Bible Study series: Matthew 19:16-30. What was he willing to give up, if anything?
A warm welcome to this Bible study! I write to learn, so let’s learn together. I also translate to learn. The translations are mine, unless otherwise noted. If you would like to see many others, please click on this link:
In the next link to the original chapter, I comment more and offer the Greek text. At the bottom you will find a “Summary and Conclusion” section geared toward discipleship. Check it out!
In this post, links are provided for further study.
Let’s begin.
Scripture: Matthew 19:16-30
16 Then look! One man, approaching him, said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do so that I may have eternal life? 17 He said to him, “Why do you inquire of me concerning the good? There is one who is good. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder; you shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; 19 honor your father and mother’ [Exod. 20:12-16; Deut. 5:16-20] and ‘you shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” [Lev. 19:18] 20 The young man said to him, “I have kept all of them. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven, and come, follow me.” 22 Hearing this word, the young man was grieved and left, for he had many possessions.
23 Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth: A rich person with difficulty will enter into the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you: it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a sewing needle than for a rich person to enter into the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were very surprised, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But he looked at them and said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
27 Then, in reply Peter said to him, “See, we have left everything and have followed you. What then will there be for us?” 28 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth: you who have followed me, in the age of renewal, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, will also sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother and children or fields for my name’s sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.
30 Many who are first will be last and the last first. (Matt. 19:16-30)
Comments:
Have you ever met a missionary or seen his story online or in church, who has given up everything to follow Jesus and spread the good news (v. 29)? This pericope is about him. If you choose to stay at home and maintain your wealth, in order to be salt and light in affluent society, to be missionaries of a different kind, then please be generous in your support of the work of the gospel abroad—in the work of someone who has given up all his human comforts for Jesus.
16:
In the parallel account in Luke 18:18-30, the man is identified as a rich ruler. Mark 10:17-31, the other parallel passage, says a man, without identifying him as young. All three accounts say he was rich. However, Mark and Luke say, “Good teacher.” And Jesus tells the man that only God is good. Theologically, this cannot be the logic: Only God is good. Jesus is not God. Therefore, Jesus is not good. In Matt. 19:16-22, Matthew clarifies what is meant: “Teacher, what good thing shall I do to inherit eternal life.” The man is asking what is good, and how do I use it to enter the kingdom of heaven. So in Matthew’s version the good thing that the man is asking for is human activity, and this can only be applied, in an absolute sense to God. Jesus is challenging the man for careless theological language; he is reminding him that the best efforts of human activity are inadequate. See v. 17 for more comments.
“eternal life”: it is also made up of two words in Greek, which can be translated as “life of the new age” or “life of the age to come” or “life in the next life” or “eschatological life” (eschatology is a fancy word for last or final things). But God offers people who love and know him eternal life in the here and now, so it means both life now and life in the age to come. The kingdom breaking into the world system through the life and ministry of Jesus brings life right now.
What Do Words ‘Eternity,’ ‘Eternal’ Fully Mean in the Bible?
“life”: I believe the man really means in his context “life in the age to come” (v. 28), which in God will last forever—only in God, not by virtue of our having a soul.
17:
We need to be careful about over-reading this verse Christologically (doctrine of Christ). By claiming God is good (“there is one who is good” refers to God), Jesus does not confess that he is sinful. From a Jewish perspective, Jesus is simply saying God is good. Further, he could indirectly refer to himself, who is good. In other words, God in the flesh stands before you.
Or Jesus is simply pointing out that the rich man must depend on God alone. All the commandments that are about to be listed won’t cut it. It is about a personal knowledge of the God who is good.
Here is Blomberg’s explanation:
Jesus apparently is probing the young man to see why he is not satisfied with the obvious Jewish answer to his question, namely, that a person must do the good things that the only good God, Yahweh, has already commanded. Jesus is not admitting his own sinfulness or hinting at his deity. The rich man would have appreciated neither of these points. Rather, he is diverting attention from the young man’s inadequate criteria for entering into life and focusing on the standard of divine goodness. (comment on 19:17)
So Jesus is redirecting the man’s attention to the deeper question. (See my comments on Mark 10:18.)
18-20:
In v. 20, Matthew calls him a “young” man, and Blomberg says it encompasses the age of twenty to forty (comment on 19:16)
Jesus quotes the second table of the Ten Commandments, which deal with a person’s relations with another person. The five Jesus quotes are more objective and can be used as a checklist (so to speak) for the man’s behavior. In fact, the man uses them in v. 20. Those commandments accurately summarize the conventional Jewish definition of good behavior. And sure enough, it is not so hard to keep them, if you think about it. How many of us have stolen articles (let’s not mention time at work!)? It’s possible not to steal objects, particularly if you’re rich. Very few have murdered. Very few have borne false witness in a law court. Some people—though not everyone—get along really well with their parents, so it is easy to honor them. Paul said that in his old religion of Judaism he was blameless under the law (Phil. 3:4-6). The rich ruler said the same. It is likely a truthful self-assessment.
