Sermon Notes

19 16 Then someone came to him and said, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is one who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness. 19 Honor your father and mother. Also, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “I have kept all these; what do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this word, he went away grieving, for he had many possessions.
23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person 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.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astounded and said, “Then who can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” 27 Then Peter said in reply, “Look, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man is seated on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or[e] children or fields for my name’s sake will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.
(New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition, NRSVue)
19 16 Another day, a man stopped Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” 17 Jesus said, “Why do you question me about what’s good? God is the One who is good. If you want to enter the life of God, just do what he tells you.” 18-19 The man asked, “What in particular?” Jesus said, “Don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t lie, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as you do yourself.” 20 The young man said, “I’ve done all that. What’s left?” 21 “If you want to give it all you’ve got,” Jesus replied, “go sell your possessions; give everything to the poor. All your wealth will then be in heaven. Then come follow me.” 22 That was the last thing the young man expected to hear. And so, crestfallen, he walked away. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and he couldn’t bear to let go.
23-24 As he watched him go, Jesus told his disciples, “Do you have any idea how difficult it is for the rich to enter God’s kingdom? Let me tell you, it’s easier to gallop a camel through a needle’s eye than for the rich to enter God’s kingdom.” 25 The disciples were staggered. “Then who has any chance at all?” 26 Jesus looked hard at them and said, “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it.” 27 Then Peter chimed in, “We left everything and followed you. What do we get out of it?” 28-30 Jesus replied, “Yes, you have followed me. In the re-creation of the world, when the Son of Man will rule gloriously, you who have followed me will also rule, starting with the twelve tribes of Israel. And not only you, but anyone who sacrifices home, family, fields—whatever—because of me will get it all back a hundred times over, not to mention the considerable bonus of eternal life. This is the Great Reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first.” (The Message, MSG)

We live in a world that privileges wealth and prestige over the poor and common. From the rise and development of city states, nations, and empires, the wealthy, politically connected, and those with elevated social status, have held the center of power and wielded that power to their own benefits often without regard for those without power, social standing or economic means. During the time when Jesus of Nazareth lived, people like king Herod, Pontius Pilate, and some Jewish religious leaders (priests, Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes), wielded religious, political, and economic power for the benefit of the Roman Empire and their personal benefit. They lived extraordinarily “comfortable” lives, with their economic wealth funding extravagant clothes, palatial houses, political appointments, a domestic slave economy, and they amassed most of the land holdings for themselves.
Because of their wealth, this tiny 1 to 3% of the population was first in every aspect of society and everybody else was last. The “lasts,” lived under constant threat of poverty, while others often teetered on the precipice of poverty because they were one failed crop, one sickness, or one bad natural disaster away from economic calamity. Taxes were high, healthcare was reserved primarily for the rich, and “the last” never conceived of owning their own home or retiring in ease. They were born into, and would die in, the permanent underclass.
However, the gospels declare that into this 1st century plutocracy Jesus was born. As his ministry began, he emerged teaching and preaching a startling reality: “the kingdom of God is at hand.” According to Jesus, the kingdom of God is one that radically reshapes society into a world where the “least of these,” is as important as the wealthiest plutocrat. Further, as this week’s lesson reveals, the empire or kingdom of God radically reorders the hierarchy of everyone in the world.

Matthew’s Gospel consists of six major parts, and our lesson text for this week emerges from the fourth portion (16:21–20:34). In these chapters, Jesus teaches that authentic discipleship challenges current power structures and dismantles the status quo by radically living out the kingdom of God through communal practice. Actions such as love and forgiveness (18:1-35), mutuality in marriage (19:1-12), embracing children and child-like faith (19:13-15), and suffering through taking up one’s cross are the praxis of discipleship. It’s the cross—not riches, political power, nor societal standing—that will ultimately evidence God’s kingdom.
In this week’s lesson text, Jesus’ encounter with a young man, who happens to be rich, emphasizes how it is the poor—not the rich—who have the first place in God’s kingdom. This narrative, which has parallels in Mark 10:17-31 and Luke 18:18-30, reveals a crucial lesson about the kingdom of God: disinvestment from wealth is one of the ways that God kingdom ensures plenty for all. This text can be divided into two major parts: verses 16-22 and verses 23-30.

