Evil Eye

10:17. A pious man customarily sought out his own teacher; a man of wealth could normally find the best or most popular teacher for himself. For a man of wealth to bow before a teacher indicated tremendous respect. We know that at least some disciples asked their teachers questions like the one this rich man asks Jesus. To “inherit eternal life” meant to share in the life of the coming world, the life of the kingdom of God.

10:18–19. Without denying that he himself is good, Jesus reminds the man of the standard Jewish conception of God’s goodness (others could be good, but no one compared with God); he then lists select commandments from the Old Testament (five from the Ten Commandments) dealing with human relations (rather than directly with God) that people could test (not, for instance, a prohibition against a sin of the heart, coveting).

10:20. If only God is good, the man will have to admit he has broken some commandment; but the commandments Jesus had listed were kept by most well-raised, educated Jewish people.

10:21–22. Judaism stressed charity heavily, but Jewish teachers did not normally require a prospective disciple to divest himself entirely of funds. Several teachers, especially some radical Greek teachers, made such demands on rich students to see if they would value true teaching above their wealth; a few rich persons would give up their goods, but most disappointed such teachers.1

1 Keener, C. S. (1993). The IVP Bible background commentary: New Testament (Mk 10:17–22). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Matthew 19:20 The Message

20 The young man said, “I’ve done all that. What’s left?”

Matthew 20:1–2 The Message

20:1–2 “God’s kingdom is like an estate manager who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. They agreed on a wage of a dollar a day, and went to work.

20:1. On “the kingdom is like” see comment on 13:24. Wealthy landowners often hired temporary workers, especially during harvest season, when workers were needed for short periods of time. Work began around sunrise, about 6 a.m., before the day became hot.

20:2. Some day laborers were also tenant farmers, with small plots of their own land; others were sons of those owning small pieces of land and had not inherited any of their fathers’ land; still others had lost their land and traveled from place to place seeking employment. A denarius was an average day’s wage.1

1 Keener, C. S. (1993). The IVP Bible background commentary: New Testament (Mt 20:1–2). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

1 (13:24) Kingdom of Heaven: this parable describes the Kingdom of Heaven (see DEEPER STUDY # 3—Mt. 19:23–24).

Matthew-II: Chapters 16:13–28:20 (King James Version) D. The Danger of Riches, 19:23–26

DEEPER STUDY # 3

(19:23–24) Kingdom of Heaven: the Kingdom of Heaven evidently means the same thing as the Kingdom of God, eternal life, and salvation. The Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God are interchanged when Jesus says, “a rich man shall hardly enter into the Kingdom of Heaven” (Mt. 19:23) or “Kingdom of God” (Mt. 19:24). Eternal life (Mt. 19:26) and salvation (Mt. 19:25) belong to the very same concept. Eternity and salvation, the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven, is the very subject being discussed in Mt. 19:16–30. Having eternal life, being saved, or entering into the Kingdom of God or of Heaven is more difficult for a rich man than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.

The Kingdom of Heaven and of God is revealed in four different stages throughout history.

1. There is the spiritual kingdom that is at hand; it is present right now (Mt. 4:17; 12:28).

a. The present kingdom refers to God’s rule and reign and authority in the lives of believers.

“The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all” (Ep. 1:18–23).

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Ph. 2:5–11).

“Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son” (Col. 1:13).

b. The present kingdom is offered to the world and to men in the person of Jesus Christ.

c. The present kingdom must be received as a little child.

“But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God” (Mk. 10:14–15).

d. The present kingdom is experienced only by the new birth.

“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (Jn. 3:3).

e. The present kingdom is entered now and must be received now.

“Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you” (Mt. 21:31).

“Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein” (Mk. 10:15).

f. The present kingdom is a spiritual, life-changing blessing.

“For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Ro. 14:17).

g. The present kingdom is to be the first thing sought by believers.

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Mt. 6:33).

2. There is the professing kingdom that is also in this present age. It refers to people who profess Christianity in every generation. It pictures the imperfect state of the Kingdom of Heaven or professing Christianity, what professing Christianity is like between Christ’s first coming and His return. This imperfect state is what is called “the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 13:1–52, esp.11).

“Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed [good men] in his field: but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares [evil men] among the wheat, and went his way” (Mt. 13:24–25).

3. There is the millennial kingdom that is future. It is the actual rule of Christ or the government of Christ that is to come to this earth for a thousand years.

a. The millennial kingdom is the kingdom predicted by Daniel.

“And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever” (Da. 2:44).

“But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.… Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.… And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him” (Da. 7:18, 22, 27).

b. The millennial kingdom is the kingdom promised to David.

“And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.… And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever” (2 S. 7:12, 16).

