Matthew 19

The following material is adopted from John MacArthur’s commentary on Matthew and his Study guide. Additional material taken from sources listed at the end

Read and summarize

Look for

— Prayers ( Blue )

— Promises ( Green )

— Warnings ( Red )

— Commands ( Purple )

Jesus’ Teaching on Divorce ( 19:1-12 )

( 19:1-12 ) Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings, that He departed from Galilee and came to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. 2 And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there. 3 The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?” 4 And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” 7 They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?” 8 He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.” 10 His disciples said to Him, “If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” 11 But He said to them, “All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given: 12 For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother’s womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it.”

The Location (19:1)

— Jesus is now in Jordan

— The castle of Herod the Great, also known as Machaerus is located in Jordan near the Dead Sea

— Locally, it is known as Qala’at Al Meshneq (Castle of the Gallows)

— This is where John the Baptist was beheaded for challenging Herod on the topic of divorce

The Attack ( 19:3 )

— Almost from the beginning of His ministry ( 9:11 ), Jesus has been criticized by the Pharisees

— Even before this time they had become His arch-enemies and planned to kill Him ( 12:14 )

— They wanted to test Him and discredit Him before the multitudes

— This time their test was well thought out, carefully calculated to place Him at odds with Moses

Q: When the Pharisees appealed to Moses with respect to divorce, how did Jesus respond ( 19:4-6 )?

The Answer ( 19:4-6 )

( 19:4-6 ) 4 And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”

— Instead of giving a yes or no answer, Jesus goes back to Genesis

— Jesus gives four reasons why divorce was never part of God’s plan

( 1 ) God created one man and one women

— God did not create a group of males and females

— There was no provision, or even possibility, for multiple or alternate spouses

— There was only one man and one women and for that obvious reason, divorce and remarriage was not an option

( 2 ) They were to leave their parents and cleave to each other

— Marriage always involves total commitment and consecration of husbands and wives to each other

( 3 ) The two become one flesh

— They are indivisible and inseparable, except through death

( 4 ) God has joined them together

— Every marriage is made in heaven

— It is God’s institution and His doing

— Marriage is the work of God; divorce is the work of man

— Man has no right to separate what God has joined together

Going Deeper

— Have you not read? as if to say, “You people who are always boasting about your knowledge of the law, have you not even read Gen 1:27 and 2:24?”

Q: What is wrong with the Pharisee’s argument that Moses commanded divorce ( Deut 24:1-4 )?

The Argument ( 19:7 )

( 19:7 ) They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?”

— The Pharisees were not interested in the divine standard for marriage God had established but in defending their own low, self-centered standards

— It is the classic example of the natural man looking for moral and spiritual loopholes to accommodate his sin

— The Pharisees pitted Jesus against Moses the great law giver

— The only place in the OT in the Pentateuch that speaks of divorce is Deut 24:1-4, but it clearly does not command divorce as the Pharisees claimed

READ Deut 24:1-4

— The Deuteronomy 24 passage does not teach or command divorce at all

— Moses was giving a command with regard to a particular case of remarriage

— The only command in the passage relates to the issue of remarriage not divorce

— There is no command or explicit permission given to divorce anywhere in this passage

— The command is simply that, if a divorced women remarries and the second husband divorces her, her first “former husband who sent her away is not allowed to take her again to be his wife, since she has been defiled” (v.4)

— And it was because such indecency, vile as it might have been, was not sufficient grounds for divorce that the divorced wife was defiled by remarriage and could not be taken back by her first husband

— Because her divorce from her first husband had no sufficient grounds, she became an adulteress

Q: The Mosaic law permitted divorce for what reason ( 19:8-9 )?

The Affirmation ( 19:8-9 )

( 19:8-9 ) He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.”

