Hope and Humiliation
Matthew 20:1-16
-For the unfulfilled, Jesus offers hope.
-For religious gatekeepers, Jesus is humiliating.
Questions:
1. Read Matthew 20:1-9. Think of the workers who are not working. If God made you to serve Him, what are the things that can cause you to be unfulfilled? How does Jesus change that?
2. How has Jesus been a good master to you? What are lesser masters that you have served and how has Jesus differed to you?
3. Read Matthew 20:10-16. What does it look like to gatekeep religion? Have you ever been guilty of it or have you ever been on the receiving end of it? What hope does Jesus offer to those who have served Him all their life vs. those who just began their walk of faith?
4. Read Luke 15:11-32. What are the similarities or echoes between this parable and the parable of the laborers in the vineyard? How does the father treat the elder son vs the prodigal son, and how does that relate to how Jesus treats you and I? Can you relate to either brother, or do you relate to a specific group of laborers from the vineyard?