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Matthew 19:13-30

Matthew has continued his account of the ministry of Jesus with His arrival in Judea, beyond the Jordan -
the region of Perea - several months after the completion of His ministry in Galilee.

Some Pharisees who approached Him there sought to entrap Jesus over the controversial issue of divorce,
but for Jesus, there was no controversy. God had never ordained divorce for man, only marriage - a holy
bond which no man had the right to sever.

Divorce was never the will of God; and unless the divorce was on the grounds of the wife’s sexual
immorality, it carried with it the additional sin of adultery for men, if they were to remarry.

This authoritative word from Jesus sought to reset the focus away from divorce and back on God’s ideal,
for marriage. But in addition, it sought to restore the equality which God intended within the marriage
relationship - for the popular Jewish teaching on divorce gave husbands the means to oppress their wives,
in their marriages - by allowing husbands to dismiss their wives for trivial reasons.

Even the disciples found this teaching of Jesus on divorce quite difficult to accept - which reflected the
prevalence of divorce within that society, and its bias toward the husbands, who were the only ones allowed
to initiate it.

But Jesus did not soften His words; instead, He added a contingent thought, that was at least equally
difficult - about becoming eunuchs, for the kingdom of heaven’s sake.

The idea was remaining unmarried, in order to devote all of one’s time and energies, to the kingdom. And
like eunuchs, this whole-hearted devotion to the gospel would cause those who follow Jesus to be outcasts,
from Jewish society. Jesus was giving His disciples much to ponder, here!

Mark indicates in his gospel that the end of the discussion between Jesus and His disciples took place when
they had returned to a house (Mk 10:10) - presumably where they were staying. It was after this that both
Matthew and Mark indicate a new group that comes to see Jesus.

19:13-15 Matthew, Mark and Luke all record this incident. We have already seen an occasion in
Matthew’s gospel, with Jesus interacting with a little child (18:1-14). That occurred in Galilee, months
before this incident.

In that case, Jesus had called a little child to Himself, and with the child in His lap, Jesus presented the little
one as a teaching illustration, for His disciples. Jesus will use little children as an illustration again here, to
serve as a reminder to His disciples. But in this case, the focus of Jesus is not just on children as
illustrations, but on them, as actual people.

In this case, the little children were brought to Jesus. Mark and Luke tell us that it was for the intention of
Jesus touching them; putting His hands on the children, to bless them (Mk 10:13, Lk 18:15).

Who would you say would bring little children to Jesus, to be blessed by Him? Their parents - of course.
They recognized in Jesus a teacher with the wisdom of God; a healer with the power of God. The parents
see, in Jesus, access to God; favor with Him.

God clearly blessed people through Jesus, and the parents sought that blessing in the lives of their children.
They loved their children and desired the best for them - as all parents do.
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Now, Luke indicates that these were infants, but that Greek word can also mean a very young child. These
were likely the age of toddlers, because Jesus speaks also of them coming to Him; not being brought to
Him (v. 14; Mk 10:14; Lk 18:16).

The sense is that the parents brought their children to Jesus, pointed them in His direction and told them to
go to Him - and then the children toddled right up to Him.

But remember, the likely setting for this was in a house, where Jesus was staying, with His disciples. And
suddenly there’s this intrusion - it’s practically an invasion - of these little ones.

Now, the disciples presumably had Jesus to themselves; maybe He was still currently teaching them on the
subject of marriage, and divorce, and being eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. And suddenly, here
come all these little children!

So the disciples assessed the situation. They were important. Jesus was very important. But these little
children? They were not important at all.

Although children were loved, they were regarded as impotent members of society, in that day; as if they
weren’t meaningful people, yet! The disciples regarded them as an interruption, to the important business
of the kingdom, that Jesus was conducting - with them. And with that mindset, the disciples began to
rebuke them - not the children; the parents, according to Mark (10:13).

But Jesus quickly corrected His disciples. In fact, Mark indicates that Jesus was greatly displeased (Mk
10:14). It means Jesus was indignant - we might voice this as, “How dare you!”

Clearly, Jesus desired the little children to come to Him. Did you stop to think of why that would be
pleasing to Jesus? It wasn’t just that Jesus had a love for children - though I’m sure He did.

