The Economy of Heaven
"So, what am i gonna get out of this? I've sacrificed everything to follow you...what will i get in return?" Ever had that thought? Be honest...
Some of us read these words of Peter and think, "Shame on you, Peter...you shouldn't be focused on yourself, after all Christianity is all about giving and not getting." But, if you can't relate to Peter's question and the emotion that comes with it, i wonder if you've ever sacrificed anything significant for the Lord. After all, it's easy to criticize Peter when everything is comfortable and easy and our Christian experience is "uncostly".
But, if you have sacrificed in similar ways that Peter and the others did to follow Jesus, then you've probably thought or even questioned the Lord in similar ways.
This interest in our own welfare is common to all of us. We would be dishonest if we acted like we never thought about the reward or the payback for sacrificially giving all to follow Jesus.
Questions like, "Lord, i've left my old friends behind to follow You because i know that they will be a hindrance to my relationship with You. What or Who will you provide to replace those old friendships, or will i have to be alone?"
Or, "Lord, I've had such great wealth before knowing You, and now i see that my much can help so many others little...so, i feel that to follow You means giving away most of my stuff! Will it be worth it and will You provide for me? Or will i be left poor and unable to meet my own needs?"
So, the question for Peter and for all who give up everything to follow Jesus of "What will we get in return?" is both honest and somewhat familiar.
But, what is Jesus' response? Does Jesus rebuke him for his selfishness? NO! We find that Jesus reassures him that in Heaven, he and those like him will be given 100x what they've sacrificed for Him in this life! This is a tremendous promise and one that must have strengthened Peter's faith mightily. Anything that Peter had given up in order to fully follow Jesus would be 100 fold repaid! Wow! Awesome promise! This is where we get the saying, "You can't out give God!" For God is a debtor to no man. In other words, there is no sacrifice for Jesus that we can make in this life that God will be indebted to. For no man can give more than God! These are comforting words for all who desire to fully follow Jesus on the road "less traveled".
So, as much as Jesus desired to comfort Peter (and all who follow) with this promise, He also knows that they need a warning, as well. Because the economy of the Kingdom of Heaven is not like the economy of the earth...for it is one of grace!
So, in Ch. 20, Jesus tells a parable about a landowner who hires workers to work in his field and agrees to pay them a days wage. So, some get hired at 9am and go to work. Others get hired at noon and go to work. The same at 3pm and then again at 5pm.
Now, that evening as the men get paid, the foreman starts by paying the LAST workers FIRST, and they receive a full days wage! Now, no doubt the guys who were hired first and had to work longer hours were thinking that they would get paid more...we all would! But NO! Everyone who worked that day was paid the same, no matter when they were hired or for how long they worked! So, the guy who worked 2 hours in the cool of the day was paid the same full days wage as the guy hired at 9am and had to work 10 hours through the heat of the day! "BUT THAT'S NOT FAIR!", they would say then, and we would say now! So, Jesus tells the story, "Friend, i haven't been unfair! You agreed to work all day for the usual day wage. If i want to pay the last worker the same, it's my money and i can do with it what i want." So, the economy of Heaven is one of GRACE.
Then Jesus ends with these words that all of us need to hear and heed..."Should you be jealous because i am kind to others?"
Peter and the others were the first to follow Jesus! He had promised them that they would be given back 100x more than anything that they sacrificed for Him! And yet, Jesus knew that there would be others who would also follow Him who may not have to "work as hard or as long" as Peter did! And, Peter would have to guard his heart against jealousy because Jesus would give the latter worker the same "days wage" as He promised to Peter and the others.
This is not only for Peter but for all who have sacrificed much to follow Jesus! "What about that guy, or what about that girl? They shouldn't get the same reward as me Jesus because i have sacrificed or worked so much harder for You than they have!!!" Ever felt that way? I have! And, it's to us that Jesus' words are meant to pierce! "Should you be jealous because i am kind to others?"
So, the economy of Heaven is one of grace! We are all promised the same "wage" - eternal life! The one who works for 2 hours gets the same reward as the one who works for 10! So, be thankful for you and i have been "hired" by the landowner to "work" in His field! Be thankful that He has promised us a "days wage". Be thankful that He has promised that everything we sacrificially give for His sake will be repaid 100x. And, be careful not to be jealous of those who seem to not work as hard, or as long as you do! For God's economy is one of grace, and you and i ought to be thankful!
Created over 1 year ago
