Matthew 20

Going Up To Jerusalem

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I have heard froAnd Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them,
“Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn Him to death, and shall deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify Him: and the third day He shall rise again.”
Matthew 20:17-19
m Bible scholars, and teachers, many of whom have been to Jerusalem; that no matter from which we you are coming to Jerusalem, you are always going up to Jerusalem.

The Lord Jesus had His eyes set on the one day that He would go to the city one final time, and He would give His life that the world might be saved.

Hear what Jesus says,

And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them,
“Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn Him to death, and shall deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify Him: and the third day He shall rise again.”
Matthew 20:17-19

Though, it is not written as the words of Jesus chapter 16:21 tells us that Jesus told them that He was going to Jerusalem, suffer and die, and that He would rise again. It never seemed to sink into their understanding. Then He tells them once again in chapter 17:22-23 and they still do not get it. They believed that He was the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:13-19).

The twelve disciples were blinded by their own understanding of what the Messiah was supposed to do. They were possibly come to understand, and believe that the Messiah was only a Savior for the Jew, and not the Gentile. They did not understand the meanings of the prophecies of His first coming, they were thinking the Christ was coming to conquer Rome and deliver Israel and set up His kingdom on earth. They were wrong, and soon found that out.

Every prophecy concerning the Messiah was fulfilled in the coming of Christ as a suffering Servant, and He was faithful, even to death on the cross (Philippians 2:8).

As we are getting near the end of the Gospel according to Matthew, we know that what Jesus spoke was true, and is still true; Christ Jesus died for our sins. It is not the best way of salvation; it is the only way of salvation. No one will be saved by keeping the law, or by living by the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus and His death, burial, and resurrection is the only way.

The Kingdom of Heaven and Hiring Laborers

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For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said unto them; “Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you.” And they went their way.
Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, “Why stand ye here all the day idle?” They say unto him, “Because no man hath hired us.” He saith unto them, “Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.”
So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, “Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.” And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, saying, “These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.” But he answered one of them, and said, “Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?”
So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.                                    Matthew 20:1-16

The Lord of all will give equal reward of eternity with the Lord, to all who are faithful to come to Him and to do His service. Whether one comes to faith in Him near the beginning of life or at the end of life, eternal life will be theirs.

A Set Mind On His Destination

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“And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them,
‘Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn Him to death, and shall deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify, and the third day He shall rise again.’ ”   Matthew 20:17-19

Many of us when we are going on a trip in our cars or trucks have a destination; a certain place we are going. There are times on vacation traveling especially when we set out for that destination and do not want to stop until we get there. It is, however, a good thing for us to take in some of the sights, and visit other things as we go.

Jesus came into the world; He came unto us with one set destination in His heart and mind. What was that destination? It was to glorify the Father by fulfilling all the things concerning Himself in Scripture. To begin with that was to go to Jerusalem and die for the sins of the world, upon  a cruel, old rugged cross; taking the sins of the world upon Himself, becoming sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21), and taking the judgment from Holy God that should have been our own.

Before the cross He shares at least three times with His disciples that He must die, and that He will rise again. He did. He is alive forever more.

Call on the One and the only One who can redeem you from your sins. Call on the name of the Lord, confessing Him believing that God has raised Him from the dead, and you will be saved (Romans 10:9-10). Make this your destination – eternal life.

Prayer for this Lord’s Day January 10, 2021

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“Even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many.”  Matthew 20:28
“He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth.”  Proverbs 10:17

Father, Lord and God, You are holy, holy, holy. There is none like You. By You all things were created. By You all things consist, You are the Sovereign of the Universe and there is no other.

Lord, there are many hearts that are grieved by the events of the past week, and even the months and years past. We have seen evil for many years now; though it seems many are seeing evil as good, and good as evil. It is time for You Lord to work, for many have made void Your law, Your word and Your will.

Let this judgment begin at Your house Lord, let it begin in the hearts of all who call themselves Christian. Show us our sins and convict us of our unrighteous and sinful ways and lead us to repentance. Forgive our sins.

Lord, even if our nation is past saving, touch Your Church, and make her holy. Show Yourself strong in the hearts of those who have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb and lift up the name that is above every name. The name of Jesus our Lord, our Savior and our God. Amen.

Words Of Jesus; Son Of God, God The Son – 073020

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“And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them,
‘Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn Him to death, and shall deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify Him: and the third day He shall rise again.’ ” Matthew 20:17-19  (KJB)

Up To Jerusalem

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The way to Jerusalem is always up.  You never hear of going over to Jerusalem, down to Jerusalem; but always up.  For Jesus this trek to the city would be His final one before He is crucified.  Now He; one more time; tell His disciples what is about to happen…

“And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them, ‘Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn Him to death, and shall deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify: and the third day He shall rise again.’” Matthew 20:17-19  (KJB)

He is willingly going to face the accusers, and the Roman governor, and giving His life for the world (John 3:16).  The following is the commentary of John Gill on verse 19 of the above text…

“And shall deliver him to the Gentiles,…. To Pilate, an Heathen governor, and to the Roman officers and soldiers under him; see Joh_18:35.

To mock him, as they did, by putting on him a scarlet robe, platting a crown of thorns, and placing it on his head, and a reed in his hand; and then bowed the knee to him, and cried, hail, king of the Jews!

and to scourge him: as he was by Pilate, at least by his orders: Mark adds, “and spit upon him”; as not only did the Jews in the palace of the high priest, but also the Gentiles, the Roman soldiers, after they had mocked him in the manner before described:

and to crucify him: which, as it was a cruel and shameful death, such as slaves and the worst of malefactors were put to, so it was a Roman one; for which reason, the Jews choose to deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. The Persic version here adds, “and put him into the grave”: which though it followed his crucifixion, was not done by the Gentiles, but by Joseph of Arimathea, a Jew, and a disciple of Jesus; and that not in a contemptuous, but honourable manner

and the third day he shall rise again: this he said for the comfort of his disciples; but now, though these things were so clearly and distinctly expressed by Christ, and which show his omniscience, and give proof both of his deity and Messiahship, yet Luke observes of the disciples, “that they understood none of these things, and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken”: the words were plain, the grammatical sense of them was easy, but they could not imagine that they were to be taken literally; which was such a glaring contradiction to their received and rooted principles of the temporal kingdom of the Messiah, and the grandeur of it, that they fancied these expressions carried a mystical, secret meaning in them, which they were not masters of: and certain it is, that what our Lord now said, was so far from destroying, or weakening these prejudices of theirs, that it rather confirmed them in them; particularly, what he said about rising again, which seemed to have put them afresh in mind, and to excite their hopes of this external felicity, as appears from the following case.” John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible

Jesus went up to Jerusalem to die for you and me, so that we might be redeemed unto the Creator of all that is; and have fellowship with Him.  Will you take up your cross and follow Him?