— Jesus clarified that the Mosaic law did not commend divorce

— He affirmed that it permitted divorce under certain circumstances because of the hardness of our hearts

— In no OT passage is specific permission for divorce given

— Because of God’s loving kindness He did not always exact the death penalty for adultery under the Mosaic Covenant

— David and Bathsheba were not put to death

— Solomon lived in virtual unremitting adultery on the basis of one-man, one-women standard of Genesis 102

— When the Jewish exiles returned, Ezra had them put away their unbelieving wives and children “according to the law” ( Ezra 10:3 )

Moses and the Certificate of Divorce

—Jesus answered why Moses allowed a certificate of divorce ( cf. 5:31 )

— Because of the hardness of your heart — it was not a command for divorce but a limitation on remarriage ( Matt 19:7-9 )

— Moses did not encourage divorce, he did not completely forbid it, but discouraged it

— You might marry again but not your first wife

— The passage in Deut 24:1-4 could be summed up as: “Husband, you better think twice before you reject your wife. Remember that once you have put her away and she has become the wife of another you cannot afterward take her back; not even if that other husband should also have rejected her or should have died”

— Moses did mention the certificate of divorce;

Certificate of Divorce

— A common theme in the OT Law

— Protected the women and improved her condition

— But the Scribes and Pharisees placed all the emphasis on that certificate

— Jesus placed the emphasis were it properly belonged

— They greatly exaggerated the importance of the exception, that which made divorce possible

— Jesus stressed the principle, namely, that husband and wife are and must remain one

— Jesus also attacked those who purposely abuse the marriage contract, using divorce to satisfy their lustful desires to marry someone else

— People should never consider divorce as an option for solving problems

Winger

The Debate about Deut 24

— Two schools: Hillel, Shammai

— The rabbi Hillel was liberal and died twenty years before Jesus began His ministry

— He taught that a man could divorce his wife for the most trivial of reasons, “any cause”, for such things as

— taking her hair down in public

— talking to other men

— burning the bread

— putting too much salt on the food

— For her to speak evil of her mother-in-law or to be infertile were more than sufficient grounds for divorce

— The House of Shammai say, “A man should divorce his wife only because he has found grounds for it in unchastity,

— “since it is said, ‘Because he has found in her indecency in anything’ (Deut. 24:1).”

Points

— It’s a debate about Deut 24

— The Jews assumed that divorce was okay, based on their reading of Deut 24

— Hillel school “any matter”

— Shammai “only unchastity”

— This backdrop is needed to understand Jesus’ words in the gospels

— In short – by wading into this discussion we can see Jesus is especially commenting on Hillel “any matter” vs the Shammai debate on divorce. Matthew is supplying the subtext or fuller context.

— Mt 19:3 (READ) Jesus is saying that you can’t divorce for “any cause” or any reason, that is wrong and it ultimately leads to adultery

— When Matthew adds “an exception” that is not in Mark and Luke, he is qualifying Jesus’ teaching and providing the backdrop on this Jewish debate between these two Rabbinical schools of thought

— Matthew 5:31–32 (ESV) 31“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, ... except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

— By adding sexual immorality Jesus is refuting the Hillel “any cause” argument

— He is not siding with the Shammai school

— Matthew 19:9 (ESV) 9 And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”

—The Shammai would have agreed with the sexual immorality statement “only unchastity”

— The Shammai would never have added this second part, “and marries another, commits adultery”

— Mark 10:11–12 (ESV) 11 And he said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, 12 and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

— Luke 16:18 (ESV) 18“Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.

— Neither Mark nor Luke contain the so-called exception clause “except for sexual immorality”

— The New Testament affirms that adultery is grounds for divorce

— Adultery does not have to end a marriage (cf. the story of Hosea and his adulterous wife, Gomer, in the book of Hosea)

— The New Testament also reveals that if an unbeliever divorces a believer, the believer is to remarry (1 Cor 7:15)

PAUL’S TEACHING IN 1 COR 7 VS. 10-16

1 Corinthians 7:10–16 (ESV)

10 To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband

11(but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife.

Vs 10-11 Marriages where both are Christians

— Don’t cause divorce. That’s the rule

— If you do, stay unmarried or be reconciled.

