Introductory remarks:
Jesus now leaves Galilee; He heads toward Jerusalem and the cross, going through Perea on the east of the Jordan. "In the last chapter the disciples were at school in the house; in this chapter they are in school on the way"(The Expositor's Greek Testament).
Teaching about Divorce
(Mark 10:1-12)
Verse 1, "And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judea beyond Jordan."
LGT "And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these words, He withdrew from Galilee, and came to the borders of Judea beyond the Jordan."
"And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings,"
The sayings that Matthew is here referring are the sayings that Jesus spoke in chapters 16-18.
"He departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judea beyond Jordan."
"This is a curious expression. It apparently means that Jesus left Galilee to go to Judea by way of Perea as the Galileans often did to avoid Samaria. Luke (17:11) expressly says that he passed through Samaria and Galilee when he left Ephraim in Northern Judea (John 11:54). He was not afraid to pass through the edge of Galilee and down the Jordan Valley in Perea on this last journey to Jerusalem" (Robertson).
Verse 2, "And great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there."
LGT "And great crowds followed him, and He healed them there."
Wherever Jesus traveled great crowds gathered and followed him; it was well known throughout the whole of the land that Jesus was the Great Healer and miracle worker. By His compassion and grace in healing the great numbers in the crowds He was demonstrating to them that He was the Promised Messiah.
McGee adds:
"I want to put together and emphasize what has been emphasized before several times. One word is multitudes and the other word is healed. It was not just a few people that were healed; multitudes were healed. I am more and more impressed by this as time goes on. If you are going to be a faith healer, brother, you ought to go to the hospitals and empty them. That is what our Lord did when He passed by; if anyone wanted to be healed, they could be healed. Multitudes were healed!"
Verse 3, "The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?"
LGT "And [the] Pharisees came to Him tempting Him, and saying, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?"
"The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him,"
Bruce says that the Pharisees could not ask Jesus a question without a sinister motive. Wherever Jesus went to minister there were those pesky self-righteous Pharisees to try and trap Jesus into saying the wrong thing so they might entrap Him and have Him arrested in order that they might crucify Him.
"Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?"
"This clause is an allusion to the dispute between the two theological schools over the meaning of Deut. 24:1, When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favor in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her; then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. The school of Shammai took the strict and unpopular view of divorce for unchastity alone, while the school of Hillel took the liberal and popular view of easy divorce for any passing whim if the husband saw a prettier woman (modern enough surely) or burnt his biscuits for breakfast. It was a pretty dilemma and meant to do Jesus harm with the people" (A.T. Robertson).
Shepherd writes:
"The Pharisees would force Jesus to line up with one side or the other of the theological factions and so alienate a part of the crowd. Or perhaps, knowing already what Jesus thought about such questions, they wished to bring Him again into direct conflict with Herod Antipas. That wicked ruler was living with Herodias in open adultery. John the Baptist had denounced their sin and lost his own head. If they could get Jesus to denounce openly this Herod and the wicked Herodias, they might succeed in doing away with Him soon. They had worked that plan successfully in John's case, and that right at the height of his ministerial success. This would be even better than to push into a controversy with one of the Rabbinical schools. They therefore raise the question of divorce in its current form, as reported by Matthew: Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause."
Verse 4, "And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female."
LGT "But He answering said, Have you not read that the One who created [them] from the beginning, made them male and female?"
The Pharisees attempted to trap our Lord into giving an answer that would infuriate Herod, or that might alienate Himself from the people; however, Christ was never interested in giving an answer that might adhere Him to either factions. Christ could only answer with the truth for He was the Truth. God instituted marriage for the protection of the family; He instituted capital punishment for the protection of society; He instituted the Sabbath for the protection of the individual to have a day in the week for rest.
Edersheim notes:
"The Lord appealed straight to the highest authority - God's institution of marriage. He Who at the beginning had made them male and female, had in the marriage relation 'joined them together,' to the breaking of every other, even the nearest, relationship, to be 'one flesh' - that is, to a union which was a unity. Such was the fact of God's ordering. It followed, that they were one - and what God willed to be one, man might not put asunder."
