Mateus 19

Mateus 19

Morgan - He laid His hands on them. Matt. 19.15 This He did after He had rebuked His disciples for attempting to prevent their being brought to Him. The mistake was very natural, for they did not understand the strategic importance of little children in the Kingdom of God. All that, we learn from this chapter. Our Lord enfranchised the children, and this was symbolized in this act, as it was declared in His works. These hands were those of the King, the Priest, the Teacher. By their laying-on, the children were claimed for His rule, His redemption, His guidance. I have often wondered what became of those particular children. A great and reverent story might be written, making some one of them its hero or heroine. And yet everything would depend upon those who had the care of them afterwards. If they, the fathers and mothers, saw the real value of what took place that day,. the children would enter into it all as the years went on. That is the real point of the story for us. So far as He is concerned, those strong and tender hands are laid upon the heads of all our children. Do we recognize that? If so, it will have its effect upon all our dealings with them. They are ours, but they are His by deeper, more sacred, more tender ties; and our principal responsibility concerning them is, not that we should have joy of them, but that He should possess them in very deed. Childlike Humility Read: Matthew 18:1-14 Whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. —Matthew 18:4 In the mid-70s, my husband Bill and I befriended a drug addict named Derek on the London subway. Days later we invited him to come and live with our family. He soon received Christ and His forgiveness. Until then, the world had been shouting to Derek, “Why don’t you grow up?” That day Jesus tenderly said to him, “Unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 18:3). Derek became a child of God! We expected this young man to learn a lot through us about God, but little did we expect to learn about God through him. For example, one afternoon we discussed the possibility of someday opening a Christian rehabilitation center for addicts. None of us knew when, where, how, or if it would ever happen. I said, “Well, we know God won’t let us down.” Derek, however, added, “God won’t let Himself down.” His words echoed Psalm 23:3, “He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” There's so much wisdom to be learned, So many ways for me to grow, Lord, I would listen like a child, And learn what You would have me know. —K. De Haan If you're filled with pride, you won't have room for wisdom. Leaping With Joy Read: Matthew 18:1-5 Whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. —Matthew 18:4 One nice thing about having a young daughter is the frequent reminders she gives me about joyful trust. Debbie still jumps into my arms from the stairs, the porch, or the picnic table with a shout and a great big smile. We never have a long discussion ahead of time about whether or not I’ll catch her. She just looks at me and leaps. As adults, we tend to become more cautious with age. That may be all right in driving a car or spending money, but it is stifling in our relationship with God. When the disciples of Jesus wanted to know who was greatest in the kingdom of heaven, the Lord pointed to a child as He spoke of conversion and humility: “Whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 18:4). I take my Father's hand in faith, Though where He leads I may not see; My hand is given into His— I trust Him as my child trusts me. —Shoemaker Childlike faith focuses on our heavenly Father, not on our fears. Child's Play Read: Matthew 18:1-11 Unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. —Matthew 18:3 After a surprise storm blanketed the Middle East with snow, a newspaper photo showed four armed men smiling as they built a snowman outside the battered walls of a military headquarters. The wintry weather also caused a protest to be canceled and delayed a debate over parliamentary matters of pressing importance. Men wearing long robes and women in traditional black dresses and headscarves were seen playing in the snow. There’s something about snow that brings out the child in all of us. And there’s something about the gospel that beckons us to abandon our deep hostilities and feelings of self-importance in favor of a childlike humility and faith. When Jesus was asked, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” (Matthew 18:1), He called a little child to come to Him and said, “Unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (v.3). God, give me the faith of a little child! A faith that will look to Thee— That never will falter and never fail, But follow Thee trustingly. —Showerman Faith shines brightest in a childlike heart. The Children's Friend Read: Matthew 19:13-15 Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven." —Matthew 19:14 Today, people around the globe will observe the 200th anniversary of the birth of the great storyteller Hans Christian Andersen. The lessons and encouragement contained in his tales of The Ugly Duckling, The Little Mermaid, and The Emperor’s New Clothes are still considered a great gift to children everywhere. I’m reminded, however, that Jesus Christ is the greatest friend of children the world has ever known. No one has done more for them than Jesus. When Jesus’ disciples reprimanded people for bringing little ones to Him, the Lord said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:14). Jesus valued children as persons of worth. After His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the Lord accepted the praise of children and reminded those who criticized them that God has ordained praise even “out of the mouths of babes and nursing infants” (Matthew 21:16; Psalm 8:2). O Jesus, You who once did say To little children at their play, "Come to Me, you will be blessed," So come to us and be our Guest. —Anon The Creator hides secrets from sages, yet He can be known by children. Matthew 19:16 And someone came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” KJV Matthew 19:16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? BGT Matthew 19:16 Καὶ ἰδοὺ εἷς προσελθὼν αὐτῷ εἶπεν· διδάσκαλε, τί ἀγαθὸν ποιήσω ἵνα σχῶ ζωὴν αἰώνιον; NET Matthew 19:16 Now someone came up to him and said, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to gain eternal life?" CSB Matthew 19:16 Just then someone came up and asked Him, "Teacher, what good must I do to have eternal life?" ESV Matthew 19:16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, "Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?" NIV Matthew 19:16 Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" NLT Matthew 19:16 Someone came to Jesus with this question: "Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?" one: Mk 10:17 Lu 18:18 what: Lu 10:25 Jn 6:27-29 Ac 16:30 eternal: Mt 25:46 Da 12:2 Jn 3:15 4:14 5:39 6:47,68 10:28 12:25 17:2,3 Ro 2:7 5:21 6:22,23 1Ti 1:16 6:12,19 Tit 1:2 3:7 1Jn 1:2 2:25 1Jn 5:11-13,20 Jude 1:21 Related Passages: Mark 10:17+ As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Luke 18:18+ A ruler questioned Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Luke 10:25+ (CONTRAST THIS RICH YOUNG RULER WITH) a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test (ekpeirazo), saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” A GOOD THING TO DESIRE - ETERNAL LIFE And - Surprisingly the NAS does not translate the important Greek word idou which is translated behold, a word used to grab the reader's attention. "Listen up!" is the idea. So literally it reads "And behold..." It is also surprising that most of the other modern versions do not translate the "Behold!" Why is this significant? I agree with John MacArthur who says "Behold suggests how unusual and unexpected it was that he would admit he lacked eternal life and come to Jesus to find it." NET NOTE - Greek literally = “And behold one came.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1). Note that in the preceding context Jesus had talked about the kingdom of heaven (Mt 19:12 and Mt 19:14). He will bring up the kingdom of heaven toward the end of this story of the rich young ruler (Mt 19:23), to illustrate who enters the kingdom of heaven and who does not. John MacArthur tells this story - During a flight I took some time ago, a young man sitting next to me introduced himself and said, "Sir, you wouldn't know how I could have a relationship with Jesus Christ, would you?" Now that sort of incident doesn't happen often! I was reading my Bible, which prompted him to ask the question. He seemed ready and eager to be saved. I said, "You simply believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and accept Him as your Savior." He said, "I'd like to do that." So we prayed together. I was excited about what happened but was later unsuccessful in my attempts to follow up his commitment. I have since discovered that he has no continuing interest in the things of Christ, as far as I can tell. Some of you who have shared the gospel of Christ with others have experienced those occasions where someone you led to Christ never shows change in their life. (ED: I HAVE AND 3 MONTHS LATER THE MAN WAS IN A NUDIST COLONY!) If you've been struggling with why that happens, then I think you'll find the answer in this lesson (on the Rich Young Ruler). (Full sermon Matthew 19:16-22: How to Obtain Eternal Life) J C