— It seems to assume one thing

— That in a Christian marriage the leaving party will be open to the Lord’s instruction.

— Based on Jesus’ teaching a remarriage CAN occur if there is adultery

— But it’s not required and restoration is better

— Are you the cause of unjustified divorce? Stay single or be reconciled.

12 To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her.

13 If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him.

14 For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.

15 But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace.

16 For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?

Vs 12-16 A marriage where one is an unbeliever

— The Christian is to stay committed unless the unbelieving spouse gets a divorce

— A marriage to an unbeliever is less binding

Q: Based on the disciples question, they rightly understood Jesus’ teaching. Can you summarize his teaching on divorce ( 19:10-12 )?

The Appropriation ( 19:10-12 )

( 19:10-12 ) His disciples said to Him, “If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” 11 But He said to them, “All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given: 12 For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother’s womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it.”

— By this time the Pharisees had disappeared probably angry that they were not able to trap Jesus

— Mark tells us that Jesus was alone with His disciples in a house when they asked Jesus these questions ( Mark 10:10 )

— Most Jews viewed divorce — like many people today — as an out if things did not work out in the marriage

— The disciples understood what Jesus was saying, marriage is a lifetime commitment that can legitimately be broken only by death or adultery, and that even adultery does not require divorce

— Jesus never married. Jesus made himself a eunuch for the kingdom of heaven’s sake

Going Deeper

— God instituted marriage as the epitome of a pleasant, joyful, and fulfilling human relationships ( Prov 5:18-19; 19:22; 19:14 )

— There was a certain truth to what the disciples said about remaining single

— Jesus reminded them that not all men can accept this statement; singleness has its own problems and temptations and not every Christian is capable of living a godly single life

— Paul said that it was “better to marry than to burn” with lust ( 1 Cor 7:8-9 )

Q: What did the disciples do when the parents brought their children to the Lord ( 19:13-15 )?

Jesus Loves the Little Children ( 19:13-15 )

( 19:13-15 ) Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” 15 And He laid His hands on them and departed from there.

— From Mark we learn that Jesus was greatly indignant with the disciples ( Mark 10:14 )

— They frequently frustrated and disappointed Him by their insensitivity and selfishness, but this one of only two or three occasions on which He actually became angry with them

— The Lord was saying that those children, representative of all children, were a picture of the humility, dependency, and trust of those of any age who enter His Kingdom

Going Deeper

Hendriksen

Although the adverb “then” does not necessarily mean “immediately afterward,” yet the connection between a. marriage, ideally described by Jesus in the prior paragraph, and b. the children, is so close that we like to think of the present paragraph as setting forth an event that took place immediately after the discussion about the wedding state, while Jesus was still in “the house.”

— Part of our outreach is to children

— This passage is ample basis for the salvation of children who die in infancy

— It is a fact that no child will reject Jesus if presented the gospel properly

— This is one reason we should get the gospel message to them

Q: The rich young ruler came to the right source, he came with the right question, but we left without receiving eternal life. Why ( 19:16-22 )?

How to Obtain Eternal Life ( 19:16-22 )

( 19:16-22 ) Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” 17 So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ 19 ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” 20 The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

The Peril of Riches and the Reward of Sacrifice: The Rich Young Ruler (cf. Mark 10:17-31; Luke 18:18-30 )

( 19:16 ) Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”

— Contrast this rich young ruler and the preceding illustration of the children

— These two events happened one after the other, and perhaps the rich young ruler saw this exchange

— Jesus says the kingdom of heaven is made for such as these little children, and the rich young ruler asks, “What must I do?”

