The Promised King: The Cost of Entering the Kingdom

Matthew 19 turns toward Jerusalem.

The crowds follow. The Pharisees test Him on divorce. He raises the standard back to creation. He blesses the children the disciples tried to send away. He meets a rich young man who is willing to do anything for eternal life — except give up his wealth — and watches him walk away sorrowful.

Then He teaches the disciples that what is impossible with man is possible with God. He promises that those who have left everything for His sake will inherit far more — both in this life and in the age to come.

The Promised King raises the standard, opens the door to the children, exposes the wealth that masters us, and offers eternal life at the cost of everything we have called our own.

On divorce

When Jesus had finished these sayings, He went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. Great crowds followed Him, and He healed them there.

Pharisees came up to Him and tested Him:

"Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?"

He answered:

"Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate."

He goes back to Genesis. He does not go to the law of Moses first. He goes to creation. Marriage was instituted before the Fall, before any law was needed. It was meant to be one flesh, indissoluble.

They asked:

"Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?"

He answered:

"Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery."

The Promised King restores the standard. Moses tolerated divorce because of human hardness. The King calls us back to the design.

The disciples are shaken. If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.

He answers:

"Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given… Let the one who is able to receive this receive it."

Some, for the sake of the Kingdom, will live as eunuchs — celibate. The Kingdom of heaven is large enough to make sense of both lifelong marriage and lifelong singleness — when both are received as gifts from the King.

Let the children come

Then children were brought to Him that He might lay His hands on them and pray.

The disciples rebuked the people.

But Jesus said:

"Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven."

He laid His hands on them and went away.

The Promised King welcomes the children His own disciples tried to keep away. A child does not earn. A child does not perform. A child simply trusts. That is faith. That is how the Kingdom is entered.

The rich young man

And behold, a man came up to Him:

"Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?"

Jesus said:

"Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments."

The young man asked: Which ones?

Jesus listed them: You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness. Honor your father and mother. And, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

The young man said:

"All these I have kept. What do I still lack?"

Jesus said:

"If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."

When the young man heard this, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

The Promised King put His finger on the one thing the young man would not surrender. And the young man chose his possessions over the Christ he had been asking to follow.

The eye of a needle

Jesus said to His disciples:

"Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God."

The disciples were greatly astonished:

"Who then can be saved?"

In their categories, wealth was a sign of God's blessing. If the rich cannot be saved, who can?

Jesus looked at them and said:

"With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

This is the gospel in one sentence. Salvation is impossible to man. Salvation is possible to God. No one is too rich to be saved — but no one is rich enough to save themselves.

"We have left everything"

Then Peter said in reply: See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?

Jesus said:

"Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel."

"And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life."

"But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

The Promised King never asks anyone to give up something without giving back much more. Houses left, family left, lands left — all returned a hundredfold, both in this life (in the new family of God) and in the eternal life to come.

The disciples have left everything. The rich young man kept everything. The disciples will sit on thrones. The rich young man went home sorrowful.

The chapter ends with one of the most famous reversal sayings of the King:

"Many who are first will be last, and the last first."

The world's order of importance will be inverted in the Kingdom. Those the world ignores will be lifted up. Those the world honors may find themselves at the back of the line.

Closing prayer

Father, thank You for the King who restores marriage to its creation design, welcomes the children, and tells us the truth about money. Show us what we are holding that keeps us from following Christ fully. Loosen our grip. Make us willing to leave everything for His name's sake. And give us the hope that what is impossible with man is possible with You. In Jesus' name, amen.

The Promised King: The Cost of Entering the Kingdom

Matthew 19 turns toward Jerusalem.

The Promised King raises the standard, opens the door to the children, exposes the wealth that masters us, and offers eternal life at the cost of everything we have called our own.

On divorce

When Jesus had finished these sayings, He went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. Great crowds followed Him, and He healed them there.

Pharisees came up to Him and tested Him:

"Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?"

He answered:

"Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate."

He goes back to Genesis. He does not go to the law of Moses first. He goes to creation. Marriage was instituted before the Fall, before any law was needed. It was meant to be one flesh, indissoluble.

They asked:

"Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?"

He answered:

"Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery."

The Promised King restores the standard. Moses tolerated divorce because of human hardness. The King calls us back to the design.

The disciples are shaken. If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.

He answers:

"Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given… Let the one who is able to receive this receive it."

Let the children come

Then children were brought to Him that He might lay His hands on them and pray.

The disciples rebuked the people.

But Jesus said:

"Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven."

He laid His hands on them and went away.

The rich young man

And behold, a man came up to Him:

"Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?"

Jesus said:

"Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments."

The young man asked: Which ones?

The young man said:

"All these I have kept. What do I still lack?"

Jesus said:

"If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."

When the young man heard this, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

The Promised King put His finger on the one thing the young man would not surrender. And the young man chose his possessions over the Christ he had been asking to follow.

The eye of a needle

Jesus said to His disciples:

"Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God."

The disciples were greatly astonished:

"Who then can be saved?"

In their categories, wealth was a sign of God's blessing. If the rich cannot be saved, who can?

Jesus looked at them and said:

"With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

This is the gospel in one sentence. Salvation is impossible to man. Salvation is possible to God. No one is too rich to be saved — but no one is rich enough to save themselves.

"We have left everything"

Then Peter said in reply: See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?

Jesus said:

"Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel."

"And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life."

"But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

The disciples have left everything. The rich young man kept everything. The disciples will sit on thrones. The rich young man went home sorrowful.

The chapter ends with one of the most famous reversal sayings of the King:

"Many who are first will be last, and the last first."

The world's order of importance will be inverted in the Kingdom. Those the world ignores will be lifted up. Those the world honors may find themselves at the back of the line.