McGee adds:
"As far as the Mosaic Law was concerned, a divorce was not as bad as was marriage to a stranger (a Gentile). For instance, if the priest's daughter married a stranger, she was shut out from the nation Israel. However, as time went on, the Mosaic Law was made meaningless, and the granting of divorce was done on the flimsiest pretexts, such as burning the bread. As a result, there was a great of discussion relative to divorce in our Lord's day [and by the way, there is still a lot of discussion going on among Christians today regarding this issue of divorce]."
Verse 5, "And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?"
LGT "And He said, On account of this a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be glued to his wife, and the two shall be into one flesh."
"For this cause shall a man leave father and mother,"
I enjoy reading this phrase because it has so much meaning in it for our putrid society; today children are encouraged to go out on their own and discover the world; in a Christian home there should be only one reason for a child to leave the nest and that is for the reason of matrimony. Of course once they have left, the father and mother should respect their marriage and give them advice only when it is petitioned. Mothers and fathers in-law should never interfere in their children's lives, period!
"And shall cleave to his wife:"
The Greek word for 'cleave' is kollethesetai, a future passive indicative meaning shall be glued to. There is no earthly relationship greater, in the sight of God, than husband and wife. When this relationship is broken it can only be healed and mended by God's wonderful grace.
"And they twain shall be one flesh."
This phrase is literally, and the two shall be into one flesh. God's original plan before sin was that man and woman would be glued together into one flesh; however sin has changed a lot; but it is still the will of the Father that when we make the commitment to marriage that it be entered into very solemnly with the purpose of staying and growing together in His wonderful Word.
Verse 6, "Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder."
LGT "So that no longer are they two, but one flesh. What therefore God has yoked together, let no man separate."
"Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh."
The word 'twain' is old English for two; they are no longer living independently of each other but dependant on each other. One of the most common expressions from someone who is pretending to enjoy bachelorhood or bachlorethood [if this is a word - if not I just coined it], is "I don't want to give up my independence." Couples live together outside of the bounds of matrimony because they refuse to commit to be glued together for life.
"What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder."
The Greek word for 'joined' is sunezeuxen a timeless aorist meaning to yoke together. This timeless aorist has the meaning of once for all. Notice the phrase begins with the word 'what' not whom. God instituted marriage for the perpetuation of the human race. The reason Christ says 'what' is that it is the institution that is holy, and not the people joined. Believers and unbelievers alike must adhere to God's divine institutions if the human race is to survive. Whenever God is in the equation, both man and woman must be believers, and then He Himself has yoked them together and no man is able to separate; they may go through the divorce, but in the sight of God the marriage has not been dissolved.
Verse 7, "They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and put her away?"
LGT "They say to Him, Why then did Moses command to give a bill of divorce to put her away?"
These Pharisees were referring to Deuteronomy 24:1-4; When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favor in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her; then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man's wife. And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, who took her to be his wife, her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the Lord. And thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance. The Pharisees figured if Moses allowed divorce it could not be unlawful.
Verse 8, "He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so."
LGT "He says to them, because Moses, in view of the hardness of your hearts, allowed you to put away your wives, but from the beginning it was not thus."
The Greek word for 'hardness' is skleros meaning dry and hard. Because the people had turned away from God they were hard of heart.
Pentecost ably points out:
"Christ then pointed out that divorce did not originate with God but with Moses. Divorce became necessary because your hearts were hard. The phrase hard of heart was often used to describe the condition of the hearts of the Gentiles who were alienated from God. Because the Israelites had disobeyed God's law of marriage and had married Gentile wives, the line would have been corrupted. If the line were corrupted, Messiah could not come in Abraham's line. It became necessary then to purify the nation to prevent corruption of the line. This principle is well illustrated in Ezra 10:2-3, 11-14. Christ thus showed that divorce was not a part of God's original law of marriage but was introduced because of Israel's disobedience to the law. Thus the uncleanness of Deuteronomy 24:1 had to do with a corrupted bloodline."
