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Matthew Chapter
Nineteen
I.
Content of the Chapter
Various Kinds of Problems of Life and the
Correct Answers
I. The sickness and pain of body and
spirit------follow the Lord and they will be healed (v.1-2).
II. The problem of divorce------men should not
destroy the oneness that is set by God (v.3-9).
III. The problem of virgin------only those to whom
it has been given can accept (v.10-12).
IV. The problem whether little children are worthy
to be blessed------for of such is the kingdom of heaven (v.13-15).
V. The problem of having eternal life through doing
good works------with men this is impossible, but with God all things are
possible (v.16-26).
VI. The problem of gaining the reward in
future------it depends on that how we leave today (v.27-30).
II.
Verse by Verse commentary
Matt. 19:1 “Now it came to pass, when
Jesus had finished these sayings, that He departed from Galilee and came to the
region of Judea beyond the
YLT: “And it came to
pass, when Jesus finished these words, he removed from Galilee, and did come to
the borders of Judea, beyond the
Literal Meaning: “came to the region
of Judea” He was going away to
“Beyond the
Matt. 19:2 “And great multitudes
followed Him, and He healed them there.”
YLT: “and great
multitudes followed him, and he healed them there.”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “The
2) It was full of the sickness of pride, offending
others, sinning against others and not forgiving others in Matt. 18. However,
as long as they followed the Lord until they were beneath the cross, they were
all healed.
3) Many people were sick either in body or spirit.
The key for men to be healed is to walk on the way of cross, following the
Lord.
Matt. 19:3 “The Pharisees also came
to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, ‘Is
it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?’”
YLT: “And the Pharisees
came near to him, tempting him, and saying to him, `Is it lawful for a man to
put away his wife for every cause?’”
Meaning of Words: “divorce”: free
fully, release, depart.
The
Background: the Jewish rabbis
allowed men to divorce according to Deut. 24:1. However they disagreed with
each other concerning the lawful reasons for divorce. There were mainly two
groups (Shammi and Hillel). They argued with each other, holding their own
opinions. The Shammi held that “the unseemly thing” in that verse indicated the
unfaithfulness in marriage and it was the only reason for divorce. However the
Hillel, stressing on the former sentence “she finds no favor in his eyes” in
that verse, held that as long as the wife did something that made her husband
dislike her, her husband was allowed to divorce her.
Literal Meaning: the Pharisees only
stressed on the words of the Law and neglected the spirit of the Law (See Matt.
23:23), and therefore their teachings were incompatible with the Lord’s
teachings. Here they wanted to tempt the Lord by the Law of Moses and take hold
of Him.
Enlightenment in the Word: the Pharisees represent religious believers who
stress on letters and regulations. If we only stress on the letters of the
Bible and neglect the spiritual reality, we will become the present Pharisees.
Matt. 19:4 “And He answered and said
to them, ‘Have you not read that He
who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,'”
YLT: “And he answering
said to them, `Did ye not read, that He who made [them], from the beginning a
male and a female made them,”
Literal Meaning: the Lord’s answer
brought men to the state of “beginning”. When God created men at the beginning,
He made them male and female (Gen. 1:27, 5:2) and His intention is for the
union of male and female. Therefore marriage is set up by God Himself.
Matt. 19:5 “and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother
and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?”
YLT: “and said, For this
cause shall a man leave father and mother, and cleave to his wife, and they
shall be the two for one flesh?”
Literal Meaning: v.4 shows God
intention through His creation and this verse proves that marriage is
predestinated by God by His words (Gen. 2:24); moreover, God’s predestination
is a man and a woman instead of polygamy.
Spiritual Meaning: “the two shall
become one flesh” symbolizes Christ and the church (Eph. 5:31-32).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The relation between husband and wife is more
than the relation between parents and children.
2) Only when we are delivered from the root of
natural life (“leave his father and mother”) can we be of one mind with all the
saints in the church (“be joined to his wife”).
Matt. 19:6 “So then, they are no
longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man
separate.’”
YLT: “so that they are no
more two, but one flesh; what therefore God did join together, let no man put
asunder.”