First of all, their parents had brought the children to Jesus - there was that recognition of Him, as the one
who had access to God, by whom favor with God could be had. And then there were the children
themselves.

How delightful to Jesus - for these little ones to make their way to Him, following the lead of their parents,
but then completing the journey to Him on their own! Taking steps with those little feet, until they finally
got to Him. Can you picture them, eagerly reaching their arms out to Him?

And do you know what Jesus did, when they got to Him? Mark says that He took them up in His arms (Mk
10:16). And He laid His hands on them, and He blessed them (Mk 10:16). Jesus delighted in their trust -
they came right to Him.

Now, the disciples of Jesus didn’t observe the reverence of the parents; nor the trust of their children. They
just saw the interruption, to their business with Jesus. But what Jesus wanted His disciples to know was
that - this WAS their business; the business of the kingdom of heaven.

The business of the kingdom is winning the souls of men. And what do men start out as? As
impressionable little children; teachable children. What a great opportunity, to reach a soul, and create an
impression in it, of the Savior of souls; to show that the Savior is approachable; that He is worthy of their
trust; that He is loving; caring.
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It is an opportunity not to be missed - to plant the seed of the gospel - Christ Himself - into a child’s
receptive heart. The seed must first be planted, then watered with the Word of God, before it can then
germinate through faith, and bring forth good fruit - a son of God. What could be better than to plant that
seed in a child’s heart - before the world has its chance to contend for that heart?

But as Jesus continued in verse 14, we find that His desire for the children went beyond the literal, actual
children, to what the little ones illustrated, in the kingdom of heaven. We understand this because Jesus
said, “for of such is the kingdom of heaven” - that is to say, those in the kingdom of heaven are like little
children.

In what sense did Jesus mean this? Once again, it was the circumstance at that time, which the disciples
could observe, that reflected His meaning.

Here were these little children. Children are dependent upon their parents, to give them everything they
need, for their good, aren’t they? For the good of the children, these parents had brought their children to
see Jesus; to be blessed by Him.

The parents must have told the children to go to Jesus; pointed Him out; set them off or nudged them in His
direction; and then off the little ones went, until they came to Jesus, who then took them up in His arms.
Little as they were, the children simply obeyed their parents’ instructions; and they trusted in Jesus, to come
to Him.

Of such is the kingdom of heaven. A person must obey the truth, and come to Jesus, trusting in Him; and
when he does, Jesus lifts him up, as a son of God.

I wonder if the disciples might later have considered that the parents were doing what Jesus had indicated
was to be their ministry: to bring little ones to Jesus; to point them in His direction (18:10-14).

Instead, the disciples had come perilously close to becoming stumbling blocks, for those little ones! But
the disciples themselves were just learning all of this - learning that the kingdom of heaven wasn’t quite
what they thought.

And that was the subject of their next lesson, as well.

19:16 Matthew mentioned in verse 15 that Jesus departed from there; Mark indicates He was going out on
the road, when He had this next encounter.

So who is this one, who came to Jesus? In verse 20, Matthew indicates he was a young man. The term in
the Greek means a man in his prime or vigor, up to the age of forty or so. So not a youth, but around 25-40
years old.

Luke mentions also that he was a ruler; as a Jew, this may mean that he was a ruler of the synagogue; like
an elder. This man had a significant social status. He stands in marked contrast to the little children, who
had no social standing.

Mark gives the detail that the young ruler came running up as Jesus was going out on the road, and knelt
before Him. It would seem the young ruler was a man on a mission; but he paused long enough to show his
acknowledgement of Jesus as a great teacher, by respectfully bowing before Him.
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Unlike other religious rulers that had come to Jesus, this young ruler has no intention of testing Jesus; he
asks Him a personal question, one that hints at his religious zeal. His address of Jesus as “Good Teacher”
communicates his respect for Him. This wise Teacher might have an answer that the young ruler has been
seeking; one that appears to weigh on his heart. He has come to Jesus, to counsel him, to advise him: what
good thing did he have to do, to ensure that he inherited eternal life?

