Day 25: Matthew 20 | 2026 Lenten Reading Plan

Thank you for joining us for the twenty fourth reading in our Lenten Reading Plan. Find all the resources you need below: Read Matthew 20 on Bible Gateway: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2020&version=ESV Listen to Matthew 20: https://share.transistor.fm/s/818218e4 Download your own Lenten Reading Plan Bookmark: https://higherthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/HT_Lenten-Reading-Plan-Bookmark-2601-PRINT-at-home.pdf Download the 2026 Lenten Reading Plan Study Guide: https://higherthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/HT_Lenten-Reading-Plan-Study-Guide-2511.pdf In Matthew Chapter 20, we learn that fair is often the enemy of good. We chase fairness because we’ve forgotten what true goodness even is. When we split a cookie, we want fairness. But goodness means fearing and loving God, not taking what belongs to our neighbor, and helping them protect what they have. Goodness may even mean wanting others to have more. We just prefer “fair.” This is the problem behind the parable of the laborers in the vineyard. God is generous, and people get upset because they want fairness. But if God were “fair,” we’d receive what we deserve: sin and death. Instead, God chooses to be good, giving salvation, forgiveness, and life. Jesus shows this again when the mother of the sons of Zebedee, James and John, asks for her sons to sit at His right and left. They think glory comes from earning a place of honor. But the moment of Jesus’ greatest glory is the cross, and it is shared not with disciples, but with two thieves. And one of them enters paradise that very day because God is good to sinners. At the end of the chapter, Jesus heals two blind men who cry out for mercy. He has pity, touches their eyes, and immediately they see. That’s goodness. So ask yourself: Are you looking in Scripture for what is “fair,” or for what is good? The cross isn’t fair. Jesus’ death for you isn’t fair, but it is good enough to trade your sin for forgiveness, your death for His life. That is our hope. Contributor Rev. Harrison Goodman is the Higher Things Executive Director of Missions and Theology. #higherthings #lcms #lutheran #lent If you have questions or topics that you'd like discussed on Higher Things, email them to content@higherthings.org Subscribe to our channel to get notifications when we go live: http://youtube.com/@HTgospel4all To support the work of Higher Things®, visit https://higherthings.org/morehi/giving/ For more information about Higher Things, go to http://higherthings.org ------ Join the conversation on Social Media: http://facebook.com/higherthings http://instagram.com/higherthings https://www.tiktok.com/@higherthings