Jesus Hands Out The Kingdom Employee Job Description (Part 1)

Matthew Series | Matthew 18:1-14 | Pastor Duane Smets

This week is an exegetical sermon on Matthew 18:1-14 where we hear the disciples of Jesus who ask how to have a place with him and be great in his kingdom. In response Jesus gives five job qualifications of what is required by his employees. This week looks at the first three: childlike dependence, the death of ambition, and a missional mindset. This sermon was originally preached on August 22nd, 2010 at The Resolved Church in San Diego, CA.

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The Resolved Church
Pastor Duane Smets
August 22nd, 2010

Jesus Hands Out The Kingdom Employee Job Description
I. Childlike Dependence: Great Humility Required (v1-6)
II. Death Of Ambition: Drastic Measures Required (v7-9)
III. Missional Mindset: Shepherd’s Heart Required (v10-14)

Introduction

Let me start right off this morning by reading the text and asking for God’s help as we look at it today and then we’ll put it in context and start working through it. (Read Text & Pray)

First off before we get into the section of Scripture, let me quickly remind you of what has been going on in the book. Two main things have been happening which we’ve seen and heard in various ways. One, Jesus has more openly been declaring and demonstrating that he is in fact the messiah and is God. In chapter 16, he said he is in fact the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Then in chapter 17 he took a few of his disciples up on a mountain and let them catch a glimpse of his deity by allowing his face to light up like the sun and have a voice speak out of heaven. Pretty amazing stuff.

The second main thing which has been happening is Jesus has started saying that he is going to leave the disciples. Three times now he has said he is going to die and rise. And we know the whole story and have the whole book, so we know that’s just around the corner.

Now, hearing these two things were difficult, not easy, both for Jesus’ disciples and for others. Just like how some of us and many in our city have trouble with Jesus being God and have trouble with his death and resurrection. It seems far fetched to many. It was tough for people back in Jesus’ day too and we’ve been reading about that…the questioning and challenging of it.

In response, Jesus has been pretty sharp, calling out his disciples’ little faith and then most recently, at the end of chapter 17, telling the tax collectors that he doesn’t need to pay taxes because his dad is the king and creator of the whole earth. But he ends up paying the tax anyway by performing a miracle which demonstrated his omniscience, that he knows everything happening in his creation all the time, including future events. You can read the story, it’s quite amazing.

That brings us to this morning and chapter 18. In chapter 18, Jesus turns his attention to a whole new subject. But it’s spawned by a question from one of the disciples which is in reaction to what just happened in chapter 17. Let me show you.

Chapter 18 starts out, “At that time the disciples came to Jesus saying, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Two things are going on here.

First, when you hear “At that time” it kind of just sounds general, like “Once upon a time…” But it’s actually a lot more specific than that. In Greek, which our English Bibles are translating from, the Greek literally reads, “In that hour…” So all of chapter 18 really happens within sixty minutes of what happened at the end of chapter 17.

Now here’s what’s significant about that. Jesus just said his dad is the king of the earth and that he is his son. And all through the book he has been talking about his kingdom. Chapter 16 concluded with him saying his kingdom is coming. But like we mentioned a minute ago, the disciples have been having trouble believing that.

So on one hand their question, “Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” is good because it shows that they are finally starting to believe that this kingdom of heaven thing with Jesus as the king is in fact real and is going to happen. But on the other hand it’s not so good because what does their question demonstrate? What is the focus and desire of the disciples’ question here? What are they asking for or wanting?

To be great! They are vying for position. If Jesus is in fact the king and his kingdom is going to take over everything…then I want to be one of his right hand men. I want to be in the king’s inner court. Essentially they are asking for a job. They are asking how they can become one of his court officials. If we wanted to update it for today, they are asking for how and who gets to be Jesus’ CEO, CFO, board members, managers and employees.

I mean their question is actually somewhat understandable. Okay, Jesus if you’re going to rule over all and be the most successful business in town, how to we get a seat at your table and get in on the action?