Apparently, the young ruler did not have that assurance; and for good reason. His question tells us he was
seeking entrance to the kingdom of heaven based on his own doing; his good works.

Notice carefully how Jesus answers this young ruler.

19:17 We think, what a peculiar thing for Jesus to say; Jesus is good! Yet Jesus calls into question why this
young ruler would address Him as good; “Good Teacher”. The young ruler just meant it in a relative sense,
as a term of respect. But Jesus holds him to its absolute meaning - good as in perfectly righteous.

And then Jesus points out to him that no one is good except God - and of course, we know, Jesus is God.
So we have to wonder, why would Jesus be saying these things to him?

What does this young ruler think about himself? That he’s good; he’s a good person. How good is he?
Not good enough; which is why he lacks assurance as to his final destination.

Jesus knows this, so He uses the ruler’s address to Him as a means of reminding him that there is only One
who is truly good, and that’s God; He’s perfectly holy. Which means that the young ruler can never be
good enough, to enter the kingdom of heaven, even if he does the next good thing; and the next; and the
next.

But Jesus doesn’t tell him that; instead, He gives the young ruler the opportunity to discover it, for himself.
And so Jesus meets the young man on the very ground upon which the young ruler bases his righteousness
- his own good works.

Jesus begins by stating the obvious - if the young ruler wants to enter into eternal life through his own good
works, he must keep the commandments - the righteous requirements, that God revealed to the Jews
through the Law. Unstated by Jesus was that he of course must keep them perfectly - an impossibility for
any man. The Law is designed to show man just that (Rom 3:20).

But this zealous young man does not stop to consider that. He is anxious to pin Jesus down, on exactly
what He means.

19:18-19 The young ruler inquires as to which commandments must be kept. After all, by rabbinical
calculation, there were 613 commandments in the Pentateuch. Which ones did Jesus view as essential, to
gain entrance into the kingdom of heaven?

In response, Jesus began to recite some of the ten commandments. Notice that He did not name all of them.
In fact, He only mentioned those which show God’s righteous requirements toward man; none of the ones
toward God were cited by Jesus.

In addition, Jesus skipped over one righteous requirement toward man; do you know which one? You shall
not covet. So what do we see, with the ones that Jesus did cite? They all involve observable actions,
involving external conformance done through the body.
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Coveting and rightly directed reverence toward God are issues of the heart. They cannot be outwardly
observed.

Jesus summed up the righteous requirements He cited, toward one’s fellow man, drawing upon Leviticus
19:18 - love your neighbor as yourself. Later Jesus would declare this is the second greatest commandment
- after loving God (Mt 22:39). It takes love to fulfill the essential requirements of the Law. But in the
young ruler’s haste, it was unlikely that he considered the magnitude of what this summary commandment
entailed.

Beside the summary, Jesus had given the young ruler the commandments that he could easily check off, in
his mind - as having done them, or not. And this was the young ruler’s rapid assessment.

19:20 This young ruler thinks he has kept these commandments perfectly, all his life. Is that possible? The
apostle Paul seemed to have thought the same thing, about himself; as far as external conformance to the
Law of Moses, he saw himself as blameless - perfectly righteous (Phil 3:6).

Of course, later Paul recognized that he was really a lawbreaker; it’s just that he did it all on the inside; in
his heart (Rom 7:7-11). But maybe the young ruler was very much like Paul; exceedingly zealous for the
traditions of his fathers (Gal 1:14) - zeal that masked the true condition of his heart.

Yet we see that the young ruler could tell that something was missing. He had no peace, concerning his
salvation. And so he persisted in earnest inquiry with Jesus, asking Him to state what it was that he was
still lacking.

Mark tells us that at this point, Jesus gazed intently at the young ruler; and looking at him, loved him, and
gave His reply (Mk 10:21).

19:21 What was the young ruler lacking, according to Jesus? Perfection. The idea is completeness; with
nothing wanting. The young ruler sought entrance to the kingdom of heaven based on his own good works.
On that basis, his good works had to be perfect; he must be completely and utterly obedient, to all that God
commanded.

