A Messiah's Focus
Text: Matt. 20:17-33
Introduction
1. Illustration: Quote from the movie Hoosiers "Forget about the crowds, the size of the school, their fancy uniforms, and remember what got you here, focus on the fundamentals we have gone over time and time again, and most importantly don’t get caught up thinking about winning or losing this game. If you put your efforts and concentration on playing to your potential, being the best you can be, I don’t care what the scoreboard says at the end of the game, in my book we’re going to be winners."
2. One of the great secrets of life is focus. If we maintain our focus we will make greater strides forward and less steps backwards.
3. Jesus is a great example of focus, because He never lost His. Jesus knew...
a. He came to sacrifice
b. He came to serve
c. He came to heal
4. Read Matt. 20:17-34
Proposition: We need to focus on our mission the same way that Jesus did.
Transition: Jesus knew that...
I. He Came to Sacrifice (17-19).
A. We're Going Up to Jerusalem
1. During Jesus public ministry he taught, healed, cast out demons, and loved sinners. However, He knew that He came for something much more important. He came to die in our place.
2. He knew that the teaching portion of His ministry was coming to a close, and it was time to do what He came to do. Matthew tells us, "As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside privately and told them what was going to happen to him."
a. This is the third time that Jesus tells His disciples about His death and resurrection.
b. He knew what was going to happen to Him and described it in great detail.
c. He knew what He was getting into; there were no surprises.
d. Saying that He was "going up to Jerusalem" was literal and not just a figure of speech.
e. Jerusalem was one of the highest points in the area, and was about 1700 feet higher in elevation than Jericho (Horton, 425).
f. Although Jerusalem is only 14 miles due west of the Dead Sea, it is at an elevation of 2,500 feet above sea level, making the trip up from Jericho quite steep (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 16-23).
3. The disciples knew that they were going to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover with Jesus, but Jesus tells them that they are going there for a higher purpose. He tells them, “Listen,” he said, “we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die."
a. Jesus would not be caught off guard and unexpectedly trapped there by His enemies.
b. The Lord not only knew of but also foretold those events through His prophets. Now He moved resolutely toward their fulfillment.
c. They were, indeed, the very culmination of the redemptive plan of God.
d. The disciples knew they were going to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover with Jesus, but they did not know that Jesus was Himself God's ultimate and only true Passover lamb.
e. They were still thinking lion, but He was thinking Lamb. They were thinking kingdom, but He was thinking sacrifice. They were thinking glory but He was thinking suffering and death (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 16-23).
4. He tells them further that, "Then they will hand him over to the Romans to be mocked, flogged with a whip, and crucified. But on the third day he will be raised from the dead.”
a. The Jewish religious leaders, known as the Sanhedrin, had the power to condemn someone to death, but couldn't carry out the sentence because only the Roman authorities could do so legally.
b. Jesus was aware of all these things ahead of time and knew that He would be flogged, ridiculed, and crucified.
c. While Jesus was being held by the Gentile Roman authorities, they proceeded to mock and flog Him, as the custom was with prisoners who were not Roman citizens, even if they had not been convicted of a crime.
d. It is significant that, when referring to Christ's sufferings before and during His crucifixion, the New Testament always uses the plural.
e. His pain was not one dimensional, but involved sufferings of many sorts.
f. However, Jesus would be raised from the dead, never to face suffering or death again.
g. He died to conquer sin and its penalty, which is death. He died that those who believe in Him would never have to die (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 16-23).
h. However, in spite of all of this His death would bring victory.
i. Although Jesus gave them all of this detail they still didn't understand (Horton, 427).
B. Give His Life
1. Illustration: One of the great personalities to come out of the American Civil War was Ulysses S. Grant. One of his strong qualities was his ability to focus. One story is told about him doing some paper work in his tent, and a document he needed was on the other side of tent. So he waddled across the room to retrieve the document without ever leaving the seated position he was in. He was so focused on what he was doing that he didn't even stand up to go across the room.
2. Jesus never lost focus on His mission.
a. Luke 19:10 (NLT)
"For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”
b. He knew that He came for more than teaching and healing.
c. He knew that He came for more than working miracles.
d. He knew that He came to be a sacrifice for sins.
e. He knew that He came to be the Passover Lamb.
