Who Cannot Enter the Kingdom?

Transcript

GR 713
6/16/1985
Who Can Enter the Kingdom?
Matthew 19:13-26
Gil Rugh

There is a logical sequence in Matthew 19 that is picked up by the gospel writers. Matthew, Mark and Luke each record the material in Matthew 19 in the same order and in the same connection: Jesus began by talking about marriage and matters related to marriage. He then had a brief section talking about children and followed that by talking about material possessions and how material possessions affect our relationship with God. So there is a logical connection in the material that is being covered.
The discussion about children is not new. Jesus talked about children and the importance of children and used them as an illustration earlier in Matthew 18. Jesus was asked the question, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” (Matt. 18:1) In answer to that question, He got a little child and stood that child in the midst of the disciples, and He told them, “Unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:3-4). The child is an illustration of what we are to be like if we are to enter the kingdom of heaven and become the children of God. A child has a humble dependence and trust. This exemplifies what we are to have as adults in relation to God. The problem is that as we grow older, other things come into the picture. Our own personal pride grows and blossoms. We acquire the things of this world. These all become obstacles to humbling ourselves before God and trusting Him alone for our salvation.
The setting is a little different in Matthew 19:13, “Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them.” Evidently parents’ bringing their children to Christ demonstrated recognition of the greatness of His person and of His personal importance because they desired to have their children blessed by Christ and prayed for by Christ. The disciples’ response indicated that they had yet to understand the importance of children and their childlike faith because they rebuked these people. They were jealous for Christ’s time. They did not think that He had time for these little children or that the children should be pestering Christ in the midst of His busy day. “But Jesus said, ‘Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’ After laying His hands on them, He departed from there” (Matt. 19:14, 15). Jesus reminded the disciples that this was what His ministry and message were all about. The kingdom that He offered belonged to such as these.

The same comparison was given in Matthew 18. The kingdom of heaven is that kingdom over which Christ will rule and reign, and it belongs to those who come and submit to Him in childlike faith. The coming of the children is to be encouraged because children come with a humble dependence, reliance and trust that adults lose as they get older.
This is seen in those who come to trust Christ even today. If you compare how many are led to Christ by their parents, by Sunday school teachers or by Bible Club teachers when they are very young with how many are saved after they retire, there is no comparison. You would think that a person who is more senior in years would have all the years of maturity and experience and therefore a clearer perception of the need for a Savior and a willingness to trust Him. But it works just the opposite, doesn’t it? Multitudes of children come to faith in Christ, but it becomes very difficult with the passing of years. Adults become unwilling to humble themselves. They develop a reliance upon their possessions and their good works, and it is hard to let go of those things and trust Christ.
The children are a beautiful example of that willing humble dependence upon Him. There may be some inference in this passage to a child’s relationship to Christ although I am not going into that. I have alluded to this on other occasions that when Christ did refer to children or use them as examples, He did it with a positive tone. He did not use them as examples of dirty little sinners, but He used them as examples of what we all are to be like. Are children saved? The Bible does not say, but where the Bible refers to children, it does so in a positive sense.
The particular point Jesus was making is the humility and trustfulness of children. They are willing to rely upon someone. Children put themselves in someone else’s hands with the faith and the trust that they will be cared for. We know that children are sinners because all people are born sinners, so if the sin of children is covered, including the sin they are born with, it must be in the work of Christ. The Bible does not directly address the issue.
I was amazed at how many commentators, including good, solid, evangelical commentators, wanted to read baptism into Matthew 19:13-15. Their conclusion was that since the children were to come to Christ, then we should baptize them. There is no indication in this passage that any children were baptized or that Christ encouraged them to be baptized. Christ encouraged the children to come, and we as parents ought to take advantage of the openness of the children to bring the message of Christ to them.
As adults, we ought to read Matthew 19:13-15 carefully. Sometimes we think it is beneath us to carry on a children’s ministry. “I mean, after all, I’m a great Bible teacher and I want to teach adults.” This attitude is similar to the disciples’ attitude and fails to appreciate the emphasis that Christ had. Jesus rebuked the disciples and told them to encourage the children to come. That is a good example of what we must be like.
