Matthew the apostle wrote how, “one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why do you call me good? there is none good but one, that is, God:but if you will enter into life, keep the commandments. He said unto him, Which? Jesus said, You shall do no murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness. Honor your father and your mother: and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The young man said unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If you will be perfect, go and sell that you have, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions”, and in chapter nineteen and verse twenty-three of his book, Matthew shares how Jesus said, “a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven” where we read:
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you,
That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
The verse reads, “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, ...”. Matthew began with the words, “then said” or “at that time and moment uttered, declared and proclaimed” “Jesus” whose name means “Jehovah is Salvation and is the Son of God, the Savior of mankind and God incarnate” “unto his disciples” which means “to Jesus' students, pupils and attendants”, “verily” or “truly and surely” “I say” which means “Jesus utters, declares and proclaims” “unto you” which refers to “to Jesus' students, pupils and attendants”. Matthew shared how Jesus began to share another validated truth with His “disciples”.
The verse goes on to say, “ That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew added the words, “that a rich man” or “that a wealthy, abounding in material resources and abundantly supplied person” “shall hardly enter into” which means “will impracticably and with difficulty go in or make entrance into” “the kingdom” or “the royal power, kingship, dominion and rule” “of heaven” which refers to “which belongs to the region above the sidereal heavens, the seat of order of things eternal and consummately perfect where God dwells and other heavenly beings”. Matthew wrote how Jesus said it is only with great difficulty that a wealthy person gains entrance into Heaven's Kingdom.
When we consider Matthew's words in this verse, we see how Jesus observed the reaction of the young man to Jesus' directive, and He shared how difficult it is for people who have “wealth” to enter into Heaven's Kingdom. Generally people who have money and valuable things depend upon them rather than having a relationship with God, and therefore their “riches” become their god. God desires people to know He is the source of everything, and no one has anything that has not be given to them by Him. God gave His Son Jesus who is eternal and the most valuable asset anyone may ever have, and those who are wise will receive Him as their personal “Savior and Lord” and enter into God's Heavenly Kingdom where treasure never ends.
Next time Matthew shares how Jesus told His disciples, “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”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book
“Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the
marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the
Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms
Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County"
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www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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