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!

Arm Yourselves

June 11, 2025
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, June 8, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 4:1-6 Prepare to suffer Is. 50:6-8a I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. 7 But the Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. 8 He who vindicates me is near. The martial language indicates that discipline and grit are needed to live the Christian life, particularly in view of the suffering believers encounter. -Thomas R. Schreiner Some people won’t like you if you follow Jesus When a culture abandons biblical standards, when extramarital sex, cohabitation, and birth outside of marriage become normal, people attack the church for its moral snobbery and judgmentalism. Peter warns us that if we do take a stand, we need to expect slander, not applause. -Daniel M. Dorian This is one of the hardest things a new Christian has to face. Your friends liked you because you shared in “the same flood of debauchery.” It seemed great fun at times, but then you came to embrace Christ… But your friends have not… They will be surprised when you say “No.” -Juan Sanchez. Keep an eternal perspective Our outcome is glorious Suffering is good for us Let’s remember that suffering accomplishes God’s purposes. It exposes what or whom we are trusting (1 Peter 1:6–7). - Juan Sanchez Ecc. 7:2 It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart. Discipleship Questions: Verse 1 tell us to arm ourselves by thinking as Christ did about suffering. How did Christ arm himself for and against sufferings? What does it look like for us to do that? Have you ever lost friendships (or had them change) because you were following Jesus? Do you fear that we (or our kids) will experience greater persecution in the future? If yes, how should we handle that fear?

I Believe That We Will Win

June 3, 2025
Notes from Lance Shumake's sermon on Sunday, June 1, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 3:18-22 Jesus suffered and died in order to bring us to God Jesus conquered death by his resurrection “A wonderful text is this, and a more obscure passage perhaps than any other in the New Testament, so that I do not know for a certainty just what Peter means.” —Martin Luther Problem #1 - he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison —Jesus preached through Noah to those who lived at that time (1 Peter 1:10–12) —Jesus proclaimed His victory to evil angels (see Genesis 6:1-4) Problem #2 - baptism now saves you —Scripture is clear - we are saved by grace not works —baptism pictures our salvation from God’s judgment through the resurrection of Christ “The waters of baptism, like the waters of the flood, demonstrate that destruction is at hand, but believers are rescued from these waters in that they are baptized with Christ, who has also emerged from the waters of death through his resurrection. Just as Noah was delivered through the stormy waters of the flood, believers have been saved through the stormy waters of baptism by virtue of Christ’s triumph over death.” —Thomas R. Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude —in baptism we are appealing to God for a good conscience "This appeal is an act of the heart looking away from itself and from all human instruments and calling on God, appealing to God, for grace to save.” —John Piper —in baptism we are pledging to God to live in a manner worthy of the gospel Jesus ascended to heaven and now reigns over everything “We can face suffering as Christians with confidence rather than panic, and hope rather than despair, because the road marked with Christian suffering is, no matter what its twists and turns are, the road to vindication and glory. The God who vindicated Jesus will vindicate you, and he will sustain your faith until that day.” –Juan R. Sanchez, 1 Peter For You Discipleship Questions: How does Jesus’ death and resurrection encourage us when we suffer? Why did we need Jesus to suffer and die to bring us to God? How does Jesus’ victory over death give us eternal hope? What are your thoughts regarding some of the problems in this passage? How does what Peter says about baptism elevate the importance of baptism? When were you baptized and how does this passage inform your understanding of baptism? How does knowing our victory is secured help us with all the things this life throws at us?

Who Can Be Against Us?

May 27, 2025
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, May 25, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 3:13-17 Nobody can (truly) hurt Christians Psalm 118:6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? Rom. 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? The train of thought is as follows: “No one will be able to harm believers on the future day if they are zealous for good” (v. 13). Indeed, even present suffering is not a sign of punishment but of blessing both now and especially in the future, on the day when God rewards his people with eternal life. -Thomas R. Schreiner Honoring Christ Erases Fear Share your faith with strength and gentleness Embrace balance Be prepared to share The truth of the gospel is a public truth that can be defended in the public arena. This does not mean, of course, that every Christian is to be a highly skilled apologist for the faith. It does mean that every believer should grasp the essentials of the faith and should have the ability to explain to others why they think the Christian faith is true. -Thomas R. Schreiner Be prepared to suffer “I’ve spent a number of years in India and Africa where I found much righteous endeavor undertaken by Christians of all denominations; but I never, as it happens, came across a hospital or orphanage run by the Fabian Society [a British socialist organization], or a humanist leper colony.” -Malcolm Muggeridge Be bold! We will likely suffer as Christians in this world, but that suffering is slight and temporary compared to the eternal inheritance that awaits us. The worst thing that can happen to us is that we die and receive our promised inheritance. Can you imagine how emboldened Christians would be if we only believed what Peter is saying? -Juan R. Sanchez Discipleship Questions: Does the fact that nobody can (truly) harm us comfort you? What would change if we lived like we really believe that? Are you a more confident person as someone who knows Christ? Does your security in Christ embolden you to take some risks in life, knowing that the worst that could happen is death? How equipped / prepared are you to give a reason for the hope that you have? What would grow your confidence and competence in that? Have you considered joining Michael Clark one day for evangelism at the harbor? Well….you should….
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