Introduction

Good morning, let us turn to Matthew Chapter 20. This is a passage that is difficult to decipher; for many years, I have not been able to fully grasp it. Recently, I have been searching online and consulting various Bible study resources. I have found that the interpretations provided are generally unsatisfactory. Today, I am excited to announce that I have finally understood it.

The Logic Systems We Know Cause Us Many Problems

Let me begin with a problem: Is it fair that those who start working in the morning receive the same wages as those who come to work just before closing time? Many believe it is unreasonable for those who work longer hours to receive the same pay as those who work fewer hours. If you were the owner of the vineyard, would you do things this way?

Once, when David was leading his troops into battle, several hundred men said, We are tired, we do not want to fight. We want to stay behind and rest. David agreed, allowing them to rest while the others went to battle. Some suggested that those who did not fight should not receive a share of the spoils of war, only those who fought should. However, David distributed the spoils to both those who fought and those who did not. Do you think this is reasonable?

The logic systems within us often lead to many problems. Some will say it is reasonable, others will say it is not. It is a matter of perspective and wisdom, the question is whether we have a Godly logic system within us. People naturally believe their own views and understanding are correct; no one thinks their own views are wrong, otherwise they would not act accordingly.

Someone who believes in the Lord early in life goes to heaven after death; another person believes in the Lord just before dying and also goes to heaven. Those who have believed for a long time might say: Look, I have believed for so long, while you have believed for such a short time. What will happen when we stand before God? Perhaps there will be such arguments, perhaps not.

Two thieves were crucified with Jesus Christ, and one of them entered paradise with Jesus. Many Christians believe this is a good thing, saying: I envy this thief, entering paradise at the last moment. I also hope to enjoy the pleasures of sin while alive, indulging in debauchery, prostitution, gambling, and investing money; even robbing a bank, and then accepting Jesus Christ as my Savior at the last moment, so that Jesus' blood can cleanse all my sins. How wonderful that would be!

Do you think it is better to believe in Jesus before death, or to believe early and continuously serve others, eventually returning to Jesus? Which do you think is more worthwhile? Many believe that entering heaven by believing in Jesus just before death is a worthwhile deal. Today, I will explain Matthew Chapter 20 to everyone, and I believe I have provided the best interpretation of it.

Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Matthew 20:28)

Paying the price for God results in a hundredfold return, but everyone has different views and standards for determining what constitutes a hundredfold. For example, if I used to be unlucky and now everything I do prospers, isn't that a hundredfold return? If I used to have one dollar and now I have a hundred, that's a hundredfold increase in terms of money. If I used to serve one person and now I serve a hundred, and later ten thousand, which is more worthwhile? We must eliminate narrow standards of judgment.

For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing, so he told them, ‘You also go into my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. About noon and again about three in the afternoon he did the same thing. About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ ‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. He said to them, ‘You also go into my vineyard.’ (Matthew 20:1-7)

With only one hour left before closing time, those who entered first worked deep inside the vineyard, while those who entered later started working not far from the entrance. At closing time, those who entered last came out first and received a denarius; those who entered first came out last and also received a denarius. If you managed a business this way, it would surely fail because everyone would want to work less and earn more. Those who entered the vineyard first complained:

But when he paid those who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one also received a denarius. So when they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’ But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” (Matthew 20:11-16)

Would you feel it was unfair because the landowner, in his generosity, gave the same wages to those who came later as to those who came earlier? If you are a very lazy person, unwilling to work, wanting only to be cared for like a pig, preferring food to be served to you and clothes to be put on for you, you would surely feel that such a thing is unfair.

What do I think? I don't believe that those who came to work early suffered from the heat and burdensome labor. I have a characteristic, which is that I love to work. Some people call me a workaholic, but it's not that I am a workaholic, but rather that I have an understanding within me: if I don't work, what else would I do? A few days ago, someone being served said to his pastor: Who in this world isn't lazy? His pastor replied: Don't you know Teacher? He is not lazy. I am truly not lazy; I just love to work. If you were to prevent me from working, it would be a form of torment. I love to work. Would you say there are such people in this world?