“I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations” (Ps. 89:3–4).

“In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them” (Zec. 12:8).

c. The millennial kingdom is the kingdom pictured by John.

“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years” (Re. 20:4–6).

4. There is the perfect kingdom of the new heaven and earth that is future.

a. The eternal kingdom is the rule and reign of God in a perfect universe for all eternity.

“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (Jn. 14:1–3).

“Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power” (1 Co. 15:24).

“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness” (2 Pe. 3:10–13).

“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away” (Re. 21:1).

b. The eternal kingdom is the perfect state of being for the believer in the future.

“Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption” (1 Co. 15:50).

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful” (Re. 21:4–5).

c. The eternal kingdom is an actual place into which believers are to enter sometime in the future.

“And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 8:11).

d. The eternal kingdom is a gift of God that will be given in the future.

“Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Lu. 12:32).

2 (13:24, 37–38) Jesus Christ, Mission: a man sows good seed. The man is Christ, the Son of Man (v. 37); the good seed are the righteous (v. 43), the children of the kingdom (v. 38). The field is the world. Note two things.

a. What the man, Christ, does. His work is to sow righteous people in the world.

“Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mt. 20:28).

“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Lu. 19:10).

“They that sow in tears shall reap in joy” (Ps. 126:5).

b. The man, Christ, owns the world. The world is his field.

“All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (Jn. 1:3).

“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him” (Col. 1:16).

“[God] hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds” (He. 1:2).

Thought 1. Note several lessons.

(1) Christ owns the field. The world is His by right because He created it (Jn. 1:3; Col. 1:16; He. 1:2).

(2) Christ does sow in the world. He works actively. He is not far off out in outer space someplace, disinterested and inactive. He is vitally interested in the world, and He works hard at sowing the righteous.

(3) Seed is scattered all over the field. God has scattered the seed, the righteous all over the world. No single nation possesses all the righteous of the earth. No single nation is a favorite of God. God is not a respecter of persons.

(4) Seed is to bear fruit. If it does not, it is either dead or else it is not real seed.

(5) There is no righteous person apart from Him. He is the sower of the righteous seed.

Leadership Ministries Worldwide. (2004). The Gospel according to Matthew: Chapters 1:1–16:12 (Vol. 1, pp. 307–308). Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.

Matthew 20:1 IVPBBCNT

20:1. On “the kingdom is like” see comment on 13:24. Wealthy landowners often hired temporary workers, especially during harvest season, when workers were needed for short periods of time. Work began around sunrise, about 6 a.m., before the day became hot.

Matthew 19:26 The Message

Jesus looked hard at them and said, “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it.”

19:23–26. Here Jesus clearly uses hyperbole. His words reflect an ancient figure of speech for the impossible: a very large animal passing through a needle’s eye. (A needle’s eye in Jesus’ day meant what it means today; the idea that it was simply a name for a small gate in Jerusalem is based on a gate from the medieval period and sheds no light on Jesus’ teaching in the first century.)

Mainstream Judaism never denied the rich a place in the kingdom of God; many of its benefactors and leaders were rich. Jesus allows that the rich may, by God’s mercy, enter in, but only by giving their wealth to the poor.1

1 Keener, C. S. (1993). The IVP Bible background commentary: New Testament (Mt 19:23–26). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Matthew-II: Chapters 16:13–28:20 (King James Version) F. The Parable of Workers in the Vineyard: God’s Glorious Grace, 20:1–16

1 (20:1) Work—Labor—Grace—Purpose: God’s grace provides work for man, a field to tend. Two significant facts are being stressed.

a. It is God who provides work for man, who gives a field to be tended. The great Householder is God. The vineyard or field can be either the world or the church. The world, the church, and man himself are all due to God’s grace. It is God’s grace that has created man. It is God’s grace that has provided the field (the world and church) for man to work in. Without God there would be nothing (Ro. 11:36; Col. 1:16f).

b. It is God who goes out to seek and call men to work. It is not the workers who come to Him. God’s going out after man is grace, marvelous grace (Lu. 19:10; Jn. 3:16; 15:16). Every step involved in the call of God is of grace: the call itself, the challenge to go and work, the promise of wages (reward), the acceptance of the responses, and the sending forth into the field. God did not have to issue a call or take any of the steps taken. Each step is a marvelous demonstration of God’s care and grace.

Note another matter: the soul of man serves something. It either serves self and sin or God and righteousness. Man either works for the world and its end or for heaven and its end (Ro. 6:16–22). It is for this reason that God issues call after call (see outline above and notes for each of the calls).

“Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest” (Mt. 9:37–38).

“Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together” (Jn. 4:35–36).

“And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing” (Lu. 12:42–43).

“He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come” (Lu. 19:12–13).