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Matthew 16-30
16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? 17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. 18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, 19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? 21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? 26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. 27 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? 28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. 30 But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.
King James Commentary
Verses 16 - 17
Much assimilation from the parallel accounts in Mark 10:17-31 and Luke 18:18-30 has been done in some texts; see ASV for a better rendition of Matthew's original. The little children, for whom Jesus cared so much, were evidently of sufficient age to repond to Him (not infants) and He bade them come unto me revealing that, while all childhood professions may not be genuine, a child may follow Christ. By contrast to their simple obedience came the complex young rich man with all of his “hangups,” calling Jesus Good Master, which the Saviour challenged, not as a denial of His deity, but to impress upon this seeker the seriousness of the implication.
“Are you sure you really mean that?” would be a modern paraphrase. The young man's question, What good thing shall I do? implies that he wanted to perform some work that might gain him eternal life (salvation). Jesus' challenge was intended to elevate his concept of “good.” The glib comment “good master” is followed by a request for something “good” that he may do to gain heaven. Jesus' concept of good was that which is divine. Therefore, only an act of God could grant eternal life. The Master's reply, If thou wilt enter into life, implies that the young man was still on the outside of such life.
The idea is this, if you want to gain eternal life, you must first of all enter it! The imperative keep the commandments (vs. 17) was intended to hit his point of pride, i.e. self-righteousness. Jesus did not believe that mere outward keeping of the commandments of the law brought anyone salvation. He had already told Nicodemus earlier that he must be born again (cf. Rom 3:20; Gal 2:16). Why, then, did He tell this young man to keep the commandments? The rest of the story reveals the answer. Jesus will go to great lengths now to show him that he has not kept the commandments and, therefore, is in need of God's grace.
Verses 18 - 22
This list of commands in verse 18 centers on outward duties, rather than inward nature, which was the young man's real problem. He protested that he had kept these outward demands. Jesus then revealed his real weakness. The law had been summarized earlier by our Lord: “Love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart” and “love thy neighbor as thyself.” Herein was the young man's real failure. His self-centered wealth and luxurious self-righteousness had blinded him to his real weakness.
To expose this Jesus ordered, go and sell all your possessions and give to the poor … and come … follow me (vs. 21). This he would not do and went away sorrowful (grieved). What had Jesus done? Simply, He had shown him that he had not kept the commandments at all. He loved himself more than his neighbor (the poor) and he loved his possessions more than God (follow me). This passage teaches the seriousness of true discipleship, but it in no way teaches the average man that he must sell his possessions in order to be a Christian, or even a good one.
Verses 23 - 26
The further comment, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven shocked the disciples (note verse 25, “Who then can be saved?”) who accepted the common notion of the day that the rich were blessed of God and therefore certainly saved. To correct that misunderstanding, Jesus explained the human difficulty for the rich to be converted.
Hardly (Gr dyskoloµs) implies with extreme difficulty, though not hopeless. The illustration of a camel going through the eye of a needle has been interpreted as a camel hair rope going through a needle; or an actual camel squeezing through a small gate, “the eye of a needle,” next to the main. gate at Jerusalem; or the absolute impossibility of a literal camel (Palestine's largest animal) literally going through a tiny needle's eye. The latter usage is most likely, following a similar Talmudic proverb about an elephant.
Note, that they were not in Jerusalem at this time and that the first two suggestions, while very difficult, were within the realm of possibility, whereas) the salvation of the rich is called humanly impossible (vs. 26). In fact, all human nature is incapable of saving itself and must rely on God's efficacious grace for that which is humanly impossible to become all things … possible with God. The salvation of a rich sinner is just as miraculous as the salvation of a poor sinner. Both are only possible with God!
Verses 27 - 30
Peter's response, we have forsaken all … what shall we have? was most ill-timed and certainly reflected a selfish motivation which would have to go. Nevertheless, Jesus answered the question. In the regeneration (Gr palinggenesia) refers to the renewed world of the future, the kingdom of righteousness which is yet to come: “the new heavens and the new earth.” While the term is used for individual rebirth in Titus 3:5, here it looks to the future millennial kingdom where the apostles will judge Israel (literally).
Forsaking earthly benefits will bring a hundredfold blessing and everlasting life. Yet, while rewards will be abundant, attitudes are still crucial and many who would be first shall be last and the last shall be first. On the believer's rewards see W. Kroll, It Will Be Worth It All.