It becomes evident in Matthew’s account that this young ruler was a rich man. Did the young ruler love the
LORD his God with all his heart? Then there must be no rival, for his devotion; he cannot serve both God
and mammon (Mt 6:24); he must sell all that he possessed.

Did the young ruler love his neighbor as himself? Then he must give all the proceeds from the sale of his
possessions to the poor. And this was just the beginning of what would be required, in order for his love for
God and man to be complete.

Now, we must understand this in the context that Jesus is saying it. Jesus is not teaching salvation by
philanthropy, here! Renouncing all earthly possessions is not a general requirement in order to enter
heaven. But it would be a requirement for anyone who idolized wealth - which the discerning gaze of Jesus
had observed, in this rich young ruler. God must be first in the heart - or not at all.

No doubt this rich young ruler had routinely and generously given to the poor, in his community - his zeal
would have seen to that. He did so according to his own definition of loving his neighbor.

But the love of God knows no limit. And out of His love for this young man - in order to save him - Jesus
removed any limit that Jewish piety would impose on such giving - and replaced it with the demand for all.
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Why must the rich young ruler give it all? To remove an impediment, in his life - a stumbling block, which
was keeping him, from Jesus. The deceitfulness of riches was choking the Word right out of his heart, so
that his life remained unfruitful (Mt 13:22).

The young man was deceived by his riches into thinking that they were his sufficiency; that he could rest
on his riches, and do for God, and he would have a good life here and in the hereafter. But he knew in his
heart that the second part of that equation didn’t really add up; the part about having the good life in the
hereafter.

Jesus was showing the young man the error in his calculations. His self-righteous doing for God would
always come up short, as far as gaining him entrance into God’s kingdom of perfect righteousness.

And as long as he insisted on holding on to his earthly treasure, he would be in bondage to it, rendering him
incapable of receiving the treasure in heaven that he so zealously sought.

That heavenly treasure was to be had through the invitation that Jesus so graciously and lovingly extended,
to the rich young man - to come and follow Him. Jesus was endeavoring to free him. But first the young
man must come to see the truth: that he was not rich; but poor - a poor and needy sinner; a sinner in need
of the Savior.

But the young man was unwilling to see this.

19:22 Luke says the young man became very sorrowful, for he was very rich (Lk 18:23). The Good
Teacher had made an impossible request, of him; to empty his hands of his wealth, so that he was able to
receive from Jesus. He must let go of the one in order to receive the other.

But apparently, the invitation to become a disciple of Jesus did not approach the value of his possessions, in
his heart. How sad! We are left wondering if the young ruler ever changed his mind.

Jesus then speaks a solemn word concerning this, to His disciples.

19:23-24 The proverbial expression in verse 24 is a graphic way of saying that it’s impossible; impossible
for a rich man, to enter the kingdom of God.

We can see why it is so difficult, can’t we? As mentioned, there’s the deceitfulness of riches - that a man
tends to trust in the sufficiency of riches, and fail to see his need for God. But further, riches engross the
affections; consume time and energy; and riches can generate pride and dissipation.

But the disciples were viewing it quite differently, as we will see.

19:25 The term “greatly astonished” means the disciples were knocked out of their senses; they can’t
believe what Jesus said.

Why did they have this reaction? Because the Jews generally believed that the rich were specially blessed
by God. Actually, many people today believe the same thing; that riches, and health, and even good
circumstances are a sign of God’s blessing.

Now, God does bless in those ways; but He does not do so because of some intrinsic goodness in a person.
Blessings are based on God’s graciousness, and they are bestowed for His purposes.
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Yet the rabbis in Jesus’ day taught that God blessings were based on human worthiness - so it was supposed
that those who were rich, who were well-off in life, were the most likely candidates for God’s salvation -
the ultimate blessing.

This is why the disciples were so shocked, by what Jesus said. They’re thinking wealth is a sign of God’s
blessing on a person for his goodness; so if the wealthy are excluded, what hope was there for anyone else?

Jesus responds.

19:26 The look of Jesus here is a meaningful look; a gaze with intent. Jesus wanted His disciples to fully
grasp what He was saying.

It is impossible for man - any man - to save himself. Jesus is the only one who can save him. A man must
simply come to Him, to be saved; like the little children had done.

