Chapter 82
A STUDY ABOUT WISDOM
Matthew 20:20-28
In keeping with our custom, we begin this study with prayer.
Dear Heavenly Father, Almighty God,
We come before You in the name of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Father God, as we go through this study please open our spiritual ears, eyes and heart. Please Father, cause us to truly hear, see and understand that the ways and methods of Your Kingdom are vastly different from the ways and methods of this world. As we see and understand this please move upon us to live our lives in obedience to Your will and desire.
Amen
INTRODUCTION
To see the difference between the ways of the world and the ways of God’s Kingdom we go to the time when the mother of James and John asked Jesus, that when hers sons were in His Kingdom, He would allow each one to sit at His side. To do this we begin by reading from,
Matthew 20:20-23
[20] Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him. [21] And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She said to Him, “Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.” [22] But Jesus answered and said “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They said to Him, “We are able.” [23] So He said to them, “You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father.”
After hearing their request the remaining ten apostles were upset and displeased with James and John. To see this, let us read from,
Matthew 20: 24
[24] And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers.
With this background, let us now read Jesus’ response to His disciples. To do this we go to,
Matthew 20:25-28
[25] But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. [26] Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. [27] And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave—[28] just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
To help us understand the significance of Jesus’ response we will,
1. Review the events during King Rehoboam’s coronation. In doing this, we will discover that it is the wisdom of this world that leads us to try and lord it over others. On the other hand, we will find that it is the wisdom from Heaven that leads us to be a servant.
2. Quickly review portions of Jesus’ earthly ministry to learn what it means to be a servant to others.
Let us now explore the difference between the wisdom that motivates a person to lord it over others verses the wisdom that motivates a person to serve and help them. To do this we will use,
THE EXAMPLE OF KING REHOBOAM
Before we review this example, it is necessary for us to read what God planned to do to the nation of Israel. To do this we go to 1 Kings and read the prophecy God gave through His servant Ahijah.
1 Kings 11:29-39
[29] Now it happened at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met him on the way; and he had clothed himself with a new garment, and the two were alone in the field. [30] Then Ahijah took hold of the new garment that was on him, and tore it into twelve pieces. [31] And he said to Jeroboam, “Take for yourself ten pieces, for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and will give ten tribes to you [32] (but he shall have one tribe for the sake of My servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel), [33] because they have forsaken Me, and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the people of Ammon, and have not walked in My ways to do what is right in My eyes and keep My statutes and My judgments, as did his father David. [34] However I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, because I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of My servant David, whom I chose because he kept My commandments and My statutes. [35] But I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand and give it to you—ten tribes. [36] And to his son I will give one tribe, that My servant David may always have a lamp before Me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen for Myself, to put My name there. [37] So I will take you, and you shall reign over all your heart desires, and you shall be king over Israel. [38] Then it shall be, if you heed all that I command you, walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then I will be with you and build for you an enduring house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you. [39] And I will afflict the descendants of David because of this, but not forever.’”
With this prophecy in mind, we go to the time when Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, ascended to his father’s throne over the nation of Israel. To read what occurred we begin by reading from,
2 Chronicles 10:1-4
[1] And Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone to Shechem to make him king. [2] So it happened, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard it (he was in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon), that Jeroboam returned from Egypt. [3] Then they sent for him and called him. And Jeroboam and all Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, [4] “Your father made our yoke heavy; now therefore, lighten the burdensome service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.”
Let us now read the advice that Rehoboam received from elders and then the young men he grew up with. To do this we go to,
2 Chronicles 10:5-11
[5] So he said to them, “Come back to me after three days.” And the people departed. [6] Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who stood before his father Solomon while he still lived, saying, “How do you advise me to answer these people?” [7] And they spoke to him, saying, “If you are kind to these people, and please them, and speak good words to them, they will be your servants forever.” [8] But he rejected the advice which the elders had given him, and consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him. [9] And he said to them, “What advice do you give? How should we answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke which your father put on us’?” [10] Then the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, “Thus you should speak to the people who have spoken to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter on us’—thus you shall say to them: ‘My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s waist! [11] And now, whereas my father put a heavy yoke on you, I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!’”
Let us now read Rehoboam’s decision and how he responded to Jeroboam. To do this we go to,
2 Chronicles 10:12-15
[12] So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had directed, saying, “Come back to me the third day.” [13] Then the king answered them roughly. King Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders, [14] and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!” [15] So the king did not listen to the people; for the turn of events was from God, that the Lord might fulfill His word, which He had spoken by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
Let us notice the following verse,
15 … This took place to fulfill God’s prophecy to divide Israel into two separate nations. To see this let us read Israel’s response,
2 Chronicles 10:16
[16] Now when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying: “What share have we in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. Every man to your tents, O Israel! Now see to your own house, O David!” So all Israel departed to their tents.