Jesus moved right from that to an example of a man who was unwilling to have a childlike humble dependence upon Christ alone for His salvation. This implies a close connection in the message of the children and the account of the rich young ruler. It is easy to separate the two, but Jesus had just emphasized that His followers must become like children. He said the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these, meaning to those who become like children in humble dependence upon Christ. Then the rich young ruler approached Him, and he is an example of a man who was unwilling to become like a child and trust Christ and so forfeited eternal life.
The account of the rich young ruler begins in Matthew 19:16, 17, “And someone came to Him and said, ‘Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?’ And He said to him, ‘Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good.’” Mark and Luke recorded this with some variation in the way it is presented. Mark 10:17 says, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” The rich young ruler addressed Christ as the One who is good. It may be that both occurred, that he addressed Christ as the Good Teacher and that he asked Him what good thing he could do to have eternal life.
Jesus, in Mark’s account said, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone” (Mark 10:18). In Matthew 19, Jesus asked, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good.” Goodness resides only ultimately in God. “There is none who does good, there is not even one,” Paul wrote in Romans 3:12. Jesus drew this young man’s attention to what he really said. Was Jesus denying that He is God? Was He saying, "you ought not call me God or look to Me for information about God?” Obviously not. This account of the rich young ruler is an excellent example of how Jesus carried on an evangelistic outreach. He picked this young man up right where he was and gently but clearly moved him to the point where he needed to be.
The rich young ruler is called the rich young ruler because he was all three. He was rich, he was young and he was a ruler. There is nothing original in the title. He is called young in Matthew 19:22, “When the young man heard this statement.” This could refer to someone anywhere up to 40 years of age so he was young relatively speaking. Luke 18:18 calls him a ruler which indicates he was probably a ruler in the local synagogue, “A ruler questioned Him.” This would mean he was a religious man with a position of power and authority in the religious community. And he was very rich. At the end of Matthew 19:22, it says “he was one who owned much property.”
In many ways this was a person who had it all, humanly speaking. He was young, so he still had the vigor and the health of youth. He was rich, so he had the opportunity to enjoy the things of this life without the pressure felt by those who do not have them. He was a ruler so he had prestige, influence and power.
He was a very privileged person, and he came to Christ and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” This shows that he was also a very perceptive person. He had not allowed himself to become completely blinded by his good life. He recognized that something was missing in spite of the fact that he was a religious ruler and had wealth and evidently good health.
It is interesting that this religious young man recognized that he needed eternal life. Eternal life, entering the kingdom and being saved are all used synonymously in this passage. To have eternal life in the Jewish context was to be privileged to go into the Messianic kingdom to experience God’s salvation.
I also think it is interesting the way Jesus responded to him. This man came and asked what good thing shall I do to obtain eternal life? Do you know what some of us would have done? We would say, “Young man, let me tell you, there’s nothing you can do to obtain eternal life because you don’t get eternal life by your works.” Jesus Christ did not respond that way.
Three things are necessary for salvation. First, recognition of the need, thus recognize one’s sinfulness. This young man already had that; he knew that he was lacking something for eternal life. Second, recognition of the person of Christ, which was what Christ was dealing with when He asked him, “why are you asking Me about what is good? Why do you address Me as one who is good?” Third, willingness to let go of other things and trust Christ alone for salvation. Through this discussion, Christ was bringing this young man to that point.
So Jesus asked him why he was addressing Him as One who is good and has knowledge about good or God. Jesus wanted him to stop and think. Did he really understand who Jesus was?
Jesus did not wait for an answer but said, “But if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments” (Matt. 19:17). This is not the response we would have expected. It has never, ever, in any circumstance, in any situation, been possible to be saved by keeping the commandments. The Scripture is clear on that.
I want to refer to Romans 3 as a background for what Christ was doing and why He was doing it. This young man thought by doing something good he could be saved. That is what the average person thinks today, and that is why the average person is religious: “by doing the right things, by doing good things, I can get to heaven.” Jesus referred to keeping the commandments. There were 613 commandments in the Mosaic Law. They are summarized in what we call the Ten Commandments. These commandments are a revelation of the righteous, holy character of God. Paul wrote in Romans 3:20, “Because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight.” God says that not one person, no flesh, will be declared righteous by God by keeping the Law or doing the commandments. The Law and all of its commandments were never intended by God to be a means of salvation, but rather, a means of revelation. The Law was not given to bring salvation but to enable a person to understand that he is a sinner in need of salvation. “Through the law comes the knowledge of sin” (Rom. 3:20).