Literal Meaning: “they are no longer
two but one flesh.” After the unions of marriage, in God’s sight they are no
longer two but one flesh. Therefore when recording the number of people, woman
are not counted (See Matt. 14:21, 15:38).
“What God has joined together, let not
man separate.” Every pair of husband and wife is joined by God and they are
“one flesh” before God. Therefore if they are divorced, it is to awkwardly
separate one flesh into two halves.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) God has jointed Christ and the church and let
not man separate------do not let any spiritual person, thing, doctrine and
regulation interfere in Christ and the church.
2) “God has joined together, let not man separate.”
God has tempered the body together in the church and therefore we should not
make divisions (See 1Cor. 12:24-25).
Matt. 19:7 “They said to Him, ‘Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of
divorce, and to put her away?’”
YLT: “They say to him,
`Why then did Moses command to give a roll of divorce, and to put her away?’”
Literal Meaning: here it indicates
the regulation of divorcing one’s wife which was made by Moses (Deut. 24:1).
However, it was not the positive teaching but negative “permission” (See v.8).
Matt. 19:8 “He said to them, ‘Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted
you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.”
YLT: “He saith to them
`Moses for your stiffness of heart did suffer you to put away your wives, but
from the beginning it hath not been so.”
Literal Meaning: Moses permitted men
to divorce their wives because “the hardness of their hearts” instead of God’s
intention “at the beginning”. Therefore it does not show that God likes men to
divorce their wives.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) When men do not listen to the words of God, God
may “permit” them or “give them up” for their own wills (See Rom. 1:28). But it
is definitely not the God’s will.
2) Everything should be judged whether it
corresponds to the will of God according to the opinion “at the beginning”
instead of the existing fact.
Matt. 19:9 “And I say to you, whoever
divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits
adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.’”
YLT: “`And I say to you,
that, whoever may put away his wife, if not for whoredom, and may marry
another, doth commit adultery; and he who did marry her that hath been put
away, doth commit adultery.’”
Literal Meaning: the only reason for
normal divorce is that a part has committed adultery because in God’s sight
adultery is the behavior to destroy the union of husband and wife. Once the
union of husband and wife before God has been destroyed, there is no need to
maintain the superficial union.
“Fornication” in original means
“harlotry and prostitution”. It does not seem to be the accidental sin but the
habitual behavior; “adultery” in original means “the sexual behavior of married
ones that destroys the marital relations”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Pharisees only stressed on letters of the
Law (See v.7) and the Lord stressed on the spirit of the Law. The letter kills
but the spirit quickens (See 2Cor. 3:6).
2) Believers should not walk according to the tide
of the world or be only satisfied with obeying the national laws. Believers
should prove the will of God in everything (See
Matt. 19:10 “His disciples said to
Him, ‘If such is the case of the
man with his wife, it is better not to marry.’”
YLT: “His disciples say
to him, ‘If the case of the man with the woman is so, it is not good to
marry.’”
Literal Meaning: the disciples meant
that once men get married, they are restrained and they won’t be released
except for sexual immorality. If such is the case, it is better not to marry.
Enlightenment in the Word: the attitude that one does not marry because he
fears the unhappy marriage is not praised by God. Today the phenomenon that a
man and a woman cohabit and do not get married prevails is due to this kind of
attitude.
Matt. 19:11 “But He said to them, ‘All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it
has been given:”
YLT: “And he said to
them, `All do not receive this word, but those to whom it hath been given;”
Meaning of Words: “accept”: receive,
admit, contain, and make room for.
Literal Meaning: whether one marries
or not is not his will. Only those to whom the gift of God is given (See 1Cor.
7:7, 37) are able to not marry. If someone does not have this gift and is
reluctant to not marry, probably he will not overcome temptations (See 1Cor.
7:2, 9).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) This verse shows God will: to the majority, God
likes them to marry, beget sons and daughters, and lead the whole family to
serve God (See Josh. 24:15); to the minority, God gives them special gifts to
serve God whole-heartedly (See 1Cor. 7:33-35).
2) Every spiritual thing should be in accordance
with whether one has received from God. To the one to whom it has been given,
he should hold fast it. To the one to whom it has not been given, he should not
imitate artificially or force others to do so.
