Gospels-Acts
Matt 20:1-19 - The Workers in the Vineyard
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- Written by: Chris Appleby
The Workers in the Vineyard audio
We read this parable and perhaps the first thing we ask ourselves is “Why doesn’t the landowner act fairly?” Then we think, “If this is a parable of the Kingdom of God does it mean that God doesn’t act fairly?” Well let’s think about that question as we go through the passage together.
Something that struck me when I looked at this parable of the workers in the vineyard is that it just seems to pop up in the middle of a series of narratives as Jesus moves towards Jerusalem, without any introduction. Why has Matthew put it here?
Well, partly the problem is that someone, centuries ago, decided to put a chapter break between v30 of the previous chapter and this parable. If you look back at that final verse of the chapter then forward to v16 of this chapter you find they’re the same. That phrase, “the last will be first, and the first will be last” forms a bracket around this parable. What does that tell us? It says that this parable follows on from what’s happened just before.
Matt 20:20-34 Who is the Greatest in the Kingdom?
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- Written by: Chris Appleby
Who is the Greatest in the Kingdom? audio
I had to get a new pair of glasses a few years back. These weren’t everyday glasses. These were ones that are made so I can see what’s on my computer screen without ending up with a cricked neck. They’re fantastic. They make the characters on the screen look perfectly in focus. They just have one drawback. If I forget to change them over when I leave my office I can’t see anything clearly unless it’s right in front of me. It’s not that I’m totally blind. It’s just that everything is blurred.
Of course being unable to see things clearly doesn’t just apply to physical sight, does it? There’s an even worse affliction of sight that some people suffer from. That’s the sort of blurred vision that comes from prejudice or from unthinking acceptance of a particular set of presuppositions or perhaps from listening to too much talk back radio. For example it’s the sort of blindness that might prevent us from understanding the various issues in the debate over asylum seekers or youth gangs. It’s the sort of blindness that leads some people to suggest that the Churches have no right to speak out about social issues.
Well, both of these sorts of blindness appear in Matthew chapter 20. There’s physical blindness in the two blind men, mixed with clear spiritual sight, and there’s spiritual blindness on the part of the disciples and others we meet in this passage.
Read more: Matt 20:20-34 Who is the Greatest in the Kingdom?
Matt 21:1-11 - The Humble Entry
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- Written by: Chris Appleby
The Modest Entry audio (4MB)
Matt 21:1-11
Have you ever wondered whether Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday surprised people? I mean, if he was entering the city as a king why didn’t he ride a chariot or a warhorse. You certainly wouldn’t expect him to ride a donkey, would you? Yet that’s exactly what Jesus does. He climbs on the least impressive of mounts and rides it into the city. And to our modern minds it all seems a little strange. Of course most of us have heard the story so often that we’re probably no longer surprised by it, but it is a surprising story, and no doubt it was just as surprising to many of those who witnessed it.
In fact what he does in riding a donkey is as significant to those of his day as the US President arriving on Air Force 1 would be for us.
Matt 21:1-27
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- Written by: Chris Appleby
Jesus Enters Jerusalem audio
Everyone likes a parade don’t they? Whether it’s the Moomba Parade or the Anzac Day Parade, or the Grand Final Parade, we all love to get out and watch our heroes. Probably for some Australians the greatest parades are when the Queen comes to visit - or these days William and Kate. People come out in their thousands with flags to wave, cheering as they pass by.
Well that’s a bit like what happened when Jesus entered Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday. The city was buzzing. The word had got around. Jesus, the great teacher and healer was coming to Jerusalem, despite the danger from the Jewish leaders. Word was that he'd even been talking about death, predicting that he was going to be crucified, and saying that people had to be willing to take up their cross if they wanted to follow him. But that hadn’t stopped him from teaching and healing people and he was still arguing with the Pharisees.
Matt 25:31-45 - Goats and Sheep
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- Written by: Chris Appleby
Sheep or Goats audio (6MB)
Matt 25:31-45A
Matthew begins his record of Jesus teaching with the Sermon on the Mount, and that sermon finishes with the parable of the houses built on rock or sand, a parable of reward and judgement. And, significantly, Matthew finishes his account of Jesus teaching with this story of the last judgement.
Jesus tells them that when the Son of Man returns in glory he will sit on the throne of his glory and the reason he sits is to judge. There’s a cataclysmic nature to Jesus return. I think we sometimes imagine a scene where people are hanging around for Jesus to call them in to the courthouse. But here the judgement is closely tied to his return. This is reminiscent of the passage in Phil 2 where we read that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that he’s Lord. There’s to be a spontaneous response to his return.