16 Another day, a man stopped Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” 17 Jesus said, “Why do you question me about what’s good? God is the One who is good. If you want to enter the life of God, just do what he tells you.” 18-19 The man asked, “What in particular?” Jesus said, “Don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t lie, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as you do yourself.” 20 The young man said, “I’ve done all that. What’s left?” 21 “If you want to give it all you’ve got,” Jesus replied, “go sell your possessions; give everything to the poor. All your wealth will then be in heaven. Then come follow me.” 22 That was the last thing the young man expected to hear. And so, crestfallen, he walked away. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and he couldn’t bear to let go.
In the first major part of the lesson text, Jesus has a public verbal exchange with a rich young ruler on the requirements for eternal life. Several observations guide an interpretation of this conversation.
1. The idea of the “rich young ruler” is a harmonization of all three gospel stories. There is no “rich young ruler” in any single New Testament gospel. In Mark the man is called rich. In Luke, the man is called a “ruler, or archon in Greek, who is rich, which would mean that he was a man of considerable power and influence. He was one of the 1-3% at the top of the societal hierarchy. He is a “first.” Only in Matthew is the man called “young” (neaniskos in Greek). In Matthew's Gospel, he represents the type of upwardly mobile, economically successful young person that their community would love to attract and retain. However, those types of young people are not interested in the different value system that Jesus calls for and the Christian community lives out. Embracing the kingdom of God requires a rejection of the world’s values, the world’s motives, and the world’s selfish emphasis on “me, myself and I.”
2. This man is an outsider. When he calls Jesus, “Teacher,” this indicates he is not a disciple, but an outsider. In Matthew’s gospel, disciples call Jesus “Lord.”
3. This man was rich. Jesus instructed the man to sell all his possessions, to give the proceeds to the poor, and to follow Him. It would be easy for us to convince ourselves that Jesus’ words don’t apply to us. But we must remember that Jesus said the same thing to His disciples before (Luke 12:33, 34). We must take this teaching seriously, analyzing the primary lesson that Matthew’s gospel is trying to tell us.
4. This man was young. More than likely, his wealth was inherited, because he did not have time enough to have earned it. This means that this person’s prosperity was not a sign of his own piety, even from the vantage point of the Israelites.
5. The questions the young man asked, and the answers Jesus gave, are from the perspective of the law code. The man came to Jesus based on his understanding and performance of the law, and he was looking for some other good deed(s) to perform. This was customary in the 1st century Greco-Roman world. Wealthy citizens were supposed to do public “good works,” which were called euergetism in Greek, for the benefit of society. The wealthy competed against each other for public recognition of their charitable accomplishments.
6. Though this man had kept the law, he found no assurance from the law. This man seemed to have everything. He was very rich. And yet he raises the question about what he lacks. Clearly, the law code did not provide this man any assurance of eternal life.
First, Jesus deals with this man by focusing his attention on the matter of “goodness” (righteousness) in two major areas: God’s goodness and the man’s lack of goodness. The young man calls Jesus good, apparently trying to curry favor with Jesus. Jesus responds that only God is good, clarifying how questions of eternal life always originate with God’s goodness and God’s activity towards humanity, not the other way around.
Second, Jesus responds to the underlying question that the rich young man asks: “Good Teacher, what good thing must I do to inherit eternal life?” This leads back to the young man’s ideas of doing public good works—euergetism—as the primary path to eternal life. His ideas about God’s acceptance are completely wrapped up in what good acts he thinks he is doing.
When Jesus responds to the young man’s question about which portion of the law to observe, he does not mention the entire of law. Rather, he selectively points to the portions of the law that governs our relationship with each other. Jesus is making the point that the kingdom of God is about how we treat and relate to each other. The man says he has done all of that. Then, Jesus makes the statement that dismantles what the young man holds most dear: “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” Jesus’ comments cause the rich young man to walk away with his heart dashed to pieces. Who in their right mind would give up all their money to follow Jesus and be a part of God’s kingdom?
23-24 As he watched him go, Jesus told his disciples, “Do you have any idea how difficult it is for the rich to enter God’s kingdom? Let me tell you, it’s easier to gallop a camel through a needle’s eye than for the rich to enter God’s kingdom.” 25 The disciples were staggered. “Then who has any chance at all?” 26 Jesus looked hard at them and said, “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it.” 27 Then Peter chimed in, “We left everything and followed you. What do we get out of it?” 28-30 Jesus replied, “Yes, you have followed me. In the re-creation of the world, when the Son of Man will rule gloriously, you who have followed me will also rule, starting with the twelve tribes of Israel. And not only you, but anyone who sacrifices home, family, fields—whatever—because of me will get it all back a hundred times over, not to mention the considerable bonus of eternal life. This is the Great Reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first.”
In the second portion of this lesson text, Jesus discusses with his disciples the exchange he had with the rich young ruler. At first, the disciples are caught off guard by Jesus’ words. They had, like most of their Jewish community, equated piteous law observance with prosperity. They viewed riches as a sign of God’s favor. However, Jesus tells them something contradictory to their understanding: the ownership of wealth can be a hinderance to embracing the Kingdom of God. Just like Jesus taught that one must become like a child to enter the kingdom, Jesus teaches one must also let go of everything that we put before God to embrace the kingdom of God.
The disciple’s question, “who has any chance at all?,” shows they are beginning to grasp the extreme nature of God’s kingdom. Embracing the kingdom of God/heaven requires a radical rejection of the notion that the wealth of the world should be hoarded by those at the top. Life in God’s kingdom rejects the type of thinking that says, “because I am wealthy, I can reshape the world in my image!” Jesus’ reply, “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you let God do it,” indicates salvation for the rich seems humanly impossible—not because of their wealth, but because their wealth causes them to rely on the wrong things. And thus, Jesus tells the disciples that while this was not humanly possible, it was Divinely possible; only God can save.
Peter then expresses the corporate concern: “We left everything and followed You. What do we get out of it?” Peter’s thinking was not different from that of the rich young man. He was not willing to give up his wealth to gain eternal life and to follow Jesus, and Peter is asking Jesus what benefits there were for those who did follow Jesus. Both were thinking materially and transactionally. Jesus’ response emphasizes both eternal and temporal benefits. Jesus promises that those things the disciples held dear, but gave up following Him, would be rewarded 100-fold, in this life, and that eternal life would also be given in the age to come.
Jesus’ response to the disciples corrects their myopic thinking. They may think they have given up a lot, but they had made a great investment. If a person can give up something and be repaid 100-fold in this life, and in addition receive eternal life, this sacrifice is worth it. Further, while the disciples have given up a lot, their sacrifice is nothing compared to the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus will make. He will give his very life for the world’s benefit. It is through his death, resurrection, and second coming that the last shall indeed become first. Matthew’s version of the “rich young ruler” story calls Christians to embrace the kingdom of God and reorder their lives to privilege community over the individual. We must live in a way that rejects the worlds values and upholds the values of Jesus of Nazareth.