Through the Law I learned that I am a sinner. I learned that I fall short of God’s standards and God’s demands of absolute perfection. The Law was intended to give me knowledge of sin. When God said, “Do this; and don’t do this,” He revealed to me what sin was and then I saw that I constantly fail to do what He told me to do and constantly do what He told me not to do. So I gained knowledge of sin through the Law, which was never intended to be a vehicle of salvation.
Romans 7:7 says, “What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, ‘You shall not covet.’” So the Law revealed sin by telling me what sin was, and I was revealed to be a sinner.
People constantly want to fall back into the pattern of being saved by something they do, by trying to be what God wants them to be, and by trying to obey the commandments of God. It is the constant tendency to fall back into legalism as a means of salvation or trying to keep laws to be pleasing to God. In Galatians 2:16 Paul said, “Nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.” Paul started out by saying that we know that a man is not justified by works. Could God be any clearer? No one is going to be justified by Him or declared righteous by the keeping of the Law or by obeying the Ten Commandments.
In Matthew 19 why did Jesus Christ tell this young man to keep the commandments? He responded to him in a way that would get his attention. If you could keep all the commandments perfectly all the time, you could go to heaven. If you could keep all 613 commandments every day, all of your life, you would go to heaven. Do you know why? Because you would be perfect. The Law is a revelation of the perfect character of God, and if I perfectly obey His Law, then I would be perfect in accord with His character and I could go to heaven. So if you want to go to heaven by your works, all you have to do is be perfect because perfect people do not need to be forgiven. Perfect people do not need salvation. If you are not a sinner, then you do not need to be saved. But we know that all have sinned.
The young man was interested. “Then he said to Him, ‘Which ones?’” (Matt. 19:18). He wanted to know which commandments Jesus thought he should keep in order to get to heaven. Again Jesus did not respond the way I would. I would have told him he has to keep all 613 commandments. Then the young man would have asked about all the other ones that the scribes and Pharisees had added. But Jesus continued to bring him along and move him along to the point that He wanted him.
Jesus picked the commandments from what is called the Second Table of the Law. “And Jesus said, ‘You shall not commit 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’” (Matt. 19:18, 19). The First Table of the Law had to do primarily with a person’s relationship with God. The Second Table had to do more with a person’s relationship with men. Do you know which one Jesus left out of the Second Table? “You shall not covet.” Jesus was working with this young man. He did not want to lose him yet so he listed the commandments that this young man would have kept. After all, he was a religious ruler, a leader in the synagogue, and Christ knew that. As such he wouldn’t commit adultery or steal, and he would want to honor his parents. He would keep all these commandments.
Note what the young man said in response in Matthew 19:20, “The young man said to Him, ‘All these things I have kept. What am I still lacking?’” He did not say, “Ihave kept all these things. Therefore I am going to have eternal life.” He still had that sense of need. Christ beautifully brought him to that point where Christ did not have to tell him that he lacked something. He asked Christ what was lacking in his life. The issue of obeying the commandments has been taken care of. Even though he obeyed the commandments, it still hadn’t provided him eternal life. This is a good reminder for us as we share Christ with people. You need to be sensitive to work with them and bring them along; help them see the need they have.
Christ responded to him in Matthew 19:21, “Jesus said to him, ‘If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’” Jesus responded to his request to know how to be perfect or complete, to take care of that which was lacking. The young man was to leave his possessions and follow Christ. Is that not the issue in salvation? The question was, what can I do to have eternal life? The answer was, come, follow Me. What must I do to be saved? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. I believe Christ was saying exactly the same thing.
That is to be taken in the context. True saving faith involves letting go of everything and everyone else and trusting Christ alone for salvation. He brought this rich young ruler to the point of tension in his life. Do you know what the real issue with this rich young man was? It was not adultery or murder or stealing or honoring parents, but covetousness. It was his love for his possessions. If there was one thing in his life that was more important to him than eternal life, it was the things that he had. He could not let go of them to trust Christ alone. And you cannot be saved by trusting Christ plus your possessions any more than you can be saved by trusting Christ plus your baptism.
