Am struck again with the repetition of the phrase, "Kingdom of Heaven." Matthew is describing a kind of life that is subject to a heavenly king. We don't think in those terms very often, but it makes sense of many of the demands of Christ.
In the Q&A about divorce Jesus' appeal to the beginning and to God's initial design appear to be the structure from which we must think about divorce. We cannot think about divorce apart from the design of marriage.
The so-called, Rich Young Ruler feels some kind of need, though he is not sure of what. But it is that lack, that insufficiency that drives him to Jesus. I cannot escape, either, how hard Jesus is on him! What if Jesus were that hard on me! Saving a rich person appears to be the hardest thing on record. . . without God it is impossible!
2 comments:
When I read about the rich man, I think, aren't we all very rich? Yah, some more than others, but what we don't have in money we have in other possessions and even in family. Aren't we all just a bunch of camels? It seems that the disciples were thinking the same thing. v.25 "Who then, can be saved?" and I love the answer "with God all things are possible." Thank goodness.
I think of the rich young ruler like many of us, myself included, who hold "things" (for lack of a better word) in our hearts that crowd out the Lord Jesus. Outwardly, this young man had the appearance and form of being righteous. People looking in from the outside would probably say that he was pious, religious, and that the Lord had blessed him. But Jesus knew his heart, and knew that he was holding on to his wealth in such a way as to crowd Him out. We may have corners of our hearts where Jesus doesn't quite reign supreme; I trust that He will point those things out to us, and with His spirit we will have the strength to let Him in, 100%.
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