You might not understand, but you can think about it: if you were not allowed to work, spending all day at home with no worries about food or clothing, you would become bored after a few days. What would the result be in the end? When I first came to Singapore, someone's boss told him to come to work on time in the morning and leave on time in the evening, but he didn't have to do any work. Because he sometimes became emotional when working, the boss said he didn't need to do anything, just sit in the office. As a result, he sat for one day, two days, three days...and one day he hanged himself. In fact, not allowing someone to work is a form of torment. I came into this world not to be served, but to serve.

Serving is Grace

Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Matthew 20:28)

God delights in bringing people into His eternal glory, God delights in those who give themselves completely receiving a hundredfold, winning people like catching fish, and the people won are to rise up and serve. Therefore, today in our church, there is a characteristic: serving is grace. You will hear me say, So-and-so, you have reached this stage now, you cannot grow without serving! So we must understand in our minds that entering the vineyard early to work is grace. If you think working is suffering from the heat and burdensome labor, you will not be able to taste the flavor of life. I am very moved. Why are there people who are unwilling to work, only wanting to be served? Some people think being a boss is good, but in fact, being a boss is very tiring. No one pays the boss a salary, but whether he earns money or not, he has to pay salaries to others.

This world is very interesting; there are all kinds of views. If a person frowns as soon as he starts working, feeling that he is doing a bitter chore, how could God possibly put him in the forefront? Someone who doesn't like to work is a lazy bum, and laziness is a bad habit. Recently, I have been studying how to solve the problem of laziness. Solving laziness is difficult, but I think it would be great if I could solve the problem of laziness one day.

I have met many people who do not think entering the vineyard early to work is a pleasure. When they were students, they did not think learning was a pleasure, so learning was as painful as it could be; working was as painful as it could be. They only wanted to get money. In the past years, I have never asked for a raise. I have always been working hard, and as a result, my salary has been increasing rapidly.

The reason is simple: it's not that you want money and you get money, but rather that you are thinking about working, constantly solving problems, constantly innovating, constantly updating. How could you not have money? The fool is the one who doesn't want to work, wanting only to enjoy. People come into this world with a characteristic: are you to be served, or are you to serve others? Being served is one type of person, coming to serve others is another type of person. If you do not become a servant like Jesus, you will not be able to please God!

Some people want to be like Jesus, but they do not want to serve others like Jesus, only wanting to be served. There is a row of people behind them, massaging their backs, massaging their legs, massaging the soles of their feet, smoking a water pipe, lying there, enjoying being rubbed and kneaded. How wonderful! Many people think that becoming a boss means having a big table there, sitting on a big, fat chair is the boss. But these are all superficial phenomena.

As long as you want to be at the top, you must serve others. This is the law of the Kingdom of God! In this world, there are kings who govern them, and there are ministers who control them; but it shall not be so among you. Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant. I hope everyone's thoughts are like God's, but whether you are like Jesus, like a person, or like a ghost, that is entirely your choice. It is difficult for people living in this world to avoid worldly concepts. Within us, for example, those who enter to work in the morning, those who enter to work in the afternoon, and those who get the same salary when they get off work in the evening, people feel that those who go to work early are at a disadvantage.

In fact, working is a grace; for some people, not loving to work is a bad habit. When I used to work in a company, it wasn't that my skills were great, but rather that my spirit of research was great. I would never give up until I solved the problem! Until I overcame the problem, although my starting point was low, I won by persisting to the end. At that time, my boss often gave me problems that no one else could solve. When I was eating with my colleagues, they would laugh at me and say that the hot potato had been thrown into my hands again. But they didn't know that working is a grace. I was very clear when I was young that my work experience was directly related to how many problems I had solved.

I like to solve challenging problems. Every time I solve a problem, my whole body feels as if I have gone to heaven, better than eating a Manchu Han Imperial Feast! When I come up with a skill, a clever method, and then solve the problem, my walking is different. Exaggeratedly, my arms and legs seem like they are about to fly. People who have not experienced that kind of爽劲儿. The feeling after solving the problem is very good, and I would like everyone to experience this 爽勁兒. Of course, many people will also say what's so good about it, it's so tiring that your back aches. Many people's lack of energy is related to the kidney meridian. Insufficient kidney meridian makes a person's mind not sharp, so people must move around, such as squatting in a horse stance, and sweating all over their body is 爽.

