Who's the Greatest?

In Matthew 13:10-17, Jesus explained that one reason why he taught in parables was so the disciples would become more fully aware of "the secrets of the kingdom of the heavens." Seven of the fifteen parables found in the book are clustered together in the rest of chapter 13. Three more form parts of chapters 18-20. The remaining five are located in chapters 21-25.

The three parables found in Matthew 18-20 are the lost sheep (18:12-14), the unforgiving servant (18:23-35), and the laborers in the vineyard (20:1-16). Matthew groups these three together in answer to three questions asked by the disciples concerning how things work in the kingdom of the heavens: "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of the heavens?" (18:1); "How often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" (18:21); and "See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?" (19:27).

Jesus utilizes the parables of the lost sheep, the unforgiving servant, and the laborers in the field to answer each of the questions respectively. In each case, the overarching point he makes is this: The values at work in the operation of the kingdom of the heavens stand in sharp contrast to the values at work in the various systems of this world. With respect to the parable of the lost sheep, we see that the kingdom of the heavens values humility and service over status-seeking, abuse of power, and being served. With respect to the unforgiving servant, we learn just how central forgiveness is to the operation of the kingdom of the heavens here on earth. Finally, the parable of the laborers in the field points unmistakably to the priority of covenant relationships with the Lord over against those that are more contractual.

Jesus is very clear regarding how critical our commitment to each of the three values is in relation to our own participation in the kingdom of the heavens. That raises an additional question: Exactly how can we tell for sure whether we share the values of humility and service, of forgiveness, and of covenant-relationships with the Lord? 

The answer is through community—particularly, through Christian community. We show our commitment to kingdom humility and service by receiving others who are humble and serving, and not scandalizing them. We show our commitment to forgiveness by forgiving others an unlimited number of times and without limits on what we are willing to forgive. Finally, we show our commitment to covenant-relationships with the Lord by valuing the same when we see it at work in the lives of others. Without others, without the realities of community, including the rough and tumble, we wouldn't be able to make an accurate assessment of where we stand.

I invite you to join us this Sunday as we continue our study on The Parables of the Kingdom, giving special attention to The Unforgiving Servant.