Christ brought this young man to the point of issue in his life. For him, it was all the things that he had. Does this mean that the first step in being saved is giving away everything you have? Obviously not. Christ talked to each individual a bit differently. It is helpful to have a plan of attack in our evangelistic outreach and to be sensitive to the people that we are evangelizing. Jesus dealt with this young man by recognizing his need. For him, the possessions in his life were a barrier and had become more important than God Himself. If Jesus had told the young man that, the young man would have probably denied it. But it became clear when Christ told him to give it all away. Jesus promised that it would be replaced with treasure in heaven.
The young man’s response is amazing, Matthew 19:22, “But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.” This is unique in the ministry of Christ that someone would come to Him like this and go away downcast and sorrowful. The man’s possessions were more important to him than eternal life. He had just asked, “What good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” (v. 16). And Jesus said, “Give away all you have got andfollow Me.” But he couldn’t do that, the rich young man realized that his possessions were more important to him than eternal life.
This seems so clear in his life, but it goes on all the time today. There are all sorts of barriers. The example of children is helpful in this context as well. Their lives are so simple and uncluttered. They do not have lots of things to muddy the picture. Many people decide they cannot trust Christ because it would cost them their friends or their jobs or their position of influence or their inheritance. All these things become so important to them that they cannot give them up. Did Jesus mean that you cannot have any possessions and be saved? Obviously not. Some of the greatest men of God were very wealthy men, but they had to be willing to let go of their wealth.
Abraham is one of the most outstanding examples. He was a man of tremendous wealth and a righteous man before God. In Genesis 22 God told Abraham to let go of the most important thing in his life, his son Isaac. God told him to offer his son up to God. What did Abraham do? He packed the donkey and started off to do it. This indicates that he had let go of everything, and his trust was in God. He was a man who had possessions, but they did not have hold of him. He even let go of that most precious of all possessions for God.
But this rich young man decided that he could not follow Christ if it meant he would have to let go of his things. So he turned and went away grieved. Let me ask you: What does it matter what he had? Now, 2000 years later, no one knows how much property he owned. Was he a millionaire or a billionaire? When I was in Israel, I did not see any property marked out, “BELONGED TO THE RICH YOUNG RULER.” There were no tours of his huge, wonderful, gold palace. I did not even meet anybody who knew who the rich young ruler was or where any of his property had been. But in the distorted vision of that young man at that point in time he decided that what he had was too important to give up for eternal life. It gave him security and a life of comfort and ease. Am I like the rich young ruler? Can I let go of my possessions or the things which give me security?
Mark 10:21 says that Jesus loved this young man. He really wanted him to come and follow Him. But this young man went away grieved. He did not go away lighthearted or happy. He was sorry that he could not have eternal life. But it was too great a cost.
Jesus continued teaching His disciples in Matthew 19:23-25, “And Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’ When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, ‘Then who can be saved?’” That word “astonished” literally means something to the effect that they were knocked out of their minds. Today one might say it blew their minds. They could not get over it.

Jesus said it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom. How hard is hard? It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. Some have tried to explain this by saying that the camel gate was in one of the inner walls of the city of Jerusalem and the camel gate was intended for people to go through. If you unloaded the camel and made it get down on its knees, you could get the camel through. But Luke used the word for a surgical needle when he referred to the eye of a needle. As far as anyone can tell, this idea of there being a camel gate came up in about the sixteenth century and no one has ever come up with any real camel gate.
The point is not that it is difficult for a rich man to get into heaven. It is impossible. There was also a proverb or an expression similar to this that the Babylonians used before New Testament times. They talked about an elephant going through the eye of a needle. Jesus used the largest animal that the Jews were generally aware of and had before them constantly, a camel, expressing impossibility. The disciples recognized this. They were astonished. Then who can be saved? Riches and prosperity were taken as blessings from God. If those whom God has blessed in a special way cannot get to heaven, who can?

Christ said humanly speaking it is impossible. “And looking at them Jesus said to them, ‘With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible’” (Matt. 19:26). It is impossible for men to be saved from the human perspective. With God, all things are possible.