If a person likes to work every day, this person will become very prosperous, why? Because his kidney meridian is very vigorous. That's why I like to work. Another benefit of liking to work is that you don't have insomnia. Don't think that I don't like to sleep. What I lack is sleep. Sometimes I am so tired that I fall asleep for more than ten hours. When I wake up, I find that I have slept for so long? Because I lack sleep.

Don't get me wrong, I don't sleep two or three hours every day, sometimes it's more than ten hours. Why don't I have insomnia? Because I work very hard every day. Those who have insomnia, if you observe carefully, they don't do anything. Especially retired people have nothing to do. If working is a grace, it is very good for us. Then working in the vineyard, the kidney meridian gets good training, the body gets good stretching, don't you get what you should get?

You get what you should get, is there any problem with you taking a denarius? In fact, that denarius is OK. The most important thing is that you have done these jobs from morning to night, and your body gets exercise, isn't that very good? So brothers and sisters should know that serving itself is a grace, and you cannot grow without serving others. In our midst, it is not calculated by how much grace you get, getting grace is nothing.

The grace you get in our midst is because others have paid the price to serve you; if you are asked to serve others, you need to pay a price. If we understand this in our mind, we will not feel that we are suffering a loss. What does it mean that we have been toiling and suffering in the heat all day, and those who came later have only worked for an hour, and you have given them the same salary as us? We want to serve others a hundredfold, we want to offer more than anyone else, we want to offer all that we have, and even give our lives as a ransom for many.

Later, the Apostle Paul said that he came into this world to make up for the deficiencies of Jesus Christ's suffering. This refers to serving, which is derived from the logical system of working in the vineyard. He felt that he came into this world to serve, not to be served, but to serve others, and to give his life as a ransom for many, just as the Son of Man came into this world.

Not to Be Served, But to Serve

We must all understand that the Chinese Mingding Destiny is not about receiving grace, nor is it about praying to solve this problem or that problem. The Chinese Mingding Destiny is not about us praying and he receiving grace; us praying and him being healed; us praying and serving, and his life changing. We are talking about not being served, but serving others. So if you come among us, only hoping to receive our service, then after getting what you want, you go do what you want to do.

Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Matthew 20:23)

Some people come among us to be served, but they are unwilling to serve others, thinking that it is good to rely on us here, because there are people here who serve them. They only hope that when there are problems, someone will serve them, feeling that this is very good. I think you are mistaken. Do you want to be above all the nations of the world today? If you want to be above all the nations of the world, you must be a servant of others, not someone who is served.

When I am sick and have a fever, my head hurts and I am very uncomfortable, but I am still serving desperately. After serving, my illness is basically cured. In fact, in all the years I have built the church, when have you seen me sick or take leave when I preach on Sundays? I have never taken leave, it's not that I have never been sick, but in those years, the church was not very victorious.

It is really hard when the church isn't victorious. One morning, I woke up with a high fever, and I couldn't get up, so I lay on the sofa for a while. I said to myself: One, two, three, get up! Get up and move around! In fact, my joints were sore, and then I walked to the parking lot, drove to the church, and did what I was supposed to do. As a result, one day I really couldn't hold on anymore. I served until 8 pm, and my whole body collapsed there. Two brothers and sisters came and served me and prayed for me.

At around 9 p.m., I felt a little better. I hadn't eaten much all day, so I went to a restaurant with the brothers and sisters, ate something, and then my body was completely healed. Nothing can stop receiving a hundredfold of service. What kind of hundredfold do we receive in this life? It is to become a hundredfold of blessings for others. If we become a hundredfold of blessings for others, can we not be like Jesus?

Some people long to receive a hundredfold of being served, but in the final analysis, even if they serve, it is a selfish system. How can they be like Jesus? We do what is beneficial to us, and we don't do what is not beneficial to us. Although I tell you again and again that serving is beneficial to you, what is the greatest benefit? The greatest benefit is our days in this world.

If you are a Christian, serving with a selfish system, you cannot continue to do it, and in the future, the last will be first, and the first will be last. People are not ranked according to who is first and who is last. What God tells us is according to your motive for serving, according to how much you are like Jesus. Ask yourself, what did you come into this world to do? Sometimes I meet some pastors and I am very touched. I say: What have you been doing recently? He said: I went into business, I finally got rid of that bitter chore! What do you think God thinks when He hears this? How can serving people become a bitter chore?