McGee adds:
"Why did Moses permit divorce? Because of the hardness of their hearts. You see, marriage was given to mankind, and it is the tenderest and sweetest of human relationships. There is nothing like it. And, actually, marriage was to represent the relationship between Christ and the church. Therefore, only believers can set forth this high and holy relationship. However, when they fail, and bitterness and hardness of heart enter in, then that marriage becomes a hollow sham, and it is just a mockery of marriage. My friend, marriage is either made in heaven or hell - there is no third place to make it. When marriage is made in the wrong place, it is in trouble to begin with. Even Christians find that marriage becomes a very shaky proposition."
Verse 9, "And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery."
LGT "And I say to you, that whoever shall put away his wife, if not on account of fornication and shall marry another, commits adultery."
"Whosoever shall put away his wife, except for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery:"
Where the Mosaic Law allowed for other reasons for a man to put away his wife, Christ gives only one reason, fornication.
"And whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery."
As you see from my LGT this phrase is not in the better manuscripts.
On this issue Pentecost writes:
"The Greek word translated 'adultery' refers to the sin of a married individual against his partner. If divorce could dissolve a marriage, a remarriage could not be considered adultery. But since Christ proclaimed it to be adultery, the first marriage must be viewed as still standing in the sight of God. Christ did make an exception. He said 'except for marital unfaithfulness.' The Greek word translated 'marital unfaithfulness' is not the word for adultery but is the general word for immorality. Christ was referring to the Jewish marriage customs of His day. Marriage was begun by drawing a legal contract between the father of a man and the father of a woman, pledging them to each other. This marriage contract was called a betrothal. The couple was called husband and wife by virtue of that marriage contract. The marriage itself was not completed until at least twelve months after the betrothal contract was drawn up. But they were still referred to as husband and wife. Such was the relationship between Joseph and Mary when the angel announced that Mary would conceive a child. The twelve-month waiting period was deemed necessary because of the low state of morals of that day. That period gave sufficient time to reveal whether the woman was pregnant when the contract was drawn up. The interval also allowed time to see if she would become pregnant by an unfaithful act after being joined by contract to her husband. If the wife proved to be immoral, the marriage need not be completed; the contract could be broken by a divorce. However, so binding was the betrothal contract that it could be broken only by the husband appearing before the judges to accuse the woman of immorality. Thus the contract could be broken. Such was Joseph's decision when he discovered Mary's pregnancy (Matt. 1:9). It was in light of this context that Christ granted the exception (Matt. 19:9). If one who was betrothed to a wife found in the betrothal period that she was guilty of fornication, that is, that she was an immoral woman, the marriage need not be consummated; but it had to be dissolved by divorce. Since marriage had not been completed, the man was free to marry without becoming an adulterer. Thus Christ utterly repudiated the Pharisaic interpretation of Deuteronomy 24:1-4, and He denied the right of divorce. He appealed to God's original law of marriage by which a man and a woman were inseparably united until that marriage was dissolved by death. Thus the only possibility of divorce allowed by Christ was a cancellation of a marriage contract during the Jewish betrothal period before the marriage had been completed. This evidently was the way the disciples understood our Lord's instruction."
Verse 10, "His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry."
LGT "His disciples saying to Him, If thus is the case of the man with the wife, it is not profitable to marry."
With what we have just read concerning the marriage contract in verse nine, the disciples figure it is best to remain single. Christ interpretation of divorce was so far removed from the Pharisees interpretation that is was also too high for the Twelve to grasp. "Clearly the disciples saw no possibility of obtaining a divorce with divine approval after marriage had been completed. Because the disciples recognized the low state of society and since it was utterly repugnant to them to be inseparably united to a faithless wife, they concluded it was best not to marry at all. Such a conclusion would not have been drawn if they had understood Christ to permit divorce after marriage" (Pentecost).
Verse 11, "But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given."
LGT "But He said to them, Not all receive this word, but they to whom it has been given."
