Who Can Be Saved?

Matthew 19:13-30

12/1/24

The average global household income is $12,235 per year. Likely, you make more than double the global average. Four times the global average is just under $49K: for many of you, I imagine your household brings in a good bit more than that.

Considering our ease, our abundance, the time we spend on entertainment and leisure, our shopping for non-essentials, our Christmas spending; we are a fabulously wealthy people. Relative to the 8 billion alive today, and certainly relative to all of humanity past, we Americans are among the wealthiest people that have ever existed on planet earth. Even our low-income earners are rich relative to a global and historical perspective.

I’ve been with Zambian orphan boys whose home is the street and their bed is the gutter. I’ve walked through a Central American slum built into the edge of a landfill where people live in poverty that would shock you. In Iraq I’ve visited Syrian refugees packed into a tent city, displaced by war, with no economic means, with virtually no hope of ever returning home.

In these moments, and others like them, I’m hit with a tsunami of swirling emotions. My heart breaks for those with such insurmountable needs and I’m flooded with a mixture of compassion and helplessness. I’m filled with gratitude that my family and I have never known suffering like that. My head spins with the disparity, and their extreme poverty freshly awakens me to just how tremendously rich I truly am.

And it is not just me. It is us: we who live in the wildly prosperous US of A. This is what I want to plant firmly in your mind before we get into the text: Materially speaking, we are the rich. We are camels in need of an impossibly tight squeeze.

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How interesting that chapter 19 began with the subject of marriage, then lands us in the significance of children.

Read vs 13

As Jesus continues to move south towards Jerusalem, teaching and healing, parents are bringing their children to Jesus. They clearly recognize that Jesus is a holy man, perhaps He is even the Messiah. Wanting the very best for their children, they want Jesus to lay His blessed hand upon their children and pray for them.

Given the opportunity to bring your child before Jesus, wouldn’t you jump at the chance? The more you understand who Jesus is, the more you would yearn for such an opportunity.

But the men who have been following Jesus for nearly 3.5 years – who should know Jesus better than anyone – they rebuke the parents for bringing their children. The disciples are evidently gripped by a sense of superiority. They are headed to Jerusalem, the seat of Jewish power; and to the temple, the earthly seat of the Almighty Yahweh. What could kids possibly add to their monumental task? They come with their silliness and naivety, all they have are needs, they are neither strong nor powerful.

They are insignificant, and Jesus doesn’t have time for them right now. Shouldn’t this be obvious to the parents who keep swarming them? The disciples sternly rebuke them.

But here it seems that the disciples are suffering from amnesia. Have they already forgotten what Jesus has been teaching?

They heard Jesus’ prayer: “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.”            -Matthew 11:25-26

Just a few days ago, back in Capernaum, Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

                                                                             -Matthew 18:3-4

The disciples should have understood by now. But once again, with great forbearance, Jesus teaches them how the kingdom of heaven works.

Read vs 14-15

The disciples couldn’t have gotten Jesus more wrong. The Messianic kingdom, the heaven that was breaking upon the earth, belonged to the likes of children; not the powerful, not the significant, not the wealthy. Those who are marked by their need, their dependency, their hopefulness, their eagerness to follow, their hunger for relationship, they are the ones that possess the kingdom of heaven.

It is absolutely counterintuitive to worldly considerations, the type of consideration the disciples found so difficult to shake. It would take thorns and nails to set their thinking right.

But here along the road to Jerusalem, Jesus gathered the children to Himself and He laid His hands upon them. This is Matthew’s way of saying that Jesus prayed over them. The parents’ request was happily granted, and the children received a blessing from their Creator.

After Jesus and the 12 move on from their encounter with the children, someone else approaches them. And this approach is meant to be juxtaposed to that of the children.

Read vs 16

The Rich Young Man

The only detail that Matthew gives us about this man is that he is young – see that in verse 20. Cross-referencing with Mark and Luke, we also learn that he is a rich ruler. Additionally, Mark writes that the man came running up to Jesus and fell on his knees; probably indicating that the young man was passionately devout. It’s not the behavior of the indifferent or slightly interested. This is a fervent Jew filled with youthful enthusiasm.

And he eagerly wants to know what additional good deed he must do to earn eternal life. There is a mountain of implications behind the young man’s question. I will point out only two.

The first implication is that the man is very religious. Scrupulous rule keeping, trying to look as good as possible, endlessly working to better himself, straining and striving until he is finally good enough; such are the marks of the religious motivation – and how ambitiously this man is driven by religion. He legitimately thinks he can make it.

And yet, he knows he has not yet made it. That leads us to the second implication of the man’s question: He feels a nagging insecurity. He thinks he can earn his way into heaven with good works, but he does not know if he has earned enough. In fact, there is no way to know if he has earned enough – if he is good enough. Evidently, this anxiety has so plagued the young man that he is willing to throw himself down at the feet of Jesus.