Jesus response is both coy, direct, and penetrating. Jesus goes beneath and behind the dreams and aspirations of the disciples and directly addresses the heart issue which is driving their imagination and desire for position in the court of his kingdom. So I’ve titled my sermon this morning, “Jesus Hands Out The Kingdom Employee Job Description.”

His answer to their question actually spans the whole chapter, but we’re only go to go through half of it this morning and then do part two next week. This week we’ll look at the first three qualifications Jesus gives as requirements for gaining a seat in his kingdom.

I. Childlike Dependence: Great Humility Required (v1-6)

First one today, “Childlike Dependence: Great Humility Required.” Jesus decides to bring a child before the disciples as an object lesson in response to the disciples question of who is the greatest in his kingdom. Now there’s a lot going on here that is difficult to see on the surface, which perhaps is one of the reasons that this is a passage of Scripture has often been misused and misunderstood.

First, I’ll tell you how this passage commonly gets referred to. Say you’re in a conversation with someone and you’re talking about how God is holy and cannot tolerate sin and how we are all sinners and so he sent his son Jesus, as a God-man in order to live the life we’ve failed at and die the death we deserve in our place on the cross and then rise again.

But the person you’re speaking talking to doesn’t really think that they are really that bad of person, they have a hard time understanding how Jesus could be both God and man at the same time, and the whole idea of the cross and his resurrection just seems way too far fetched.

Then suppose a third dude comes along, and he tries to correct both parties and bridge the gap and he says…man you’re making it way to complicated. God is just a loving father and wants his children to love him. Jesus came to bring love and he said to have a child like faith…to be like a child who readily and easily runs up and sits on their dad’s lap.

This passage and it’s parallels in Mark and Luke are where the phrase “child-like faith” comes from. Usually child-like faith is reduced to simply being a call to just love God and leave the details and the barriers to faith behind. Now to be fair, there is some truth to that. There is a simplicity to the gospel and to believing in and loving and following Jesus. Deep down we know it is true and it is right and it’s what we need and we simply need to be simple and move forward with Jesus. But the question is, is that here? Is that what Jesus is calling for here?

I don’t think so. Let’s think about a few things together. First, remember the question on the table here is status. How do you status or position in Jesus’ kingdom.

Second, consider the status of children in the first century. Children were at the bottom scale of status, they had none apart from their parents status. Children were considered of little or no value until they got older when they then were seen as an asset to the family. But until then there were supposed to be seen and not heard and considered useless because they couldn’t fight and couldn’t work and thereby contributed nothing to the family household and name.

Third, children rarely act humbly. Children constantly think they can do anything and everything all by themselves. At least if you have a three year old like my daughter. She’ll be brushing her teeth, which for her consists of sucking and chewing on the toothbrush…so I’ll be like, Adina, “let me help you sweetheart.” “No Daddy! No! I can do it! I don’t need you!”

The other day I let her help me move the cars around, so I had her sit on my lap while I moved the car out of the driveway and onto the street. I go to start turning the steering wheel and she grabs my hands and throws them off the steering wheel and says, “No Daddy, I’m driving.” She thinks she could just drive off herself. Not humble at all. Constantly with our kids when they are playing together we are referee-ing between them because they fight over toys…mine, mine, mine. Kids are not humble.

So what is Jesus getting at. I believe he is getting at status and dependence. You see children, do not have a high status, they don’t get a say in things. It’s the opposite, they are dependent on their parents for everything…to protect them and provide for them. If a child does not have a parent doing that, they will simply not live. They will die, literally. If we just left our daughter at our house by herself for a few weeks and went on vacation, she would die. She is utterly and totally dependent on us. That’s why when you file your taxes you mark, “dependent.”

So I think when Jesus says, “Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” I think he means who ever becomes utterly and totally dependent on me, will not only not get a place of high standing and status in my kingdom, he won’t even get in!

Check it out. There’s two other textual clues which help us see this. One is in verse 3 where Jesus says, “unless you TURN and become children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” It’s easy to miss, that word, “turn.” The word here, “strephomai” in the Greek isn’t just a simple turn, like your turning left or something. It’s a radical change in direction or nature. It’s a total shift not only in value system but identity, the way you see yourself here.