Matt. 19:12 “For there are eunuchs who
were born thus from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made
eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the
kingdom of heaven's sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it.’”
YLT: “for there are
eunuchs who from the mother’s womb were so born; and there are eunuchs who were
made eunuchs by men; and there are eunuchs who kept themselves eunuchs because
of the reign of the heavens: he who is able to receive [it] let him receive.’”
Literal Meaning: “there are eunuchs
who were born thus” indicates those who innately physiological defects and lose
the sexual ability. It is inborn impotency. “Eunuchs who were made eunuchs by
men” indicate those who are forced to lose the sexual ability because of
environment or punishment. It is acquired impotency. “There
are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake.”
“Made themselves eunuchs” does not mean to “cut themselves off” (See Gal. 5:12)
or the asceticism (See Col. 2:23, 1Tim. 4:3). It meant that those who have been
given the gifts from God have insipid feelings towards those with the opposite
sex. Therefore they decide to not marry all their life, lest they may be
distracted by family. Then they should care for the things of the Lord and the
kingdom whole-heartedly and serve the Lord fervently (See 1Cor. 7:32-35).
“He who is able to accept it, let him
accept it.” “It” means the word that one does not marry instead of the word
that one should not divorce. Therefore this verse shows that one to whom it has
not been given is unable to make himself eunuch for the kingdom of heaven’s
sake.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Those who make themselves eunuchs for the
kingdom of heaven’s sake have been given special gifts and they have special
positions in the kingdom of heaven (See Rev. 14:4).
2) If believers have not been given the gift to
keep their virginity, it is better for them to choose the suitable marriage
partner after marriageable age according to normal human feelings. It is wise
for them to live a life of matrimony.
Matt. 19:13 “Then little children were
brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples
rebuked them.”
YLT: “Then were brought
near to him children that he might put hands on them and pray, and the
disciples rebuked them.”
Literal Meaning: “that He might put
His hands on them and pray” shows that they ask the Lord to bless them.
“But the disciples rebuked them.” It is
most probably that the disciples thought the little children little, naïve and
ignorant and they should not block the Lord’s journey to
Spiritual Meaning: “put His hand on
them” has two spiritual meanings: 1) The one who has been put on of hands and
the one who puts his hand on others are united to one (See 1Tim. 5:22); 2) The
one who puts his hands on others delivers blessing to the one who has been put
on of hands (See 2Tim. 1:6).
Enlightenment in the Word: in men’s natural concept, it is full of the
thoughts of divisions of honor and lowliness (See James. 2:1-7). Unconsciously,
believers may be puffed up one for one against another (See 1Cor. 4:6). However
those who fear the Lord should not be with respect of persons (See James. 2:1).
Matt. 19:14 “But Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid
them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.’”
YLT: “But Jesus said,
`Suffer the children, and forbid them not, to come unto me, for of such is the
reign of the heavens;’”
Literal Meaning: “for of such” that
are like little children indicate being like the pure, humble and dependent
characters of little children and these are the qualifications to enter the
kingdom of heaven (See Matt. 18:3).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) In the church, nothing is so little that the
Lord does not care about and therefore we should bring all things whether it is
great or not to the Lord.
2) In the church, no one is so great that he thinks
that something is too small for them and disdains to do it.
3) Those who think that they own nothing and ask
for the Lord humbly will be acceptable to the Lord.
Matt. 19:15 “And He laid His hands on
them and departed from there.”
YLT: “and having laid on
them [his] hands, he departed thence.”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord not only did not despise our lowliness
but also was willing to be united to the humble and blessed us.
2) “Departed from there” shows that men do not
always have the chance. We should seize any chance to be given grace and ask
for the Lord’s grace. We should not wait until he departs and at that time it
is too late.
Matt. 19:16 “Now behold, one came and
said to Him, ‘Good Teacher, what good
thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?’”
YLT: “And lo, one having
come near, said to him, `Good teacher, what good thing shall I do, that I may
have life age-during?’”
Literal Meaning: “one” is a young
rich man (See v.22).
“Good teacher” shows that he saw Jesus
as “teacher” to teach others instead of the “savior” to save all the people
(See John 3:2).