But the man does not throw himself at Jesus’ feet in faith and humility. To me it looks more like the desperation of a narcissist, with a dramatic display born from either manipulation or delusion. We have seen others recognize Jesus as a prophet, as the Messiah, even as the Son of God. This young man only recognizes Jesus as a teacher – someone who will teach him how to place the last piece of the religious puzzle.

The man stands in stunning contrast to those to whom Jesus said the kingdom belongs – trusting, dependent, needy children. Still, Jesus begins to reveal how to find the entrance into the kingdom.

Read vs 17

Notice how Jesus doesn’t let the man get away with imprecise language: “There is only one who is good.” If the zealous man thinks himself one step away from achieving his own salvation, his own careless language betrays him. As Jesus has said,

 ^“I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”                                                           -Matthew 12:36-37

The man cannot see who stands before Him. He cannot see the God of all good in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. How clearly Jesus sees that his own words condemn him.

And yet Jesus is in no way condemning. He is patient and gentle, humble and incisive. “If you would enter life, keep the commandments.”

The young man was looking for that final puzzle piece, that one good deed that would merit his entrance into glory. Would it be some great act of religious piety? Shall he cross the sea to make a convert? Preach repentance in a foreign city? Instead, Jesus says he needs to keep the commandments. How mundane.

Understanding that the Rabbis taught that the law contained 613 commands, the young man persisting in the face of Jesus’ prosaic answer.

Read vs 18-19

It is interesting that Jesus lists only commandments related to how we are to treat others. Was the man caught up in spiritual observances (disciplined devotions, extended times in prayer, lengthy fasts) while he was lacking obedience to love others?

And yet these commands were observable, measurable. They could be used like a checklist used to see if a person passed inspection. Without skipping a beat, the man confidently asserted that he passed inspection.

Read vs 20

Hear the insecurity in the young man’s question. Though he thought he kept the law, he passed the inspection, he understood it wasn’t enough. No amount of law keeping and rule following gave him a feeling of security. Surely there was something he still lacked, something more he could do, one final payment needed to absolve his debt.

Indeed. And the payment cost more than all he owned.

Read vs 21

Jesus cuts to the heart of the matter. This whole time the man was asking what it would take to become perfect. He felt like he was just one step away from perfection. Being perfect, as is used in verse 21, is not merely a matter of moral flawlessness; it is more about being complete, fully mature, thoroughly reflecting the image of God.

Jesus (who Himself is the image of the invisible God) answers the man in earnest. If he wants to be perfect, and so gain entrance into the kingdom of heaven, he must do three things. 1: Sell all of his possessions. 2: Give it all away to the poor. 3: Spend his life following Jesus. If he is willing to do these three, then he will have treasure in heaven. If the man was looking for some grand religious act, certainly he has found it now. Problem was, it was too much.

Read vs 22

The rich, young ruler walks away from Jesus dejected, defeated, grieved. This is not sorrow that leads to repentance – obviously, he leaves Jesus. This is the grief of self-pity, an onset of self-oriented, woe-is-me depression. This is the sorrow of unbelief.

Compare the rich young ruler to a parable Jesus told. “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” -Matthew 13:44

Against all odds, the man in the parable finds this treasure buried in the dirt in the middle of a field. When he realizes what it is that he has found, and how it is more valuable than anything else, he joyfully/gladly/easily sells everything he owns in order to buy that field and gain this supreme treasure.

Truly it is grievously sorrowful that the rich young man stood before Yahweh become flesh and saw no treasure. But the man was not there seeking a relationship with God. He didn’t want to follow Jesus. He wanted to use his good works to buy his way into heaven. He bought everything else he wanted, why not a kingdom pass?

And it turns out that the young man’s primary issue was not his religiosity. It was that he worshipped at the feet of wealth.

Read vs 23-24

For more than a century, some people have taught that the eye of a needle was a name for a small middle eastern gate. A camel had to be stripped of all its baggage and led on its knees to pass through. It was possible to lead the camel through, though it was not easy.

But there is absolutely no historical evidence that, in Jesus’ day, such a gate was called the eye of the needle. It is a complete fabrication. Additionally, Jesus’ illustration is about impossibility, not possibility with enough effort. Jesus is imaging the eye of a sewing needle, and the preposterous idea of passing a camel through it.

But even as absurd, as impossible, as getting a camel through the eye of a sewing needle is, it is even more difficult for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. It is unnatural, futile. As Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount:

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

                                                                   -Matthew 6:24

This is what Jesus has been driving at: though the young man thinks he worship God, he really worships his possessions, his money. More precisely, his possessions and money are self-serving pursuits. Through his wealth he gains comfort, security, reputation, and independence. With a bank full of money he needs to rely on no one. But it is all in service of self, and this is whom he truly worships: self. And Jesus says you cannot have two masters. Therefore, the rich, young, religious, man cannot serve God.

