Matthew 19

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 19:23

The hindering power of worldly possessions. "He went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions." "A rich man shall hardly [or, 'with difficulty'] enter into the kingdom of heaven." The figure of the "camel and needle's eye" is a proverbial one, and no precise facts answering to it need be sought for. There are other proverbs very similar. It strikingly expresses that which is almost impossible, but not quite impossible. This sentence is taken from the Koran: "The impious shall find the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 19:23-24

The rich man's difficulty. Jesus draws a lesson of sad warning from. the failure of the young ruler who could not bring himself to make the great sacrifice required as a condition of his obtaining eternal life. He points out the exceeding difficulty of a rich man's entrance into the kingdom of heaven. I. THE EXPLANATION OF THE DIFFICULTY . It is wholly on the side of the man who is hindered and hampered by his wealth. God has opened the gate and invited all who will to enter.... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 19:23-30

The dangers of riches and the blessings of self-denied . ( Mark 10:23-31 ; Luke 18:24-30 .) read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 19:23-30

Possessions and life. "Behold, one came" to Jesus (see Matthew 19:16 ). Multitudes of poor persons had followed him from the beginning; at length "one" rich man came, and, sad to say, this one retired sorrowful and unsaved. So, turning to his disciples, the Lord said, "Verily I say unto you," etc. Learn— I. THAT THE SALVATION OF A RICH MAN IS A SPECIAL MIRACLE OF MERCY . 5 . That it is outside the ravage of ordinary probability is evinced in the case of the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 19:24

Again I say unto you. The disciples, St. Mark notes, "were astonished at his words," so he proceeds to state the startling proposition more unreservedly and energetically. It is easier for a camel, etc. This is a proverbial expression for an impossibility. A similar proverb is found in many countries, only substituting another great animal instead of the camel, e . g . the elephant. From taking a too literal view of the passage, some commentators have invented a gate at... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 19:25

Exceedingly amazed. The stern teaching of Matthew 19:23 and Matthew 19:24 thoroughly dismayed and perhaps offended them. Temporal prosperity had in their Law been held forth as the reward of righteousness and obedience, a foretaste of future happiness. They must unlearn this principle. Here, as they understood it, was a doctrine novel, unheard of, unnatural! Fancy the astonishment that would be displayed nowadays if such a sentiment were solemnly propounded in the Stock Exchange, the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 19:26

But Jesus beheld them ( ἐμβλε ì ψας , looking upon them ). He turned on his disciples a look full of earnestness, sympathy, and love, soothing their fears and claiming their full attention for a spiritual truth. With men ( παρα Ì ἀνθρω ì ποις ) this is impossible . Men in their own strength, relying on their own natural powers, cannot save their souls or rise superior to the snare of riches. From the entanglements occasioned by wealth, and the lowering effects of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 19:26

The impossible made possible. This is the solution of the rich man's difficulty; and it is the solution of many another difficulty. When we look away from man to God, the impossible becomes possible. I. MEN CANNOT SAVE THEMSELVES . The disciples are made to see this truth in the case of the rich, whose difficulties are peculiarly great. But that is only the extreme instance of what really applies to people in all conditions of life. 1 . In experience we see that men do not... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 19:26

Salvation possible because it is God's work. As the disciples understood their Lord, he seemed to them to make it impossible for a rich man to become a Christian; and if a rich man could not be a Christian, who could be? They mistook their Master, who, as an effective Teacher, sometimes stated things very strongly, and withheld the qualifications in order to excite thought. The "immensely difficult" is not the "impossible." The impossible, if you can only reckon upon human forces, is not... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 19:27

Then answered Peter. This was not so much a reply to any direct word of Jesus, as to the general purport of his late utterances. He had intimated that self-renunciation was the passport to eternal life; that a just reward awaited those who gave up all for Jesus'sake. This, Peter says, is exactly what the apostles had done. We have forsaken all, and followed thee. It was not much that they had left, but it was all they had, their whole means of subsistence, old habits, old associations, to... read more

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 19:23

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 19:23-24

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 19:23-30

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 19:23-30

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 19:24

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 19:25

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 19:26

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 19:26

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 19:26

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 19:27

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