“What good thing shall I do that I may
have eternal life?” This sentence includes four meanings: 1) He knew the
importance to “have eternal life”. 2) He confessed that there was no eternal
life in him 3) He thought that he may have eternal life by doing good thing. 4)
He did not know what good thing to do in order to have eternal life.
“Have eternal life” is “be saved” (See
v.25). It means to have the eternal life of God and to be delivered from the
eternal perdition (See John. 3:16).
Matt. 19:17 “So He said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is,
God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.’”
YLT: “And he said to him,
`Why me dost thou call good? no one [is] good except One God; but if thou dost
will to enter into the life, keep the commands.’”
Literal Meaning: “Why do you call Me
good?” shows that the Lord deeply did not approve of his view in his words that
one could have eternal life by doing good thing.
“No one is good but One, that is, God”
means that there is none good, besides God (See Rom. 3:10). That the Lord said
so did not show that He thought him sinful or same with normal men. However it
shows that: 1) God is the source of true goodness. 2) Men do not have true
goodness once they depart from God.
“But if you want to enter into life”
Speaking from the broad sense, “enter into life” and “have eternal life” are
synonyms. However, speaking from the narrow sense, they are different. “Have
eternal life” means that God’s life enters into us as our life and keeps us
alive forever. Therefore it is also called “be saved” (See v.25); “enter into
life” means to enter into the realm of eternal life and be delivered from the everlasting
perdition (See Matt. 25:46); It is not necessary that only those who have
eternal life are able to enter into the eternal life because the Lord Jesus
pointed out in another parable that as long as someone treats one of the least
of these, he is qualified to enter into the eternal life (See Matt. 25:41-46).
Some Bible exegetes explained “enter
into life” as “walk according to the life of God”. However, the young rich man
had not received the Lord’s salvation and he had not received the Lord’s life.
Therefore the Lord wouldn’t ask him to walk according to God’s life.
“Keep the commandments” means that one
is able to enter into life as long as he keeps the commandments because if men
truly keep the Law, they will live in them (See Gal. 3:12). However, the
problem is that nobody is able to keep the whole law by himself. Therefore the
Lord here mentioned “keep the commandments” so as to enlighten him about two
things: 1) the commandments show God’s love and His holy and righteous
disposition; 2) since men are unable to keep the whole law, by this the Lord
wanted to make him learn his corruption from failure and comprehend that men
are unable to have eternal life by doing good thing.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) A worthless tree cannot produce good fruits (See
Matt. 7:18). The world cannot do something good through the evil nature.
2) The good man out of the good treasure brings
forth good things (See Matt. 12:35). However, only God is good. Therefore no
matter what we do, the things we do cannot be counted as good in God’s sight.
3) That except the righteousness of believers shall
exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees, we shall in no case enter into the
kingdom of heaven (See Matt. 5:20). Therefore, we should not only keep the
commandments of the Old Testament concerning morality but also keep the new
commandments issued by the king of the kingdom of heaven (Matt.5-7).
Matt. 19:18 “He said to Him, ‘Which ones?’ Jesus said, ‘You shall not murder,' ‘You
shall not commit adultery,' ‘You shall not steal,' ‘You shall not bear false witness,'”
YLT: “He saith to him,
`What kind?’ And Jesus said, ‘Thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not commit
adultery, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness,”
Literal Meaning: these commandments
are the regulations about interpersonal relations in the Old Testament (See
Exod. 20:12-16, Lev. 19:18).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Though believers of the New Testament do not
need to keep the commandments of ceremonies in the Old Testament, we should
still keep the commandments of morality.
2) In the church we should keep spiritual
commandments: 1) do not spread the factor of death------murder; 2) do not bring
in the world------commit adultery; 3) do not usurp the glory of God------steal;
4) do not bear witness to things besides Christ------bear false witness.
Matt. 19:19 “‘Honor
your father and your mother,' and, ‘You shall love your
neighbor as yourself.’”
YLT: “honour thy father
and mother, and, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.’”
Matt. 19:20 “The young man said to
Him, ‘All these things I have
kept from my youth. What do I still lack?’”
YLT: “The young man saith
to him, `All these did I keep from my youth; what yet do I lack?’”
