The Upside-Down Kingdom

Krista Wilson • September 15, 2021

Summary of sermon on Matthew 20:29 - 21:11 from Pastor Ky Martin.

If you’ve been walking with us through Matthew for very long, you’ve often heard the word Kingdom mentioned a lot.


Right from the get-go, Jesus has centered his teachings around the idea that the Kingdom of God has come to Earth. In the last six chapters especially, we’ve often used the phrase "upside-down". The upside-down kingdom is not a reference to the TV show Stranger Things. It is the idea that Jesus’ teachings are a reversal or flipping of religious norms and the culture’s value systems.


The value system of God’s Kingdom is upside down.


We have several recent examples of this:

  • Last week: To be great is to serve. The first will be last.
  • Laborers in the vineyard: The Kingdom of Heaven is not built on the idea of merit but rather on grace.
  • The rich young ruler
  • Let the children come: We should be like the children. The people who Jesus valued and spent time with was different.


Today at the end of ch. 20, we are seeing one more example of these upside down values.


The healing of the blind men...  Jesus and his disciples were on their way from Galilee, in the north, to Jerusalem. It’s passover. This takes place 1-2 weeks before Jesus’s death. There is likely a large crowd, making their pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the passover. This is a similar setting as with the children in that the way Jesus sees and values people is different from the ways everyone else sees them. 


Verse 29 says “The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent”


Does this Sound familiar? Like children, these men were seen as an unwelcome nuisance. Even after all Jesus had done to show that He has time for the hurting, the sick, and those who bring nothing to the table but their great needs. He’s shown that and said that time and time again, and yet the people still project this idea onto Jesus that He doesn’t have time to mess with these blind beggars. Why? Because that’s how they think. It’s what they would have done in Jesus’s shoes. It is a constant uphill battle for Jesus’ followers to accept the upside-down values of His kingdom. Jesus, as we know, does not deride them, but instead stops and heals them.


Verse 32 says “And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you? They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.”


This quote sums it up:


“That Jesus stopped among such a large, moving crowd to respond to the request of two insignificant individuals illustrates again the unconventional values of the kingdom of heaven, in which the good of a “little one” takes precedence, and in which compassion triumphs over the expectations of the many. At a time when his mind might be expected to be on his imminent arrival in Jerusalem and the fate which awaited him there, Jesus still has time to notice and respond to the need of a beggar.” -R.T. France


We saw a very similar story in Matthew chapter 9... There is a big shift though, one difference was the need for secrecy. What we are about to see is that the time of secrecy and keeping a low profile has come and gone. Jesus is about to be more clear and upfront to the general public about who He is and why he came.


There is a clashing of two kingdoms. We need to see it this way as we move through the rest of Matthew. You have the kingdom of man, then God sent a savior but he wasn’t welcome to the leaders. Jesus’s arrival in Jerusalem instigated a battle of Kingdoms.


When Jesus comes in we could call it "A Royally Odd Entrance".


When Jesus comes into Jerusalem, he does so as the King of Israel. He is declaring himself as King and there is a clash of kingdoms. You have this procession of people praising the coming King with palm branches as the sign of royalty. There are many elements to this that are upside down to what you would expect of a King entering the kingdom. Those who were deemed unimportant nobodies were in the procession of Jesus. You would expect a King to come on something impressive and majestic, not a donkey. For Jesus to ride in like this, with a crowd of worshippers laying down palm branches, signified a turning point for Jerusalem and the nation of Israel. The heir of David had come to sit on David’s throne as the King.


This is a clash of Kingdoms.


They had set up their own little Kingdom as a placeholder, or interim, until the new king returned.


This happens on Sunday. From this point on, He acts with almost complete disregard for who the religious leaders of the day thought they were. He leads and teaches as if they are just in the way, with no regard to their supposed authority. But as we have seen, it is a different kind of Kingdom and He is a different kind of King than what was expected. But those who held the authority in waiting for this King resented his coming. We do indeed see a clash of powers and kingdoms and values which builds and intensifies over the next 5 days, ultimately culminating in the execution of the King by those who did not want to give up their influence and authority.


