Matthew 20:17-19

Rachel Workman: ⁷ As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside privately and told them what was going to happen to him. ¹⁸ “Listen,” he said, “we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man^[b] will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die. ¹⁹ Then they will hand him over to the Romans^[c] to be mocked, flogged with a whip, and crucified. But on the third day he will be raised from the dead.” Thank you Jesus for covering me in my sinful state.

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John Burnett: ¹⁷ As Jesus was about to go up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, and on the way He said to them, ¹⁸ “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be ^[a]delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, ¹⁹ and will hand Him over to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify Him, and on the third day He will be raised up.”  He willingly came down off of His throne in Heaven to take my punishment for the sin He knew that I would commit.  His death paid the price and His resurrection was the receipt showing that His death was sufficient and that eternal life is only possible through the One who conquered sin and death.  Thank you Jesus for paying the price for my sin.

Have a wonderful weekend.

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Allen Michaels:¹⁷ Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, ¹⁸ “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death ¹⁹ and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!”

Jesus predicted his death and resurrection for the third time (see Matthew 16:21 and Matthew 17:22, 23 for the first two times). Somehow the disciples still didn’t understand what he meant. Instead of constantly arguing greedily over which one was the most important, and instead, listening closer to Christ, they may have “gotten it” the first time.

In the gospels the disciples always seemed to me to be a bit slow. They never seemed to fully understand what Christ was saying and teaching. However, outside the gospel writings they really seemed to me to be men of faith. I discovered the below information while searching on the lives of these apostles. The term apostle came to be used after Ascension of Jesus. When all was said and done, they ended up dying horrific deaths in the name of Christ. I don’t know how much of it is 100% true without looking into it further. But it gives us something to think about.

How the Apostles Died.

1. Matthew: Suffered martyrdom in Ethiopia, Killed by a sword wound

2. Mark: Died in Alexandria, Egypt, after being dragged by Horses through the streets until he was dead.

3. Luke: Was hanged in Greece as a result of his tremendous Preaching to the lost.

4 John: Faced martyrdom when he was boiled in huge Basin of boiling oil during a wave of persecution In Rome. However, he was miraculously delivered from death. John was then sentenced to the mines on the prison Island of Patmos.

He wrote his prophetic Book of Revelation on Patmos. The apostle John was later freed and returned to serve as Bishop of Edessa in modern Turkey. He died as an old man, the only apostle to die peacefully.

5. Peter: He was crucified upside down on an x-shaped cross.

According to church tradition it was because he told his tormentors that he felt unworthy to die in the same way that Jesus Christ had died.

6. James: The leader of the church in Jerusalem was thrown over a hundred feet down from the southeast pinnacle* of the Temple when he refused to deny his faith in Christ. When they discovered that he survived the fall, his enemies beat James to death with a fuller's club.

* This was the same pinnacle where Satan had taken Jesus during the Temptation.

7. James the Great: Son of Zebedee, was a fisherman by trade when Jesus Called him to a lifetime of ministry.

As a strong leader of the church, James was ultimately beheaded at Jerusalem.

The Roman officer who guarded James watched amazed as James defended his faith at his trial.

Later, the officer walked beside James to the place of execution. Overcome by conviction, he declared his new faith to the judge and Knelt beside James to accept beheading as a Christian.

8. Bartholomew: Also known as Nathaniel was a missionary to Asia. He witnessed for our Lord in present day Turkey.

Bartholomew was martyred for his preaching in Armenia where he was flayed to death by a whip.

9. Andrew: He was crucified on an x-shaped cross in Petra's, Greece. After being whipped severely by seven soldiers they tied his body to the cross with cords to prolong his agony. His followers reported that, when he was led toward the cross, Andrew saluted it in these words: 'I have long desired and expected this happy hour.

The cross has been consecrated by the body of Christ hanging on it.' He continued to preach to his tormentors for two days until he expired.

10. Thomas: Was stabbed with a spear in India during one of his missionary trips to establish the church in the Sub-continent

11. Jude: Was killed with arrows when he refused to deny his faith in Christ.

12. Matthias: The apostle chosen to replace the traitor Judas Iscariot was stoned and then beheaded.

13. Paul: Was tortured and then beheaded by the evil Emperor Nero at Rome in A.D. 67. Paul endured a lengthy imprisonment, which allowed him to write his many epistles to the churches he had formed throughout the Roman Empire. These letters, which taught many of the foundational Doctrines of Christianity, form a large portion of the New Testament. Perhaps this is a reminder to us that our sufferings here are indeed minor compared to the intense persecution and cold cruelty faced by the apostles and disciples during their times For the sake of the Faith. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: But he that endureth to the end shall be saved. Matthew

Faith is not believing that God can; it is knowing that God WILL!