Literal Meaning: unfortunately, this
young man had not seen his incapacity and thought that he had kept all these
things.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Those who think themselves righteous indeed live
in darkness and they are unable to see their transgressions.
2) As long as someone has offended in the least
commandment of the Law, he is guilty of all (See James. 2:10). Moreover, men
could keep the commandments in letters at most and they unavoidably sin against
the commandments in spirit.
Matt. 19:21 “Jesus said to him, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and
give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’”
YLT: “Jesus said to him,
‘If thou dost will to be perfect, go away, sell what thou hast, and give to the
poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come, follow me.’”
Literal Meaning: here the Lord raised the strictest claim to show
his imperfectness.
“If you want to be perfect” implies that
he was not “perfect” at that time------even if men have kept all the
commandments, they are still imperfect in the sight of the Lord.
“Go, sell what you have” shows that “what
he has” is the clear proof for his imperfectness and therefore he should sell
what he has.
“Give to the poor” shows that if he is
unable to “give what he has to the poor”, it proves that he couldn’t “love his
neighbor as himself” (See v.20).
“You will have treasure in heaven” shows
that what he has is only on earth and he has nothing in heaven.
“Come, follow Me” indicates that even if
he has given what he has to the poor, probably the poor instead of the Lord are
in his heart (See Matt. 26:11). Therefore he has to “follow the Lord”, i.e. he
has to love the Lord more than all (See Matt. 10:37-38).
According to the context, this verse is
not the general rule to ask every Christian to lead a poor life. The Lord asked
the young man to do so, with a purpose of letting him know that he hasn’t kept
all the commandments indeed (See v.20) and therefore he may come to realize
that men cannot have eternal life through doing good (See v.16).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) On this verse hangs all the Law: “go, sell what
you have and give to the poor”, i.e. “love your neighbor as yourselves”; “come,
follow Me” is “love the Lord thy God”.
2) The Lord demands more and more: 1) “go and
sell”------it is possible for common ones to sell the possession for money (See
Acts. 5:1); 2) “give to the poor”------it is very difficult; 3) “come, follow
Me”------it is more difficult because what one gives is the external things
besides the body and what he follows is “the whole person”.
3) The Lord asked the young man to sell what he has
and then follow the Lord, showing that what we have are always the obstacles to
follow the Lord.
4) Believers should not only pay attention to their
own needs but also care for the needs of others. Look not every man on his own
things, but every man also on the things of others. (Pill. 2:4).
Matt. 19:22 “But when the young man
heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”
YLT: “And the young man,
having heard the word, went away sorrowful, for he had many possessions;”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Anyone that keeps something for himself and is
unwilling to follow the Lord leads a sorrowful life.
2) If it is by grace, even little children are put
hands on by the Lord and receive blessing (See v.13-15); if it is by deeds,
even someone who has kept all the commandments (See v.20) went away sorrowful
consequently.
3) The more possessions men have, the greedier men
are. This situation can also be applied in spiritual things, if men stress on
spiritual possessions besides the Lord such as eloquence, knowledge, and gifts,
they will be sorrowful consequently.
4) Those who love treasure more than the Lord make
themselves sorrowful. However those who love the Lord more than all have the
fullness of joyful though they have lost their goods (See Heb. 10:34).
5) Great possessions may hold men back from
following the Lord; not only the material sufficiency but also spiritual
complacency will hold men back from being given grace.
6) Though that young man had come to Christ, he had
not obtained Christ; if we cannot forsake all things “what things were gain to
me”------the former spiritual achievement, or seek Christ earnestly, probably
we will not fully obtain Christ (See Pill. 3:7, 12).
7) Earthly things and heavenly things cannot be
complete in both respects. So are worldly things and spiritual things. If
believers are reluctant to give up the earthly and worldly things, they have no
hope to be heavenly and spiritually rich.
Matt. 19:23 “Then Jesus said to His
disciples, ‘Assuredly, I say to you
that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.”
YLT: “and Jesus said to
his disciples, `Verily I say to you, that hardly shall a rich man enter into
the reign of the heavens;”
Literal Meaning: “it is hard for a
rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.” “Enter the kingdom” means “enter the
Spiritual Meaning: the spiritual
definition of “a rich man” those who own something besides the Lord and are
unwilling to deny themselves or lose the enjoyments of souls for the sake of
the Lord (See Matt. 16:24-25).
