JESUS TEACHES THE WAY TO ETERNAL LIFE

Matthew 19:16-20:16

Key Verses 19:25-26

When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, ‘Who then can be saved?’  Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’

Read verses16-17. What did the man who came to Jesus not lack? (22)  What did he lack? What did he want from Jesus? What did Jesus teach him about God, about good and about eternal life? 

- He did not lack money.  In fact, he had “great wealth.” 

- He lacked eternal life.

-He wanted Jesus to teach him “what good thing he must do to get eternal life.”

- God --- God alone is good.  There is no “goodness” apart from Him.  

- Good --- God alone is good.  God is not the highest “goodness” or one of the “goodness’s” that exist in the world.  God alone is good and all other “goodness’s” merely derives from Him. No “goodness” exists apart from God.  Jesus pointed out not ‘what good thing’, but ‘who is good’.  The question is not about ‘what thing’ is good, but ‘who’ is good.  Only God is good.

- Eternal life --- Eternal life comes from God. 

- Jesus asked the man, “Why do you ask Me about what is good?” When we think about it, Jesus should be the perfect person to whom we should ask what is good, since He is the exact representation of God the Father.  Jesus is good.  Then why did Jesus ask such a question?  It appears that this young man really did not know whom he was asking this question to.  He simply called Jesus “teacher.”  In other words, he did not see Jesus more than a great rabbi, a mere human.  So “why do you ask me (a ‘human,’) what is good? (‘You should ask God.’)”  This reminds us of Nicodemus, who came to Jesus at night.  He recognized Jesus as ‘a teacher came from God.’  But he really did not know that Jesus WAS God, and thus, he continued remaining in darkness, unable to see the kingdom of God.  Despite his seemingly humble and desperate inquiry, he had little learning mind so he got rebuked by Jesus.  In the same way, this young man looked humble and full of learning mind, but in reality, neither he knew Jesus nor was willing to learn from him (i.e. “he went away sad,” in v.22)

- The phrase that the young man used was “what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” He thought “good” is something to be done by men to impress God and, as reward, to receive something from God, even eternal life. Jesus’ emphasis here is that all “good” derives from God, and there is no “good” apart from Him.  The young man had to go back to God.  The reason that the young man did not have eternal life was not because he had not “earned” enough points but because his relationship with God was fundamentally and irreconcilably broken.  He did not know God; he had no light and he had no life.  His only hope was Jesus Christ, the Son of God, but alas, he saw Jesus only as human and he continued to focus on “what must I do?” instead of humbly listening and learning from Jesus.  

 - “If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.” Jesus agreed that this man had no life.  He had to “enter life.”  For a dead man, the only hope is the source of life, God.  So Jesus said, “Obey the commandments.”  

Read verses 18-19. In response to the man’s question, which commandments did Jesus mention? Which ones did He leave out? Why? What did Jesus add? Why?

- “Do not murder (the 6^th commandment), do not commit adultery (the 7^th commandment), do not steal (the 8^th commandment), do not give false testimony (the 9^th commandment), honor your father and mother (the 5^th commandment), and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.(Leviticus 19:18)’”

- Jesus left out the 1^st, the 2^nd, the 3^rd, the 4^th, and the 10^th commandments.

It is possible that Jesus left out the commandments that the man was not “keeping.”  In a true sense, according to Jesus’ standard in Matthew 5, he might have broken all the commandments.  But it appears that he had kept the 4^th, 5^th, 6^th, 7^th, 8^th and 9^th commandments at least outwardly with great sincerity.  But the other commandments (i.e. the 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, and 10^th) involve the deepest level, such as his relationship with God and his inner desire.  Most likely his wealth was his god and he was controlled by his covetous desires. 

- Jesus added Leviticus 19:18b, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  The young man was a nice neighbor who did not bother his fellow neighbors, i.e., he did NOT murder, he did NOT commit adultery, he did NOT steal, he did NOT give false testimony.  He was also a “good” son, who honored his father and mother.  But Jesus’ standard was “perfection.”  In Leviticus 19:18, the context is forgiveness, as Jesus quoted in Matthew 5:43, “you have heard that it was said, ‘love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I tell you, ‘love your enemy…’” Matthew 5:43-48, especially, 46-48 say, “If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?  Are not even the tax collectors doing that?  And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others?  Do not even pagans do that?  Be perfect therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”  So if this man should enter life by “doing good” his goodness must be PERFECT as God is perfect.

 

Read verses 20-22. What did this young man think about himself? Had he really kept the commandments? What was his question? What was Jesus’ answer? Why did the man go away sadly? What did he still lack? 

- He thought he was good because he kept such commandments from his childhood.

- No, with the same reason mentioned in question 2.  He had religiously “kept” the command, and that blinded him to see his true hopeless situation. He thought he was alright with God. In reality, he was not.  His relationship with God was broken.

- “What do I still lack?”

- “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.  Then come, follow me.”

- He went away sad, because he had great wealth.  

- He lacked eternal life.

Read verses 23-26. What truth did Jesus teach his disciples? How hard is it to enter the kingdom of heaven? What was the disciple’s astonished response and their question? How can anyone be saved? 

- That it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.

- It is easier for a camel to go trough the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.

- They were greatly astonished.  “Who then can be saved?” 

- “With man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Read verses 27-30. What was Peter thinking when he compared himself with this rich young man? What promise did Jesus give him? What is his promise to everyone? What does verse 30 mean? (To the disciples and to us.)

- Peter thought he was better than the rich young man, since he had left everything to follow Jesus.

- “at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on the twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters of father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.”

- “But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.”

In the kingdom of heaven, it is not matter of competition such as first come, first serve, or who is the greatest.  Rather, those who are strong and “ahead” have no reason to be proud; they are to gratefully bear the weak and “latecomers” and let them go ahead because only by God’s grace the former could be what they are and have received abundant blessings already, as the following parable shows.

Read verses 1-2. What is the theme of this a parable? What did the landowner do early in the morning? What did he agree to pay his workers? Read verses 3-8. At what other times did he employ workers? What was his agreement with the other groups? 

-“The last will be first, and the first will be last.”

- He went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard.

- He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day.

- About the third hour, the sixth hour, the ninth hour, and the eleventh hour.  To those who were hired at the third hour, the promised wages was “whatever is right.”  Most likely it was the same with the sixth hour, the ninth hour. To those who were hired at the eleventh hour, there was no specific wages mentioned.

Read verses 8-12.  When and how did he pay them all? Why were the ones hired first dissatisfied? Read verses 13-16. How did the owner answer their complaint? What is his right as the owner? Compare what Jesus said in 19:30 with 20:16.  What was Jesus teaching about the kingdom in this passage? 

- When the evening came, the wages was paid from the last ones hired and going on to the first.  The amount was the same: a denarius.

- They said, “These men who were hired last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.”

- “Friend, I am not being unfair to you, Dint’ you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go.  I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you.  Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money?  Or are you envious because I am generous?”

- To do what he wants with his own money.

- 19:30 “But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.”

- 20:16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”