One commentator said Jesus most certainly here is speaking of conversion…which if that’s true means Jesus is saying here that some of the disciples still did not yet really believe because they had not experienced a radical shift or turn in their fundamental identity. They did not see themselves as weak and sinful people who were dependent on Jesus for life and salvation but instead saw themselves as strong and confidence and were beginning to compete with one another for status in Jesus’ kingdom. Jesus wasn’t having any of it.

The second textual clue is in verse 6, where Jesus tells how one becomes a child. He says these “little ones…believe in me.” The key to child-like faith is giving up your own righteousness and own efforts at being good and saving yourself and gaining for yourself and instead putting all belief or faith in Jesus.

Jesus is so serious and so intense about this that he actually goes on the offensive after this against those who would encourage anything else. The first thing he says is actually kind of funny and sarcastic…I think.

He basically says, if you’re trying to become great yourself and save yourself and encourage others to do likewise…you might as well go have a great milestone hung around your neck and be drowned in the sea. It’s quite picturesque.

The great milestone was this big stone weighing several hundred pounds shaped like a cone. A rope would be tied around it hooked up to a beam with a donkey on the other end and the donkey would then walk in a circle trampling over grain in order to mash it down into flour. Everyone knew what this milestone was. Jesus says, if your going to fight for your own status and position in my kingdom and set others on a course of climbing up the ladder of success you might as well go tie that thing around your neck and throw yourself in the sea…because that’ll be better than what I’m going to do to you if you try and get away with that in my kingdom.

It’s kind of a funny analogy. Jesus didn’t mince words. Can you imagine me bringing my daughter up here? Have her sit on my lap and me saying to you…she depends on me for everything and unless you humble yourself and believe in me and wholly depend me for everything you might as well go throw yourself off the Coronado bridge.

The question, the real heart question here is what does it truly mean to be humble? How do you humble yourself? Jesus first job qualification here is that great humility is required. So what really is humility and how do you be humble?

A pastor, theologian and writer named C. J. Mahaney wrote a great little book titled humility. In it he suggests that humility is the opposite of pride and that sometimes humility is best seen by understanding what pride is. Interestingly here is how he defined pride, “Pride is when sinful human beings aspire to the status and position of God and refuse to acknowledge their dependence on him.”

Pride then is essentially robbing God of his glory…which helps us understand why Jesus says it is so serious. James 4:6 says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

It’s sort of easy to look in on this story from the outside and to think “stupid disciples” and praise “child-like faith.” But really where are we in the story? We may not be literally asking Jesus for jobs and positions of power but where is their pride and self-reliance and a lack of child-like dependency at work in us?

What are the things we are really desiring or aspiring after in life? Do we look as Jesus as being good but he’s not enough to where we feel like, “Yeah, you’re good Jesus, but I really need and want this to”? Are we truly dependent like a child on Jesus for everything or do we really think deep down..what I do is what matters most? Where and how are you relying on yourself instead of Jesus today? Where do you need to turn and humble yourself and believe in him?

Well, Jesus will continue this family language and analogy of children, the Father, and brothers and sisters throughout the chapter. And in this next section he continues on the offensive attack the idol of success and ambition.

II. Death Of Ambition: Drastic Measures Required (v7-9)

Let’s look at verses 7-9 together and talk about Jesus’ second job qualification, “Death Of Ambition: Drastic Measures Required.” In this next section Jesus does three things.

First he doles out a couple “woes.” “Woe to the world for temptations to sin” and “woe to the one by whom temptation comes.” A woe is essentially a death curse. It’s a serious warning with massive consequence if not heeded.

The second thing he does in this is basically generalize the whole desire and quest for position, power and prestige as the world’s way, which he calls both sin and a temptation. Success is the whole underlying assumption which drives the entire business, political, and religious worlds. There are hundreds upon hundreds of books written on how to achieve success. Kinkos has a whole stand full of them. There is “Success Magazine”, success conventions and even success mantras you can repeat every day before going to work.