Later on, Jesus, after he ascended, will direct his church to draw a sharp distinction between righteousness that comes by law keeping—practical principles—and righteousness that come by faith in him—a living person. How did Paul in his old life know he was keeping faith in God? By his law keeping. How does he know this after his conversion to Jesus? By his faith in the Messiah, Jesus himself. The difference is huge. One is guided by the law, while the other is guided by a living person.
One Decisive Difference Between Sinai Covenant and New Covenant
However, let’s not overlook the fact that Paul wrote that a man who behaves impurely cannot inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9-10). So the bottom line is that there is no contradiction between Jesus and Paul. Luke knew this because he had followed Paul around and heard him preach. And Jesus constantly talks about entering the kingdom and then living righteously inside it. Paul talks about getting saved (entering the kingdom) by confessing Jesus as Lord for salvation and then living righteously inside it. Paul would definitely agree that the man should follow Jesus, because to follow Jesus is to proclaim him to be Lord by demonstrating allegiance to him. That’s what Paul did. Never overlook the fact that right behavior is important to God and demonstrates surrender to him and his kingdom.
Blomberg has a balanced comment on applying Jesus’s command to the rich man to the entire church, drawing on teachings in Luke’s Gospel:
As in the dialogue with the Pharisees on divorce, Jesus tailors his remarks to a specific situation. We may generalize from v. 21 even less than from v. 9, inasmuch as Jesus is addressing just one man in his unique circumstances. In Luke two stories follow closely on the heels of this episode (Luke 18:18–30) that prove Jesus makes different demands of different individuals. Zaccheus gives away only half his income and uses some of the rest to pay back those he had defrauded (Luke 19:1–10). The parable of the talents encourages God’s people not to give money away but to invest it wisely for their Master’s use (Luke 19:11–27). But in each of these passages, Jesus commands Christians to use all their possessions, not just some fixed percentage of them, for kingdom priorities. (comments on 19:20-22)
So in the two parables in Luke, kingdom citizens are to use their money to invest in God’s kingdom priorities. In other words, Jesus is Lord over all things in our lived.
21-22:
“perfect”: it means “complete” and “whole” in Greek. It does not necessarily mean moral perfection on the same level that God is good. It corresponds to the question: “What do I still lack?” Jesus is about to tell him how he can get rid of the lack and to be complete or whole. Picture of cup that is 90% full. Does the man want to be whole, filled to overflowing?
Further, lack ≠ perfect. The man lacked one thing which prevented him from following Jesus: attachment to wealth and the status that came with it. Don’t overload the term “perfect” with moral perfection and sinlessness in the area of systematic theology called “sanctification,” produced by being born again and living in the Spirit. That’s not the issue here. What’s at issue is the initial call to discipleship.
Carson points out that in the OT “perfect” frequently means undivided loyalty and full-hearted obedience. Is the rich man ready for that (comment on this verse)?
He was not ready for it. He did not want undivided loyalty and full-hearted obedience. It was required of him to sell everything he had and give it to the poor.
He was possessed by possessions. They crowded out God in his heart. The whole context of this command to him is the life in this age contrasted with life in the age to come. To enter the life in the age to come, he had to sell his possession and distribute them to the poor. This was a radical call to discipleship. After the resurrection and ascension, Paul acknowledges that rich Christians lived in the churches (1 Tim. 6:17-19). He told Timothy to remind the Christian rich that they should not be haughty nor set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches—it is here today and gone tomorrow. But they must do good, to be rich in good works and be generous and ready to share. In doing that, they will store up a treasure for the future. In that very same chapter he also said the love of money is the root of all evil (v. 10). We should be content with food and clothing.
Further, during Jesus ministry on earth, the women mentioned in Luke 8:3 supported Jesus and his ministry by their resources. He never told them to sell everything they had and give to the poor. They had to remain wealthy or have a steady flow of money, if they were to support him. So Jesus saw that possessions did not possess the women, while possessions did possess the ruler.
Something was missing in his heart that he had filled up with money. It needed to go. If he had followed the command personalized for him and his deep need, he would have treasure in heaven. He was unwilling. He left sad.
Wealth and political power often went hand in glove, in the ancient world. To give up wealth meant to give up power and influence. He would have become a laughingstock to his fellow rulers, if they had come across him traveling with the itinerant preacher named Jesus of Nazareth. Too undignified. The ruler adhered to this social status and walked away sad. He was hoping for an easier way. “Yes, you kept those commandments, so now go in peace, and keep on allowing possessions to maintain their grip on you, to possess you. You’ll inherit life in the age to come and right now!” That makes no sense, from the kingdom’s perspective.
