Mateus 19

Mateus 19

Stedman - One of the pastors visiting us here this week was telling me about his congregation. He said, "I have a number of wealthy people in my congregation, and they trouble me, because" as he put it, "they dabble with Christianity." That is often true. I know of many wealthy Christians, and I find that it is rare to find one who is truly committed to obeying the Word of God. Most go along only to a point. Thank God there are some who do obey. God has reached them. I do not know how he does it, but only God can do it. He can break through, and he does, at times. Sometimes he creates in them a tremendous distaste for things and makes them so aware of an emptiness and hunger within that they lose all interest in affairs of business and wealth and money and, feeling the hollow mockery of it, like this young man, they begin to search out the realities of life. Sometimes a man has to suffer catastrophe -- almost lose his family, or get sick, or have some other disaster occur, before he begins to see things in their right perspective and comes to Christ in that way. I could tell you story after story of how God has worked to open rich men's and women's eyes to bring them back to the truth, and to show them the only way that ever has been provided. And isn't it interesting that if a rich man does come to Christ, he must come in exactly the same way as the poorest bum on skid row! He has to acknowledge his complete and utter need, and come as a guilty sinner, wretched and miserable and vile, and receive the gift of life at the hands of Jesus from the cross. There is no other way to come -- no other way! Rich men have to come that way, too. There is no special way provided for them, except the way that God has made for all. (The Plight of the Overprivileged) So Jesus makes it clear that man is unable to save himself and only God is able. This begs the question "Are you trying to be good enough to get to heaven (like many answer when ask how they plan to go to heaven)?" Jesus says it is IMPOSSIBLE. But then He says with God it is HIM-POSSIBLE! Have you been saved by grace through faith Eph 2:8-9+? Have you put your faith in Christ?" If not, cast off any hopes that you could ever be good enough to earn your way to Heaven and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ today and you will be saved from the guttermost to the uttermost (Heb 7:25KJV+). Ray Pritchard - A rich man says, “If Jesus doesn’t come through for me, that’s okay. I’ve got my pension. I’ve got my stocks and bonds. I’ve got my options. I’ve got my golden parachute. I’ve got my safety net. If he doesn’t come through it doesn’t matter. I’m taking care of things myself.”....I come to two conclusions and then I am through. Number one: As long as you make money and the things money can buy are the measure of your life, you will be empty and unfulfilled. Number two: Whenever you stop trusting in money and the things that money can buy and turn your life over to Jesus Christ, then and only then will your heart be satisfied. (The Miserable Millionaire:) Looking (1689)(emblepo rom en = in or on + blépo = to look) means to look in the face, fix the eyes upon and so to stare at. It includes the idea of to contemplate or consider. Literally, as an attentive looking on someone or something fix one's gaze (earnestly) on, look at attentively. Matt. 6:26; Matt. 19:26; Mk. 10:21; Mk. 10:27; Mk. 14:67; Lk. 20:17; Lk. 22:61; Jn. 1:36; Jn. 1:42; Acts 22:11 Possible (1415)(dunatos from dunamai = referring to power one has by virtue of inherent ability and resources; see study of dunamis) means powerful, able, strong. Able describes that which has sufficient or necessary power, means, skill, or resources to accomplish an objective. We saw this same word earlier in Mark 9:23+ "And Jesus said to him, “ ‘If You can?’ All things are possible (dunatos) to him who believes.” DUNATOS - 32V - Matt. 19:26; Matt. 24:24; Matt. 26:39; Mk. 9:23; Mk. 10:27; Mk. 13:22; Mk. 14:35; Mk. 14:36; Lk. 1:49; Lk. 14:31; Lk. 18:27; Lk. 24:19; Acts 2:24; Acts 7:22; Acts 11:17; Acts 18:24; Acts 20:16; Acts 25:5; Rom. 4:21; Rom. 9:22; Rom. 11:23; Rom. 12:18; Rom. 15:1; 1 Co. 1:26; 2 Co. 10:4; 2 Co. 12:10; 2 Co. 13:9; Gal. 4:15; 2 Tim. 1:12; Tit. 1:9; Heb. 11:19; Jas. 3:2 Scripture repeatedly reminds us that God is the God of the impossible and that "nothing will be impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37+)... Yahweh Himself testified to Abraham "Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” (Ge 18:14). The LORD said to Moses, “Is the LORD’S power limited? Now you shall see whether My word will come true for you or not.” (Nu 11:23) Job learned and testified “I know that You can do all things, And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted." (Job 42:2) Jeremiah declared "Ah Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You, (Jer 32:17+) God affirmed Jeremiah's declaration “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?” (Jer 32:27+) QUESTION - What does “with men this is impossible” mean (Matthew 19:26? ANSWER - On His final journey to Jerusalem before His death, Jesus encountered a rich young man who asked what he must do to receive eternal life (Matthew 19:16–30). Jesus took the opportunity to teach His disciples about the dangers of acquiring wealth and possessions, which can often hinder one’s faith. Anything that gets in the way of our commitment to following God must be forsaken (see verse 21). When Jesus stressed how hard it was for the wealthy to enter the kingdom of heaven, the disciples were utterly astounded. They had adopted the prevailing belief that wealth was evidence of God’s favor. “Then who in the world can be saved?” the disciples asked (verse 25, NLT). Looking at them intently, Jesus said, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26, NKJV). Jesus presented the key to salvation. In and of themselves, humans do not have what it takes to enter the kingdom of heaven. A person may possess every earthly blessing but remains powerless to save himself. Salvation is God’s gift alone (Romans 