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    Matthew 19:13-30
    Lesson 38

    Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

    In this lesson:  
     
    Jesus teaches a rich man, and us, a valuable lesson.
     
    Also -
    Don't kill, commit adultery, steal, or lie (19:18).  Do honor your parents and love your neighbor (19:19).

    ​Jesus and the young, rich man.
    By German artist Heinrich Hoffman (1824-1911).
    Study Tip:
     
    As you read the Bible make two lists -
    1) Things you should do.
    2) Things God promises to do. ​     ​​​

    The Gospel According to St. Matthew

    The King James Bible    ​

    Matthew 19:13-30
    Salvation through faith

    13 Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them.

    14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

    15 And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.

    16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?

    17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

    18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,

    19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

    20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?

    21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

    22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.

    23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.

    24 And again I say unto you, 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.

    25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?

    26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

    27 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?

    28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

    29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.

    30 But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.                             ​​
    ​Margin notes: 
     
    "The disciples rebuked them." (19:3) - "The disciples reprimanded them."
     
    "Suffer little children." (19:14) - "Allow the little children."
     
    "If thou wilt enter into life." (19:17) - "If you want to enter heaven."
     
    "All these things have I kept from my youth." (19:20) - The young man was mistaken.  It is impossible to keep all the commandments.  Like us, the young man was a sinner and unable to earn salvation by his own efforts.  In verses 19:21-22, Jesus shows how this man put himself and his wealth above everything else.
     
    "What lack I yet?" (19:20) - "What else do I need to do?"
     
    "If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor." (19:21) - Jesus doesn't require all Christians to sell everything they own, just the people who put money before God.  The rich can also be saved.  Lydia, a wealthy merchant from Thyatira, was a baptized Christian (Acts 16:14-15).  Likewise, the wealthy and politically connected Joseph of Arimathaea put himself in danger when he went to Pontus Pilate and asked permission to bury Jesus (Luke 23:50-53).   
     
    "A rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven." (19:23) - "It is hard for a rich man to go to the Kingdom of Heaven."  Why?  Because you can not trust wealth or prestige to get you into heaven (Mark 10:24) and in the pursuit of wealth many "fall into temptation and a snare" "which drown men in destruction" (1 Timothy 6:9-10).
     
    "The eye of a needle." (19:24) - The "eye of a needle" was a small gate into a walled city.  At night, the large main gates were locked for security.  Anyone entering the city at night had to go through the "eye of a needle" under the watchful eyes of guards.  The gateway was so small, pack animals had to be unloaded and duck down to fit through.      
     
    "They were exceedingly amazed." (19:25) - "They were bewildered."  The disciples were dumbfounded to learn how difficult it is for a rich person to go to heaven.  In Jesus' day, people believed that the rich were in God's good graces, and the poor were being punished.  Jesus' words went against everything the disciples had been taught.
     
    "With God all things are possible." (19:26) - It is impossible to earn eternal life through our own efforts (Romans 3:20).  But with God, the impossible is made possible.  With faith in Jesus, mountains are moved, camels pass through the eye of a needle, and anyone can find heaven (Galatians 3:11).   
     
    "In the regeneration." (19:28) - "In the New World."
     
    "Ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." (19:28) - Jesus will repeat this during the Last Supper (Luke 22:30).
     
    "Many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first." (19:30) - After death, the last will be first.  Jesus repeats this teaching in Matthew 20:16; Mark 10:31 and Luke 13:30.
    The story of the rich young man can also be found in Mark 10:17-27 and Luke 18:18-30.
                                                  New Living Translation 
     

    Matthew 19:13-30            
    Jesus Blesses the Children

    13 One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him.
     
    14 But Jesus said, "Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children."

    15 And he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left.
     
    The Rich Man
     
    16 Someone came to Jesus with this question: "Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?"
     
    17 "Why ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. But to answer your question-if you want to receive eternal life, keep the commandments."
     
    18 "Which ones?" the man asked.
     
      And Jesus replied: "'You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely.

    19 Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
     
    20 "I've obeyed all these commandments," the young man replied. "What else must I do?"
     
    21 Jesus told him, "If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
     
    22 But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
     
    23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

    24 I'll say it again-it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!"
     
    25 The disciples were astounded. "Then who in the world can be saved?" they asked.
     
    26 Jesus looked at them intently and said, "Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible."
     
    27 Then Peter said to him, "We've given up everything to follow you. What will we get?"
     
    28 Jesus replied, "I assure you that when the world is made new and the Son of Man sits upon his glorious throne, you who have been my followers will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

    29 And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life.

    ​30 But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.

    This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible.  However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

    Today's Question:
    ​
    1. Do we need to sell all our worldly goods to buy eternal life? (19:21)




    Let me know if you need a copy of a past lesson.     ​                                                                        

    ​Answer: (Do you agree?) ​
    ​
    1. No, Jesus was not telling everyone to sell their worldly goods, just those who worship wealth.  It is our faith that saves us.  But it only takes one thing to get in the way of a relationship with God.  The rich man in this passage coveted material possessions.  Money was his God.  Others allow fame, power, position, good looks, or their intellectualism to get in the way of a relationship with God.  Addiction, lust, greed, jealousy, whatever it is we place above God must be abandoned, or it will trap us.  We should have no other God before us (Exodus 20:3).




    ​    Application thought for the day:
     
    We tend to erect barriers between ourselves and God.  For the rich man in this passage, wealth was his barrier, his idol, his temptation, his flaw.  We all have things that tempt us away from the life we know we should be living.  To some it's lust, to others it's pride, anger, jealousy, drink, drugs, greed, or just plain laziness.   Meditate on the truth of this passage, 
    find the barriers that threaten to keep you from heaven and surrender them to Jesus.​
    Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress Books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; "The Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies"; "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible."  All were critical in putting these lessons together.
    ​    © 2024 evolke  ​