Jesus is simply saying here that it might be a solution for some people, such as eunuchs, however it is not the best solution; the best solution is to be selective in choosing a lifelong marriage partner.
Verse 12, "For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it."
LGT "For there eunuchs, who from [the] of [their] mother were born thus, and there are eunuchs, who were made eunuchs by man: and there are eunuchs, who made eunuchs of themselves for the sake of the kingdom of the heavens: the one who is able to receive [it], let him receive [it]."
After reading several commentators on this verse I have come to the simple translation, that is, that the Twelve were being told that as they go out preaching the kingdom of the heavens, it would be a matter of choice as to whether they were to marry or not; if they could remain single without sinning, they would be better equipped to give all their time; it is not as the Roman Catholic Church has taught celibacy, that a priest is forbidden to marry: we can look at what a sham this has become with the priesthood and their treatment of little boys; it is not natural for a man to remain single; only a few have the power to do so.
The Children Blessed
(Mark 10:13-16; Luke 18:15-17)
Verse 13, "Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them and pray: and the disciples rebuked them."
LGT "Then they brought to Him little children in order that He might lay hands on them, and might pray: but the disciples rebuked them."
"Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put hands on them and pray:"
"The touch of Jesus had brought blessings to many. Parents brought their children to Him in order that He might touch them. It may be the children were sick or deformed - we do not know. But the faith of the parents in the person of Christ was evidenced in that they brought their children so He might touch them. To place one's child in the arms of another shows complete trust and acceptance of that one. The disciples viewed all this as an unwarranted interruption and sought to turn the parents away. However, when Jesus saw the actions of the disciples, He was indignant. The anger of Jesus had been manifested before when He saw the leaders perverting the law and desecrating the temple (John 2:13-16)" (Pentecost).
"And the disciples rebuked them."
"No doubt people did often crowd around Jesus for a touch of His hand and His blessing. The disciples probably felt that they were doing Jesus a kindness. How little they understood children and Jesus. It is a tragedy to make children feel that they are in the way at home and at church. These men were the twelve apostles and yet had no vision of Christ's love for little children. The new child world of today is due directly to Jesus" (A.T. Robertson).
Verse 14, "But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for such is the kingdom of heaven."
LGT "But Jesus said, Let the little children alone, and stop hindering them to come to Me: for of such is the kingdom of the heavens."
"But Jesus said, Suffer little children,"
The Greek word for 'suffer' is aphete a second aorist meaning to leave alone. This phrase is literally Let the little children alone.
"And forbid them not, to come unto me:"
The Greek for 'forbid them not' is me koluete an aorist subjunctive meaning stop hindering them; the idiom in the Greek meant that the disciples were to stop the action they had started, that is, stop hindering these little ones from coming to Me.
"For of such is the kingdom of heaven."
Jesus had respect for the parents who would bring their little ones to Him, and it displeased Him a great deal when His own disciples could not feel the same way He did about children. All children before reaching the age of accountability are eternally saved, and safe in the arms of our Lord; this is disputed by the churchmen who say that they must be baptized, but to take this view all grace logic must be ignored; no where in Scripture will we find that someone who does not understand, and is unable to repent, that is, change their mind, needed to be saved; further, it is never stated in the Scriptures that a person needs to be baptized to be saved; it is true that every one who reaches the age of accountability must accept the Savior, but until then, He takes them into His loving care. This begs the question, What is the age of accountability? Five, or ten, or fifteen? Only the Lord knows the answer; so it is our privilege to begin very young in training our children in the Word of God.
"Jesus loved the children and was responsive to the faith of the parents who brought them to Him; thus He was indignant with the disciples. He demanded that the children be permitted to come to Him. They were not to be refused. His reason was that the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these" (Pentecost).
Verse 15, "And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence."
LGT "And having laid [His] hands on them, He departed from there."
"If Christ turned away these who believed in Him, there would be no assurance that He would accept others who tried to enter His kingdom by faith. Jesus tenderly took the children in His arms, put His hands on them, and blessed them. The fact that the children were small enough to be taken into His arms indicates that they were too small to exercise faith in His person. Therefore the faith referred to must have been that of the parents. Thus Jesus gave the disciples an illustration of the necessity of faith for entrance into the kingdom and the validity of faith as a basis for such an entrance" (Pentecost).