John Calvin wrote in 1555 that “among the children of the world…the more desirous a man is to obtain renown, the more insolently does he grasp at power, that he may be raised to a lofty station.”

Pastor and theologian Tim Keller wrote a great little book last year titled, “Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope That Matters.” In it he quotes David Brooks, a columnist for the New York Times who notes that “our culture has produced a class of high achievers with ‘rank -link imbalances.’ They have social skills for vertical relationships (and) for improving their rank with mentors and bosses but none for genuine bonding in horizontal relationships with spouses, friends, and family…presidential candidates say they are running on behalf of their families, even though their entire lives have been spent on the campaign trail away from their families.”

Ambition and achievement is a problem and we are bred for it in our schools where we are taught that the number one goal in life is to accomplish your dream, make a lot of money, and be recognized. Ever wonder why social media and reality TV has become so popular?

I’ve been doing some reconnaissance study because I’m speaking up at LA Baptist high for a week of chapels next month. So I’ve been reading Seventeen magazine and Teen Vogue a lot. And it is crazy to the stuff that is on there. There is so much about building your online identity and how much it matters.

Teen Vogue offers advice on how to get more Facebook followers. Some suggestions. Post prettied up pictures of yourself and ask people to comment on them. Share personal moments. Post supportive messages on your friends pages. “Julie” admits, “If people ‘like’ your status or comment a lot, your self-esteem goes up.”

Casey from Seventeen magazine agrees, she says, “No one can deny though, that having that little red box on the bottom right hand side of the screen is always the most exciting thing. Hearing that little pop noise or seeing some has sent you an IM on Facebook is also always super exciting. I really don’t even know where we would be without Facebook.”

What’s the draw? It’s because with online social media like Twitter and Facebook you, who are a nobody, can become somebody, you can become your own little mini-celebrity, with people following you and commenting on your life, you can achieve greatness in the kingdom of the world and feel better about yourself.

The problem is that whether it is success and power in the business world or esteem in the social media world…the goal and the hope of life is happiness and satisfaction in other people’s approval than gods and a personal striving to get it no matter what the cost. Childlike dependence and love for the Father gets ripped away…when it’s the only thing which can ever truly satisfy.

Jesus says this is serious. It is serious to slight God and to attempt to be God and seek glory and fame for ourselves. He says it is so serious we ought to take drastic measures and do whatever it takes to cut these out of our hearts because eternity is at stake.

He lists three, examples…hands, feet and eyes. He says it is better to cut out and off our hands, feet and eyes than end up in hell for buying into the world’s temptation to sin in all kinds of ways which lead us away from God. What’s he getting at with hands, feet, and eyes? Jesus is using the literary device known as a hyperbole, an extreme example to make a point. He is not telling you to get into self-mutilation as some other religions encourage.

Hands, feet and eyes…it’s all encompassing. Hands, what you work for and reach for. Feet, where you go to get what you want. Eyes, what you have your sights on, your goals and dreams. You can break them down in a number of ways.

How are you using your hands, what are you working for? Who’s kingdom are you striving to build, God’s or your own? Are you overworking because you feel like you have to or else all will fall apart, so work is your number one priority and people and family and church all play second fiddle to your job? Or maybe you’re not using your hands at all? If you’re a dude and you’re just sitting on your hands waiting for the perfect job and doing nothing that’s not good. 2 Thessalonians 3:10 says, “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.”

Some of you got to start taking some drastic measure when it comes what you’re doing or not doing with your work.

Where do you go with your feet? Where do you spend your time? Do you go places you know are not going to be good for your soul and your motives are wrong? Do you not go anywhere and are isolated and disconnected? What about internet sites? Current statistics says one out of every seven dudes is addicted to pornography. If you haven’t realized it yet, it will eat away at your insides and destroy any relationship with a girl you ever have. Some of you got to take some drastic measures with that thing.