— The children are walked away loved, blessed and prayed for

— The rich young ruler went away sorrowful

RC Sproul

I believe it is significant that this encounter between Jesus and the one that is known as the rich young ruler is recorded in all three of the Synoptic Gospels (Mark 10:17-30; Luke 18:18-30). Even though this man was a real individual of the first century, in a sense we could call him Every-man. The mistakes and errors that he made in his assumptions before Christ are the same that countless millions make today

— This young man was rich ( Matt 19:22 )

— He was young ( Matt 19:20 ), probably no more than forty years of age, perhaps younger

— He was prominent ( Lk 18:18 ), being called a “ruler”

— He was a man of high reputation, this was true all the more because he was clean ( 19:20 )

— He was keen, eager; unable to solve his problem he “ran up” to Jesus ( Mark 10:17 )

— Finally, he was reverent, he “knelt before” Jesus, as the reference in Mark indicates

The Complaint

Q: What did Jesus mean when He responded to the rich young ruler when He said, “Why do you call me good?” ( 19:17 )?

( 19:17 ) Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.

— Critics say that this shows that Jesus did not consider Himself God

— But Jesus did not deny His own goodness and therefore did not deny His deity

— Jesus knew that this man did not know to whom he was speaking

— Because the man made no response, it seems certain that he viewed Jesus as no more than an especially gifted human teacher

— The word good is a relative term; good compared to what?

— According to the Bible, the standard of goodness is God ( Rom 3:23; Rom 3:10b, 12b)

— Our problem is that we judge ourselves by ourselves and we think we are good

“Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.” ( Rom 2:1 )

RC Sproul

The Question

( 19:17b ) But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

— A lot of people think that if they just do good enough they will enter into heaven

— Many people cling to this hope

— But a truly good deed is one that conforms to God’s law and is done out of heart the loves Him

— Jesus showed him the standard of goodness - God Himself

— The implication is that he must possess within himself a righteous that perfectly conforms to that standard

— This is the heart of salvation

When we say that we are justified by faith apart from the works of the law ( Rom 3:28 ), we do not mean that faith is a good work that makes up for all our bad works. Saying that we are justified by faith alone is simply shorthand for saying we are justified by Christ alone. The only righteousness by which we will be declared righteous in the eyes of God is the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ

Jesus mention of the commandments sparked a follow-up question from the rich young ruler

Q: What commandments did Jesus quote the rich young ruler ( 19:18 )?

( 19:18 ) He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’

— He quoted the last five commandments (6-9 & 5); He then added a NT summary, the second greatest commandment: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ( Lev 19:18; cf Matt 22:39 )

— If a person were able to perfectly keep all of the commandments throughout his entire life, he would indeed have life, just as Jesus said ( 19:17 )

— What He was trying to show the man, however, is that no one is able to keep all the commandments perfectly, not even one of them.

Going Deeper

— God’s grace cannot be faithfully preached to unbelievers until His law is preached and man’s corrupt nature is exposed

— It is impossible for a person to fully realize his need for God’s grace until he sees how terrible he has failed the standards of God’s law

— It is impossible for him to realize his need for mercy until he realizes the magnitude of his guilt

— As Samuel Bolton wisely commented, “When you see that men have been wounded by the law, then it is time to pour in the gospel oil.”

Q: Was the rich young ruler lying when he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” ( 19:20 )?

( 19:20 ) The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?”

— Only Matthew records that this man was young

— Here superficial smugness is struggling with deep discontent

— Jesus, looking upon him, loved this young man who was kneeling before Him ( Mk 10:21 )

— But Jesus also knew that there was something terribly wrong with this rich young ruler; his material possessions enslaved him ( 19:22, 23 )

— His possessions were his idols; his money was his god

— He was breaking the first commandment

— You shall have no other gods before me ( Ex 20:3 )

— Did he really love his neighbor as himself? He did not

— He had no hatred for sins that needed forgiving and no admission of a heart that needed cleansing

— He was therefore not looking for what God need to do for him, but for what he still needed to do for God

— And, he obviously was not present for the Sermon on the Mount in which Jesus explained the dept of the import of the Ten Commandments

Going Deeper

— Like most of his Jewish contemporaries, he totally failed to see that the Mosaic commands were not given as a means for humanly achieving God’s standard of righteousness but were given as pictures of His righteousness

— The law was also given to show men how impossible it is for them to live up to His standards of righteousness in their own power

Q: Why did Jesus tell the man to sell all that he had and give it to the poor ( 19:21 )? Is this a requirement to be saved?

