Untitled Sermon (12)

Entrance to the Kingdom of God

I. There isn’t a VIP list. (19:13-15)

(13) The issue of importance comes to the front

- The children come to Jesus for a blessing

* These would be children that were the age of seven or younger.

* “J. Jeremias cites rabbinic sources that tell of the “beautiful custom in Jerusalem” on the Day of Atonement of bringing children from one to twelve years old to the scribes for them to lay their hands on them and pray for them.”

* It was also customary for parents to bring children to Rabbis to bless them. In this same vein, children are coming to Jesus to be prayed over for a blessing.

- The disciples scolded the parents for doing this.

* Specifically: says “And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them.”

* We are not given the reason for the disciples rebuking the parents. However, it may have been to protect Jesus from the upcoming task and from not getting enough rest.

* Asking for a blessing was a nice gesture but the Lord had greater matters to attend and children were not at the level of receiving full attention with other things.

* Children were not held in high esteem, they were insignificant in society (high mortality rates, cheap child labor). I would argue that the emphasis on the age of accountability in Jewish thought, 13 years old, also created this attitude.

Consider the Rabbinical teaching in Mishnah Avot 3:11 “morning sleep, mid day wine, chattering with children and tarrying in places where men of common people assemble, destroy a man.”

(14-15) Jesus has different values

- Jesus changes the directive for the children.

* Jesus doesn’t just say to leave the children alone but says to not forbid them from me.

* Jesus’ attitude was harmonious with His attitude toward all the humble, dependent, needy, trusting, and vulnerable people who came to Him.

- Jesus stated that the kingdom of heaven also belongs to those whom were lowly.

* Jesus used the example of the children coming for a blessing from Jesus to explain that they are similar to others that are found in the kingdom of heaven.

* Jesus explains that people of insignificance will possess citizenship in God’s kingdom. The other passage in chapter 18 talked about the humility of a child for what is found in the kingdom of God. Here, it is the desire to come to Jesus rather than their significance that matters in the kingdom.

- After praying a blessing upon them Jesus continues.

* Jesus has turned upside the notion that there is a hierarchy amongst people when it comes to the kingdom of God.

* As Michael Green in his commentary notes: “Children in ancient society, Greco-Roman and Jewish alike, were there to be seen and not heard. They had no rights, no status. They did not matter very much until they grew up. So when the disciples shooed away people who were bringing little children to Jesus for his blessing, they were acting in a typically Jewish (and for that matter Gentile) manner. But that is not the attitude Jesus wants to see in the kingdom.”

* We know the feeling of being part of the “haves and the have nots” or being on the VIP list. Have you ever been to a formal dinner or political gathering or even walking along the sidelines of a sporting event where you weren’t the focus and at best you were part of the scenery and at worst you were in the way? That isn’t the kingdom of God.

- Application about importance and insignificance!!

* Aside from the focus being on the Lord in His kingdom, there isn’t an A list of people that are allowed in the kingdom. If I were to focus on two points of application.

1st Every church has to be careful with cliques, even if a clique forms because of similar likes and stages of life, don’t be excluding to other believers. The indirect message could be that others are insignificant.

2nd My other concern is that a generation of 20 to early 30s grew up in a church where they felt that church is for adults (they are to be seen and not heard) and once they left home they never really got involved in a local church. As I look at kids that have grown up in this church (young kids and teens) I wonder how do they view the church? Are they insignificant? Are they a nuisance? Are they waiting around to be an important person and will end up turning into an adult that struggles with the church.

The good news is that I believe there are attitudes that we can demonstrate for our kids that say something different.

A. There are things we have done and things that we can do to allow the kids to serve within the body of Christ. (mowing, fellowship with adults, serving alongside adults in different areas, performing special music)

B. We can also allow them to experience a range of different worship songs that are Biblically sound. What you may have forgotten is that pop music that is around has always been explicit with the world’s message. (I would argue even more accepted in songs) What is great for children is to hear music that is played on the radio that kids can sing along to in the car and to be able to sing some of those songs in church. Just as it is good for kids to learn some of the great hymns it is also good for those that only want to sing hymns to learn and sing some other stylistic songs. (not to mention there are adults that really love those songs)

Kids will become adults; if they are insignificant now….