5:15–16). Riches tend to make us self-reliant, self-centered, and distracted by worldly pursuits. We put too much confidence in ourselves and our wealth and lose our childlike trust and reliance on the goodness and mercy of God. Nonetheless, it is humanly impossible to earn our way or work our way into heaven: “But—When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life” (Titus 3:4–7, NLT). When Jesus said, “With men this is impossible,” He meant that it is only by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ that a person can be saved (Ephesians 2:4–9; see also Acts 15:11; 16:30–31; Romans 3:21–24; 5:1–2; 11:5–6). Jesus is the only way to the Father (John 14:6; John 10:9; Hebrews 10:19–20; 1 Timothy 2:5). “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Belief in Jesus changes what is humanly impossible into unlimited possibilities with God. Through faith in Jesus Christ, mere mortals receive “the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” (John 1:12–13). As God’s children, we receive the indescribably good gift of eternal life (John 3:15–16; Romans 10:9; 2 Corinthians 9:15). Job and others in Scripture asked similar questions as the disciples, “How then can a mortal be righteous before God? How can one born of woman be pure?” (Job 25:4; see also 1 Samuel 6:20; Job 4:17–19; 9:2; 15:14–16; Psalm 130:3; Psalm 143:2; Malachi 3:2; Revelation 6:17). Apart from the Lord’s intervention, becoming righteous before God is hopeless. With men, this is impossible! But with God, “we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory” (Romans 5:1–2, NLT). With men this is impossible means there’s no place in God’s kingdom for boasting about our own righteousness (Romans 3:27–30; 1 Corinthians 1:28–31). The apostle Paul expounded, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” (Galatians 2:20–21). Paul continued, “As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died” (Galatians 6:14, NLT). With men this is impossible affirms that any form of self-justification is useless. We can’t buy our way into heaven or work our way into God’s kingdom. The believer’s only hope of salvation—his only confidence in drawing near to God—is in God Himself, with whom all things are possible. Norman Geisler - see When Critics Ask - MATTHEW 19:26—Is anything impossible for God? PROBLEM: According to this verse, “with God all things are possible.” However, Hebrews 6:18 declares that “It is impossible for God to lie.” SOLUTION: The context in Matthew indicates that Jesus is speaking of what is humanly impossible, whereas, Hebrews informs us that some things (e.g., lying) are actually impossible for God. Note that in the former passage, Jesus said, “with men this is impossible,” indicating that He was only speaking of what was humanly impossible, but not divinely impossible. However, there are some things that even God cannot do. For example, He cannot do anything that would contradict His nature, such as, cease being God, or be unholy, or do what is logically impossible (like making a square circle, or forcing people to freely love Him). God cannot make a stone so big that He cannot lift it, since the created cannot be greater than the Creator. However, God can do anything that is possible to do. He is all-powerful (omnipotent), the “Almighty” (cf. Job 5:17; 6:14; 42:2). Matthew 19:27 Then Peter said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?” we have left everything and followed You: Mt 4:20-22 9:9 De 33:9 Mk 1:17-20 2:14 Mk 10:28 Lu 5:11,27,28 14:33 Lu 18:28 Php 3:8 what then will there be for us: Mt 20:10-12 Lu 15:29 1Co 1:29 1Co 4:7 Related Passages: Mark 10:28+ Peter began to say to Him, “Behold (idou), we have left everything and followed You.” Luke 18:28+ Peter said, “Behold (idou), we have left our own homes and followed You.” Matthew 4:20-22+ Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. 21 Going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him. WHAT'S IN IT FOR US? Then - Marks progress in a narrative. In this case Peter's question is a natural reaction to Jesus' words to the rich young ruler - "Give up all you possess" (Mt 19:21). The disciples had done this (gave up their fishing boats, nets, etc) and followed Him. So with a touch of greed sneaking into Peter's heart (speaking for all 12), he asks in essence, "We've given it all up, now what's in it for us?" Peter (petros) said to Him "Open mouth, insert foot!" Now that may be a bit harsh, because Jesus' response in Mt 19:28 certainly has no hint of rebuke, but quite the opposite. Behold (idou), we (Peter speaking for all 12) have left (aphiemi) everything and followed (akoloutheo - perfect tense) You - Peter gives us an accurate descriptive definition of a genuine disciple of (believer in) Jesus = "left everything....followed You." Peter was correct when he said they had done what the rich young ruler refused to do. On the other hand he is a bit brazen (in my opinion) using the interjection Behold (idou) as if the Lord might have difficulty listening to his declaration! Peter may have been prompted by the rich young ruler who was unwilling to leave everything and follow Jesus. The idea of left is that they in a sense "sent everything away," that they yielded it up, that they had abandoned all to follow Jesus. He was not incorrect for we see their abandonment of all in Mark 1:18, 20+. John MacArthur paraphrases Peter writing "We came on Your terms, didn't we?" he said in effect. "Do we thereby qualify for eternal life? The rich young ruler refused to surrender his possessions and his life to You, and he forfeited the kingdom. But we forsook our jobs, our families, our friends, and everything else we had in order to be Your disciples. We have repented of our sins and surrendered to Your lordship. Just as You commanded, we have denied ourselves and taken up our crosses for your sake. Doesn't that qualify us for a place in Your kingdom?"...what then will there be for us? "What are the benefits of Your kingdom for us?" they wanted to know "What do we have to look forward to as Your disciples?" (See Matthew Commentary) Kenneth