Matthew 20:1-16

Rachel Workman: 20 “For the Kingdom of Heaven is like the landowner who went out early one morning to hire workers for his vineyard. ² He agreed to pay the normal daily wage^[a] and sent them out to work.
³ “At nine o’clock in the morning he was passing through the marketplace and saw some people standing around doing nothing. ⁴ So he hired them, telling them he would pay them whatever was right at the end of the day. ⁵ So they went to work in the vineyard. At noon and again at three o’clock he did the same thing.
⁶ “At five o’clock that afternoon he was in town again and saw some more people standing around. He asked them, ‘Why haven’t you been working today?’
⁷ “They replied, ‘Because no one hired us.’
“The landowner told them, ‘Then go out and join the others in my vineyard.’
⁸ “That evening he told the foreman to call the workers in and pay them, beginning with the last workers first. ⁹ When those hired at five o’clock were paid, each received a full day’s wage. ¹⁰ When those hired first came to get their pay, they assumed they would receive more. But they, too, were paid a day’s wage. ¹¹ When they received their pay, they protested to the owner, ¹² ‘Those people worked only one hour, and yet you’ve paid them just as much as you paid us who worked all day in the scorching heat.’
¹³ “He answered one of them, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair! Didn’t you agree to work all day for the usual wage? ¹⁴ Take your money and go. I wanted to pay this last worker the same as you. ¹⁵ Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be jealous because I am kind to others?’

¹⁶ “So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.”

I'm going to go ahead and admit here that I have had this same type of mentality. Selfishly I've seen times when I've thought there is no way that person deserves salvation for the sins they've committed. How is it fair that someone who spends their life conflicting pain and suffering on others deserve to be first in God's eyes? But I'm sure in my lifetime there are a few people who might feel the same way about me. I know I've hurt people, whether it was on purpose or not. And honestly I don't want the responsibility of picking who makes it to heaven and who does not. God's thoughts are not my thoughts, and his ways are not my ways. His wisdom and love surpasses anything that I know. That is something we can all be grateful for.

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John Burnett:  20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like ^[a]a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. ² When he had agreed with the laborers for a ^[b]denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. ³ And he went out about the ^[c]third hour and saw others standing idle in the market place; ⁴ and to those he said, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ And so they went. ⁵ Again he went out about the ^[d]sixth and the ninth hour, and did ^[e]the same thing. ⁶ And about the ^[f]eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around; and he *said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day long?’ ⁷ They *said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He *said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’

⁸ “When evening came, the ^[g]owner of the vineyard *said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.’ ⁹ When those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a ^[h]denarius. ¹⁰ When those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more; ^[i]but each of them also received a denarius. ¹¹ When they received it, they grumbled at the landowner, ¹² saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.’ ¹³ But he answered and said to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? ¹⁴ Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. ¹⁵ Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye ^[j]envious because I am ^[k]generous?’ ¹⁶ So the last shall be first, and the first last.”  This is the perfect example of God’s grace.  We do not earn what He gives us.  It is only by His grace that we receive our reward.

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Mike Grimm:  20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. ² He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

³ “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. ⁴ He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ ⁵ So they went.

“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. ⁶ About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’

⁷ “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.

“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’

⁸ “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’

⁹ “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. ¹⁰ So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. ¹¹ When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. ¹² ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’

¹³ “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? ¹⁴ Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. ¹⁵ Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

¹⁶ “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

This parable is not about rewards but about salvation. It is a strong teaching about grace, God’s generosity. We shouldn’t begrudge those who turn to God in the last moments of life, because, in reality, none of us deserve eternal life.

We must ask ourselves; “do I resent God’s gracious acceptance of the despised, the outcast, and the sinners who have turned to him for forgiveness? Am I jealous of what God has given to another person?” I can honestly say yes, especially when I see people like Jeffrey Dahmer come to accept Christ just before he died in prison. I see it as “how can it be so easy for this guy, while I still struggle daily? I’ve never resorted to cannibalism but this guy found peace.” I’m overlooking just how much God loves ALL of us, even the lowest of all people. I don’t think God wants us playing “Eternal Roulette” by continuing to sin right on up until we are on our death bed. This will work, but are we willing to bet that we will have that “last minute” to repent and accept Christ? Every breath is a gift and should not be expected. Our last breath could be instantly or dragged out over time. Instead of looking at others we need to focus on God’s gracious benefits to us, and be thankful for what we have.

