110. Chapter 51 - Rewards and Suffering

Chapter 51 - Rewards and Suffering Matthew 20:1-28;Mark 10:32-45;Luke 18:31-34 The Final Rewards The connection between these discussions that arose out of the exchange with the rich young ruler is so close it is hard to find a clear line of division. The revelation Jesus made of the high honor which the apostles would receive in the final day led naturally to a sharp warning against exalted pride. The parable of the workers in the vineyard followed immediately to warn against the idea that salvation can be earned. Salvation by works was the very folly which encompassed the young ruler. It could assail the apostles even now. They are warned that many that are first will he last; and last, first. This statement may refer to time of service or amount of opportunity and service. Jesus purposely left it vague so that it could cover the entire field and serve as a warning to all. This cryptic statement opens and closes the parable. Some would connect this statement with the rich young ruler and have it teach that many who are first in the world by reason of wealth, position, fame, and social prestige will he last in the next because of their failure to use their gifts and opportunities. But this parable implies that both the first and the last were saved, so could the rich young ruler he included? Some would apply it to Judas, but he cannot be the objective for the same reason.

Others connect the statement with the self-assurance of Peter in taking for granted that all the apostles would be saved because they had left all and followed Jesus. The only question was what reward they would receive. In the answer of Jesus, Peter was warned not to presume that those who had first followed Jesus would necessarily outrank those who came later, or that because it is so difficult for a rich man to he saved, therefore those who have left all to follow Jesus would necessarily he saved. Some would make first and last refer to those who are first and last in time of following Jesus, and others would make them refer to those in prominent positions in the church and those in humble places. This last interpretation would be similar to the rule of greatness that the one who would be greatest is to be the servant of all. Most important is the word many in Matthew 19:30. It is not by mathematical procedure, but by God’s wisdom, that the rewards shall be given. Rewards furnish a justifiable motive in the heart of a Christian. The Sovereignty of God

Whatever may be the particular emphasis of the enigmatic statement about the first and the last, the central principle of the parable is clear; salvation cannot be earned. There will be rewards, but not salary. It is the payment of wages in the parable which brings out the fact that no one of the servants had actually earned what he was paid and that it was a manifestation of the generosity of the master that they should have been given employment and that any should have been paid so much. The generosity was greater toward the men who had only the opportunity to work for a short period, but the master was very clear and firm in his enunciation that he had a right to exercise his own judgment in the payment of the workers. Salvation is the free gift of God, and man cannot expect to dictate to God how it shall be given.

Saved by Grace

“Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13) means whosoever seeks salvation at God’s hands and upon God’s terms. God will keep His promises; each man who labors faithfully according to his opportunities shall be graciously rewarded by God. If the first turn out to be the last, and the last, first, it is none of man’s affair. God is Master of His world and will bestow rewards as He deems best.

Other Principles

There are other elements evident in the parable. Christ’s invitation is a call to work. The joy of working for God and the glory of achievement fill the entire Bible. The Christian’s task is as wide as the world and to the end of time; there can never be any excuse for idleness. Observe how the word idle stands out in the parable: “Why stand ye here idle all the day?” The glorious, inexhaustible character of the eternal reward which man can never deserve, and the responsibility of man for his opportunities are two other elements seen in the parable.

