Scripture Reading: Matthew 19:16-26

Matthew 19:16-26

Last Week, We Saw Jesus Being Approached…

By People Whom Society Considered “Little Ones”/Insignificant/Unimportant

His Disciples Rebuked Them for Coming to Him…

But He Told Them the Kingdom Belongs “Little Ones”

In Our Text this Morning…

We’re Going to See Jesus Approached By Someone…

Whom Society Considered a “Great One”

The Disciples Didn’t Rebuke this Man…

But Jesus Told Them it’s Hard for the “Great Ones” to Enter the Kingdom

This is a Story that Many of Us are Very Familiar with…

But I’m Hoping We can Approach it with a Fresh Perspective…

Because There’s a Lot to Learn From this Passage

Matthew 19:16 (NASB95)

16 And someone came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?”

Matthew, Mark, and Luke All Tell Us that this Man is Very Rich

Down in Verse 20, We’re Told that He was a Young Man

And Luke Tells Us that He was a “Ruler” of Some Sort

By Looking at Each of the Synoptic Gospels…

We Get the “Rich, Young Ruler”

Matthew Also Gives Us a Little More Information About this Man

Matthew Tells Us that He Calls Jesus, “Teacher”

In Matthew’s Account, Everyone Who Calls Jesus “Teacher”…

Is Not or Will Not Be a Disciple of Jesus

So, He Views Jesus as a Religious Authority…

But He’s Not Committed Enough to Call Him “Master”

He Comes to Jesus with a Very Important Question:

“What Good Thing Shall I Do that I May Obtain Eternal Life?”

Notice How Jesus Responds to this Very Straightforward Question

Matthew 19:17 (NASB95)

17 And He said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

Jesus Begins Answering His Question with a Question of His Own

“Why are You Asking Me About What is Good?”

“There is One Who is Good”

“Keep the Commandments”

That’s a Pretty Odd Response

But I Think Eugene Peterson Gets to the Heart of What Jesus is Saying…

In His Message Bible:

Matthew 19:17 (M:BCL)

17 Jesus said, “Why do you question me about what’s good? God is the One who is good. If you want to enter the life of God, just do what he tells you.”

“Why are You Asking Me What You should Do to have Eternal Life?”

“God has Already Told You!”

“Read the Scriptures and Do What They Say!”

That’s a Solid Answer!

But the Rich, Young Ruler has Another Question:

Matthew 19:18–19 (NASB95)

18 Then he said to Him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not commit murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; 19 Honor your father and mother; and You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Jesus Says, “Obey the Commandments”

The Rich, Young Ruler Says, “Which Ones?”

Jesus Points Him to 5 of the 10 Commandments…

And the 2nd Greatest Commandment From Leviticus 19:18

Each of These Laws are Dealing with How to Treat Others

“Treat Others in this Way and You’ll have Eternal Life”

Matthew 19:20 (NASB95)

20 The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?”

“Okay, I’ve Already Got Those Checked Off”

“What Else Do I Need to Do?”

If that’s True, this Guy is the Total Package

He’s Young and has Lots of Energy/Life Left in Him

He’s Rich & could Do a Lot of Good with His Riches

He’s a Ruler, so He Holds Power/Authority in Some Capacity

He’s Devout and Obedient to God

And He’s Zealous and Willing to Do Even More

This is Exactly the Kind of Guy You Want as a Disciple

But, He’s Asking Jesus if There’s Any More He could Do…

So Jesus is Going to Tell Him

“There is One More Thing You could Do”

Matthew 19:21 (NASB95)

21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

“If You Wish to Be Complete/Perfect/Mature/Whole”

“If You Want to Reach the Highest Standard…”

“Go, Sell, Give, and Follow”

It’s Easy to Miss it…

But this Man has Just Received an Incredible Invitation

And When We Recognize the Nature of this Invitation…

It Really Helps Us Correctly Interpret this Passage

This Man isn’t Being Asked to “Follow” Jesus in a Figurative Sense

It’s Easy for Us to Assume that When Jesus Says, “Follow Me”…

That He’s Actually Just Saying, “Follow My Teachings”