Entering the vineyard, toiling and suffering in the heat all day, how can you think like this? Shouldn't you think of toiling and suffering in the heat as I worked in the vineyard for a day, and all my muscles and bones are relaxed. Look, the sun is so good, I enjoy it so much. I have created so much value by working for a day. Those who came later, although they didn't create so much value, but because of the value I created, they all share a portion with me. What a wonderful thing this is. If you think like this, how can you not be like Jesus?

God Values the Motive Behind Our Service

See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life! (Matthew 20:18-19)

What did Jesus come to do? Jesus came to bear our pain and carry our sorrows. Through His precious blood, we are redeemed; through His wounds, we are healed; through His poverty, we become rich. Some people are so outrageously selfish that they only pursue worldly blessings—their cheese, their jobs, their families... They do not see service as their Mingding Destiny. If they are unwilling to even put down their work, how can they have a sacrificial mindset? How can they be a ransom for many? How can they be like Jesus?

Today, I encourage you again: Are you willing to walk the path of Jesus? Not to be served, but to serve. In fact, when I think of some brothers and sisters, I feel for their struggles. They always say, Pastor, pray for me, pray for me... I ask, What's wrong? They say, I'm about to collapse. My boss scolded me again. I say, Why did your boss scold you again? They say, Something went wrong with my work again. Quickly pray for my work. I can't take it anymore; I need deliverance.

They want deliverance, so I lead them in prayer for deliverance. After a while, they come back because their boss scolded them again, coming to me just for their work. I am deeply moved and say, What time is it? Can you rise up and become someone who serves others? All you pursue is worldly stuff. Actually, even at this point, the disciples Jesus led still did not understand what Jesus wanted.

Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. What is it you want? he asked. She said, Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit in your kingdom, one at your right and one at your left. You don't know what you are asking, Jesus said to them. Can you drink the cup I am going to drink? We can, they answered. Jesus said to them, You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father. When the ten other disciples heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. Jesus called them together and said, You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, (Matthew 20:20-26)

A nice house, a good car, and many servants—many people pursue this kind of aristocratic life. So they said to Jesus that one wanted to sit at Jesus' left and one at Jesus' right, to be Jesus' chief ministers. Jesus knew at a glance that they had all misunderstood. Did they think that sitting at Jesus' left and right would mean many people would serve them? That they would have many people serving them?

As a result, Jesus said, Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” They said, We can. They didn't know what they were saying, thinking it was all about enjoying the good life, drinking red wine, and living a bourgeoisie lifestyle. In fact, this cup meant going to Jerusalem to be crucified, shedding precious blood to become the redemption of this generation, a blessing to many, a ransom for many. Could they do what Jesus did? They said, We can.

Jesus said to them, You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father. When the ten other disciples heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. (Matthew 20:23-24)

Why were the disciples indignant? They thought, Why should you two be the chief ministers? Then they began to compete. They didn't know that these people were walking with Jesus, and when they reached Jerusalem, He would be crucified. At this point, they were still arguing about who was the greatest. How deeply rooted is this worldly concept in people. In fact, throughout China's dynasties, in the process of dynastic changes, worldly concepts were also deeply rooted in people.

Many people thought, If I follow Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhao Kuangyin, or Liu Bang to conquer the world, I will get an official position! That would be great! Then I would have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of my life! Originally, all they wanted was this—just worldly things. Today, we are citizens of heaven, we are priests of God, we are people who pursue being like Jesus. Jesus said, But you must not be like the people of the world. Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant; whoever wants to sit at my right and left must become the servant of many; whoever wants to be first must be the servant, becoming someone who serves others.

Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Matthew 20:28)

This is the doctrine of the Kingdom of God. Today, you and I are walking on this path. If you are not walking on the path of serving others, then you got on the wrong plane or took the wrong bus. If you take the wrong subway, you can get off; if you get on the wrong plane, then you have to parachute. Isn't that a tragedy? You were supposed to fly to the Tower of Babel, but how did you fly here with me?

