Notes from wed. night bible study meeting, Matthew Chapter 19 - 7/22/2020

In this chapter (19) I can envision Jesus teaching his disciples as they sit around him waiting for his words of wisdom ..

16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? 17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God….. Jesus teaches us that all “Goodness..all perfection comes from the father..

23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say unto you, 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. 25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? 26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

A WISE ANSWER TO A MISTAKEN QUESTION (Matthew 19:27-30)

19:27-30 Then Peter said to him, "Look you, we have left everything and have followed you. What then will we get?" Jesus said to him, "When all things are reborn, and when the Son of Man shall sit on the throne of his glory, you too, who have followed me, will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Anyone who has left houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or children, or lands for my name, will receive them a hundred times over, and he will enter into possession of eternal life. But many who were first will be last, and many who were last will be first."

It would have been very easy for Jesus to dismiss Peter's question with an impatient rebuke. In a sense, it was entirely the wrong question to ask. To put it bluntly, Peter was asking, "What do we get out of following you?" Jesus could well have said that anyone who followed him in that kind of spirit had no idea what following him meant at all. And yet it was a natural question. True, it had its implicit rebuke in the parable which followed; but Jesus did not scold Peter. He took his question, and out of it laid down three great laws of the Christian life.

(i) It is always true that he who shares Christ's campaign will share Christ's victory. In human warfare it has been too often true that the common soldiers who fought the battles were forgotten once the warfare was ended, and the victory won, and their usefulness past. In human warfare it has been too often true that men who fought to make a country in which heroes might live found that that same country had become a place where heroes might starve. It is not so with Jesus Christ. He who shares Christ's warfare will share Christ's triumph; and he who bears the Cross will wear the crown.

(ii) (ii) It is always true that the Christian will receive far more than ever he has to give up; but what he receives is not new material possessions, but a new fellowship, human and divine.

(iii) (iii) Finally, Jesus lays it down that there will be surprises in the final assessment. God's standards of judgment are not men's, if for no other reason than that God sees into the hearts of men. There is a new world to redress the balance of the old; there is eternity to adjust the misjudgements of time. And it may be that those who were humble on earth will be great in heaven, and that those who were great in this world will be humbled in the world to come.”

Matthew 19:30 Many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.

Further, when a man becomes a Christian, he enters into a new divine fellowship. He enters into possession of eternal life, the life which is the very life of God. From other things a Christian may be separated, but he can never be separated from the love of God in Christ Jesus his Lord.

For me this was a wonderful chapter… As I read I was transported to that place in time and wished I could have been there.. listening, learning and following him.

But we have this wonderful record, the bible and we have each other. The road map and the fellowship and as such we are truly blessed.

May God bless us each and every one and bless this bible study. Like a few stray birds we have clustered together and at best we are unworthy of your presence but if you would show compassion on us and grace us with your presence. Not just in our gathering together but everyday. May our live be guided by you and may we live lives that are pleasing to you..

Be with the sick and those who struggle with tragedy and grant us healing if it be your will… Bless our leaders and grant them wisdom.

We ask these things in Jesus’s name..

Amen