16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? 17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. 18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, 19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? 21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? 26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. 27 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? 28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. 30 But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.
King James Commentary
Verses 16 - 17
Much assimilation from the parallel accounts in Mark 10:17-31 and Luke 18:18-30 has been done in some texts; see ASV for a better rendition of Matthew's original. The little children, for whom Jesus cared so much, were evidently of sufficient age to repond to Him (not infants) and He bade them come unto me revealing that, while all childhood professions may not be genuine, a child may follow Christ. By contrast to their simple obedience came the complex young rich man with all of his “hangups,” calling Jesus Good Master, which the Saviour challenged, not as a denial of His deity, but to impress upon this seeker the seriousness of the implication.
“Are you sure you really mean that?” would be a modern paraphrase. The young man's question, What good thing shall I do? implies that he wanted to perform some work that might gain him eternal life (salvation). Jesus' challenge was intended to elevate his concept of “good.” The glib comment “good master” is followed by a request for something “good” that he may do to gain heaven. Jesus' concept of good was that which is divine. Therefore, only an act of God could grant eternal life. The Master's reply, If thou wilt enter into life, implies that the young man was still on the outside of such life.
The idea is this, if you want to gain eternal life, you must first of all enter it! The imperative keep the commandments (vs. 17) was intended to hit his point of pride, i.e. self-righteousness. Jesus did not believe that mere outward keeping of the commandments of the law brought anyone salvation. He had already told Nicodemus earlier that he must be born again (cf. Rom 3:20; Gal 2:16). Why, then, did He tell this young man to keep the commandments? The rest of the story reveals the answer. Jesus will go to great lengths now to show him that he has not kept the commandments and, therefore, is in need of God's grace.
Verses 18 - 22
This list of commands in verse 18 centers on outward duties, rather than inward nature, which was the young man's real problem. He protested that he had kept these outward demands. Jesus then revealed his real weakness. The law had been summarized earlier by our Lord: “Love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart” and “love thy neighbor as thyself.” Herein was the young man's real failure. His self-centered wealth and luxurious self-righteousness had blinded him to his real weakness.
To expose this Jesus ordered, go and sell all your possessions and give to the poor … and come … follow me (vs. 21). This he would not do and went away sorrowful (grieved). What had Jesus done? Simply, He had shown him that he had not kept the commandments at all. He loved himself more than his neighbor (the poor) and he loved his possessions more than God (follow me). This passage teaches the seriousness of true discipleship, but it in no way teaches the average man that he must sell his possessions in order to be a Christian, or even a good one.
Verses 23 - 26
The further comment, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven shocked the disciples (note verse 25, “Who then can be saved?”) who accepted the common notion of the day that the rich were blessed of God and therefore certainly saved. To correct that misunderstanding, Jesus explained the human difficulty for the rich to be converted.
Hardly (Gr dyskoloµs) implies with extreme difficulty, though not hopeless. The illustration of a camel going through the eye of a needle has been interpreted as a camel hair rope going through a needle; or an actual camel squeezing through a small gate, “the eye of a needle,” next to the main. gate at Jerusalem; or the absolute impossibility of a literal camel (Palestine's largest animal) literally going through a tiny needle's eye. The latter usage is most likely, following a similar Talmudic proverb about an elephant.
Note, that they were not in Jerusalem at this time and that the first two suggestions, while very difficult, were within the realm of possibility, whereas) the salvation of the rich is called humanly impossible (vs. 26). In fact, all human nature is incapable of saving itself and must rely on God's efficacious grace for that which is humanly impossible to become all things … possible with God. The salvation of a rich sinner is just as miraculous as the salvation of a poor sinner. Both are only possible with God!
Verses 27 - 30
Peter's response, we have forsaken all … what shall we have? was most ill-timed and certainly reflected a selfish motivation which would have to go. Nevertheless, Jesus answered the question. In the regeneration (Gr palinggenesia) refers to the renewed world of the future, the kingdom of righteousness which is yet to come: “the new heavens and the new earth.” While the term is used for individual rebirth in Titus 3:5, here it looks to the future millennial kingdom where the apostles will judge Israel (literally).
Forsaking earthly benefits will bring a hundredfold blessing and everlasting life. Yet, while rewards will be abundant, attitudes are still crucial and many who would be first shall be last and the last shall be first. On the believer's rewards see W. Kroll, It Will Be Worth It All.
