You re So Vain (I Bet You Think This Sermon is About You) Matthew November 9, 2014

Transcription

1 You re So Vain (I Bet You Think This Sermon is About You) Matthew November 9, 2014 Introduction: I d like to begin this morning by making a confession: I am a fan of Carly Simon. While I do love the classic rock stylings of groups like Boston and Journey, I guess I have a soft spot for hokey sentimental songs and I m secure enough in my masculinity to admit it! Now for you teenagers here who think any music produced before 1990 belongs on the oldies radio station, let me educate you a bit. Carly Simon was one of many popular singer-songwriters of the 1970 s. You ve likely seen her during one of those infomercials for the 9 CD set of Time-Life s Singer-Songwriters of the 70 s where everyone is wearing bellbottoms and wide-collar shirts while singing folksy songs your parents forced you to listen to on long road trips when you were a little kid. By far her most popular hit was the song You re So Vain which topped the charts for three weeks in The song is a biting indictment of a self-absorbed lover who is so conceited and full of himself that she writes in the song s chorus, You re so vain, I bet you think this song is about you, don t you, don t you? Carly Simon has never revealed the identity of who specifically she was writing about but I don t think she needs to. In a way, it s a song about all of us because we all suffer from being vain. It s in our sinful nature to want to be the center of attention and have everything in our little universe revolve around us. We are by default self-absorbed, self-centered, narcissistic people who want to be constantly recognized, praised, loved, admired, talked about, listened to, and deferred to. We re a lot like the lion who was proud of his mastery of the animal kingdom. One day the lion he decided to make sure all the other animals knew he was the king of the jungle so he went to the bear. "Who is the king of the jungle?" the lion asked. The bear replied, "Why, you are, of course." The lion gave a mighty roar of approval. Next he asked the tiger, "Who is the king of the jungle?" The tiger quickly responded, "Everyone knows that you are, O mighty lion." Next on the list was the elephant. The lion faced the elephant and asked his question: "Who is the king of the jungle?" The elephant immediately grabbed the lion with his trunk, whirled him around in the air five or six times, and slammed him into a tree. He then pounded him onto the ground several times, dunked him under water in a nearby lake, and finally threw him up on the shore. The lion - beaten and bruised finally struggled to his feet. He looked at the elephant through bloody eyes and said, "Look, just because you don t know the answer doesn t mean you need to get mad about it!" Well, hopefully none of us are quite as vain as that lion, but we all have a degree of vanity and self-centeredness that mark our lives. The disciples certainly had that problem, and Jesus needed to address it if they were going to effectively minister as his ambassadors after he was gone. So as we examine our text for this morning, I believe God would have us understand this one simple truth that ties the three incidents together we are about to look at and it s just this: 1

2 Main idea: Greatness in the kingdom of heaven is found in giving service to others, not gaining power over them. Our passage today consists of three difference incidents that may at first glance seem to be unconnected, but I think Matthew has purposefully placed them side-by-side to better bring out his point. So let s begin by looking at the first section which can be summarized as our first point this morning, which concerns 1. A prediction of suffering and death (v ) Let s see what that is all about by opening your Bibles with me to Matthew 20, which can be found on pg. 825 in the pew Bibles if you didn t happen to bring a Bible with you. We ll begin by reading just v of Matthew 20. And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day. Matthew tells us Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, which is significant because this is where his ministry on earth is going to be terminated. He s traveled throughout Judea and Galilee but now he was on his way up to Jerusalem, his final stop, and so Jesus once again pulls the twelve disciples aside and tells them what is going to happen to him there. Twice since Peter s confession of him as the Christ has Jesus predicted what was to happen to him: once in chapter 16 and again in chapter 17. This third prediction is a bit different in that Jesus is more detailed. Before he simply told them he would suffer and die, but now he explicitly tells them how this would happen. Look at v. 19. He says he will be, delivered over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified The Jewish leaders didn t have the authority to put Jesus to death: only the Romans had that, and so Jesus lays out for them what was to be his end. The Jews would turn him over to the Romans, they would mock and flog him, a common occurrence for criminals who were soon to be executed, and once done, he would be crucified, a terribly painful way to die. In fact, we get the English word excruciating from the word crucifixion, a word that speaks of severe pain or suffering. Jesus knew full well what awaiting him at the end of the road, and so he once again tries to prepare the disciples for what was soon to transpire. Now by this point, after having Jesus lay out for them what was going to happen to him in Jerusalem three different times, you d think they d be a bit more prepared for it. You d expect the seriousness and gravity of what was awaiting their Lord down the road would have had some kind of effect of them, to focus their thoughts and sober them up to what was soon to take place. But no, their minds are still fixed firmly on themselves and their own concern of positioning for power. Just when they should have had their thoughts focused like a laser beam on what Jesus was about to face, they instead were still stuck thinking only about themselves. 2

