Mateus 19

Mateus 19

Ryle points out that "THE story we have now read is three times reported in the Gospels (Mt 19:16-30, Mk 10:17-31, Lu 18:18-30). Matthew, Mark and Luke were all moved by the Holy Ghost to record the history of the rich man who came to Christ. This fact should be noticed. It shows us that there are lessons before us which demand special attention. When God would impress on Peter his duty towards the Gentiles, He sent him a vision which was repeated “three times.” (Acts 10:16+.) Someone came (proserchomai) to Him - Mark gives us more detail writing that As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him." (Mt 10:17+) One might ask what is he asking? As Bock says this is "Jewish way to asked about being saved by gaining life in the world to come." And said, “Teacher (didaskalos), what good thing (agathos) shall I do (poieo) that I may obtain eternal (aionios) life (zoe) - Both Mk 10:17+ and Lu 18:18+ call Jesus "good (agathos) Teacher" a very unusual way to address a teacher. One could paraphrase Matthew's version as "What good work should I do to obtain eternal life?" His question is that of every non-Christian religion, every cult, and every non-believer who refuses to enter eternal life by grace through faith in Jesus. What shall I DO is the death knell to eternal life with Christ. It is not what shall I DO but what has been DONE that I might enter inherit eternal life? It is not what shall I DO, but in Whom shall I believe? Jesus said it this way "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him Whom He has sent." (John 6:29) The only "good work" that "works" is belief in Jesus! If we look at the positive side of this encounter, the young man came with the right attitude (contrast the lawyer's attitude in Luke 10:25+) and the right question (cf Philippian jailer - Acts 16:30+). On the negative side, William Lane says the form of his "question (“What must I DO to inherit eternal life?”) implies a piety of achievement which stands in contrast to Jesus’ teaching that a man must receive (dechomai - welcome) the Kingdom (or life) as a gift from God in his helplessness (Mark 10:15, Lk 18:17+ = "like a little child"). In the light of (Lk 18:21), the man evidently thought that there were conditions to be fulfilled beyond those set forth in the Law." (See The Gospel of Mark - Page 365) It is interesting to note that even the dictionary defines DO as to carry out or perform an action. DO is the crux of the young man's question. On the other hand the dictionary defines RECEIVE as to take something offered into one's hand or possession. His question should have been - "How can I RECEIVE eternal life?" Ephesians 2:8-9 says eternal life is not earned by received as a gift "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." Ro 3:24+ adds that one is "justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus." There is one more point to observe regarding what is wrong regarding the young man's question "what good thing shall I do" - Perhaps we have had a rich relative pass away and they leave us an inheritance. Now what do we have to DO to inherit the inheritance? Nothing. A person does not do anything to inherit an inheritance! An inheritance is something that we receive as a bequest from someone else. Of course, since salvation is a gift, we still must receive it (by faith) (Jn 1:12+). Even an earthly inheritance will not be forced on the one to whom the inheritance has been bequeathed. Jesus, the God-Man, died that we might inherit His eternal life and His perfect righteousness, but these gifts must be received by faith. Have you received this inheritance which God graciously makes available for all who will call upon His Name (cf Ro 10:13+)? The heart of the lesson is that the sinner must be led to understand the cost required to receive eternal life. -- John MacArthur Sean O'Donnell suggests that this man's "question, despite its obvious flaws, displays his fear of God, his recognition of Jesus’ authority, his genuine concern for his own soul, and his belief in life after death-the “attainment of the resurrected state. I think if most of us were honest we would admit that we think very little about life after death. It is simply not our everyday preoccupation. It is not what makes us restless. It is not what worries us. Our biggest concerns usually revolve around missing out on the benefits of this life. Most of the so-called important questions we ask have something or other to do with the here and now. They are earthbound questions. But this man appears to be genuinely concerned about life after death, not simply and superficially about this life. So this man’s question, though he himself will prove to be full of love for the present world, is the right question in that it asks “the essential question.”” (See Matthew: All Authority in Heaven and on Earth - Page 546) ETERNAL LIFE In his commentary on Matthew, John