As one reflects upon the above example of King Rehoboam we find a good illustration for the two distinct and separate types of wisdom.
For our first illustration we will explore,
THE WISDOM DISPLAYED BY REHOBOAM AND HIS COMPANIONS
We begin by refreshing our memories about the advice King Rehoboam’s companions gave to Rehoboam on how to establish his authority over the nation of Israel. To do this let us reread
2 Chronicles 10:8-11
[8] But he rejected the advice which the elders had given him, and consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him.[9] And he said to them, “What advice do you give? How should we answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke which your father put on us’?” [10] Then the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, “Thus you should speak to the people who have spoken to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter on us’—thus you shall say to them: ‘My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s waist! [11] And now, whereas my father put a heavy yoke on you, I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!’”
This advice or wisdom to receive and hold on to self seeking power and/or authority over others is identified in the Bible as earthly, sensual and demonic. In other words, it is the wisdom of this earthly world we live in. To see this let us read from,
James 3:12-16
[12] … if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. [15] This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. [16] For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.
However, in this case, to fulfill the prophecy He gave through Ahijah, God allowed King Rehoboam to accept and use the earthly wisdom of his young childhood friends. In doing this, God fulfilled His promise to divide Israel into two kingdoms; one kingdom was identified as Judah and the second kingdom was named Israel.
As a side note, even today, we see this earthly wisdom operating throughout our everyday life experiences. For example within the various levels of government, sports, entertainment, the work place and unfortunately within too many Christian communities we find people and organizations that will lord it over others to achieve and maintain what they believe to be greatness.
For the second illustration we will now explore,
THE WISDOM DISPLAYED BY THE ELDERS
To refresh our memories with advice they gave to King Rehoboam let us reread from,
2 Chronicles 10:3-7
[3] … all Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, [4] “Your father made our yoke heavy; now therefore, lighten the burdensome service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.” [5] So he said to them, “Come back to me after three days.” And the people departed. [6] Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who stood before his father Solomon while he still lived, saying, “How do you advise me to answer these people?” [7] And they spoke to him, saying, “If you are kind to these people, and please them, and speak good words to them, they will be your servants forever.”
According to the Bible this type of wisdom or advice given by the elders was the one from Heaven. To see this let us read from,
James 3:17
[17] … the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.
This is the type of wisdom that true born-again believers in Jesus Christ are to be filled with. To see some of the fruits or activities this wisdom would be producing from within the born-again Christian, we will look to,
THE EXAMPLE OF JESUS CHRIST
Before we begin this portion of our study, let us recall Jesus’ response to the request made by the mother of James and John. To refresh our memory let us reread
Matthew 20:25-28
[25] But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. [26] Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. [27] And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave—[28] just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Let us notice the following verses,
26 … First of all, Jesus told the mother and now us that to become great in God’s Kingdom we are to be a servant.
28 … Jesus told the mother that He came to do two things: (1) He physically came to earth to serve and (2) to physically give up His life as a ransom for many.
We now begin by looking into what Jesus did to fulfill His statement that
HE CAME TO SERVE
To see how Jesus fulfilled this objective we will quickly review four examples of what Jesus did to serve the people He encountered.
First of all we find that
He healed their sicknesses and infirmities
For example, He restored the sight of two blind men. To read what happened we go to,
Matthew 20:29-34
[29] Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him. [30] And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!” [31] Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!” [32] So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” [33] They said to Him, “Lord, that our eyes may be opened.” [34] So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.
Let us notice the following verses,
32 … In this verse we see the Lord of lords and the King of kings asking two helpless men how He could serve and help them.
34 … Jesus had compassion and as a result He healed them.
Secondly, as we read the New Testament we discover that
Jesus constantly taught the people
The question may arise as to; “Why did Jesus constantly teach the people?” Surely, there were many accomplished teachers and scribes who studied and taught the people about God and the things of God’s Kingdom. The answer to this question is that many of these teachers were corrupting the Scriptures and leading the people astray. Specifically, instead of teaching the pure Word of God they were teaching the people their own manmade traditions. To see this let us read a short excerpt from the time when the scribes and Pharisees were chastising Jesus’ disciples for eating with unwashed hands. To do this we go to,
Mark 7:5-9
[5] Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?” [6] He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:
‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. [7] And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.