3. Jesus knew the necessity of His mission.
a. Hebrews 9:22 (NLT)
In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.
b. Jesus knew that in order to save us from our sins He had to die for us.
c. Jesus knew that in order to meet the righteous requirements of God He had to die on the cross for us.
d. Jesus knew that the only way to make us right with God was that someone without sin had to die in our place, and he was only one qualified.
4. Jesus didn't allow anything to get in the way of His mission.
a. Luke 22:42 (NLT)
“Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
b. He didn't allow His own humanity to get in the way.
c. He didn't allow fear to get in the way.
d. He didn't allow physical pain to get in the way.
e. He didn't allow emotional pain to get in the way.
f. He didn't allow spiritual pain to get in the way.
Transition: Jesus also knew that...
II. He Came to Serve (20-28).
A. Not to Served But to Serve
1. As they continued on their way to Jerusalem, "the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus with her sons. She knelt respectfully to ask a favor."
a. The mother mentioned in this story is Salome, and some believe that she was the sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus.
b. Jewish tradition accorded aged women a special place of respect that younger women did not hold.
c. Further, women could get away with asking requests men dare not ask, both in Jewish and broader Greco-Roman culture (Keener).
d. In other words, James and John got Mom to do their dirty work for them.
e. In spite of what He had just told them the disciples still didn't comprehend the cross and its implications (Horton, 427).
2. So Jesus respectfully asks her, “What is your request?” She replied, “In your Kingdom, please let my two sons sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.”
a. In her mind and the mind of her sons, they saw only the glory of Jesus coming rule.
b. Like the scribes and Pharisees, they Jesus saw Jesus' mission as one of overthrowing the Romans and establishing Jewish supremacy over the rest of the world.
c. They overlooked the promise to set us free from sin and the promise of redemption for the entire world as taught by Isaiah and the other prophets.
d. The religious leaders twisted God's Word, and ignored anything that did not fit with their own selfish ambitions (Horton, 427).
e. Hearing Jesus' promise of a special place for the Twelve (19:28), James and John wanted to establish a special place among the Twelve.
f. While each of us is special to the Lord, we must not fail to recognize, as the sons of Zebedee did, that all other disciples are special to him as well (Keener).
g. It seems incredible that James, John, and their mother could ask Jesus such a crass, self-serving favor immediately after His prediction of the persecution and death He would soon face in Jerusalem.
h. There is no indication, either in this text or in Mark's parallel account, that any of the disciples made a response to what Jesus had just said about His own imminent death.
i. They may simply have discounted His prediction as being merely figurative and symbolic, or they may have been so preoccupied with their own interests and plans that His words went over their heads (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 16-23).
3. So Jesus turns to James and John and tells them, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink?” “Oh yes,” they replied, “we are able!”
a. The term "cup" was a common OT expression connoting judgment and suffering.
b. Their quick reply to Jesus' question shows three things. First, the question actually came from James and John and they were merely using their Mom to do their dirty work.
c. Second, they had totally misunderstood Jesus' prediction of His suffering, persecution, and death.
d. Third, they were consumed with their own selfish interests and did not realize the implication of their answer.
e. Furthermore, their hasty response shows that they trusted in their own strength and abilities.
f. What they meant was "we can go through anything if it means getting what we want.
g. They wanted places of honor, without considering if that was God's will for them or the rights and feelings of others (Horton, 429).
h. Jesus was saying, "Don't you realize by now that the way to eternal glory is not through worldly success and honor but through suffering? Haven't you heard what I've been teaching about the persecuted being blessed and about taking up your own crosses and following Me?" (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 16-23).
4. In keeping the old saying, "Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it," Jesus says to them, “You will indeed drink from my bitter cup. But I have no right to say who will sit on my right or my left. My Father has prepared those places for the ones he has chosen.”
a. Jesus knew that they would suffer. James was the first of the disciples to suffer and he would die a martyr's death.
b. Acts 12:1-2 (NLT)
1 About that time King Herod Agrippa began to persecute some believers in the church.
2 He had the apostle James (John’s brother) killed with a sword.
c. John, on the other hand, would be the longest survivor of the group, but would suffer greatly at the hands of Nero including exile to Patmos.
d. They didn't understand now, but they would come to understand the hard way later what Jesus was talking about.
