it was and he knew all of this knowledge that you want to pump into us and we spent most of the time staring as he talked and we would regularly say under our breath.

Words like you have got to be kidding. We were not on the same page. We weren't even in the same universe with Dr. Wilkie. What a summer course that was had by the way, going to that same course with me were some very bright young men. One was a rice graduate and another was it already had his Masters from LSU. These these these were bright young man, but the course was totally outside the realm of anything familiar and interesting as the longer we stayed at it and the more we study the language and in the more faithful we were to learn, memorize verb charts and all the stuff vocabulary goes with it, the more comfortable. In fact, by my fourth year I had Dr. Wilkie again in and I was on the same page, not fully but to three lines on the same page and it felt it it it it felt great. That is exactly where we find the disciples in Matthew 20 exactly there on the way to Jerusalem on the east side of the Jordan in the area called Korea they're making their way south in the crowd as large and Jesus knowing there will not be another journey back to Galilee because his death is imminent.

12 oh away from the crowd. We read he took them aside privately and he told them of what was ahead for him. What you don't know about reading Matthew 20 is that he's already told in this twice in Matthew 16 he told in Matthew 17 he told him.

In Matthew 20.

Now he tells them yet again and he will tell them again before he is arrested and put on trial but look at what he says look at the seriousness of his flock to that with them. Listen were going up to Jerusalem or the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die. They will hand him over to the Romans to be mocked flock with a whip and crucified. It was as if he was talking another language to them. They were even on the same page is will focus in the return to Jerusalem was what he faced and he also mentions at the end of third day he will be raised from the dead. Remember, it took the resurrection and not even that, for them to realize what it happened. They were the ones who wondered where in the world is his body, who took the body from the tomb, though they have been told time and time and time and time again I will die. I will be raised.

I will be crucified, I will come back from the dead, not on the same page.

They didn't understand the significance of his word.

It was all hidden from them. Why study this you read over it. As I've done and I'm a number of you have. I'm sure you scratch your head wondering what's the reason for their not getting it there. Nothing about him to think about themselves.

Stop and imagine they've been following Jesus now for 3+ years they've given up their careers.

Summit walked away from lucrative businesses and financial security.

They spend more time with Jesus than they have with their own wives and children so there's been sacrifice they heard Jesus talk about a kingdom, a number of different times and in different ways, where he would rule and if he rules they would help in the rain of that kingdom and they were on their way to Jerusalem which is the seat of power among the Jews. Think about their position and that kingdom and that's the change of subject. When you get to verse 20 in your reading along, and it is really in the depths of seriousness when you read the verses that I just read 17 in 19 you get to verse 20 and suddenly the attention turns is like the camera moves to a low of a mother, a mother of two of the disciples then the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus with her sons. She knelt respectfully to ask a favor which your request, he asked remember what you just told him you remember just talk about his own death, his own suffering his own resurrection is been all about that and he said what will what is it you request it.

It's that kind of response in and she replied your kingdom and see what they're thinking about see what she's thinking about on the same page in your kingdom. Please let my two sons sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left while the mothers are listening right now I am. We all have one.

We understand mothers nothing you want more than to see your children do well. So let's not be too harsh with the mother of James and John. But let's get to know a little better who she is.

Who is this woman just even named here. I'll save you the time of looking by telling you that if you go to the lists of the people. The women who were at the cross were Jesus was crucified. If you go to the lists in the Gospels's different gospel accounts. You will notice several marrieds.

There was Mary Magdalene lien whose listed every time as being their worries crucified Mary the mother of Jesus, of course, is there and there's 1/3 woman who is identified as the mother of the sons of Zebedee she is called by John get this Jesus is mother's sister, which would make her Jesus earthly aunt right, Mary, who bore Jesus had a sister who is the woman who gave birth to James and John. She's the wife of Zebedee and the mother of the sons of Zebedee, which means they were his cousins right think this the mother of James and John is called by John, Jesus is mother's sister so she, Jesus, and he knew her well.