Scenery

Much in the parable is scenery rather than identifiable details. The market place was the gathering place of the idle and true to life in Palestine. The hiring of men at different hours in the effort to save the harvest was also common. The third hour Isaiah 9:1-21 a.m.; the sixth hour is noon; the ninth hour is 3:00 p.m.; the eleventh hour is 5:00 p.m. The urgency of the master that every possible means he used to save the harvest is seen in his persistent returns to the marketplace to find more workers, even to the eleventh hour. The fact that the men hired last were paid off first has no especial meaning, but the parable is so arranged as to emphasize the complaints of those who had worked longer hours. It was necessary for them to see what the late comers had been paid before they could have a basis for their complaints when they came to be paid. The envy and jealousy of the men who worked through the entire day toward the eleventh-hour men is common in this world. It is not true of heaven; it is nothing more than scenery in the parable to enforce the lesson of God’s sovereignty and the impossibility of man’s deserving eternal life. The wage, a “penny,” or shilling, or denarius, is about seventeen cents in our money, but the course of inflation through the centuries makes it difficult for us to estimate the actual worth. It was equal to a day’s wage. The wage represents the gift of eternal life, which none really can earn. The fact that all received the same amount does not imply that there will be no difference in the rewards bestowed in eternity. The basic idea Jesus stated at the beginning and the end of the parable is that the first shall he last and the last shall be first. This will he true of “many.” This principle is exactly the opposite of affirming that the rewards of all will be the same. The request of James and John for the chief seats and the reply of Jesus makes this same proposition very clear. This conclusion of the parable is not that “therefore, all shall receive the same reward,” but that there will be many that are first, and many that are last. God’s wisdom and grace determine the position. The Eleventh-Hour Men

Others is a most important word in the parable. “And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing in the marketplace idle” (Matthew 20:3); “and about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing” (Matthew 20:6). The conversation with these eleventh-hour men shows that they had not been working because they had not been able to secure work all day. Here was their first opportunity. The parable does not represent any rejections of the invitations to work. In this respect it does not present a full picture of life. We must remember that parables are constructed to reveal segments and do not claim to represent all truth in any parable. Too many details introduced in a parable tend to distract from the main principles taught. The parable does not represent some men in the marketplace refusing to work and then hiding around a corner of a building to persuade others at the third and sixth hour that there is no need to go to work this early in the day, and that the master was very anxious for workers and would be back later in the day and they could go in and work at the ninth or the eleventh hour. The parable offers no discussion of the question of death-bed repentance. The eleventh-hour men cannot represent people who have rejected Christ all their lives and then give Him the last few moments. They represent those who have never had an opportunity before, who gladly accept the first call they receive, and who do the best they can in the time they have. Some old person in the jungles of Africa who hears the gospel for the first time when his life is nearing the end of the earthly journey, and who accepts joyfully and works diligently for the time that is left, would be properly represented by this eleventh-hour man. God will decide what to do in regard to those who reject repeated invitations and then finally come in the last moments of their stay on earth. We do not qualify for judgment on mankind and are not commissioned to decide. We preach the gospel.

Warning of the Impending Tragedy

These discussions about rewards were tempered by Jesus in a manner calculated to emphasize work rather than reward, and responsibilities rather than rights. The method He used was to make another very pointed prediction that He was going up to Jerusalem to die in fulfillment of the will of God. “And they were on the way, going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed; and they that followed were afraid” (Mark 10:32). This comment seems to be a commonplace statement, but it is full of deep pathos. It presents a situation which made a pro. found impression upon the disciples at the time, and later on, when they looked back across the years. Here is the distinct touch of an eyewitness who saw with keen vision and reported situations which impressed him particularly. This verse seems to bear out the tradition that Peter directed the writing of Mark. It also is killing in its impact on the Two-source Theory. If Matthew copied from Mark, and Luke copied from both Mark and Matthew, why did they omit such a vivid touch as this? Jesus was evidently accustomed to walking freely in the midst of His disciples, teaching them and conversing with them as they walked. But now He was striding on before them with such a look on His face and such a determined manner that the disciples were awe-struck and followed at a distance. Up to this time He had been proceeding in His Peraean campaign in a somewhat leisurely manner, gradually coming closer to the capital. Now this description indicates an abrupt change in His procedure, as He ceased side campaigns and turned with startling determination to go to Jerusalem.