[8] For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men-the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.” [9] He said to them, “All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.
The consequence of this type of teaching is provided to us in the following excerpt from Jesus’ chastisement to the Pharisees and scribes. The Scripture of interest is,
Matthew 23:13
[13] “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.
Thus, to serve the people and provide them with the correct and proper understanding of God, His commandments and His Kingdom, Jesus constantly taught them.
Jesus’ compassion and intense concern for the spiritual well being of the people can be seen when the apostles returned to Him from their tour of service and teaching. To read what occurred we go to,
Mark 6:30-34
[30] Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught. [31] And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. [32] So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves. [33] But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities. They arrived before them and came together to Him. [34] And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to
teach them many things.
Let us notice the following verse,
31-32 … At this point in time the apostles were tired and hungry from their tour of service and teaching. Consequently, to rest and eat, Jesus and His apostles sailed to a deserted place.
33 … After the people discovered where Jesus and His apostles were going; they promptly ran to meet them.
34 … Instead of turning the people away, we see Jesus, the Lord of lords and King of kings, patiently reaching out to help the people understand about the things of His Kingdom.
The third example is that in addition to healing the people’s sicknesses and teaching, we also find there were times when,
Jesus fed the people
To see this let us read about the time when He, with seven loaves of bread and a few fish, fed 4,000 men in addition to the women and children. To read about this miraculous event let us go to,
Matthew 15:32-38
[32] Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.” [33] Then His disciples said to Him, “Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?” [34] Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven, and a few little fish.” [35] So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. [35] And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude. [37] So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left. [38] Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.
Let us notice the following verse,
32 …Again we see Jesus’ compassion and concern for those who followed Him. This time He knew they were probably weakened by hunger. Thus, in the remaining set of verses (33-37) we read how He miraculously provided them with food.
The fourth and last example of what Jesus did while He was here upon this earth was that,
He forgave people of their sins
There is probably no better way to see Jesus compassion for the sinner than the time when Jesus was hanging upon the cross. To read what Jesus did let us prayerfully and reverently go to,
Luke 23:33-34(a)
[33] And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. [34a] Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”
As we reflect upon all we have read concerning Jesus’ service, we come to realize there is at least two points to be made:
The first point to be made is that throughout His ministry upon this earth, Jesus was moved by love and the wisdom from Heaven (James 3:17).
The second point is, this is the wisdom the born-again believer in Jesus Christ is to be motivated by. A good summary of this point is given in
Galatians 6:9-10
[9] And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. [10] Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.
If we do not see this type of wisdom coming from within us, we are to go to God, with faith, and pray for it. To see this let us read from,
James 1:5-6
[5] If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. [6] But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
This brings us to,
THE MESSAGE OF THIS CHAPTER
Actually, there are two points to be made.
The first point or message of this chapter is,
THE BORN-AGAIN BELIEVERS ARE CALLED TO SERVE
Perhaps the best way to see this is to read about the time when Jesus washed the feet of His disciples. This took place just before the Feast of Passover, which at this time Jesus’ sojourn upon this earth was at its completion. This is recorded in,
John 13:3-8
[3] Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, [4] rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. [5] After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. [6] Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?” [7] Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.” [8] Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”
Let us now read Peter’s response as recorded in,
John 13:9-11
[9] Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!” [10] Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” [11] For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, “You are not all clean.”
Let us notice the following verses,
10a … During these days many people only wore sandals on their feet. Thus, after walking on streets of dirt, the feet of the people were dirty. Thus, Jesus was referring to the customary practice of the people washing the dirt and grime off their feet.
10b … This was a reference of Judas Iscariot.
With the above background in mind, let us now read Jesus’ teaching to His apostles then and now to you and me. To do this we go to,
John 13:12-17
[12] So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? [13] You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. [14] If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. [15] For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. [16] Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. [17] If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”
We now come to the second message or point of this chapter which is,
TO PLEASE GOD OUR ACTIONS MUST BE MOTIVATED BY LOVE AND HEAVENLY WISDOM
To see the importance of why our actions and deeds are to be motivated by love, let us read from,
1 Corinthians 13:1-3
[1] Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. [2] And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. [3] And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
To see the importance of being motivated by Heavenly wisdom let us read from,
James 3:13-17
[13] Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. [14] But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. [15] This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. [16] For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. [17] But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.
CLOSING
Let us now close this study by reading from,
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
[23] Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. [24] He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.
Amen