3 So let s see where their thoughts have landed as we move ahead now to our second point this morning, which concerns 2. A request for power and position (v ) Look back in your Bibles at v. 20 and follow along as I read. Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. And he said to her, What do you want? She said to him, Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom. Let s stop right there. I love moms. Is there anything a mother won t do for her kids? If there s anyone who is going to be your advocate in this world, it s your mom. Moms are always there to look out for you. It certainly seems the Zebedee brothers James and John had that kind of mom. She comes up to Jesus and humbly kneels before him and makes a bold request. Now a lot of different requests have been made of Jesus so far in the gospel of Matthew by parents. We ve heard of a father whose daughter had died come to Jesus asking him to restore her to life in chapter 9. We had another father in chapter 17 beg Jesus to heal his son who was tormented by demons. Many parents brought their children to Jesus in chapter 19 and Jesus blessed them and prayed for them. So far Jesus has a pretty good track record when it comes to answering the requests of parents on behalf of their children. So there s a good chance what this mother is asking for on behalf of her two sons is going to likewise to be responded to in a favorable manner, right? So what does she ask Jesus for? Her request is for Jesus to say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom. Have you ever seen those picture books aimed at pre-school kids where they show four objects and ask them to point out which one isn t like the others? It sort of like that here. Parents have asked for their child to be raised from the dead, to delivered from demons, to be blessed and prayed for, and finally here in our passage, to hold the greatest positions of honor in the kingdom of heaven. Hmmm which one of these requests is not like the others? If nothing else you have to give mom a gold star for her outrageous boldness! It s almost funny, isn t it? Seriously, you re going to ask Jesus for that? It would seem that mom thought it was time to go for broke. Jesus was entering into Jerusalem finally, and putting aside those nasty predictions he just made about suffering and dying, Jesus did say he was going to be raised from the dead and certainly then he would set up his kingdom. So best put in the request well in advance to secure the best positions in the kingdom for her sons. After all, they are her own flesh and blood, so why not try to secure for them the highest positions before it happens. Well, let s see how Jesus responds to this request. Look at v. 22. Jesus answered, You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink? They said to him, We are able. Mom isn t seeing things correctly. 3

4 When she thinks of Jesus, all she can see is him as a king with power and authority and wealth, like any other earthly king. She s completely forgetting what Jesus has been telling them: he would soon suffer and die and that those who follow him should expect the same. When Jesus speaks of drinking of the same cup as he, he s referring to the suffering he would soon experience. In other words, in God s kingdom, there is no crown without a cross. She s only thinking of the end result and completely missing that if he were to grant her request, her boys would have to suffer, and suffer severely. There would be lowliness and persecution and pain before there would be riches and power and glory. Then whether out of ignorance of what Jesus meant by the cup he needed to drink or an unprecedented arrogance of their own part, the brothers pipe in and claim, We are able. I think it s safe to say they overestimated their chances. They are totally clueless as to what Jesus is about to suffer and absolutely way to full of themselves to even think they possess the power to endure the persecution and suffering that lie ahead. It is a vain request their mother makes and equally vain response the two brothers give to Jesus question. Since they weren t the getting the hint, Jesus directly addresses their mother s question in v. 23. Look back there with me. He said to them, You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father. Such positions aren t for Jesus to assign, so this mother isn t going to necessarily have her request granted. Nevertheless, Jesus tells them they will drink my cup, and church tradition tells us both James and John suffered, with James eventually dying as a martyr and John sent into exile on the isle of Patmos. Well, it doesn t take long for word of this request to get to the other disciples, so let s continue on and see what happens starting at v. 24. And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. This incident gets up the ire of the rest of the disciples. Matthew tells us they were indignant with them, although I doubt it was due to righteous anger. They no doubt felt these two brothers were going about gaining power through backhanded means. Church tradition holds this mother may have been the sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus, which would make her his aunt and James and John Jesus cousins. If so, they re attempting to use their connection to Jesus as relatives to get preferential treatment. Can you say nepotism? So the disciples don t like this one bit, but probably were even angrier because these brothers beat them to asking the question perhaps was already in the back of their minds to ask. Remember, it wasn t that long back that they were arguing over who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, and it doesn t seem that argument had died down yet. 4

5 So Jesus lays out the true path to greatness: if you want to be great in the kingdom of heaven, you need to be willing to be a servant. In the world, those defined as great are served by others and lord it over them, but God s kingdom operates under totally different principles. Greatness is shown by serving, by giving for others rather than gaining for oneself. If you really want to be first in the kingdom, become a slave now. Humble yourself and stop seeking out your own vainglory. Put others first. Love your neighbor such that you sacrificially serve him or her. Consider the needs of others as more important than you own. A person who does that may occupy the lowest rungs of the social ladder here on earth, but in the kingdom of heaven such an individual is to be considered truly great. And the prime example of this is Christ himself. Jesus says he came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. What act of service can be greater than to lay down one s life to save the lives of others? In the kingdom of heaven, Jesus is the greatest because he has served others by dying for many. Jesus prediction of his suffering and death is the example par excellence of what true greatness is. Rather than demanding the power and glory rightfully due him, he instead humbled himself and become obedient unto death, even death on a cross! And it is because of this that God exulted him to the highest place, that every knee shall bow and tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. The greatness of Jesus, the reason we gather to worship him and live our lives for him, is because he ransomed us from death and hell through the humble service of suffering. So then, if we wish to strive for greatness, then we must strive to be a servant. While that may have little to no value in the eyes of the world, that s the only path to greatness in the kingdom of heaven. Now in case this lesson is lost on the disciples between now and time of his passion, Jesus provides an illustration of what such a heart of service looks like in the section immediately following this. So let s move on to the third incident that we re going to look at this morning, which concerns our third point 3. An illustration of humble service (v ) Please follow along as I read starting at v. 29 to the end of the chapter. And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David! The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David! And stopping, Jesus called them and said, What do you want me to do for you? They said to him, Lord, let our eyes be opened. And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him. Jesus is joined now by a great crowd who are following him toward Jerusalem as they prepare to celebrate the Passover. There is an expectancy in the air. In the passage that follows this, we have Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem, so we know people are eager to see Jesus take up David s throne. The atmosphere around Jesus 5