Awe and Fear

Mark does not explain what made the disciples so fearful, or whether this sudden change in the feelings and actions of the apostles resulted from the change in Jesus’ appearance and manner. They were afraid to remain in His immediate company. The enemies of Jesus were frequently caused to shrink back from His presence. The apostles do not seem to be following at a distance because of any command of Jesus, but because of the atmosphere about Him. Mark does not state whether their fear was for what would happen to Him or them. Perhaps they could not separate the two in their own minds. Since they were human beings, they must have experienced fear as they anticipated death for themselves at the end of this fateful journey. But their chief anxiety was for their Lord. They realized the desperate crisis which was about to ensue at Jerusalem. They believed Jesus to be the Son of God, but He had repeatedly predicted that He was going up to Jerusalem to be killed by His enemies and that He would not defend Himself against them; He claimed to be fulfilling the will of God for which He had come into the world. What then? The Final Journey

“And he took again the twelve, and began to tell them the things that were to happen unto him.” Matthew says, “He took the twelve disciples apart” (Matthew 20:17); Luke reports, “He took unto him the twelve” (Luke 18:31). They were evidently traveling in one of the regular highways, but now Jesus turned aside into bypaths or more rugged terrain and separated the apostles from a larger group of disciples for this private conference. They had probably come into territory where thousands of pilgrims were going along on their journey to the Passover. We cannot tell how long Jesus traveled along, stern of demeanor and separated by considerable space from His disciples, before He called them aside to explain. This private conference may have come at the end of the day or at meal time. He had frequently spoken to the multitudes concerning His death, but such predictions had been veiled in character. This prediction is to be very clear and pointed; hence, it is for the apostles alone. He evidently sought to explain to them the thoughts upon His heart which had transformed His appearance and manner, and the crisis ahead for which they must be prepared. In His earlier predictions He had spoken of an indefinite time. He had said, “We must go up to Jerusalem”; now He says, “We are going up to Jerusalem.” This definitely identifies this journey as the last and fateful one.

Fearful Details

“The Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests and the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him unto the Gentiles; and they shall mock him, and shall spit upon him, and shall scourge him, and shall kill him; and after three days he shall rise again” (Mark 10:33, Mark 10:34). Every one of these dreadful details must have beat upon their hearts like an alarm bell in the night. They had been so slow to understand or believe that He would submit to death. It seemed incredible in the light of His divine Person and His miraculous power. Clearer details should help them now to grip the approaching reality and strengthen their faith to meet it. After the resurrection these predictions must have become one of the very powerful bases for their faith as they looked back upon the tragic events. It is most convincing evidence to us of His miraculous foresight and of God’s plan for man’s redemption. His death was not “by the hands of wicked men” who thwarted God, but by “the deliberate counsel and foreknowledge of God.”

Mark gives each of the various distinct details in the prediction, such as the betrayal by Judas (“delivered unto”), the trial and condemnation by the Sanhedrin, trial by Pilate, mocking by the Jews and Roman soldiers, and the death and resurrection. Matthew alone mentions the particular form of death — crucifixion. Mark and Luke imply this in saying that His death was actually to be accomplished by the Gentiles (Romans). Matthew and Luke agree in saying that the resurrection was to be “on the third day”; Mark reports, “after three days.” These differences show the accounts to be independent; none of them is an exact or exhaustive record of what Jesus said, but a summary. That the method of counting time was the popular one of counting a part of a day as a day is shown by the free manner in which “after three days” is laid parallel with “on the third day.” Luke tells us that the disciples were still in stupefied perplexity after this prediction: “And they understood none of these things; and this saying was hid from them, and they perceived not the things that were said” (Luke 18:34). Matthew and Mark do not undertake to analyze their feelings and reaction. They seem stubbornly to have closed their minds to any further consideration of why Jesus should follow such a course and only went forward blindly to share whatever would come to Him.

