Matthew 19

ScriptureMatthew 19:21-23²¹ Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”²² When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.²³ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴ 

Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

Observation Jesus leaves Galilee and heads to Judea.  As he travels, people follow.  Among those are the disciples, people that desire healing (as well as soul nourishment, I suspect), children and, of course, the lovely Pharisees – still looking for ways to test him. First the Pharisees test him on the matter of divorce.  There’s actually a great discourse on this, found here http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-complete/matthew/19.html, verses 3-12; but what most stood out to me was this…“So patiently did he endure the contradiction of sinners, that he turned it into instructions to his own disciples!” [Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible, Matthew 19]Perhaps a lesson to be learned from how Jesus responded to those who attempted to tempt him, test him and taunt him. Next come the little children – brought to Jesus for prayer – and the disciples rebuke.  But Jesus responds “let the little children come," placed his hands on them and prayed.Then a rich young man comes, asking what “good thing” he must do to get eternal life and Jesus speaks, instead, to the thing that has a hold on his heart.UnderstandingI love Jesus, the teacher.  He’s forever keeping things simple, living by example and shaking up the way people see things (the religious rhetoric) wherever he goes. Crowds of people have been following him for months!  To me that alone sounds awful.  I LOVE people, but I also crave solo time.  By this time I’d likely get very testy with the Pharisees and their attempts to test me…I don’t know that I’d be so gracious and purposeful in my response.  But Jesus never loses his cool with them; instead, he remains patient and uses his response to teach his disciples too. His response to the children in a reminder to me to be present, pray continuously and just love on the children in my life – not only mine, but all the kids I come in contact with. And, finally, the way Jesus responds to the rich young man…I think it’s got little to do with his wealth and everything to do with the young man’s heart.  He wanted to know what “good thing” he could do – what checkbox he could check – to gain eternal life.  The first response was to “obey the commandments.”   Check.  The young man responds that he’s done this.  But then Jesus grabs hold of the heart issue, “Sell all your possessions and follow me.”  To this, the young man turned and left, sad.I don’t believe this has anything to do with being rich or even having stuff.  I know Christians who are wealthy and who have stuff.  And I believe when we are good stewards with little, we are often given more.  However, what God has called us to and what Jesus speaks to here is “what holds your heart?”  Do you have the wealth and the stuff or does it have you?  We sang yesterday “Be my heart’s obsession, first and only in my life.  In your love alone, my soul is satisfied.”   They say you can tell where a person’s heart is (or priorities are) by how they spend their time, money and resources.  When we look at our lives in that way, is God showing up as our “heart’s obsession, first and only” or has that space been filled by something else?   Life ApplicationGod, I thank you for your presence.  I think Jesus’s time spent here on earth gave us a glimpse of intentional, purposeful and present you are.  Thank you for being present in the big and little details of our lives, for being patient with us, for teaching us.  May our hearts and mind remain open to that teaching.Thank you for your love for children.  May I remember that as I go throughout the day – taking time to be present with children (and all people, really)…to pray over them, love on them and see them through your eyes.And, finally, God, show me the areas of my life where you are not my heart’s obsession, not my first and only…where I’m finding (or attempting to find) soul satisfaction in something less than you.  Help me to release whatever those things may be, so that I may honor you with my WHOLE life, my WHOLE heart. I love you and thank you for your love for me.  Amen.  To check out the discussion or to join in click here.- Rei