She knew him well maybe that helps explain a little bit why she would feel the freedom to ask a favor like this were family were refused bonus longer you known any of these other men you grew up with us.

You know my sons. Good boys know to be one on your left and and and one on your right stop when the world are we doing thing about who sits on the right or left of Jesus in the midst of a conversation about his death and resurrection you do that when you will focus not on what is being said.

But on what is on your mind and let me go a little further and tell you that they set her up. I say that because of what appears in verse 22 Jesus say said you do not know what you are asking you is plural. She's singular, so he says as he looks at the boys. The man, James and John. You guys don't know what you're asking. Don't know what you're asking for and then he goes a step further to bring them back to the subject.

Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering that I'm about to drink. You realize what is ahead. You know what, following me will include the idea that happiness of what I'm facing. They not only had missed his point. They misunderstood the whole issue of kingdom promotion in his kingdom lifestyle in kingdom greatness in Jesus lifestyle is not about who sits on the right and who sits on the left is not about title. It's not about who's on top. What they didn't get is, there must be suffering before there can be significance there.

There must be brokenness for there is usefulness that there must be humility before there is authority granted that there must be the bitter cup of brain to endure before there is promotion in the middle of this lively exchange between Jesus and his disciples. There's much more Chuck Swindoll wants to show us. He's titled today's message a roadside reminder and reproof this is insight for living to discover a variety of resources that are available for today's topic, please visit us online@insightworld.org and then as we head into the weekend and perhaps will have some extra time to browse through the variety of free Bible study resources at your disposal.

For instance, you likely heard me mention the searching the Scriptures.

Studies online. Feel free to print out the PDF and use the notes in your personal quiet times at pastors and leaders can use these notes for teaching a class or preparing a message to access the searching the Scriptures guide for text daily teaching go to insight.org/studies.

In addition, Chuck is recommending an insightful book by pastor and author Bodie Baucom in faultlines voting helps Christians understand the nuances of the social justice movement, and in particular the dangerous implications of critical race theory.

This is an academic book faultlines is written for anyone who truly wants to understand how to engage in conversations about social justice from a biblical perspective again. The book is titled faultlines to find all the details for purchasing a copy@insight.org/offer 11 every say that insight for living is made possible not through the purchase of resources, but the voluntary contributions of people just like you and your gifts truly have an impact on those who hear this program. For example, I saw a comment from a grateful husband said he's been listening to this program for more than €40. Today we are in our 52nd year of marriage we both thank you for your gentle teachings from the Scriptures and as someone who financially supports insight for living, you play a significant role in making this possible to give a financial donation right now, listening in the United States, 1-800-772-8880 again. The phone number 1-800-772-8888 or go online to insight.org. Thank you for your generous support insight for living travelers who want to take a tour to Israel have lots of choices, but if you measure up to the thoughtful journey prepared by insight for living ministries with the proper mix of historical information and biblical context.

We provide ample opportunities to pause and let the wonder. Our goal is to create special moment when you deepen your love for the Bible and draw closer to your ward experience an unforgettable 12 day tour to Israel Chuck Swindoll insight for living ministries March 6-17, 2022. To help you grasp the significance of each slight you will be accompanied by handpicked Israeli guidance and we choose the best, along with some of the retrained pastors and professors to enhance your spiritual journey, no organization I know of offers this level of exceptional in depth instruction and personal care for holy land travel. Learn more or call 1-888-447-0444. Just imagine walking along sacred sites and watching the Bible the line make your reservation by calling 1-888-447-0444 or go to insight.org/events insight for living ministries tour to Israel is paid for and made possible by only those who choose to attend. Have a great weekend.

Join us again Monday. When Chuck's window study in the Gospel of Matthew continues right here on insight for living. The preceding message, a roadside reminder and reproof was copyrighted in 2017 and 2021 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2021 by Charles R.

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