( 19:21 -22 ) Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

— Jesus was not setting down a law for the whole world — saying if anyone wants to enter heaven he must get rid of all his possessions

— Jesus was putting His finger on this man’s problem — his love for money

— His willingness to obey that command would not merit salvation but it would be evidence that he desired salvation above everything else, as a priceless treasure or a pearl of great value for which no sacrifice could be too great ( 13:44-46 )

— The ultimate test was whether or not the man was willing to obey the Lord; “Trust completely in me” is exactly what the Lord was telling the man when He told him to sell his possessions

— As much as He loved the man and desired for him not to perish, he could not save him while he refused to admit he was lost

It was his money that was keeping him from the Lord Jesus Christ. In our day there are many things that are keeping folk away from the Lord Jesus. Riches are only one thing; there are multitudes of other things. — Today, is there something that is separating you from Christ? Is there anything in the way that is keeping you from Him?

— Well, it was riches for this young man

( 19-22 ) But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

RC Sproul

The man did not get angry. He did not protest to Jesus and say: “That’s not fair. I worked hard to get that money, and I’ve been a good steward of it. I’m not wasteful… No, his response was different. His heart was broken. He had rushed up to Jesus to find out how to get to heaven. But when Jesus told him what he needed to do, He put His finger on the young man’s soul

This is one of the saddest commentaries that we read anywhere in sacred Scripture. This man walked away from Jesus because he was not willing to trade his riches for the pearl of great price. He walked away with his money and left his soul and his Saviour behind. But as I mentioned above, the rich young ruler is Every-man, and this same transaction occurs every day in this world. Christians have a great calling to show the world that Jesus is a better treasure than any riches this world affords

Going Deeper

— The rich young ruler’s problem was not his wealth itself but his trust in his wealth, and in his own ability to meet God’s standards for acceptance

— Evangelism or personal witnessing that does not confront people with their utter sinfulness and helplessness is not faithful to the gospel of Jesus Christ, no matter how much His name and His Word may be invoked

— A profession of Christ that does not include confession and repentance of sin does not bring salvation, no matter how much pleasant emotion may result

— To tell an unbeliever that God has a wonderful plan for their life can be seriously misleading

— If the unbeliever turns to Christ and is saved, God does indeed have a wonderful plan for their life

— But if he does not turn to Christ, God’s only plan for him is damnation

— In the same way it is misleading and dangerous to tell an unbeliever only that God loves him, without telling him that , in spite of that love, he is under God’s wrath and sentenced to hell

John Macarthur Rich Young Ruler and Evangelism

And so when you witness to somebody and you come to them and say, “Hey, peace and life, purpose in life, this is in Jesus Christ, right?” And that’s the initial, but you can’t stop there; I mean that’s not enough. I think the rich young ruler came to Jesus because he had a felt need. He comes to Jesus and he runs. I mean if a guy’s running, he’s got some problems.; he’s hurting. And he slides in on his knees and looks up and says, you know panting, “What do I have to do to obtain eternal life?” That was the felt need, wasn’t it? But the Lord didn’t say, “Hey, sign on the dotted line, guy, and you’re in. Hey, believe, you know.” The Lord hit him with something absolutely unbelievable. He said, “Keep all the commandments.

“Keep all the commandments? Which commandments?”

God’s commandments. Remember he listed some of them here in Matthew? What was the Lord doing? The Lord was taking him to the next step in evangelism. It’s got to be beyond a felt need. They have to realize that they’re living in sin and rebellion against God. And sometimes that is hardest thing to tell anyone.