Matt. 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 the
YLT: “and again I say to
you, it is easier for a camel through the eye of a needle to go, than for a
rich man to enter into the reign of God.’”
The Background:
“to go through the eye of a needle,” There
is always another smaller door besides the normal gate concerning the Jewish
city gates in ancient times. The small door is called “the door of the eye of a
needle”. During the day, the bigger gate is open for the coming in and going
out of men and goods; until the evening, the bigger gate is closed and only the
door of the eye of a needle is open. That smaller door is so small that only
men are allowed to come in and go out. Therefore when the camel carrying goods
wants to pass the door, the goods have to be unloaded first and then the camel
has to incline and crawl, with men’s push and drawing and then the camel is
able to pass the door. Then “a camel to go through the eye of a needle” has
become a saying to describe that something is very difficult but it is not
absolutely impossible.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Though it is difficult for rich men to enter the
kingdom of heaven, it is not absolutely impossible; “camel” is the animal to
carry goods and it represents treasure------as long as one is willing to
dedicate the treasure for the use of the Lord, he will come in.
2) Though it is difficult for the great camel to go
through the small eye of a needle, as long as the principle of cross is
applied, that is to deny oneself, burn self into ashes and come to naught, it
is possible to pass through.
Matt. 19:25 “When His disciples heard
it, they were greatly astonished, saying, ‘Who
then can be saved?’”
YLT: “And his disciples
having heard, were amazed exceedingly, saying, `Who, then, is able to be
saved?’”
Literal Meaning: broadly speaking,
“be saved”, “have eternal life” (v.16), “enter into life” (v.17), “enter the
kingdom of heaven” (v.23) and “enter the
Matt. 19:26 “But Jesus looked at them
and said to them, ‘With men this is
impossible, but with God all things are possible.’”
YLT: “And Jesus having
earnestly beheld, said to them, `With men this is impossible, but with God all
things are possible.’”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Not only the young man thought that it is
impossible for man to enter the kingdom of heaven (See v.22), but also the
disciples thought it is impossible (See v.25). The Lord Himself also proved
that, “with men this is impossible”. Men are impossible to enter the kingdom of
heaven by themselves.
2) “With God all things are possible.” God is able
to change the impossibility of men into possibility. God’s way is to give
Himself to men, strengthen men in them and enable men to “have strength for all
things” (See Pill. 4:13).
3) “With men this is impossible” declares the
uselessness of men’s deeds; “but with God all things are possible” manifests
the fullness of God’s grace. Only by faith instead of deeds can we be saved
(See Eph. 2:8-9).
4) After we have been saved, we have to rely on
God’s “possibility of all things” to do good works (See Eph. 2:10), then we
will indeed live in the reality of the kingdom of heaven (See 2Pet. 1:10-11).
Matt. 19:27 “Then Peter answered and
said to Him, ‘See, we have left all and
followed You. Therefore what shall we have?’”
YLT: “Then Peter
answering said to him, `Lo, we did leave all, and follow thee, what then shall
we have?’”
Literal Meaning: Peter meant that
since we have left something, we should have something in future and it is
reasonable. Though it is not wrong, it is with the nature of exchange and its
motive is not noble.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Peter’s “see” shows his “possession”. He is “a
spiritually rich man” and really has something to boast.
2) The reason why that we are able to leave
something to follow the Lord is God’s attraction, working and strengthening and
therefore we should glorify God.
Matt. 19:28 “So Jesus said to them, ‘Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when
the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will
also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
YLT: “And Jesus said to
them, `Verily I say to you, that ye who did follow me, in the regeneration,
when the Son of Man may sit upon a throne of his glory, shall sit ye also upon
twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel;”
Meaning of Words: “regeneration”:
renovation, restoration and rebirth.
Literal Meaning: “in the
regeneration” indicates the time when the Lord comes back, brings in the
kingdom of a thousand years and the times of the restitutions of all things
(See Acts. 3:21); at that time, the Lord shall reign on the throne (Rev. 11:15)
and thrones more than two shall be given to the overcomers who have followed
Him including the twelve apostles who will judge Israel and the peoples (Rev.
