“What Must I Do” Matthew 19:16-30

“What Must I Do” Matthew 19:16-30

We have seen how Jesus has ministered to the lame, blind, broken people of the world, here we see what Jesus does with a religious person.

“What Good deed must I do”
            His question tells us a lot about what he believes. This man is not secure that obedience to God is enough. Obeying the commandments must not be enough. He wants an inside line, a fast track to heaven.

Jesus answers the man with the strange question “why do you call me good there is only one who is good.” This is a two pronged question. The first is “Do you know who I really am?” Do you know you are talking to the Messiah? The second prong is the statement “There is only one who is good”. This not only brings up the who is God idea but it also confronts this man’s inaccurate idea of his own holiness.

When Jesus mentions the commandments, this man ask which ones?

When we look at the commandments listed by Jesus notice that Jesus leaves out all have to do with our relationship to God. As Jesus adds “love your neighbor as your self” from Lev 19:18 he leaves out “Love the Lord your God with all your heart mind soul and strength section. Again leaving out the part about God.

You shall have no other gods before me.

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image

“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

Jesus leaves out the most difficult commandments and just focus on the ones relating to people.

The man’s answer is amazing, Jesus just said “There is only one who is good” meaning only God is righteous, holy, good. Still this man say he has kept these commands all his life, and he really means this.

“What do I still lack” We would all shout out “A little humility would help!” or shout out Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Now Jesus brings up the missing four commandments. “Sell all you have and give it to the poor and then follow me.” This man has replaced God with His wealth.

Which part turns him away? Sell all you have or the follow me, part?

The disciples are astounded at this conversation, surly Jesus should have offered some reasonable way for this man to take to heaven.

So what is Jesus saying to us?

1.     You are not holy, you are a sinful, realize it, accept it, own it.

2.     You can do nothing to earn heaven, you need God to do it for you.

3.     You must leave it all to follow Jesus. To hold on to Jesus you must let go of everything else.

4.     With God all things are possible.