The Rich Young Man
(Mark 10:17-31; Luke 18:18-30)
Verse 16, "And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?"
LGT "And, behold, one having come, said to Him, Teacher, what good [thing] shall I do, in order that I may acquire life eternal?"
"One came and said unto him, Good Master,"
The term 'Good Master' is literally, Good Teacher. This man is referring to Jesus' teaching prowess rather than His moral character.
What good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?"
The Greek for 'may have' is scho an ingressive aorist meaning may get or may acquire (A.T. Robertson). Luke, in his account, refers to this young man as 'a rich young ruler' a member of the Sanhedrin. In Jewish idiom to enter the kingdom and to enter into life eternal meant the same thing. This young man had watched and heard that Jesus was offering eternal life and that a man had to be perfectly holy to enter; so it was a natural question for him to ask about 'good works.'
Verse 17, "And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments."
LGT "And he said to Him, Why do you ask [Me] concerning the good [thing]? One there is Who is good: but if you desire to enter into life, keep the commandments."
"Why callest thou me good?"
The literal translation of this phrase is Why do you ask concerning the good? Jesus is leading this young man on from his question in verse sixteen, What good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? It is easy enough to see that Jesus is giving the young man ample opportunity to accept Him as Savior.
"There is none good but one, that is God:"
Jesus is here saying to this young man that if he is calling Him good, he must be calling Him God.
"But if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments."
This young man, being a member of the Sanhedrin, knew that the Law was all that the Rabbis taught that was good. This verse is a favorite of the works-salvation people. We will see that what the Lord is saying is that if you are going to try and enter the kingdom by your works, you will have to keep the whole Law. Remember the Rabbis taught that the kingdom and eternal life were synonymous terms.
Verses 18, 19, "He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness; Honor thy father and mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."
LGT "He says to Him, Which? And Jesus said, You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother, and, love your neighbor as yourself."
"He said unto him, Which?"
The young man had a good idea about the commandments, but he was just trying to find out from Jesus how far he could go, that is, which of the commandments was Jesus referring to.
"Honor thy father and mother; and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."
Jesus quotes from Exodus 20:12-16; He directs the young man to the sixth, seventh, eight, ninth, and fifth, as indicating that the whole law is found in these; then He will show the man that he did not keep them.
"Thou shalt do no murder,"
You shall not shed innocent blood.
"Thou shalt not commit adultery,"
You shall not have sexual relations outside of the bounds of your marriage.
"Thou shalt not steel,"
You shall not take from others without their knowledge and consent.
"Thou shalt not bear false witness,"
You shall not give a testimony that is not the truth, that is, in court under oath.
"Honor thy father and mother:"
You should listen to your parents and respect their wisdom.
"Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."
You shall love your fellow Jew as yourself.
Verse 20, "The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?"
LGT "The young man says to Him, All these things I have kept as my duty: What yet do I lack?"
"All these things have I kept from my youth up:"
This phrase is literally: All these things I have kept as my duty. The young man claims that he has kept all these commandments as a good little Jew boy.
"What lack I yet?"
"Here is a phychological paradox [contradiction]. He claims to have kept all these commandments and yet he was not satisfied. He had an uneasy conscience and Jesus called him to something that he did not have. He thought of goodness as quantitative (a series of acts) and not qualitative (of the nature of God). Did his question reveal proud complacency or pathetic despair? A bit of both most Likely" (A.T. Robertson).
McGee adds:
"This young man could say that he had kept these commandments, and yet he recognized a lack in his life. The commandments which our Lord gave him compose the last section of the Decalogue [Ten Commandments] which has to do with man's relationship to man. The first of the Ten Commandments have to do with man's relationship to God. Our Lord did not use those because He was leading this young man along in his thinking. However, now the Lord directs his thinking to his relationship to God."