But That’s Not What Jesus is Saying

Jesus is Inviting the Rich, Young Ruler to Literally Follow Him

To Become One of Jesus’ Closest Disciples

To Join Jesus’ Traveling Ministry

“If You Want to Be Complete/Perfect/Mature/Whole…”

“If You Want to Reach the Highest Standard…”

“Follow Me/Join Me in My Ministry”

“But, in Order to Do that…”

“You’ve Got to Leave Everything Else Behind”

I Think We Often Approach this Text with the Question:

“Why Did Jesus Expect More of this Man Than He Did of His Other Disciples?”

But that’s Just the Thing, He Didn’t

Peter, Andrew, James, and John were Fisherman

But They had to Give Up that Occupation/Identity to Follow Jesus

Matthew was a Tax Collector

But He had to Give Up that Occupation/Identity to Follow Jesus

This Man was a Rich Ruler

He Also has to Give Up that Occupation/Identity to Follow Jesus

What Jesus is Asking of the Rich Young Ruler…

Is Exactly What He Asked of His Closest Disciples

He’s Asking Him to Make the Same Type of Sacrifice

But for the Rich Ruler, it Came at a Much Steeper Price

“Go, Sell Your Possessions, Give Them to the Poor, and Follow Me”

“I’ve Got a Greater Occupation/Identity in Store for You”

“Why Enjoy Temporary Rulership…”

“When You can Rule with Me Forever?”

“Why Store Up Temporary Treasures…”

“When You can Store Up Everlasting Treasure in Heaven?”

This Man was Given a Unique Command…

Because He was Living in a Unique Time

The Messiah was Living on Earth

He was Travelling From Place to Place Spreading His Kingdom Rule

If this Rich, Young Ruler Wants to Be Complete/Perfect/Mature/Whole…

If He Wants to Reach the Highest Standard of Obedience…

He Needs to Give Up His Old Life…

And Join the Ministry of the Messiah

Let’s See How He Responds to that Incredible But Radical Offer

Matthew 19:22 (NASB95)

22 But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.

He Went Away Grieving

He was Experiencing Great Mental and Emotional Stress

He Desperately Wants to Reach the Highest Standard of Obedience…

So He can Guarantee His Eternal Life

But He Also Desperately Wants to Keep His Riches

1 Timothy 6:10 (NASB95)

10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Love of Money is Only Going to Lead to…

Grief/Sorrow/Pain/Mental & Emotional Stress

After the Rich, Young Ruler Walked Away, We Read:

Matthew 19:23–25 (NASB95)

23 And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 “Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?”

Jesus Tells His Disciples that…

It’s Hard for a Rich Man to Enter the Kingdom of Heaven

But Then He Says it’s Actually Harder Than Hard

It’s Harder than Pushing a Camel Through the Eye of a Needle

How Hard is it to Do that?

It’s Impossible

To “Enter the Kingdom of Heaven”…

Can Mean Slightly Different Things Depending on the Context

It can Refer to Becoming a Disciple/Citizen of the Kingdom in this Age

It can Refer to Receiving Eternal Life in the Age to Come

I Think Both Meanings are Being Employed Here

It’s Impossible for a Rich Person to Become a Disciple/Receive Eternal Life

That Ought to Absolutely Knock Us Off Our Feet…

Because Most (if Not All) of Us are Very Rich

The Disciples couldn’t Believe What They Just Heard

Not Because They were Rich…

But Because, Generally Speaking, Wealth was Considered…

A Blessing From God to the Righteous

People of that Day Believed…

That Riches were a Sign that God Approved of a Person

The Thought was:

“If God will Save Anyone, He’ll Save Rich will!”

Then Jesus Says:

“Yep, They’ll Be Saved About as Easily…”

“As it is to Put a Camel Through the Eye of a Needle”

That’s Why the Disciples Respond to Jesus with:

“Then Who can Be Saved?”

“If it’s Impossible for the Rich to Be Saved…”

“Then What Does that Say About the Rest of Us?”