Modern Denials The fact that these predictions offer such strong proof of the claims of Jesus has made them the special target of unbelievers. Extreme modernists deny that Jesus ever made such predictions and hold that these are mere inventions put into the mouth of Jesus after the events occurred. Other skeptics hold that Jesus could have foreseen in general that His death was inevitable as any man might do, and that He actually predicted His death. Allen (Com. on Matt., p. 216) and Gould (Com. on Mark, p. 198), both suggest that the details of these predictions are so explicit that the reports may have been colored up by the writers after the event had enabled them to specify such details. Plummer (Commentary on Luke, p. 428) replies ably to the entire group. He asks why, if Luke colored his report here with definite details, did he not do the same in Luke 9:22, Luke 9:44? The gradual revelation of more definite details is true to the facts and in entire harmony with the methods of Jesus. And further than this, how about the predictions of Isaiah fifty-three, Psalms 34:20, and similar passages in the Old Testament? No one can claim that these were colored up after events! The predictions of Jesus do not rest upon the predictions of Isaiah; Jesus does not repeat the predictions of Isaiah that the death of the Messiah is to be with the wicked and His burial with the rich. The independence of the predictions of Jesus and of the Gospel accounts adds to their impressiveness. After His resurrection Jesus must have made powerful use of these predictions when He showed the disciples from the Old Testament Scriptures that it had been foretold that the Messiah would die for the sins of the world. While Matthew and Mark do not state that the disciples failed to understand, when they tell immediately afterward of the request of James and John, they demonstrate that the disciples refused to contemplate the dreadful future which was near at hand. It was much more pleasant to think on the more distant glory. The Request of James and John

Mark evidently is summarizing when he reports that James and John made this request for the chief seats in the kingdom. Matthew says that their mother came with them and spoke for them in the beginning of the conference. And even Matthew shows that although the mother made the request, Jesus answered not the mother, but the two. “Are ye able?” Since the two sons were really the ones who made the request through their mother and since Jesus’ reply was made to them, Mark is justified in his summary. Matthew and Mark have their own way of indicating that the request was so couched as to ask Jesus to promise to fulfill it before it was stated. This was as childish as their use of their mother in making the request. The fact that their request was so selfish in character undoubtedly caused them to proceed in such a devious manner. The comparison of the names of the women at the cross indicates that the wife of Zebedee was a sister of Mary of Nazareth, the mother of Jesus. If this is true, then they probably were hoping to use this relationship to gain personal advantage. Their mother would have been interested in the advancement and future of her sons.

Confused Hopes

It is a strange thing how spirituality and selfishness wage an everlasting battle in the heart. Coupled with the selfishness, there seems to have been lingering hopes for a worldly kingdom. The materialistic idea had been evident in Peter’s question as to what sort of reward the apostles would have. The reply that they were to sit on twelve thrones had evidently been taken in a literal sense, while Jesus had meant it spiritually. James and John then decided that they would seek the chief places. Critics argue it is impossible that Jesus should have so clearly predicted His death in the manner that Luke declares and yet the apostles still have been thinking of a material kingdom. But they forget how slow the mind is to comprehend one thing when all the desires and attention are concentrated on the opposite. They were so full of dreams of the material kingdom that they found it doubly hard actually to believe the predictions of Jesus’ death. Their sorrow and anxiety were so great when they did turn to face these predictions they found welcome relief from impending tragedy by thinking and talking about the coming glory of the kingdom. They were in a state of confusion, which is not surprising under the circumstances. The Chief Seats

“Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” (Matthew 20:22). Mark adds, “or to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” (Mark 10:38). Jesus’ strong rebuke that they did not understand the nature of the kingdom or the significance of what they asked is too often an appropriate response to modern petitions. If we think the request of James and John is unparalleled, we should take another look at church history and the situation in the world today with the scramble for the chief seats in the vast political organization which the National Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches is constructing. A material kingdom vs. a spiritual kingdom is the perennial struggle in the church. Before we denounce too loudly the stupidity of the apostles for not understanding the spiritual nature of the kingdom, we need to examine ourselves and reflect upon the fact that we have the full gospel in our hands. But it is a gospel which has been rejected by those who construct the modern Tower of Babel. The “Cup” and the “Baptism”