The upside down elements:


  • While the presence of a crowd was to be expected, the composition of this particular crowd was not.


  • In most kingdoms, the audience of a procession is an indication of the importance or esteem of the one who is entering. And yet as the King of Israel enters, the ones hailing his name are not the dignitaries or the movers and shakers of the time. They would largely be categorized as unimportant. By this we are reminded yet again that in this Kingdom, conventional values are upside down. Someone’s importance in this kingdom is not determined by their wealth and accomplishments, but by their need and humility. Those who come last in this world are first in God’s Kingdom. The greatest in God’s Kingdom often seem ordinary and not so great to the world.  Another upside down element of this procession is the mount on which Jesus rode. YAs if to put a giant exclamation mark on the upside down values of the Kingdom, the King rides in on a donkey.Not even a full grown donkey, but a colt. 


It can be summed up with this quote...


"This would have been a ridiculous display, if it had not been in accordance with the prediction of Zechariah. |  In order to lay claim to the honors of royalty, he enters Jerusalem, riding on a donkey.  |  Magnificent display, truly! more especially when the donkey was borrowed from some person, and because they had no saddle, the disciples threw their garments on it, which was a mark of disgraceful poverty.  | Sounds of loud and joyful welcome are heard; but from whom? From the very poorest, and from these who belonged to the despised multitude…  |  He had to exhibit some proof of his kingdom, and to show that it does not resemble earthly kingdoms."


The ultimate display of the upside down kingdom is what happened 5 days later. Jesus won the battle through his own execution!


In light of this upside down Kingdom we see highlighted in this story, let's consider what it looks like for us to shape our values around this Kingdom…

-The values of Jesus’s Kingdom were opposed to the cultural value system then, and they are opposed to ours now.


Following Jesus is a constant effort to redefine our own value systems.


Four things to consider to reshape our values:


(1) How we value people.

We can’t get to know every person we meet.

Do we see their value because they are made in God’s image or for what they can or cannot do for us?


(2) Who do you consider to be “successful”?

Jesus has redefined that. Do we admire and esteem those who are ahead of us financially or those who are ahead of us in spiritual maturity?


(3)  What is our greatest hope for our kids?

Is it achievements and merits academically, athletically, socially? Or would we gladly trade all in order for them to truly know God and see how great their need is for Jesus.


(4) What do we hope to achieve with our financial gains?

Comfort and ease, or the ability to bless others


Hopefully we can sympathize with why Jesus’s followers wanted to push away the kids and the beggars. When you are introduced to a value system that is completely opposite of everything you know and how everything else operates around you, it's not an easy shift to just turn it all upside down. To adopt kingdom values in our culture or any other is to push directly against the grain of everything that’s happening around us. That is why we have to keep coming to worship each week. six days of the week the world is trying to shape our view of what is important.


Our King won victory over dying and that is what we should be fixing our eyes on!

