NT 260: Part OneSample

The stories in this chapter emphasize selfish ambition even when it comes to what we receive from God. The first is a parable. Jesus tells of people who receive equal wages even though some worked longer than others. It’s a picture of the fact that those who trust Jesus go to heaven even though some have followed Jesus all their lives and some only trust Him at the end of their lives. The mother of James and John thinks they deserve a special place in heaven, but Jesus says it’s the least of His followers that receive that honor. The other disciples are angry at the request, so the desire for special treatment was not unique to James and John.

No one deserves heaven, yet somehow people can come to a place where they think they deserve more of heaven than someone else. God lavishes forgiveness and grace on us, and then we want more. It would be like me giving a beautiful, new home to a homeless person and having him complain that it doesn’t have a hot-tub. God must find our complaining pretty ungrateful, but still He loves us!