Jesus used two figures to remind them of the approaching tragedy in Jerusalem. When He promised them a hundredfold reward, He had added that they must anticipate persecution from these wicked men even as they experienced the blessings of God. Now He reminded them of this prospect, using the figures of a cup from which He was about to drink and a baptism with which He was about to be baptized. Cup is a common figure of speech for either joy or sorrow (Psalms 23:5; Psalms 16:5; Isaiah 51:17; Jeremiah 49:12). Here it pictures the agony of death. What dregs were in that cup! He bore the sins of all the world in all the ages, as He bore our sins in His own body on the tree. Baptism is also used figuratively here as an immersion in suffering, which overwhelms. The meaning “ immersion” stands out even in this metaphorical use of baptidzo. Jesus had previously used this figure to represent His death (Luke 12:50). The independence of the accounts of Matthew and Mark here is remarkable. If Matthew copied from Mark, why did he leave out the figure of baptism? No intelligent answer can be given by those who derive the Gospel accounts from sources.

Overconfident

“We are able” (Matthew 20:22). Both Matthew and Mark report their blunt, precise, bold reply in this brief manner. They declared they understood that they were to die for Jesus’ sake and that they were not afraid to die. Their overconfidence makes the more lamentable their failure on the final night when Jesus was arrested, and they all forsook Him and fled. If the sons of Zebedee had been questioned in later years about occasions which they could recall only with embarrassment and regret, they certainly would have named as one such occasion this scene with its selfish request and its too-confident assertion. It seems strange that one of the well-known hymns of the church today should anchor itself on this unfortunate episode in the life of James and John and have congregations repeat today “We are able,” instead of offering a humble petition that God will help us to be able in the time of extreme trial. These two apostles were determined to go to their death for Christ and yet to fend off thoughts of the death of Jesus. We cannot be sure, however, that they were not thinking of Jesus’ death and their own, and of the final triumph of the kingdom in some manner they did not yet comprehend.

Jesus seized the opportunity to tell them that they would indeed suffer for Him even as He was about to suffer for them. In the resurrection appearance to the seven apostles by the Sea of Galilee in the early dawn, Jesus revealed to Peter that he would die a martyr’s death by crucifixion (John 21:18, John 21:19). Undoubtedly recalling this earlier prediction concerning the sons of Zebedee, Peter asked concerning the fate of John. His unseemly curiosity was rebuked by Jesus: “If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me” (John 21:22). This indefinite prophecy leaves the fate of John unrevealed.

Martyrs for Christ

“My cup indeed ye shall drink; but to sit on my right hand, and on my left hand, is not mine to give; but it is for them for whom it hath been prepared of my Father” (Matthew 20:23). This repetition of the figurative language leaves uncertain whether Jesus is predicting a martyr’s death for these two apostles or whether He means they would suffer great persecution for His sake. They were both to drink a bitter cup and to be overwhelmed with suffering. James was beheaded by Herod Agrippa 1. John lived to an extremely old age at Ephesus in spite of great persecution, exile on the island of Patmos, and endless suffering for Christ. Early Christian writers declare he finally died a natural death at Ephesus. The facts of his longevity and that his books were written late in the century furnish critical evidence for the inspiration and divine authority of the New Testament books and for the formation of the canon. It is sometimes said that James suffered “red martyrdom” ; and John, “white martyrdom.”