23-24:
Entering the kingdom is the same as salvation in Paul’s writing. Jesus has used the phrase entering the kingdom several times (Matt. 5:20; 7:21; 18:3; cf. 18:8-9). Both Paul and Jesus preached repentance, surrender, and the Lordship of Jesus—yes, Jesus told people to follow himself as Lord. Jesus and Paul used different words, but the reality is the same. The resurrected and ascended Jesus was guiding his church to shift the focus, as the apostles, particularly Paul, went out to the Greco-Roman provinces, beyond Israel, not that Paul neglected this important doctrine of the kingdom (Acts 14:22; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23-31; Rom. 14:17; 1 Cor. 4:20; 6:9-10; 15:24, 50; Gal. 5:21; Eph. 5:5; Col. 1:12-13; 4:11; 1 Thess. 2:12; 2 Thess. 1:5; 2 Tim. 4:1; 4:18). In all of those passages, he proclaimed it.
Notice that Jesus did not say it was impossible, but extremely difficult, to enter the kingdom. The eye of the needle is a sewing needle, not a gate into Jerusalem, a legend that emerged in the Middle Ages. This gate did not exist at the time when Jesus spoke those words. The idea that a rope cannot go through the eye of the needle is not right, either. Osborne is on target: “Such attempts [to find these alternative explanations] water down the imagery are unnecessary; this is rabbinic hyperbole (e.g. ‘straining at a gnat and swallowing the camel’ in 23:24), a stylistic device Jesus uses often. It depicts the largest animal in Palestine (a camel) going through the smallest hole (the eye of a needle) to illustrate how ‘difficult’ it is for the wealthy to know God” (comment on 19:24). It is the eye of a sewing needle.
The main point is that Jesus says God must intervene for a rich man to be saved because for humans it is impossible to persuade people to give things up without the help of the Spirit wooing the reluctant would-be disciple.
“I tell you the truth”:
“I tell you”: this clause also denotes and authoritative and solemn pronouncement that may surprise his listeners and make them uncomfortable.
This is a general statement, which, as we already saw in v. 22, allows for exceptions. We should not interpret the statement as an iron law without even one exception. The statement warns us that we have to be vigilant about wealth causing us to lose our own soul (Matt. 16:26).
25-27:
“very surprised”: This may be a gentle translation. Maybe it should be “utterly astonished” (Olmstead).
“See”: it is usually translated in the older versions as “behold.” Normally I translate it as “look!” But I thought it would be too strong for Peter to tell Jesus. So I opted for “See.” You can even go for the mental translation “Consider.”
“What then will there be for us?”: it could be translated as “What, then, shall we have?” (Olmstead). It would be pressing things too far to say that Peter means, “What’s in it for us?” Or maybe it would not be pressing things too far. You can decide.
In any case, Peter and his brother Andrew were fishermen and had a business in Capernaum (Luke 5:1-11). James and John, two brothers, were their partners. They left behind their humble business, by which they earned their way in society. Matthew was a tax collector. Peter had a wife to support, and so did the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers, and they brought their wives with them on the missionary endeavors (1 Cor. 9:5). So the missionaries did not abandon their wives, but they did abandon their old way of living. They had truly crossed the boundary line between the old kingdom and the new kingdom, the old life and the new life. Their wives went with them, and I assume that if they had children, they went with their parents.
The man exercised his freedom to reject the call of Jesus himself. It is possible to reject salvation throughout one’s entire life. The gospel of grace is indeed resistible. Does this make the man a Pelagian and Arminian? Let’s not impose those anachronistic labels on this biblical text.
28-29:
Yes, the twelve apostles (minus Judas who was replaced with Matthias in Acts 1:12-26) will sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. The tribes had been scattered long ago, but God knows those who belong to this nation and can sort them out by tribe.
One interesting, small detail. Jesus will sit on his glorious throne (or throne of glory), while the twelve will sit on thrones (nothing said about glorious thrones). This difference made me smile.
“renewal”: when the Messiah comes and ushers in his Messianic Age, he will renew or restore all things. Olmstead expands the translation thus: “at the renewal of the world.” It will be great! See Acts 3:21, which speaks of restoring all things.
Fuller exegesis has been moved to this post:
What Jesus Really Taught about End Times
“Son of Man”: it both means the powerful, divine Son of man (Dan. 7:13-14) and the human son of man—Ezekiel himself—in the book of Ezekiel (numerous references). Jesus was and still is in heaven both divine and human. It can rightly be translated as “Son of Humanity.”