Lastly your eyes, what do you have your sights set on? Where do you want to be in ten years and why? Are your goals Godly or are the main things you desire have more to do with you and your personal status or state in life. What immediately comes to mind? Your character and who you are influencing for Jesus or more stuff, a house, higher paying job etc.? Some of you have hot to take makes some drastic changes in the direction and hope for your life.

In this section Jesus really goes deep, underneath the surface and questions the very things which drive our everyday life asking us whether we have bought into the world’s temptations or whether we are looking to him for our sense of accomplishment, direction and success. Eternity is at stake. Really, if Jesus does not become Lord over all of your life he will eventually not be lord at all. If your hands, feet and eyes are not set on him anything else you set them on will lead you away from him. Jesus says, you want to be great in my kingdom? Then humble yourself and give up anything that separates you from me.

III. Missional Mindset: Shepherd’s Heart Required (v10-14)

Well, let’s move on to our final point for this morning, “Missional Mindset: Shepherd’s Heart Required.” In this third requirement Jesus gives for his kingdom employees he draws our attention to missional heart of God the shepherd toward his “little ones.” In the last section we heard Jesus be very blunt, almost harsh, and talking about judgment and the consequence of hell. Here in this next section we see Jesus being very soft, tender and talking about the loving moral will of God that none should go to hell.

Now just to be clear…I’m going to throw out a couple disclaimers for our budding theologians here. So if the next few sentences don’t make sense to you that’s okay. So a few disclaimers…

One, I don’t think Jesus makes is clear here or not if “little ones” or “children” in this chapter are those who having saving faith. They definitely have the ability to fall away, which would prove that they never really were true children.

Two, I’m not going to get into angels and guardian angels here. We have at other times if you want to look it up and learn about them you can but the stuff about here angels really doesn’t effect the interpretation of the chapter.

Three, we do have a reference to the two wills in God here in verse 14. I might write a blog on it this week as a follow up but we’re not getting into it today. If you can’t wait, go read the “Are There Two Wills In God” article on the Desiring God website (http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Articles/ByDate/1995/1580_Are_There_Two_Wills_in_God/). So since I’m not going to address that here, I’m just going to treat the text as it stands and say that in the affections of God, yes, just as 2 Peter 3:9 says, “God is not willing that any should perish.” Though we know that some do in fact perish according to the eternal plan of God.

All those disclaimers are side note rabbit trails I don’t want to get into so we can focus on the main point of the paragraph and that is the missional mind and heart of God the shepherd. Ok. Whew.

Now, what we have here is a classic biblical analogy. Throughout all the Bible God is pictured as the Great Shepherd of his people. The famous Psalm 23 declares, “The LORD is my shepherd.” In addition, shepherding was one of the most common jobs people had in the ancient world. A normal or average flock of sheep that one man could shepherd was about a hundred sheep.

The shepherds’ jobs is to guide, protect and watch over the sheep. One of the most notorious challenges for shepherds is that sheep have no sense of direction and at times will wonder away from other the other sheep and end up caught up in a thicket or behind a rock or something which makes them easy targets and prey for predators like wolves, bears, and lions.

When that would happen a good shepherd would not think, well I’m not going to go after that one sheep because while I’m gone a wolf could come and just take that whole flock. He would leave the 99 and go after the one. Why, not just because it’s his job but because he has grown to love the sheep. Shepherds shepherd the sheep from the time they are little baby lambs and are usually the ones to name them. The way a shepherd guides and leads his flock is by calling out their names one by one calling them to follow him. A good shepherd would not leave a single sheep to be inevitably be devoured and die at the hands of another animal. He good shepherd loves every one of the sheep in his flock.

Jesus here, takes this common and well known thing and says that is what the heart of my father is like toward his children. He goes out in “search” of his sheep and when he finds it he “rejoices.” This is mission and Jesus way of calling us to mission here. Look at verse 10. He says, “do not despise one of these little ones” and then goes on to tell this story about the heart of the Shepherd Father. So despising a little one would be not seeking it out and working to bring the sheep back into the fold of the flock.