6 crackles with energy and hope and celebration. In terms of a high point of popularity, people are pregnant with praise. It s finally going to happen! Jesus is going to come into his kingdom and it all starts right now as he heads towards Jerusalem. This is a high moment for Jesus in his ministry and it would be tempting to relish it, to soak it in, to allow pride in his popularity with and praise from the populous to absorb him. The people feel that way. They want to get this show on the road, but as they are walking they hear two blind men sitting along the roadside calling out to Jesus to help them. These two beggars are putting a real damper on their celebration. Their loud and constant pleading is threatening to distract Jesus, to pull him away from all the great things the crowd believes awaits Jesus once he is crowded king in Jerusalem. So they demand they be silent. But Jesus practices what he preaches. Greatness is found in service, and so Jesus is willing to stop the parade and ask these blind, poor, and socially insignificant beggars what he can do for them. While no one else has the time for them, Jesus does, even in the midst of a crowd celebrating him. Two beggars who need their sight, and not just physical but spiritual sight, are not below Jesus. He s not too important to notice them, to speak to them, and to heal them. Jesus will serve them. They matter to him. So the crowd is made to wait while Jesus takes pity on them and cures them and they in turn arise and join the crowd in following him into Jerusalem. In other words, Jesus is saying to the disciples and to us in this healing, Here s what greatness looks like. Let me illustrate it for you. It doesn t despise beggars; it stops to help them. These beggars don t exist just so I can lord it over them and weigh their worth on the basis of what they can do for me; it s rather a question rather of what I can do for them. How can I serve them? How can I help them? If you want to be great, stop bickering about it and asking me to grant you positions of power and start looking outside yourself to how you can better love and serve your neighbor. That s where true greatness is found in service and it s the only place it can be found. Application So with that, let s talk a bit about application and then we re done. It s easy to read this passage at a distance and laugh at the audacity of this mother s question and the vain notion that these sons of Zebedee we re even worthy to sit at Jesus right and left hand, much had the ability to drink the same cup of suffering as Jesus. Then to add to it the other ten learning of it and becoming indignant that these two guys were budding into what they each thought was a position they themselves deserved, well, it s both comical and pathetic. They of all people should know better! Haven t they learned anything after three years of following Jesus? But we had better turn gaze upon ourselves because I don t think we re much better. The same vanity that thinks way too highly of oneself and that strives for position and power and recognition resides in us as well. You and I also are so vain, and so yes, you re right if you think this sermon is about you - it is! This sermon is about you and me because we re just like they are. Had we been in their shoes, it would be our mom asking Jesus to 6

7 give us positions of power. It would be us indignant at a fellow believer for beating us to the punch in making a sneaky grab at a choice opportunity for gaining authority and honor. It would be us telling lowly beggars to pipe down because we didn t want our little parade rained upon by an unnecessary delay. Let s not be so vain to think we are in any way above such petty vanity and self-centeredness. So then, Jesus words are for us to hear and to heed as well as for them: Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave. We don t exist to be served but to serve. It was the goal of Jesus in his ministry and it should be no less our own as his followers. It s no accident that service is part of our Purpose Statement here at our church: Grace Fellowship exists to glorify God through worship, discipleship, service, and mission. God is glorified when his people follow in the footsteps of his Son and joyfully humble themselves for the sake of serving others. So then, what of you? Where s your heart when it comes to others? Is it all about you and you being recognized and fawned over and look up to? Is that what drives your words and actions? Or can you be content to allow someone else to be the center of attention? Are you willing to serve others in ways that don t bring attention or benefits or praise to you, even when they are exalted in the eyes of others while you are not? Are you consumed by jealousy when someone else gets the recognition and praise while you are overlooked? Are you seeking your greatness before the eyes of men, ruthlessly pursuing the tokens of worldly greatness, or are you surrendering those things for the sake of being a servant of others, no matter how weak, how poor, how socially insignificant they might be? Jesus has been clear: greatness in the kingdom of God comes by service. Jesus modeled it for us, even to the point of death for sinners. May we follow in our Lord s footsteps and seek not to be served, but to serve. Let s pray. This sermon was addressed originally to the people at Grace Fellowship of Waterloo, IA by Pastor Rob Borkowitz. Copyright