Mat 19:16 And behold, one came and said to Him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?
Mat 19:17 And He said to him, Why do you call Me good? There is none good but one, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.
Mat 19:18 He said to Him, Which? Jesus said, You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness,
Mat 19:19 honor your father and mother, and, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Mat 19:20 The young man said to Him, I have kept all these things from my youth up; what do I lack yet?
Mat 19:21 Jesus said to him, If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in Heaven. And come, follow Me.
Mat 19:22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions.
Mat 19:23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, Truly I say to you that a rich man will with great difficulty enter into the kingdom of Heaven.
Mat 19:24 And again I say to 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.
Mat 19:25 When His disciples heard, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?
Mat 19:26 But Jesus looked on them and said to them, With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.
Mat 19:27 Then answering Peter said to Him, Behold, we have forsaken all and have followed You. Therefore what shall we have?
Mat 19:28 And Jesus said to them, Truly I say to you that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration, when the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of His glory, you also shall sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Mat 19:29 And everyone who left houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
Mat 19:30 But many who are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.
Introduction.
Matthew continues with Jesus teaching while He travels towards Jerusalem. Here is the story of the RICH YOUNG MAN. He failed to follow Jesus because of His Riches. Worldly Affluence is not important in the Kingdom of heaven.
Mat 19:16 And behold, one came and said to Him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?
Notes.
He said to Jesus, Good Master, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?
Matthew is brief on details of this young man but Mark tells us that he came running and fell at Jesus feet showing that he was eager to know and that he was devout. Luke tells us that he was a ruler. Compare Mar_10:17-27, and Luk_18:18-30. Luke : he was a ruler, probably of a synagogue, although these were usually elderly.PNT
Good Master, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?
Good Master - The word “good” here means, doubtless, most excellent; referring not so much to the moral character of Jesus as to his character as a religious teacher. It was probably a title which the Jews were in the habit of applying to their religious teachers. The word “Master” here means teacher.
What good thing shall I do? - He had attempted to keep all the commandments. He had been taught by his Jewish teachers that people were to be saved by doing something - that is, by their works; and he supposed that this was to be the way under every system of religion. He had lived externally a blameless life, but yet he was not at peace: he was anxious, and he came to ascertain what, in the view of Jesus, was to be done, that his righteousness might be complete. To “have eternal life” means to be saved. The happiness of heaven is called “life,” in opposition to the pains of hell, called “death,” or an eternal dying, Rev_2:2; Rev_20:14. The one is real life…. Barnes
Most people think that you can have eternal Life with God by doing enough good works to gain enough merit.
Look at These verses
Eph 2:8 For by grace [Gods unmerited favour and kindness], you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God,
Eph 2:9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Rom 3:19 But we know that whatever things the Law says, it says to those who are under the Law; so that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may be under judgment before God,
Rom 3:20 because by the works of the Law none of all flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law is the knowledge of sin.
Isa_64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Mat 19:17 And He said to him, Why do you call Me good? There is none good but one, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.
Notes
Why do you call Me good?….
This young man is on the wrong track. Jesus had answered his question with a question, “ Why do you call Me good? There is none good but one, that is, God. Jesus took us the term good and asks why he uses the word good. This does not mean that Jesus is teaching that a person is saved by meritorious actions. L.M. p. 489
Mat 19:18 He said to Him, Which? Jesus said, You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness,
Mat 19:19 honor your father and mother, and, you shall love your neighbour as yourself.
Notes
Which? What quality and sort of commandments will gain me Eternal Life. “You shall love your neighbour as yourself. This is added to those in the Ten Commandments. They all have to do with the way we treat other people. L.M. p.490
What was the young man expecting? Some highly “spiritual process” for gaining eternal life?
Mat 19:20 The young man said to Him, I have kept all these things from my youth up; what do I lack yet?
Notes
He says, “I have kept or guarded these things from my youth up.
…...what do I lack yet? [What more do I need to do? JB.”
Despite doing all this he was still conscious that something was missing. Religious works do not satisfy. A Muslim man in West Africa said to me “ Excuse me I need to go and do my gymnastics.” Meaning that he had to go and do his religious ritual of bow and getting up again. So much of religious rituals are mumbo-jumbo or mindless repetitions
Mat 19:21 Jesus said to him, If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in Heaven. And come, follow Me.
Notes
If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor,
If you wish to be complete, NASB, i.e. wholehearted in your service to God then …….
The young new his need and felt dissatisfied and Jesus points him to wholeness or completeness. This young man was not just satisfied with conventional religiosity of common people. He wanted something more that would fill his lack.
go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in Heaven.
In the early church of the Book of Acts we find this.
Act 2:44 And all who believed were together and had all things common.
Act 2:45 And they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, according as anyone had need.
Act 4:32 And the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul. And not one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own. But they had all things common.
For a wealthy person to sell everything and give it to the poor was to do something that would meet a very real need. L. M. P. 491
Sell all and follow me.
By selling all he would be choosing poverty over riches and this would release him to follow the Saviour. CT. Studd the great Missionary Pioneer gave away his fortune inherited from his family and went to the Jungles of Africa to serve God.
This Rich young man was disappointed. He had look for something new and enriching some great act to do. But Jesus made him face up to his real need was to be released from the slavery to his riches.
Mat 19:22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions.
Notes
When Jesus faced him with his real need he could not rise to the challenge. He went away grieving and sorrowful. His wealth stood between him and his service for God. May the Good Lord deliver us from the tyranny of WEALTH.
Mat 19:23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, Truly I say to you that a rich man will with great difficulty enter into the kingdom of Heaven.
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