Verse 21, "Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasures in heaven: and come and follow me."
LGT "Jesus said to him, If you desire to be perfect, go and sell your property, and give to [the] poor, and you shall have treasures in [the] heavens, and come follow Me."
"Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect,"
Notice first that Jesus did not say to the young man that he did not keep these commandments from his youth up; for the lord certainly could have cited many times in the youths past that he had broken the law. The Lord is pointing out to him that if he actually were seeking perfection, he would have no trouble selling all that he possessed, and give it to the poor, and then follow Him.
This comment from the Lord 'If thou wilt be perfect' is because only perfect people can enter the kingdom of the heavens. I explain this by saying that God can only permit perfection to enter His kingdom, and we know that all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ have been made perfect by the blood of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 5:21). The important point the Lord is making, in answer to the young man's question of what he has to do to inherit eternal life is that no amount of works will be sufficient, and that only on the basis of His righteousness can one enter into life eternal. An equally important point Jesus is making is that He is not inviting the young man to inherit the kingdom, but to sell all his possessions and follow him, in order to be His disciple
"Go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasures in heaven: and come and follow me."
In order to inherit eternal life we must accept Jesus Christ as our own personal Savior; but to become His disciple, we must put Him first. We must always keep discipleship and sonship separate. It takes faith to be a son or daughter in the heavenly family (John 1:12), but it takes commitment to the family's Head to be a disciple. It is certainly possible for a believer to be a son or daughter and not to have fellowship with the family, but it is impossible to have fellowship without commitment to the family. I speak of family as including the Head of the church [family - bride] as well as individual members of the family [the church - bride]. Our fellowship begins with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and includes the rest of the family.
Verse 22, "But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions."
LGT "But the young man having heard the word, went away grieved: for he had many possessions."
"He went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions."
Literally: He went away grieved. The young man was very rich so he went away very unhappy because he was not willing to sacrifice all he had. "He felt that Jesus had asked too much of him. He worshipped money more than God when put to the test. Does Jesus demand this same test of every one? Not unless he is in the grip of money. Different persons are in the power of different sins. One sin is enough to keep one away from Christ" (A.T. Robertson). I have to disagree with Barnes on this one because Barnes sees this man turning down the offer of Salvation, which to me is a stretch of exegesis; I believe discipleship is what is at stake here. The Expositors Greek Testament also see this a case of the young man not qualifying to be Christ's disciple.
Verse 23, "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven."
LGT "And Jesus said to His disciples, Verily I say to you that with difficulty shall a rich man enter into the kingdom of the heavens."
"Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of haven."
Jesus is not saying that a rich man will not be able to go to heaven; He is saying literally: With difficulty shall a rich man enter into the kingdom of the heavens. Now we must understand that to inherit the kingdom and to enter the kingdom are very different things. A man must be 'born again' to enter the kingdom of heaven, but he must be a disciple to inherit the kingdom of heaven. The difference between to enter and to inherit is wrapped in the distinction of appreciation. The mature believer will appreciate heaven far greater than the immature one. In the mind of the rich young man eternal life and the kingdom of heaven were synonymous. Jesus makes the distinction that the young man was not willing to give up his riches for discipleship, and that he was not fit to be one; the main thing stressed in this verse is that one who loves money more than God can in no way inherit the kingdom.
Verse 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."
LGT "And again I say to you, It is easier for a camel to pass through [the] eye of a surgical needle than a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."
Jesus is literally saying that it is easier for a real camel to pass through the eye of a literal real surgical needle than for a rich man to get to heaven by his riches; I hope you understand what Jesus is saying. A man must be born again to enter heaven, and there is no way that a man will get there because of his great riches. "Many people today think they are going to be saved by who they are or by what they have. You are truly saved when you find out that you are a sinner, a beggar in God's sight, with nothing to offer Him for your salvation. As long as a person feels he can do something or pay God for salvation, he can no more be saved than a camel can be put through the eye of a needle" (J. Vernon McGee).
Verse 25, "When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?"