God’s Choice

Jesus did not respond to their request for the chief seats by saying that there will be no seats of honor since everyone is to have the same reward. He declared that there would be chief places in the kingdom and that they would be bestowed by God Himself, and as He saw fit. The verb must be supplied, but the meaning is plain: “But it is for them, [or, it shall be given to them] for whom it hath been prepared of my Father.” Jesus’ answers show, not merely that God would be the One to bestow these honors, but that they would be given as a matter of achievement, rather than appointment. In the kingdom they would receive the places for which they had fitted themselves. As we reflect on the great joy we will have in heaven in meeting those to whom we are especially indebted, such as the apostle Paul with his grand influence on our lives through his life and writings, it is plain that a natural and inevitable result of our labors for Christ will he reflected in heaven. For whom it hath been prepared of my Father suggests predestination; it is useless “for them to ask chief places, God knows beforehand what each man will achieve and become, and has prepared in advance the places they shall have in His kingdom.” Jesus plainly says this has already been settled by God on the basis of His foreknowledge. The concluding remarks of Jesus that greatness in the kingdom is achieved by humble service in His name show how far they missed the whole ideal when they thought that an earthly request might forestall the other apostles and might secure for them high places by appointment. Since we see some in special places of honor at Pentecost when the kingdom was established, it should not be surprising to us that there will be special honors in the consummation of the kingdom. The Quarrel

“And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation concerning the two brethren” (Matthew 20:24). Is the word brethren sarcastic in this setting? To have heard the heated though subdued discussions, one might have thought these brethren were not in a brotherly mood. It is not hard to fill in the details as to how Peter felt when he heard that James and John had executed such a political maneuver as this. Had not Jesus promised him a most exalted place in the kingdom? Was he not to have the keys which would open its doors? Was he now to receive neither the seat on the right hand nor on the left? Jealousy always lurks in the background where groups of leaders are associated together; it comes into the foreground when special favors are sought. The twelve had quarreled over such matters before, and even in the upper room on the night Jesus was betrayed and arrested, they quarreled, and it was over the seating arrangement (see “The Quarrel”). On certain occasions special honors had been bestowed upon the inner three, Peter, James, and John; these occasions had been the resurrection of Jairus’ daughter and the transfiguration scene. This same spirit of jealousy and rivalry had shown itself after the latter scene, and Jesus had been compelled to rebuke and warn His disciples for their quarrel. A little child in the midst became the illustration He used to condemn and shame the apostles. Those earlier honors had been bestowed by Jesus. Now that two of the disciples moved to seek special honors, their former quarrel must have started to flame up.

Christ’s Example

“Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them” (Matthew 20:25). They evidently were by themselves or off at a distance where Peter could give James and John a piece of his mind with more freedom. Jesus interrupted their quarrel with a sharp summons. The rulers of the Jews also lorded it over all within their control, but they themselves bowed to the yoke of Rome, that ruled all the world. Therefore the reference to the Gentiles was more vivid and all-inclusive. The principle of greatness as the inevitable result of humble service brings in two words, minister and servant. The first Greek word means a servant who works for wages, and the second means a bond-slave. The first denotes a servant in relation to his work without making clear his relationship to his master. The word minister, as it is used today, so often carries such an official content of honor that we are apt to forget that the basis of the word is humble service. Not from the motive of becoming prominent, but from the humble desire to help others, comes the spiritual exaltation.

“Even as the Son of man came not to he ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). In laying down this startling and strenuous rule of greatness, Jesus did not make an exception of Himself, but became our Exemplar here as in all else. This is the first time in His predictions of His death that He had indicated it would be for the redemption of the world: “for many,” i.e., for all who will accept Him as Savior. He had repeatedly declared that He would be the Redeemer of the world. Passages such as John 3:1-36 :l4-l6 had indicated in a veiled manner His vicarious death, because He “gave his only begotten Son” can only mean “gave him to die for our sins” in light of all the rest of the Scripture. But now Jesus was speaking clearly. In the matter of humble service Jesus was going to the last limit of devotion as He gave His life as a ransom for many. As in the case of parables, such figures are not to be pressed into parallel details. The question immediately becomes troublesome as to whom the ransom was paid, and why. We must accept the thrilling illustration without expecting that any illustration can be found which can adequately picture the atonement. In searching through the Bible for exceeding precious words to write indelibly on our hearts, we certainly must give this humble declaration of Jesus a high place.