Freed to Serve

April 28, 2025
Notes from Scott Sutton's sermon on Sunday, April 27, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 2:11-17 This is the beginning of a section addressing how God's people now function in this world. It begins with aliens and exiles and continues with servants, wives, husbands, and finally, all of you. 1.) Our identity defines our actions. We are sojourners and exiles (temporary, passing through, not at home) We have a heavenly citizenship Actions We abstain from the passions of the flesh Keep conduct among the Gentiles honorable (our conduct is for the benefit of other people) Honorable conduct wins souls… sojourners, exiles, and soul winners “Peter’s point is that believers’ behavior creates a context in which people will listen to God’s word. He is not teaching that ‘good deeds’ in themselves convert unbelievers, but they establish an environment for the Gospel-word to do so.” -Barnett 2.) Our identity defines our expectations (Unbelievers will respond to honorable conduct in 1 of 2 ways) Some will speak evil against us as though we are evildoers Some will see our good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation 3.) Our identity defines our view of authority (Does anyone here ever just want to do whatever you want to do, whenever you want to do it? That’s why laws exist) Be subject to every human institution (for the Lord's sake) This includes governors and emperors (no distinction between good/bad) The will of God... by doing good, we silence the ignorance of foolish people 4.) Our identity defines our view of freedom Don't use freedom as a cover-up for evil We are freed to serve God Honor, Love, and Fear Discipleship Questions: 1.)Why is it so important to understand our identity before talking about our behavior? 2.) How might this reality impact your parenting? For real, what are 3 ways that you can apply that this week? 3.) How is good conduct a form of evangelism? 4.) What do these verses say that we can expect from others? 5.) How can we honor a government that isn't always honorable? Seriously, what are 5 things we should immediately stop doing and 5 things we should immediately start doing? 6.) What are some tangible ways to honor others? Love the brotherhood? Fear God? Honor the Emperor? 7.) Should we fear the Emperor?

Cornerstone

April 22, 2025
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, April 20, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 2:4-10 Everyone must accept or reject Jesus. He is the cornerstone. We choose to accept Him as the foundation of our lives or toss the truth aside. When we come to Jesus… We become part of His People 1 Pe 2:4-5 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. The cornerstone is The New Temple. From this we learn that following Christ entails joining his community, the church…The freelance Christian, who follows Jesus but is too good, too busy, or too self-sufficient for the church, is a walking contradiction. -Daniel M. Doriani We join a royal, holy, priesthood 1 Pet. 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Because of who Jesus makes us. We receive God’s mercy Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement: he is a rebel who must lay down his arms….Now repentance is no fun at all. It is something much harder than merely eating humble pie. It means unlearning all the self-conceit and self-will that we have been training ourselves into for thousands of years. It means undergoing a kind of death. Acts 17:30-31 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” Discipleship Questions: Why is it impossible to be neutral about Jesus? Why do you believe that Jesus truly is the Son of God? Do you ever have doubts about this? If yes, what are they? According to 1 Peter 2:9, who are we after we come to Christ? Why does Paul say (in 1 Corinthians) that if Christ is not risen, our faith is in vain?

Born Again

April 16, 2025
Notes from Scott Sutton's sermon on Sunday, April 13, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 2:2-3 Why do our souls ache for certainty? We are so eager for certainty that we will look for it in all the wrong places. - Certainty in our Finances [show slide from news] - Certainty in our Jobs [Acts 17:24-27] - Certainty in our Health [Covid] - Certainty in our Abilities [Ecclesiastes 3:11 “God has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.”] “Things that have never happened before are happening every day.” -Morgan Housel In these verses, God gives us what our souls ache for! 1.) You must be born again of imperishable seed - We have all been born of perishable seed o Impure souls o Disobedient to truth o Unloving insincerity toward others o Lack of loving effort o Impure hearts - We are withering grass and falling flowers - The imperishable seed is the living and abiding Word of God o Does not wither o Does not fall o Does not let us down o It remains forever o It MUST BE PREACHED! But still, how can we be certain that we have been born again? 2.) If you are born again, hope will be seen in your relationships When your relationship with God changes, God changes your relationships! - Sincere brotherly love - Love earnestly - Put away… o Malice o Deceit o Hypocrisy o Envy o All Slander 3.) If you are born again, hope will be seen in your appetite for God’s Word - Like newborn infants - Long for the pure spiritual milk Discipleship Questions: 1.) Where are some unhealthy places where you look for certainty? 2.) Why do you do that? 3.) What were some evidences of your perishable seed before you came to Christ? Any of that still lingering that needs to be repented from? 4.) Why does Peter call the Word of God the imperishable seed? 5.) In light of the text, how would you describe being "born again" to a 5-year-old? 6.) How has imperishable hope proven itself in your relationships? OR How might it if you lean into loving others earnestly? 7.) Why does Peter tell us that hope will be seen in our appetite for God's Word?
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