Matthew 19:19-30

Rachel Workman: And Jesus replied: “‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. ¹⁹ Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[h]”
²⁰ “I’ve obeyed all these commandments,” the young man replied. “What else must I do?”
²¹ Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
²² But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
²³ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. ²⁴ I’ll say it again—it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”
²⁵ The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked.
²⁶ Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”
²⁷ Then Peter said to him, “We’ve given up everything to follow you. What will we get?”
²⁸ Jesus replied, “I assure you that when the world is made new^[i] and the Son of Man^[j] sits upon his glorious throne, you who have been my followers will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹ And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life. ³⁰ But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.^[k]

In order to understand the phrase, it is important to understand what happened before and after Jesus' statement. Jesus had just finished telling His disciples that it was very difficult for a rich man to enter heaven. His disciples were surprised at His statement because the Jews believed that giving money gained favor with God. Since rich men can give more money, they can gain greater favor with God by giving more than other people.

So Peter reminded the Lord that they had left everything to follow Him and asks, " . . . what then will there be for us?" Peter is worried. He seems to be asking, "Have we given enough?" Jesus encouraged Peter and His disciples and then made the statement, the "first will be last; and the last, first."

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John Burnett:  ¹⁸ Then he *said to Him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not commit murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; ¹⁹ Honor your father and mother; and You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ²⁰ The young man *said to Him, “All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?” ²¹ Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be ^[a]complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” ²² But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.

²³ And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴ Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” ²⁵ When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?” ²⁶ And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”  19:26 is one of my favorite verses and it shows God’s omnipotence.  We are selfish beings but if we really understood what Heaven is like, we would sell everything to gain it.  Thankfully we don’t have to do that to gain Heaven, all we have to do is repent and put our trust in Jesus Christ as our Savior.

The Disciples’ Reward

²⁷ Then Peter said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?” ²⁸ And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on ^[b]His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹ And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother ^[c]or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive ^[d]many times as much, and will inherit eternal life. ³⁰ But many who are first will be last; and the last, first. 

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Allen Michaels:  ²⁰ “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”

²¹ Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Should all believers sell everything they own? No. We are responsible to care for our own needs and the needs of our families so as not to be a burden on others. We should, however, be willing to give up anything if God asks us to do so. This kind of attitude allows nothing to come between us and God and keeps us from using our God-given wealth selfishly.

²² When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. We cannot love God with all our hearts and yet keep our money to ourselves. Loving him totally means using our money in ways that please him.

²³ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴ Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

²⁵ When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”

²⁶ Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

It would appear impossible for a rich person to get into the kingdom of God. Jesus explained, however, that “with God all things are possible.” Even rich people can enter the kingdom if God brings them in. Faith in Christ, not in self or riches, is what counts. We have to question ourselves as to what are we counting on for salvation.

²⁷ Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?” Obedience and immediate reward are not always linked. If they were, good people would always be rich, and suffering would always be a sign of sin. As believers, our true reward is God’s presence and power through the Holy Spirit. Later, in eternity, we will be rewarded for our faith and service.

²⁸ Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹ And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. ³⁰ But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first. In the life to come, the last will be first—if they got in last place because they choose to follow Christ. We must not forfeit eternal rewards for temporary benefits. We must be willing to make sacrifices now for greater rewards later. We must be willing to accept human disapproval, while knowing that we have God’s approval.

So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. (2 Corinthians 4:18 NLT)

I found the below devotional at http://www.jesusone.com/devotionals/22yourlifeistemporary.htm

The physical body will perish and return to dust, but the Spirit will live forever. A couple of scriptures (Luke 12:7 and Matthew 10:30) relate to the fact that even the hairs of your head are numbered. God knows everything about you. He even knows what you will do before you do it.

We should live each day to its fullest; by gaining as much wisdom as possible and doing as much good as we can. Try to make a difference in the lives of those you touch; be a positive influence for good. Worldly possessions and fame are temporary. God's Love and Wisdom is eternal. Don't live your life in vain, by seeking after those things that don't last.

Matthew 6:19-21 - Don't store treasures for yourselves here on earth where moths and rust will destroy them and thieves can break in and steal them. But store your treasures in Heaven where they cannot be destroyed by moths or rust and where thieves cannot break in and steal them. Your heart will be where your treasure is.