LGT "And having heard [this] His disciples were astonished exceedingly, saying, Who then is able to be saved?"
"Christ's use of the word for a surgeon's needle indicated that His references to a camel and a needle were to be taken literally. The popular explanation that the eye of a needle referred to a small gate within the large city gate has no historical basis. Christ was not teaching that it is difficult for one who trusts in riches to enter the kingdom. He was showing that it was utterly impossible for one who trusts in riches to enter the kingdom. Such a teaching seemed inconceivable to the disciples who had been brought up on the philosophy that riches were a sure sign of divine pleasure and an evidence of God's blessing. If the rich whom God loved and blessed and whom He was pleased could not enter the kingdom, what chance was there for the multitudes?" (Pentecost).
Verse 26, "But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible."
LGT "But looking on them, Jesus said to them, With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
Literally, Jesus looking on them. Jesus saw their amazement and answered the question of Who then can be saved? He did not answer the question of how can a rich man be saved? He already dealt with that issue. Jesus says that God's Salvation can only come through God by faith in Him. "This is the explanation. As far as any person is concerned - regardless of who you are - you are a candidate for salvation if you recognize that you have nothing to offer God but come to Him like a beggar with empty hands. When you come to Him like that, He can (and will) save you. With God all things are possible" (J. Vernon McGee).
Verse 27, "Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?"
LGT "Then Peter answering said to Him, Behold, we left all things and followed You: What then shall be to us?"
Peter asks a question that Robertson calls A pathetic question of hopeless lack of comprehension. How this sounds like a little child asking, 'Oh yeah, what about me? It would not be until after Pentecost, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that the disciples would get any assurance of their Salvation; it could be that they weren't even saved until after Christ rose again and came back and preached to them. Our Lord does not get put out with Peter's question, as we shall see in the next verse. Our Lord is the Lord of Grace.
Verse 28, "And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, that ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye shall sit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel."
LGT "And Jesus said to them, Verily I say to you, that you which have followed Me in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit down on the throne of His glory, you also shall sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel."
"Verily I say unto you, that ye which have followed me,"
The Lord did not rebuke Peter but encouraged him with the promise that they, which had followed Him, would reign with Him.
"In the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory,"
This is when Christ will return to this earth and judge the nations and set up His kingdom, and He will sit on His throne in the New Jerusalem and rule with a rod of iron.
"Ye shall sit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel."
"Christ was anticipating His return to the earth and the consummation of the covenants that God made with Israel in Messiah's kingdom. He promised that they would be given administrative positions in which they will rule over the twelve tribes of Israel. Because the apostles had left all and followed Him, they would be appointed to important administrative positions in the kingdom. But not only will the twelve be rewarded, but anyone who has made a sacrifice for His sake will inherit eternal life, will have his part in the millennial kingdom, and will receive a reward. But many who have expected to be admitted will be rejected and many who have felt they had no part in the kingdom will be accepted" (Pentecost).
Verse 29, "And everyone that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or fathers, or mothers, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life."
LGT "And everyone who has left houses or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or children, or lands, for the sake of My name, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit eternal life."
This verse does not mean that a person will inherit eternal life for sacrificing; eternal life will be given to all who believe; what Jesus is saying is that everyone who has sacrificed in the name of the Lord will receive a reward in addition to eternal life. Only a believer can serve the Lord so it is just an addition to salvation; I believe it is very important that we keep everything in its context and use grace logic to understand the Word; it is very important for us to work for rewards. We must lay up treasures in heaven.
Verse 30, "But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first."
LGT "But many shall be first, last, and last, first."
This verse should be connected with the first verse of the next chapter. Some who think they will be the greatest in the kingdom will be the least and visa-versa.
McGee adds:
"There is a reward for the saved ones who have sacrificed for Jesus' sake. Many an unknown saint, of whom the world has not heard, will be given first place in His presence someday. In that day I believe that many outstanding Christian leaders who receive wide acclaim in this life will be ignored while many unknown saints of God will be rewarded. What a glorious, wonderful picture this presents to us!"
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