Jesus call here is to, as he says in Luke 19:10, “Seek and save the lost” or as he says in John 10:16, there are “sheep that are not of this fold” which must be brought in. Jesus calls us to a missional mindset, to be on the lookout for lost sheep and be working to bring them in.

So the mission here plays out in two different ways depending on whether we are saying these “children” are professing Christians are not. And remember, we’re talking children not in the strict literal sense but children as in those who are fully depending on and believing in Jesus.

There is a looking for those who are on the outside, who have never believed and need to make the turn to really become children. Ones who need to hear about both the consequence of sin and the love of the father for them. And there is a looking for those who are on the inside, who have believed but are wandering off up into the mountains, doing their own thing, and not living for or loving God…and they need to be called and brought back in.

Jesus says, you want to be great in my kingdom? Then be humble like my father who stoops down and seeks out lost sheep. Job qualification, you have to be a missionary.

So let me ask you. Are you on mission? Are there people you are praying for, spending time with, and talking to about Jesus who don’t yet believe in him? If not you need to get some people like that in your life. There’s a lot of ‘em. Only 6% of San Diego claims to believe in and follow Jesus. So you don’t have to go far. Go make some friends.

Or how about the other end, are there people whom you know have been professing Christians at one point but are not now and they need your help and love and friendship to be brought back in?

I’m amazed at how many times I pursue someone because I haven’t really seen them around lately at church or community group or whatever and we get together and I find out they are really struggling with their faith or some sin and they’ve been wandering…when they listen and repent and come back it is one of the greatest joys to see. It takes a ton of guts and humility but it is beautiful. Sometimes the greatest missional work we do is caring for the people in our church.

Do you know of anyone right now that’s coming to mind, someone you’ve been wondering about if they are doing okay and you really need to go sit down with them and have a talk? That is the missional heart of the Father. He is on the lookout and he cares and takes action.

May God make us good missionaries after both those in our city and those in our church.

Conclusion

Well let’s conclude and pull all this together and prepare our hearts for the Lord’s Supper.

The disciples asked Jesus how to be great in his kingdom. When Jesus heard that he heard the heart behind the words and said a massive change of identity had to take place because such a question showed that at the root of the disciple reason for following Jesus was what they could get out of it for themselves.

It is so easy to treat God like a cosmic vending machine or to try and use Jesus as a self-help scheme to try and make our lives better or more successful. Jesus call here is for us to humble ourselves and stop pursuing our own glory and instead depend on and look to him for our sense of status, acceptance, and joy…just like a child does with their parents.

And that is not easy. Jesus says it takes drastic measures to fight against pursuing our own glory because our hands, feet and eyes fight against us. We are bombarded with temptation of the world which constantly tells us to make something of ourselves and that we can make ourselves good and great.

Then Jesus tells us we not only have to deal with that within ourselves but we need to help others see this and realize this and be on mission working to bring people back to God just like a shepherd does with lost sheep.

Here’s how I see these things connected to the gospel. The gospel is one of an upside-down kingdom. Jesus calls us to be humble because humility is at the heart of the gospel. We all, like sheep have gone astray, every one of us and God has sought us out. He did so by laying aside his divine right to heavenly glory and prestige and allowed himself to be seen as weak and dependent by becoming a man in Jesus. He took drastic measures and gave up his life on the cross, so that we might not end up in hell because of the sins of our hands, feet and eyes.

Jesus calls for an self-identity change. The amazing, good and beautiful thing about the gospel is that the sense of status and approval we long for and fight for in the world’s scheme of success and ambition is simply given to us. God who knows the worst of us, all of our sin and how deep it goes, accepts and approves of us through our belief in Jesus. No one’s approval could ever come close to that because their approval is always based on our good performance. And that’s why the gospel is so good and so superior.

So let’s go to the table this morning and let’s thank God for his love, let’s remind ourselves of who we are in Christ, let’s remember what he did for us on the cross, let’s confess our sins and repent and deal with areas in our heart which have been seeking our own glory and satisfaction in things other than him…like little children let us go and confess our belief and dependence and love for him.

Let’s pray