5. To show that they weren't the only ones with misconceptions and twisted priorities, "When the ten other disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were indignant."
a. James and John were not the only ones with a problem; the other disciples were angry with them because they too wanted a high position.
b. Competition for status among peers was important in their culture.
c. But the world's models for status differ from those in God's kingdom; because honor ultimately belongs to God alone, we should humble ourselves and serve, allowing God to exalt us (Keener).
d. Indignant: to have a strong feeling of displeasure and antagonism as the result of some real or supposed wrong (Louw and Nidda, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Symantic Domains).
e. The fact that the other disciples were so angry with James and John show that their motives were almost as bad, and the only reason they didn't ask the same questions was that James and John beat them to the punch.
f. The result was a split in the ranks, and instead of being the 12 they were the 2 and the 10 (Horton, 431).
6. However, Jesus addresses the situation by saying, "You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave."
a. Seeing what was happening between His disciples, Jesus called them to Him and began to address their dissension.
b. He told them that their ambitions where like the ambitions of world leaders, seeking only what was in it for themselves.
c. The phrase "flaunt authority over" translates a strong and intensified Greek verb, combining kata (down) and exousiazō (to have authority), and could be rendered "to play the tyrant" (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 16-23).
d. For Jesus' disciples, achieving greatness and positions of honor came not in overpowering others but in serving all.
e. They are to place others needs ahead of their own. Ruling with Jesus is achieved by humble service, love, and concern for others (Horton, 433).
f. Jesus went on to explain that it is not wrong to desire great usefulness to God, only wrong to seek the world's kind of greatness (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 16-23).
7. Jesus tells them that they should follow His example when He says, "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
a. Jesus uses Himself as an example of servitude. His entire purpose was guided by His desire to serve, and His ultimate act of service was to give His life on the cross.
b. The word "ransom" comes from the language of the courts. A ransom might be paid, for example, to free a prisoner of war or to purchase freedom for a slave (Horton, 433).
c. This affirms what Isaiah prophesied about Jesus.
d. Isaiah 53:10-11 (NLT)
10 But it was the LORD’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the LORD’s good plan will prosper in his hands.
11 When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins.
B. Servants Hearts
1. Illustration: John Wesley provides the most convicting analysis on what it means to be a true servant: "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you can" (Rick Warren. The Purpose Driven Life, 231).
2. Like Jesus, we are called to a life of service.
a. Luke 4:8 (NLT)
Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the LORD your God and serve only him.’”
b. We are to serve Him with our talents.
c. We are to serve Him with out time.
d. We are to serve Him with our finances.
e. We are to serve Him with our lives.
3. Jesus also calls us to serve one another.
a. Galatians 5:13 (NLT)
For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.
b. The Christian life is not about being served, but about serving.
c. We are to serve one another out of love for Jesus.
d. We are to serve one another out of love for one another.
e. We are to serve one another as an example for others to follow.
Transition: Jesus also knew that...
III. He Came to Heal (29-33).
A. We Want to See
1. Although Jesus knew that His ultimate mission was the cross, but with that mission came the power to heal.
2. As they continued on their way to Jerusalem "...a large crowd followed behind.
Two blind men were sitting beside the road. When they heard that Jesus was coming that way, they began shouting, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”
a. Blindness was common in ancient times, as it still is today in underdeveloped areas of the world.
b. Such things as accidents or battle wounds blinded many people.
c. But many others became blind shortly after birth from gonorrheal infection of the eyes, contracted from the mother during birth (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 16-23).
d. "Son of David was a popular title for the Messiah, and the return of sight to the blind was a sign of the arrival of the Messiah.
e. Their phrase, "have mercy on us" shows that the blind men did not see their healing as a right; rather, they humbly appeal to the mercy of Jesus.
f. Though they were desperate, blind, and poor they place their emphasis on Jesus rather than on themselves.
g. They were taking a stand of faith and trusting Jesus to meet their needs (Horton, 435).
h. They could entreat Jesus in faith because they recognized his authority. They recognized that he was Son of David-rightful ruler in God's coming kingdom (Keener).