You can find a person searching for purpose and they can get all excited about that. Oh man, meaning and purpose and value in life and fulfillment and potential. And they you say, “But wait, you see the real issue with you is, the reason you don’t know these things, and you’ll never know them until you come to grips with that rebellion. You’re living in violation of God’s law. You’re a sinner. You have broken God’s commandments.” And then you can name those commandments, and you need to bring them to the point where they admit it. Now Jesus gave all those commandments to the rich young ruler and what’d he say? “All those things have I kept. What am I lacking? Impossible to bring that guy to conversion because he didn’t admit that he was what?

ALL: A sinner.

JOHN: A sinner. I mean he wouldn’t admit that he was out of sync with God. Therefore, all he was looking for was a placebo. All he was looking for was a panacea, a temporary relief from the symptoms, and he wouldn’t admit that there was a deeper problem. And so you have to take people to the point where they really affirm the fact that they are sinful, and sometimes is hard to do. And then you take them one step further I think, and that is the point where they will acknowledge that they need to submit their life to the control of God. Remember the rich young ruler? Then Jesus said to him, “I want you to do something. Sell everything you have. Give it all to the poor, come follow me.” And the Bible says he split; he was going to be the Lord of his life. Sure, he wanted eternal life. He wanted peace. He wanted freedom from anxiety. He wanted all of that stuff, be he wasn’t willing to do it on the terms that he had to admit he was a sinner, because he desperately needed to preserve his own sense of self-esteem.

And secondly, there was no way he was going to subject his life to the lordship of somebody else. And those are the conditions we have to bring people to. So the knowledge of your testimony as it’s blended with Scripture. And that means you confront people with the Word of God. And the Word of God says, “You’re gong to have to deal with sin and the lordship of Jesus Christ.”

Q: Does this text teach that rich men have no hope for salvation ( 19:23-29 )? Didn’t Jesus teach that “whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple” ( Lk 14:33 )?

The Poverty of Riches and the Riches of Poverty ( 19:23-29 )

( 19:23-29 ) Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 And 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 His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 27 Then Peter answered and said to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?” 28 So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.

— Jesus immediately put the encounter with the rich young ruler as a teaching moment

— People endowed with great riches have difficultly entering the kingdom of God

— Money becomes their idol

— If a person prefers his earthly fortune to the Lordship of Christ, his heart is not prepared for salvation

— Willingness to give up everything for the Lord will not save him, but it demonstrates that he has found the pearl of great price

— Jesus is teaching how hard it is for rich people to get unhooked from their riches and bow their kneed to Him in humble faith

— He is saying how impossible it is for them ( or anyone else ) to be saved by self-effort of any kind

— Jesus was not separating out the rich as being further from the kingdom but was pointing out that their riches are a formidable barrier and that their money gave them no advantage at all

— The rich young ruler was a prime example of this truth

RC Sproul

A Blessing and a Curse

One of the great barriers to entering God’s kingdom is to have too much money

— A sense of self-sufficiency

— Money can get you out of any problems

— But there is no bail from hell

— This self-sufficiency can rob a person of a sense of dependency on the grace of God for everything from eternal life to where you get your next meal

2. Having a lot of money and the maintenance of it requires almost total absorption

— It forces you to keep your eye on the business, responsibilities and purchases

— Your wealth and possessions become your master

— Jesus said, You cannot serve God and mammon” ( Matt 6:24b )

— How much of my concern is about money as distinct from the things of God?

3. The acquisition of money can become an obsession

— Greed says that we never have enough

— Wouldn’t it be nice to have that kind of money?

— What could I do if I had a little more?

— The goal keeps getting higher and higher

— If our pursuit of riches gets in the way of our searching after the kindgom, we are in the same boat as the rich young ruler, who walked away from Jesus

Going Deeper

Hendricksen

The gospel of the kingdom

— Jesus has spoken about the kingdom of God and the gospel of the kingdom on several occasions ( 3:2; 4:17 )

— The kingdom of God refers to submitting to God’s kingship and recognized sovereignty

— In a broader sense, it represents our complete salvation, i.e., all the spiritual and material blessings which result when God is King in our hearts, recognized and obeyed as such

— That is the meaning, according to the context, in Mark 10:25, 26, “It is easier … than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. and they … said, “Then who can be saved?”

