THE STORY OF JESUS: Matthew 21:1-11
“See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey.” (Matthew 21:5)
When Dorothy goes to see the wizard in Oz, she is in for a surprise.
The wizard pretends to be frightening and powerful but is just a salesman from Omaha.
She peaks behind the curtain and sees the truth; its all smoke and mirrors, a scam.
When the mighty Son of David comes to Jerusalem, He’s just a carpenter from Nazareth.
Jesus does not need to impress the high and the mighty, or scare the lowly.
Jesus does not appear as He really is, He veils Himself but not to deceive.
“He made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant.” (Philippians 2:7)
Jesus came humbly, in a manger, on a donkey, as symbol of humble, submissive love.
But if we pulled back the curtain on Who Jesus really is, we would be blinded.
Jesus models the true greatness that comes from being a humble, gentle servant.
This was the glory of Adam and Eve, and this was to be our glory too.
We’ve been fooled to want to look great, put on a show, or be impressive.
True greatness is not in the size of our… (horse, church, car, house, paycheque, etc.).
True greatness and glory lies in being like Jesus: loving, kind, humble, other-serving!
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
Lord, make me a servant humble and meek, let me lift up those who are weak. May the prayer of my heart always be, make me a servant today.
Jesus follower
trying to find His way
Oops, sorry Tony, the bible passage was listed in correctly as Matthew 20:1-11, I switched it back to Matthew 21, but your comments reflection my typo. Thanks for posting anyway!
Work and wages.
Being hired at the market place provided food for the day for the family. No work most likely meant no food for the family. Reminds me of the men in Haiti standing along the roadside with their shovels being hired by the dump trucks filling them with the gravel or sand or limestone.
In this parable the reward was the same for all – the generosity to all by the Master. Yet the workers – their motives can make a difference. Some work for the reward – input = output. Others work out of love and the joy of work and service. God calls His people to work with joy, with generosity serving Him and neighbour.
How do I perform my work? With cheerfulness? With generosity? With service to God and my neighbour? With a glad and generous heart? With open eyes seeing not whatI can get but rather how much I can give?
The Lord God has blessed me and I need to be a blessing for others – with a joy filled and generous heart serving Him.
God forgave my sin in Jesus’ name.
I’ve been born again in Jesus’ name
And in Jesus’ name I come to you
To share his love as he told me to.
He said ‘Freely, freely you have received;, freely, freely give.
Go in my name, and because you believe others will know that I live.
All pow’r is giv’n in Jesus’ name
in earth and heav’n in jesus name
And in Jesus’ name I come to you
To share his pow’r as he told me to.
He said ‘Freely, freely you have received;, freely, freely give.
Go in my name, and because you believe others will know that I live.
God gives us life in Jesus’ name
he lives in us in Jesus’ name
And in Jesus’ name I come to you
To share his peace as he told me to.