3. However, the crowd told them, “Be quiet!” But they only shouted louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”
a. Everyone in the crowd was doubtlessly better off physically, economically, and socially than the two blind men, but they thought only of their own selfish concerns, in light of which these needy men were but an annoyance.
b. But as F. F. Bruce has expressed it, the two blind men "refused to be bludgeoned into silence by the indifferent crowd," and they only shouted louder(MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 16-23).
c. Their determination is seen by the fact that they would not give up even when told to be quiet.
d. Maybe people thought it was improper for these men to use a Messianic title for Jesus, or perhaps they saw them as delaying Jesus.
e. What these people didn't understand is that it was people such as these blind men that Jesus came and desired to minister to.
4. In spite of the desire of the crowd, Jesus turned to them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” “Lord,” they said, “we want to see!”
a. Jesus' question was not supposed to get information, because He already knew what they wanted, but rather it is to stir their faith.
b. In the past Jesus would tell those He had healed to say nothing about it, but now He calls them in front of everyone. The time of concealing His identity was over (Horton, 435).
c. Their answer to His question brings clarity to their intentions. Before they just asked for His mercy, but now they are very specific; they wanted to be healed.
d. Although the men's need for sight was obvious, Jesus allowed them to voice their need; then he acted from his compassion (v. 34).
e. God knows the pain in his people's lives. Whether he gives us the strength to endure pain or heals us in response to persistent prayer, it is not because we have mastered formulas of prayer. It is because he cares for us intimately (Keener).
5. Matthew shows us Jesus concern for these men when he says, "Jesus felt sorry for them and touched their eyes. Instantly they could see! Then they followed him."
a. Only Matthew reports that Jesus touched their eyes when He healed them.
b. The phrase "they followed Him" is more than an indication that they walked along with Him. It suggests that they became His disciples and served Him from then on (Horton, 437).
c. Responding to Jesus' compassionate healing, the formerly blind men now choose to follow him, becoming models of discipleship.
d. We who have seen both Jesus' power and his compassion best show our love by following him as disciples.
e. We should remember, however, that following Jesus means following to the cross (Keener).
B. Healing
1. Illustration: A wealthy businessman lay on his deathbed. His preacher came to visit and talked about God’s healing power and prayed for his parishioner. When the preacher was done, the businessman said, "Preacher, if God heals me, I’ll give the church a million dollars." Miraculously, the businessman got better and within a few short weeks was out of the hospital. Several months later, the preacher bumped into this businessman on the sidewalk and said, "You know, when you were in the hospital dying, you promised to give the church a million dollars if you got well. We haven’t received it as of yet." The businessman replied, "Did I say that? I guess that goes to show how sick I really was!"
2. In dying on the cross, Jesus not only assured our salvation but also our healing.
a. Isaiah 53:5 (NLT)
But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.
b. Through the cross Jesus makes possible our healing.
c. He brought healing to our souls.
d. He brought healing to our bodies.
e. He brought healing to our minds.
f. It is by His stripes that we ARE healed!
3. Our healing is another reason to praise Him.
a. Psalm 103:2-3 (NLT)
2 Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me.
3 He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.
b. We should praise Him because of who He is.
c. We should praise Him because He forgives us.
d. We should praise Him because He heals us.
4. He chooses to use us to heal others.
a. Mark 16:17-18 (NLT)
"These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe...They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”
b. He has given us the power to pray for the sick to be healed.
c. It is through His power.
d. It is through His anointing.
e. But he choose to do it through our hands!
Conclusion
1. Jesus is a great example of focus, because He never lost His. Jesus knew...
a. He came to sacrifice
b. He came to serve
c. He came to heal
2. Jesus was willing to sacrifice Himself for you, but are you willing to sacrifice for Him?
3. Are you willing to sacrifice for one another?
4. Jesus was willing to serve for you, but are you willing to serve for Him?
5. Are you willing to be used by Him?