4. Titles of Jesus: The Son of Man
Jesus promised them a whole new family of people in the Christian community (cf. Luke 18:30 and Mark 10:30). Of course a certain teaching, called the Word of Faith, latches on to this verse (and Luke 18:30 Mark 10:30), which includes receiving “fields” or “lands” in return. “See! This proves that God will give me lots of property if I follow him!” However, none of the apostles and the Lord’s brothers received a hundredfold more physical land than they had before they followed Jesus wholeheartedly. Church history teaches us that they became landless missionaries. Jesus is speaking about the land in the new kingdom—the territories that the missionaries would take from the devil and bring into the kingdom of God. How do we know he was spiritualizing things? He said we would receive many fathers and mothers (Mark 10:30). We normally have one biological mother and one biological father. So receiving many of them speaks of the fathers (plural) and mothers (plural) in the kingdom. If we had to leave behind our biological parents, then God promises us many new parents in the kingdom community. We have a new family, a much bigger family.
One last point here: we will have many responsibilities as we serve the enthroned Son of Man. We will not sit on clouds playing harps.
Mark 10:30 says “with persecutions.” Church history says all the twelve disciples suffered persecution.
Here is just one fulfillment of the persecutions against the twelve apostles.
40 Summoning the apostles, they flogged them, ordered them not to speak about the name of Jesus, and dismissed them. 41 And so they left the presence of the High Council, rejoicing that they were considered worthy to be dishonored because of the name. 42 And every day they did not stop teaching and spreading the good news in the temple and households that the Messiah is Jesus. (Acts 5:40-42, my tentative translation)
Note how they had a new community family (v. 42). They were also taking new land for the kingdom. Soon they will leave and preach in many places and take more territory.
Paul, not one of the twelve, suffered it too, particularly. He even lists his hardships, in this passage:
I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn? (1 Cor. 11:23-29, NIV)
As he traveled around and planted churches, Paul got a new family, filled with all sorts of brothers and sisters and mothers and new territories for the gospel.
Church historian Eusebius (AD 260/265 – 339/340) says that Peter was crucified upside down, in Rome (Ecclesiastical History III.1). He also reports that Paul was beheaded in Rome under Nero (II.25).
“fields”: means new territory for the kingdom. However, If God calls you into selling real estate, for example, then go for it because that is God’s call on your life. But don’t claim this verse to buy fields. Instead, claim other verses that says God will prosper you in his way. These next verses are excellent for balanced and God-sent prosperity. Deut. 8:17-18. Look them up.
Beware of rich preachers who claim these verses, particularly about landed property or book sales pumped up by their TV platforms and large church purchases of those books, for themselves. Their method to get wealth is unbiblical. They pressure Joe Factoryworker and Jane Shopkeeper for donations, and then the preachers get rich from them and buy luxury items which Joe and Jane could never afford.
9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1 Tim. 6:9-10, NIV)
In contrast, a Christian getting wealthy by proper and honest business practices and by God’s call is legitimate or biblical (1 Tim. 6:17-19).
30:
This is proverbial statement that Jesus repeats elsewhere (e.g. Matt. 20:16, Mark 10:31 and Luke 13:30). It fits the earlier pericope, pronounced puh-RIH-koh-pea, (18:1-6) that the ones who want to be prominent in the kingdom must be like children. It also introduces the next parable about the workers who get hired last receive the same pay as the ones who were hired in the morning (20:1-16, particularly v. 16).
To sum up and repeat, I like to apply the proverb to rich Christian TV platform speakers. They are getting their treasure down here on earth (see v. 21). They live like kings on the offerings of Joe Factoryworker and Jane Shopkeeper. Joe and Jane could never afford the luxurious lifestyles of the TV preachers. In the Messianic Age at least, the flashy preachers will be pushed toward the back of the massive crowds, while others, like martyrs and believers who gave up everything (the twelve or eleven), will move toward the front.
Please make the connection between the twelve (or eleven) giving up everything and their sitting on the twelve thrones in a place of prominence in the Messianic Age. If one of the twelve had walked away and pursued worldly business interests, he would have lost his reward and throne. Think of Judas.
GrowApp for Matt. 19:16-30
1. Have you given up any material possessions at all, to follow Jesus? Tell your story.
2. Do you know someone who has, like a missionary? How have you supported him or her?
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1. Church Fathers and Matthew’s Gospel
2. Archaeology and the Synoptic Gospels
14. Similarities among John’s Gospel and the Synoptic Gospels
1. The Historical Reliability of the Gospels: Introduction to Series
SOURCES AND MORE
To see the bibliography, please click on this link and scroll down to the bottom. You will also find a “Summary and Conclusion” for discipleship.
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