If you are paying attention to what is happening in this text, then an electric shock should have just struck at your American heart. For we are the rich. Even if we don’t have much compared to those wealthier, compared to billions of others, we have great possessions. We are comfortable. We numb our struggles with pills and screens and indulgences. We have few actual needs, yet we overflow with wants. We have accumulated so much, built our own little kingdoms, we have it pretty good.

Now I know that not everything is wonderful for us. There are plenty of struggles and money issues. But I speak broadly. And if your struggles and money issues were suddenly resolved, would you somehow be immune to the consumeristic culture that you breath in every day? It’s unlikely.

This text forces you to ask, am I – wealthy American that I am – like this rich man? In spite of all of my religious fervor, do I love money/possessions/comfort/security/myself more than I love Jesus? Will I be left wanting, my wealth and works inadequate, and despite my riches I find myself too poor to pay the entrance fee into the kingdom of God?

Even poor Jewish fishermen felt this question like an electric shock.

Read vs 25

Twice in a row Jesus has stunned the disciples. Last week we saw them effectively say, “Who then can be married?” Now they say, “Who then can be saved?”

This kind of response comes from a very worldly way of thinking. Here is a young man of promise, well versed in Judaism, rich, passionate: and he misses out? Think of all the potential, all the good he could have done for the kingdom! If he is not fit for the kingdom of God, how could I possibly be?

But that is not how the kingdom of God works. The kingdom is not about what you can bring to it. The kingdom is about entering empty, trusting that you will discover righteousness, peace, and joy (Romans 14:17) once you enter. It is very much akin to being like a little child: dependent and needy, nothing to offer, approaching in trust, hopeful, eager.

Did Jesus say that the kingdom belonged to those who have it all together, that have a lot to offer? Or did He say it belonged to those like little children?

But the disciples are stunned. They can’t get over that a young man of such promise was not fit for the kingdom of God. With jaws on the floor, Peter speaks for the group, “Who then can be saved?”

Read vs 26

If God wants to, He can squeeze camels through needles. He can bring the rich into the kingdom of God. Did He not do this with Zacchaeus, Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea, and a number of other wealthy individuals?

And selling everything was never a requirement, as if it were the one good deed that would gain them entrance into the kingdom. No! God opened their eyes to see to see their salvation wrought on a cross, their death defeated in an empty tomb, their everlasting life in the promises of the Risen King. God the Spirit opened their eyes to see Jesus as the most precious treasure, and it would be a joy to sell everything if that’s what it took to follow Him.

Giving your possessions away, forsaking comfort and security and reputation, it is not a payment. It’s a response. If He has loved you, and given Himself for you – and as a result you have eternal life and eternal security and eternal significance – then what a joy to give everything away if only to magnify the name that is above every name!

Like Paul writes: But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him.        -Philippians 3:7-9

          But Jesus promises, that whatever loses we suffer for His sake, these will be abundantly restored to us.

Read vs 27-30

The disciples are still thinking transactionally: “We’ve given up everything. Have we earned the kingdom of God.” Again Jesus is patient. He implicitly concedes that the disciples have indeed left everything to follow Him. Instead of rebuking their transactional thinking, Jesus offers them heavenly promises. He is so gracious!

Verse 27 is a bit mysterious to me. In some capacity, Jesus will give these 12 men the authority to judge Israel. I do not know exactly what this means, I just know that it is an honor far above what they deserve. The grace and love and generosity of our God confounds earthly standards!

And then Jesus goes further and makes a promise that applies to every disciple through all time. Whatever family or possessions you have left to follow Jesus, God will return more than you can ask or imagine in return.

          Brothers and sisters, we must ask ourselves, are we willing to give up everything for the sake of Jesus? Would you sell your house to follow him? If you have finished raising your children, would you leave them behind to advance the gospel? Would you give everything away to serve the poor and needy? If following Jesus meant persecution, and the sacrifice of your health, would you go?

          I know these are hard questions. I could add all kinds of clarifications and qualifications to soften these questions. But Jesus doesn’t. His words are stark and full of force. And the people who want to be comforted with softer words are the very ones who need to hear what Jesus said to the rich young ruler, “Sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.”

For if you were to sell everything and become poor, how much more clearly would you see the treasure that is in heaven. And that treasure is not a mansion in the sky, it is not gold and jewels. The treasure that is in heaven is Jesus Christ. The most valuable thing in all of existence is relationship with Him. His nail scarred hands are outstretched, and He says come, follow me, even at the cost of everything else, it will be worth it.

Come to Him like a little child. Come to Him dependent and needy, nothing to offer, approaching in trust, hopeful, eager, wanting nothing more than to be in His arms of love. He will by no means turn you away.

Many who are first shall be last, and the last first. (Next week’s parable will drive this saying home, so I will save it until then.)

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.                                 -Matthew 5:3-10