Note what Jesus did in this brief period of time. He established the foundation by showing that you need a childlike faith in Him for salvation. You must be like a child who is willing to trust the adult. Think about your children. You hold them up or you throw them in the air or they want to jump into your arms. They never say, “What if you don’t catch me?” They’re so trusting. That is one reason why it is so terrible when children are abused and taken advantage of. So the foundation is that beautiful childlike trust and dependence. Then He gave an example of this young man who thought he could be saved by being the best person that he could be. Christ brought him to realize that he did have a need. The need was filled first of all by recognizing who Christ was, the one who was God in the flesh. And second by being willing to let go of everything else, trusting Him alone and following Him.
Then He drew it to a close by telling the disciples that this does not happen unless God works in a supernatural way. Salvation is the work of God. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph. 2:8, 9). The grace of God brings about salvation through faith. But the foundation for my salvation is not faith. It is the grace of God. The fact that anyone is saved is a testimony of the greatness of the grace of God in reaching down and taking hold of sinful human beings and squeezing them through the eye of that needle.
It is impossible to ever get a camel through the eye of a needle. It would be a remarkable work of grace. So how does God ever get a camel like me through the eye of a needle, into heaven? It is impossible for me, but salvation is a supernatural work of God. He works to reach down and take sinful human beings and bring them to the point of being willing to let go of everything and cast themselves upon God and His mercy for their salvation.
Paul wrote to the Corinthians that not many wise and not many mighty and not many noble are called. The more possessions and the more things a person has, the more difficult it is for that person to let go of what they have. Some of you have had the opportunity to share the gospel with someone who is very wealthy. It can be very difficult for them to decide to let go of what they have and what they have accomplished and what they have acquired and the security that gives and to humble themselves before God and cast themselves on the mercy of God for His salvation. It is not impossible from God’s perspective, but it is impossible from man’s perspective.
Are some very rich people saved? Yes, by the grace of God. Are some relatively rich people saved? Yes, by the grace of God. Are some very poor people saved? Yes, by the grace of God. As I studied this passage, I was thinking of how that impacts the gospel in our world today. Where is the gospel flourishing and where are people being saved in larger numbers? It is not in the rich and wealthy countries. Look at our own country, where we are so blessed and we are the rich of the world. It is very difficult to reach out with the gospel and make an impact. One would think, with all of our resources, we ought to be very effective in sharing the gospel. But all the resources become a hindrance even to believers. I could not help but think as I read this passage of the obstacle to faith that riches present and that the more you have, the more difficult it is to give it up.
Paul wrote to Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:17, “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.” We are not to trust in the deceitfulness of riches. Paul wrote also that some believers have made a ruin of their lives and of their faith because of their love of things. I develop a certain security in what I have. Then those possessions become important and I spend so much of my life acquiring them. Then I spend the rest of my life trying to be sure I don’t lose them.

Could I walk away from all my possessions? If Christ took them all away and I woke up tomorrow and all I had were the clothes on my back and no food for breakfast, how would that affect my faith in Him? How shaken would I be? Would I believe He could provide me breakfast? Then could I trust Him for lunch? Today people are more concerned with what they are going to do when they retire. Will Social Security last? What about our retirement account? This is what happens when the things of this life press in. For the unbeliever it is even scarier.
This rich young man made a decision. It seems so obvious as we study it 2000 years later. What a choice! He decided it was too costly to let go of everything and follow Jesus Christ. What was the true cost? We tend to measure the cost by looking at the wrong side. It may cost a lot to follow Christ, but in light of eternity what does it cost?
Peter responded to Christ in the passage for our next study and pointed out that he had given up everything to follow Him. Christ promised him that he would be a ruler in His kingdom and that he would have possessions which will last. As we look back, who is the wealthiest? Is it the rich young ruler or the poor young fisherman who left everything to follow Christ? What a shame. What an exchange.
What stands between you and eternal life? What is more important to you than eternal life? Is it your friends, your position, your possessions, or your health? Is there anything so valuable, so worthwhile that would cause you to turn around, walk away from Christ and decide it is too costly to give that up? Would you rather have that than eternal life? Praise God for His grace. He has offered His salvation and in His grace He draws us to that salvation. You are confronted with the same Savior that this rich young ruler was confronted with and the same decision hangs over you. Will you let go of whatever you are holding onto and humble yourself, trusting Him alone as the One who died for you?