20:4).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Since God is righteous, He will never disregard
our intention and deeds to leave all things to follow Him and we will gain
reward assuredly.
2) We are saved by God’s grace (Eph. 2:8) and we
gain the reward of the kingdom by men’s deeds (Rev. 22:12).
Matt. 19:29 “And everyone who has 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 inherit eternal life.”
YLT: “and every one who
left houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or
children, or fields, for my name’s sake, an hundredfold shall receive, and life
age-during shall inherit;”
Meaning of Words: “inherit”: be heir,
obtain by inherence.
Literal Meaning: “shall receive a
hundredfold” indicated to obtain full enjoyment and joy in this age (See Mark.
10:30). Any brother and sister in the Lord are closer than one’s own family
members and one is able to share their possessions.
“And inherit eternal life” indicates to
obtain the blessing of the everlasting life in the coming age (See Luke.
18:30).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The reward of the kingdom is both in this age
and the coming age.
2) The reward of the kingdom of heaven is a
“hundredfold” and this reward is Christ Himself because Christ is fully
perfect.
Matt. 19:30 “But many who are first
will be last, and the last first.”
YLT: “and many first
shall be last, and last first.”
Literal Meaning: “but many who are
first will be last.” It is the word of warning; the word “but” is the warning
to Peter’s self-complacence towards his present state (See v.27). If men boast
or show off that they have left something for the Lord, they will “be last”.
“The last first” is the word of
encouragement. Though one may be last in the beginning, all things are not
determined by this. Therefore it is still possible to turn to be first.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) To those who ran well (See Gal. 5:7), even if
they do not have the spirit of pride, if they slack off and do not try their
best to run (See Pill. 3:13-14, Heb. 12:1), they will fall behind.
2) For the reward of the kingdom we should try our
best to run (1Cor. 9:24) and finish the race (2Tim. 4:7), then we may be
“first”.
3) Our duty is to run and the Lord is the one who
judges who is first or last.
III.
Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons
The Relation between
Our Behaviors and the Kingdom
I. Behaviors are related to entering the
kingdom of heaven:
A. One has to overcome the difficulty of sickness (v.1-2).
B. One has to overcome the difficulty of lust (v.3-12).
C. One has to overcome the difficulty of pride (v.13-15).
D. One has to overcome the difficulty of the love of money (v.16-26).
II. Behaviors are related to gaining the
reward of the kingdom:
A. One has to leave all and then is able to obtain the reward of the
kingdom (v.27-29).
B. There are “first” and “last” in gaining the reward of the kingdom
(v.30).
The Lord’s Different
Attitudes and Requests towards Different Kinds of Men
I. To sick ones------He sympathized them and
saved them (v.1-2).
II. To the Pharisees who tempted Him------He
was unwilling to sacrifice the truth and compromise with them (v.3-12).
III. To the disciples who lacked
love------He showed them an example of love (v.13-15).
IV. To the young and rich man who conducted
himself virtuously------He pointed out his weakness (v.16-22).
V. To those who denied themselves to follow
Him------He showed clearly the blessing (v.23-30).
God’s Intentions at
the beginning
I. God wants to be united to men:
A. God’s intention at the beginning is to show that He wants to be
united to men through “the two shall become one flesh” (v.3-6).
B. Men disregard God’s intention at the beginning because of the
hardness of their hearts (v.7-8).
C. Sin (adultery) has destroyed the oneness (v.8-10).
D. God shows His grace to the minority and makes them fully live for God
for the sake of the kingdom of heaven (v.11-12).
II. God wants to be men’s full provision:
A. Men hold that they can partake in the heavenly blessing through their
own strength (the grown-ups) (v.13-15).
B. Men want to obtain the reward of eternal life through doing good
works (v.16).
C. All the thing that men have contrarily hold men back from receiving
the heavenly blessing (v.17-22).
D. Men have to give up their own effort and struggle and fully trust and
rely on God (v.23-26).
E. If men leave all they have, they will receive God as the fullness of
reward------the reward of the kingdom (v.27-30).
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Sharon Ren