II. There is no work permit. (19:16-22)

(16) A man comes asking about eternal life

- The Mark and Luke account add the qualified phrase “good teacher”.

- The question is about obtaining eternal life.

* The emphasis is on doing something to obtain eternal life.

* Matthew adds the adjective “good” to the work to emphasize goodness in the works being done. The emphasis is really on “what good” rather than what good thing.

(17) The short but not simple answer

- Jesus adds correction about the definition of good.

* In the other accounts, it is specific about Jesus wondering about being addressed as “good” in the phrase of “good teacher”. Here, the emphasis is on why the man would ask about what is good.

* This isn’t two different angles that hit at the notion of “good”.

I think Matthew doesn’t want to just focus on the man’s understanding of “good” in light of addressing Jesus as good but to emphasize the overall understanding of “good”.

* The answer as it is in all accounts is that there is only one whom is good and that is God. To those whom wonder why the word “one is used here instead of good, remember the “great Shema” of “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!”

- His answer is true but only in the sense of good.

* On the one hand, it might seem that Jesus is saying that one can enter into eternal life by keep the commands.

* However, only the one who is good can keep the commands and that is only God.

(18-19) The man wants specifics

- The man wanted specifics because he felt that he was able to keep commands.

* I believe Jesus is willing to answer to put the man in a conundrum but as a typical self justifying sinner, he wrongly assesses the situation.

- Jesus doesn’t list all but enough to make a point.

* “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” (order different)

* The underlying command of is also mentioned “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.”

* These commands all have to do with how one treats another person. As Jesus will mention later in this Gospel, it is the second greatest command that sums up the Law.

(20) Wrong assessment

- The man’s answer is to say that he has kept these things.

* The reference to this guy being a young man is setting up what Jesus is about to ask him to fulfill.

* To keep the Law is to say that it has been guarded in one’s life and hasn’t been broken. The conviction of sin isn’t present in this man.

- Ironically, he knows something is missing in his life.

* While he is wondering what is lacking for things to be done to obtain eternal life, he is really lacking any assurance of his place in the kingdom of God.

* He intuitively knows that something isn’t right but he is a doer and thinks he can attain something by doing. This is the attitude found in self-righteousness.

(21-22) The sad state of affairs

- Jesus responds much differently than I might.

* I probably would have said “no you didn’t”; followed by “yes I did”; then “no you didn’t”

* Jesus is about conviction of sin so He handles things differently.

* Jesus responds to the question of an action that is tied to the man’s heart.

- Jesus talks about being complete.

* The NIV uses the term “perfect”. It is a word that can be translated either way but in light of the man’s expression of lacking, it fits to say “complete”.

* The action is to go and sell all that he had and give it to the poor and follow Jesus as a disciple.

* Considering that he was a young man, he had a future before him and his possessions could bring much pleasure than an elder man whom had experienced a lot in his life already.

* Jesus states that as a result of this, the man would have treasure in heaven.

- The man leaves because he can’t do such a thing.

* We are told that he was grieving because he couldn’t do what Jesus asked not because he didn’t see value in what Jesus had said.

* We are also told that he had a tremendous amount of wealth that he valued more than obeying what Jesus had asked.

* This is the exact opposite of the heart’s desire spoken of in Jesus parable in “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

- What is really happening here?

* The man had sin but didn’t want to acknowledge it but work for it.

* Jesus knew his idolatry and love of money, so his command focused on that.

* This command could have produced conviction of sin that leads to repentance but here it just produces sorrow.

* The problem with worldly sorrow is that it doesn’t feel bad at the rebelliousness of our hearts but it feels bad that we might miss out on something.

* On thing to also consider was that understanding good would lead to seeking God and not a way to gain something on your own. Notice this in it says “Seek good and not evil, that you may live”. However, what is established about seeking good is contained in “Thus says the Lord to the house of Israel, ‘Seek Me that you may live.” And “Seek the Lord that you may live”.

This all points to the Gospel.