“Jesus, are You Really Telling Us that it’s Impossible to Be Saved?”

Matthew 19:26 (NASB95)

26 And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

This Entire Passage has Been About a Man…

Who is Trying to Obtain Eternal Life/Salvation

“What Good Thing Shall I Do that I May Obtain Eternal Life?”

And Even the Disciples Seem to have this Idea…

That Salvation is Something that One can Be Worthy of

But Jesus Says: With People/Humanity, Eternal Life/Salvation is Impossible

There is No Way to “Obtain” it Through Obedience

There is No Way to Be “Worthy” of it By the Lifestyle You Live

Human Effort will Never Qualify Anyone for Salvation

It is Humanly Impossible to Be Saved

But with God, All Things are Possible

That’s the Key to Salvation

Understanding that it’s Not About Human Effort

It’s Not About Doing Enough Good to Obtain it

It’s Not About Being Worthy of it

It’s About Recognizing that Salvation is God’s Doing

Salvation is a Gift that is Given, Not a Prize to Be Won

God Saves Us; We Don’t Save Ourselves

That’s Why One of My Favorite Synonyms for Salvation is:

Rescue

Jesus Died, Resurrected, Ascended, and is Coming Back…

To Rescue Us

Not to Give Us What We’ve Earned

The Rich, Young Ruler Trusted…

In His Own Obedience to Be His Savior Instead of God

His Faith is in His Obedient Works, Not in God’s Grace

Romans 4:4–5 (NLT)

4 When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. 5 But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners.

Doing Good Doesn’t Make Us Righteous

God Does When We Trust in Him

Does that Mean that Human Effort isn’t Necessary?

Absolutely Not!

Remember What Jesus Told the Rich, Young Ruler to Do:

Obey the Commandments of God

Sell What You have, Give it to the Poor, and Follow Me

Both of These Elements are Important for Salvation

We will Not Be Rescued By God if We Refuse to Obey Him

Obedience is Absolutely Necessary/Essential

And this Rich, Young Ruler was Doing Pretty Good in that Department

It was the 2nd Instruction that He was Unwilling to Do

And What was that Instruction?

In a Word: “Faith”

Jesus Wants this Rich, Young Ruler to Trust in God…

Not in His Ability to Be Good or His Riches

It’s Not Wealth that Makes it Impossible for Someone to Enter the Kingdom

It’s Their Relationship to Their Wealth

1 Timothy 6:17 (NASB95)

17 Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.

When Wealth is Where We Fix Our Hope…

When We Trust Our Wealth…

To Richly Supply Us with All Things to Enjoy…

Wealth has Become Our God

Why is it So Hard for the Rich to Enter the Kingdom of Heaven?

Because Wealth Often Cultivates a Mindset of Self-Sufficiency

It can Foster a Mindset of “I Am My Provider”

“I Don’t Need to Be Rescued”

“I can Save Myself”

“Trusting in Wealth” is the Twin Sibling of “Trusting in Self”

And These are the 2 Issues We See in the Rich, Young Ruler

He Trusted in His Wealth More Than He Trusted in God

And When that’s the Case, Wealth has Become Our God/Master

Matthew 6:24 (NASB95)

24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

Don’t Place Your Faith/Trust in Wealth

Be Generous with Your Wealth…

And Trust in God to Protect and Provide for You

Don’t Place Your Faith/Trust in Yourself

Recognize that God is the Savior/Rescuer

No Amount of Obedience/Good Works can Ever Grant Eternal Life

If You’re Not a Christian:

Faithfully Surrender to King Jesus in Baptism

Die to Your Old Life of Sin/Brokenness and Leave it Behind

Be Reborn as a New Creation and Citizen of Jesus’ Kingdom

This is How You Enter into a Covenant Relationship with God

This is How You Receive Eternal Life

Christians, You’re a New Creation

God has Justified You/Made Your Righteous

Now Live Like it

Follow the Teachings of Jesus…

Not So You’ll Be Saved, But Because You Already are