On the other hand, riches can create an impediment, that keep a man from coming to Jesus. Self-
righteousness can create an impediment, too; and earthly status. The rich young ruler was afflicted with all
of these, wasn’t he?

But our God is the God of the impossible. God is in the business of removing impediments; of revealing to
each man their need, for the Savior. With God, all things are possible - no matter how unlikely it might
seem, to us. Were any of us any less impossible?

For the disciples, this new revelation of Jesus has left them with a lot to consider - personally. Their
traditional Jewish thinking concerning the kingdom of heaven has been turned upside down.

As we continue, we find Peter taking the lead to inquire for the whole group of them, as they seek some
reassurance from Jesus.

19:27-30 Do you think that Peter’s question was presumptuous? Jesus didn’t seem to think so; He doesn’t
correct Peter in any way.

Peter was pointing out that, unlike the young ruler, he and the other disciples had been willing to leave it all
behind, to follow Jesus. We can tell from the gospel accounts that they didn’t sell all their earthly
possessions, and give the proceeds to the poor - as Jesus had told the young ruler to do. They didn’t do
that, because in their case, it wasn’t necessary.

But they had left behind their families, their homes, and their livelihoods, in order to become disciples of
Jesus. They had sought first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; Jesus was first, in their hearts. So
Peter wondered, what will they have, in His kingdom? It was a sincere and reasonable question.

And Jesus gave them all a clear and definite answer. The term “regeneration” as used in verse 28 is not
speaking of personal rebirth but of the regeneration of the heavens and the earth - making them new.

When will this regeneration take place? Following the cleansing fire of the seven-year Tribulation. We
find reference to it in Revelation chapter 21.

[Revelation 21:1-4]
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21:1-2 Once the heavens and the earth have been cleansed of those who rebelled against God - angelic or
human - they are made new, regenerated, signaling that the age to come has now arrived.

Gentile dominion will be brought to an end. Jesus will establish His kingdom on the earth, with Israel as the
head nation. And in that day, the New Jerusalem will descend from God, to hover 1500 miles above the
earth - the home of the Bride, the true church.

Then a proclamation is made.

21:3-4 The tabernacle of God is clearly personified, here. Who would it be, then? Jesus, as the Savior. He
will present Himself to all men on earth, from the seat of His rule - the New Jerusalem. This is the
fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles. Here is Jehovah-shammah: God, dwelling in the midst of His
people.

[Return to Matthew 19]

We can see this image from Revelation, in the words of Jesus to His disciples, here. The Son of Man will
sit on His glorious throne, ruling and reigning. Israel will be the head nation, on the earth. And the
disciples will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes.

Was Jesus referring specifically to the apostles? He didn’t say that; and in fact, we know that one of the
apostles will not be enthroned, but condemned to perdition. Notice that Jesus said, “you who have
followed Me”.

What does the number twelve symbolize, in Scripture? It is the number of government. Those who follow
Jesus - the true disciples, and all future members of the Body of Christ - will rule and reign with Jesus. The
church will administer His government over the earth; over Israel, who will administer on the earth (Rev
2:26-28, 3:21, 5:10). This is a clear statement by Jesus that His church will have preeminence over Israel.

None of this would be fully understood by the disciples in Jesus’ day, as the church was still a mystery. But
they did know there would be a regeneration of the heavens and the earth (Is 65:17), that Israel would be
made the head nation (Is 2:2-3, Is 60; Deut 28:13), and that Messiah would reign in perfect righteousness
and peace (Ps 2:8-12). Now they could see from the words of Jesus that they would have a most significant
part in that reign.

And as Jesus continued, He made it plain that all who chose to follow Him would receive a reward far
greater than what they had left behind. The sense is that this reward will be realized now and ever after -
especially clear as Jesus ends on the note of the ultimate inheritance they will receive - eternal life.

But then Jesus introduced a cryptic word: that many who are first will be last, and the last, first. What were
the disciples to make of that? What do we make of it? Well you’ll have till next year to think about that,
because Jesus will go on to explain it through the telling of the next parable - which is where we’ll resume.

Reading: Matthew 20:1-16