Q: Why were the disciples shocked when they heard Jesus’s teaching? Why did they say, “Then who can be saved” ( 19:25 )?

( 19:25 ) When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

— Jesus’ teaching about the impossibility of the rich entering the kingdom by their own efforts was a shocking idea to the Jews

— Those who were wealthy were considerd specially blessed

— For many centuries the rabbis had taught that accumulation of wealth was a virtue and that it was not only unwise but sinful for a person to give away more than one fifth of what he owned

— Because God is able to change sinful hearts, is it possible for Him to save helpless men

Many people miss the humor that our Lord sometimes used, and this passage is an example of it. There are some people who hold to the explanation that there was a gate in Jerusalem called "The Eye of the Needle," that a camel had to kneel to pass through it, and that therefore the Lord was saying that a man had to become humble to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. That misses the point altogether. Our Lord is talking about a real camel and a real needle with an eye. Let me ask you a very plain question: Is it possible for a real camel to go through the eye of a real needle? It is impossible. But would it be possible for God to put a camel through a needle's eye? Well, God is not in that business, but He could do it. And only God can regenerate a man. That is the point our Lord is making here. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God.

— First, Jesus gives instructions on divorce and the disciples say, “It is better not to marry” ( 19:10 )

—Now, Jesus gives instructions about wealth and the disciples say, “who then can be saved” ( 19:25 )

Q: Peter said, we’ve given up everything for you. Doesn’t that qualify us for eternal life? What was Jesus’ response ( 19:27-29 )?

( 19:27-29 ) Then Peter answered and said to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?” 28 So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.

— Peter was speaking for the whole Twelve, because he had no suspicion of Judas’s betrayal

— As that false disciple would soon make evident, he had not forsaken everything for Christ but was instead seeking to use Him for his own ends

— All believers will sit on the throne of Christ ( Rev 3:21; 1 Cor 6:3; Eph 2:6 ), exercising authority over the people of the earth ( Rev 2:26 )

— The apostles will uniquely rule over a restored Israel during the millennial

— When a person comes to Christ he must often turn his back on certain relationships, even those every dear to him

Q: Peter asked a very direct question in ( 19:27 ). What was it?

( 19:27 ) Then Peter answered and said to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?”

— “What’s in it for me”

— The disciples had, indeed, left everything to follow Jesus

— But, like many Christians in every age since that time, they had not completely let go of pride, selfishness, and worldly standards

— They continued to exalt and promote their own selfish interests. Their primary concern was expressed in Peter’s question to Jesus, “What then will there be for us?” ( 19:27 )

— Nineteen hundred years later, many Christians are still echoing Peter’s question: “What’s in it for me?”

— Jesus will continue His comments about “rewards” in Chapter 20

( 19:29 ) And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.

— This promise is for all who have chosen Christ above everybody and everything else, even above their nearest relatives and most cherished possessions

— They have made the sacrifice, says Jesus, for My name’s sake

Note: We will look at 19:30 in the next lesson

Additional Resources

MacArthur, John. Matthew 16-23. Moody Press, 1988.

MacArthur, John. New Testament Commentary. Moody, 1985.

MacArthur, John. How to Witness. Grace to You. Jan 1, 1975. https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/1360/how-to-witness

Life Application Study Bible. Zondervan, 2011.

J. Vernon McGee, Thru The Bible with J. Vernon McGee.

Bible Study Questions: https://www.bible-studys.org/Bible%20Books/Matthew/Matthew%20Chapter%2019%20Continued.html

Hendriksen, William. New Testament Commentary: Exposition of the Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1973. RC Sproul. Mathew: An Expositional Commentary. Ligonier Ministries, 2019.

RC Sproul. Romans: An Expositional Commentary, The Righteous Shall Live by Faith, Romans. Ligonier Ministries, 2019.