Matthew 19:16-26 2024/09/15 Osaka Church
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit
A young man asked Jesus, “Good Master, what good thing shall I do to obtain eternal life?” Since Jesus had been asked so, he had no choice to answer as follow, “Then keep the commandments of the law.” That is, “Do not kill, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your parents, and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'” The young man would have jumped for joy in his heart, saying, “I have done it!” “I have kept all of those.” And, instead of stopping there, he got carried away and asked, “Anything else?” The Lord’s answer was, “If you want to be perfect, sell all you own and give your money to the poor. And follow me.” The young man turned pale and fell from ecstasy to the abyss in an instant. He was a good and kind man, so he probably gave a lot to the poor. But it never occurred to him to throw it all away. He “went away sorrowful.” The Lord told his disciples, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” We can see that the point of this gospel is not “If you want to be perfect, sell all you have, give to the poor, and follow me.” The disciples were surprised by the Lord’s words, and asked, “Then who will be saved?” The Lord’s answer with what is the core of this gospel. “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” This can be rephrased as follows. People must work hard to be saved. But even so, salvation, eternal life, and heaven are above all God’s grace, and God offers them to us, saying, “Receive it.” The Orthodox Church has a prayer for preparing for communion. There is an amazing phrase in it. “Christ, please do not enter this sinful body, But since you desire to enter into me because of your love for me, I dare to open my heart and body to you.” (1) Long before we desire to be saved, God madly wants to save us. Here is the true meaning of with “God it is possible.” It is “God wants to.”
Now, before the rich young man came to see the Lord and asked Him any questions, people came with their children, seeking the Lord’s blessing. Many children, as you all know, were making a lot of noise, misbehaving but full of joy. Some of them probably patted Jesus on the head and pulled his beard. When the disciples rebuked them, the Lord stopped them.
“Let the little children come to Me. And do not forbid them. For of such is the kingdom of heaven.”
It is those like these children who can obtain heaven, eternal life, and salvation. The young man who asked the Lord, “What good thing must I do to gain eternal life?” was the exact opposite of these children. All he had to do was cling to the One who was looking lovingly at him – who is salvation itself, who is eternal life itself, who is the kingdom of heaven itself – but instead he sought salvation by asking Him to teach him as a “good teacher” and gritting his teeth to follow His teachings.
Children know their own powerlessness. But they do not grieve. They have no doubt that they will be given whatever they want, that they will not be abandoned but will be protected. They are truly “poor in spirit.” We often, and in most cases, lose the “poverty” of these children and are tied down by the various possessions and thoughts of this world that we cannot cast aside. We end our lives trapped in the wisdom and seriousness of “adults.” Looking up at the sky, feeling the wind, and leaping with joy…crying heartily at that joy, and then laughing with joy…we have long since forgotten all of this and are now perishing!
If we do not have this child’s poverty, that “poverty in heart,” then God’s fervent desire to save us, His maddening love, will fail and spin out in vain. There are some things “God cannot do.” That is why the Holy Apostle Paul could not help but write to his disciples even from the prison where he was locked up: “Rejoice always!”
(1) I am not worthy, Master and Lord, that Thou shouldst enter under the roof of my soul; yet inasmuch as Thou desirest to live in me as the Lover of men, I approach with boldness!
Prayers in Preparation for Holy Communion
8th prayer of St John of Chrisostom