Laborers in the Kingdom
The Lord God is willing to pay anyone who will come to work for him. It does not matter when a person is called, all will receive the same reward. However, there is a progression of things. Those who were called first will receive their reward last and those who were called last will receive their reward first. The way of things is flipped in the kingdom of God. There are three things to consider: First, none deserve the reward that the land owner gives. Second, all will receive an equal reward. Third, the land owner is very generous. Why should anyone be bothered if someone else gets the same reward? No one deserves the reward that they receive. The reward is eternal life in the new heaven and the new earth with God and his Christ.
Death and Resurrection
Jesus did not keep his passion a secret from his disciples. They either did not want to believe or did not understand what he was saying. To go forward knowing that the one whom you love will be arrested and crucified would be difficult to swallow. I believe that the disciples did not want to believe and did not understand at the same time. When Jesus first foretold his disciples about his death and resurrection, Peter rebuked Jesus, saying, “God forbid it, Lord!” (Mt.16:21-23) They were so unwilling to believe that Jesus would be crucified that they did not really hear that he would be raised on the third day.
Service Not Authority Honored
James and John wanted to be most honored among the disciples; therefore, they came to the Lord with their mother, who asked Jesus on her sons behalf, that they be given places, one on either side of the Lord when he comes into his kingdom. However, the kingdom of God is not like the kingdom of man. In the kingdom of God, no man is greater than any other man. All men are equal in the kingdom of God. Service towards others is considered higher in the kingdom of God than having authority over others. The person most honored in the kingdom of man is last in the kingdom of God and the person considered most lowly (a slave) is considered first in the kingdom of God.
Sight for the Blind
Two blind men wanted sight and Jesus had compassion for them; therefore, he touched their eyes and gave them sight. We are all born blind to the things of God. In John 9:39, Jesus said, (NASB) “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.” We need to see things in a different way than we see in the kingdom of man. We need a new set of eyes to see things God’s way. When we look at someone in authority or someone who is a servant, how do we see them? Do we see them with man’s eyes or with godly eyes. If you want sight, the Lord our God is compassionate and he will give you sight.
