Thursday 7th August Matthew 20.17-28

Qn. 2

“It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, (26): The people to whom Jesus was preaching the gospel had not yet understood what the kingdom of God was all about. They thought one could get it through other means. Could be that they thought it could be got through favoritism, hard work, personal request, etc (20, 21). Even as Jesus could talk about his death and resurrection (17-19), people hadn’t yet known the underlying reason. It’s clear that those disciples whose parent was begging for them positions of leadership could have agreed with their parent to do so. In response, Jesus explained to them about the kingdom of God that was contrary to the earthly kingdom (25). In earthly context, people scramble for the topmost positions, but this is not appropriate among Jesus’ disciples. The Holy Bible asserts “It shouldn’t be so among you” (26). The kingdom of heaven is about humility and sacrificing oneself for others. It’s about the Lord who never came to be served, but to serve others, and sacrificing himself for them (28). Reflection: Are you ready to inhabit that kingdom some time to come?