Matthew 19:13-22
Then little children were brought to him for him to lay his hands on them and pray. But the disciples scolded those who brought them. But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” And he placed his hands on them and went on his way.
Now someone came up to him and said, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to gain eternal life?” He said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” “Which ones?” he asked. Jesus replied, “Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honour your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “I have wholeheartedly obeyed all these laws. What do I still lack?” 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.” But when the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he was very rich.
The Scriptures quoted are from the NET Bible® http://netbible.com copyright ©1996, 2019 used with permission from Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
COMMENT & QUESTIONS
Jesus speaks about children in high regard. What is it about children that we should imitate?
We learned a few chapters earlier that we should imitate their humility. Children often have to take the lowly position, just like the followers of Jesus are called to do.
The rich man came to Jesus to find the recipe for eternal life. But his riches got in the way. This is not the first time that Jesus has warned about money getting in the way of our faith (Matt 6:19-20, 24). In what ways might we have to choose between serving God and money?
In our culture, we face many pressures to bow down and serve money. We may be offered a job that pays much more money but limits our ability to serve our local congregation. We may be tempted to spend our resources on physical possessions. We may have to forego many of the physical items and hobbies that non-Christians enjoy because we choose to give our money freely to the Lord and His work.
PRAYERS
Pray for brothers and sisters in Christ who are fighting the temptation to serve money Pray for the right perspective on our material possessions
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