You come to church not to be served, but to serve, and to completely offer yourself, so that you may receive a hundredfold service in this life, and then God's glory and power will be manifested in you, because that is the kind of person God wants.

Imitate Jesus Christ to Become a Servant

Why has the church lost the spiritual power of Jesus Christ? Because no one wants to be like Jesus Christ. People want to be served, but are unwilling to serve others. Some people think that being the pastor of a large church is glamorous, with people surrounding you and bodyguards. Pursuing this is useless; it cannot serve people. Today, why has the church lost the power of Jesus Christ? It is because people are pursuing all worldly things, like the two sons of Zebedee, James and John, and the other ten disciples were.

Jesus was deeply moved, but He was not anxious. It should be you and I who are anxious. We should pat ourselves on the chest and ask ourselves whether we are willing to suffer losses, whether we are willing to offer ourselves, whether we are willing to come out and serve those in need. Jesus Christ has opened up a glorious path for us, restoring the power of Jesus Christ in this generation. The power of Jesus Christ's resurrection will be manifested in us.

If we always carry the death of Jesus Christ in our bodies, the power of Jesus Christ's resurrection will also be manifested in our bodies. Why did the handkerchiefs of the Apostle Paul heal whoever they touched? Because the Apostle Paul did not pursue being served, but wanted to serve others, to be like Jesus. If you are like Jesus, when Jesus left Jericho, many people followed Him.

Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us! The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us! Jesus stopped and called them. What do you want me to do for you? he asked. Lord, they answered, we want our sight. Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him. (Matthew 20:30-34)

Did Jesus need to invent a vaccine? No! Did Jesus need to invent anything to restore their sight? No! Jesus touched them and they were healed, more high-tech than high-tech. If you and I have Jesus' height today, isn't your service filled with power from heaven? Thank God! God wants to raise up among us a group of people like Jesus Christ, a group of people like the Apostle Paul, a group of mighty warriors of God to come into this world, not to be served but to serve others, and willing to give up their lives.

Some people will say, If you give up your lives, how will you live? Only by giving up your lives can you live. This is what Jesus said: Those who give up their lives for God will gain life, and those who preserve their lives for themselves will lose them. Do you understand? What good is it for a person to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Can you really understand these words of Jesus? Do you want the power of Jesus Christ's resurrection to also be manifested in you? If so, you must become someone who serves others.

I am moved by those old-timers among us who have followed me in believing in the Lord for many years, but they cannot get past this point. Your work is the most important thing, your family is the most important thing, but serving is the least important thing. When you lose your job, you suddenly remember, I am not like Jesus. Then trouble comes. After the job is found, they start going back to their old ways. Everyone must not be confused. Understand why you are living.

If you are living just for worldly things, like the kings of the world, pursuing worldly fame and gain, then you followed me wrongly! I am not Zhao Kuangyin, Liu Bang, Cao Cao, nor Liu Bei and Zhu Yuanzhang. I just hope to lead my brothers and sisters to completely offer our lives to God.

There was a person who disappeared after we served him. He came back to us half a year later and said, Why did I have a stroke and go to the hospital after you prayed for me? This is a good question. The result of a person's life is a reflection of their own heart—extremely selfish! Why did he ask this? Because he thought that he had no problem, and that we had prayed incorrectly. We told him that our abilities were not enough, and that we could not handle someone like him. May God bless you. You can go find whichever great immortal you want to find.

Conclusion

If a Christian comes to the church only wanting to receive benefits and not wanting to offer themselves, it is useless! The greatest benefit is to offer yourself, to grow in service, to grow into the fullness of the stature of Jesus Christ, and to become more and more like Jesus Christ. Then the exceedingly great and eternal glory of God will be manifested in our bodies. Even if we come later, it doesn't matter, because God does not follow the order of first come, last served but follows the attitude of your service. I want all of our brothers and sisters to be in front, serving people like Jesus in the eternal kingdom, fulfilling our Mingding Destiny.

In this generation, people will see the glory of God because of our service, that is, the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the dead are raised to life. The power of Jesus Christ's resurrection will come upon us, which is a great grace. May the exceedingly great and eternal glory be accomplished in us, so that when we come before Jesus Christ, we may receive His praise and become faithful and good servants, receiving this crown of glory.

May God bless everyone!