DOING THE IMPOSSIBLE -- Monday:
"But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible." (Matt 19:26)
A wealthy young man had approached Jesus, asking "Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?" It was a most unique question, and few people ever asked it, or anything like it, before the Lord Jesus. This young man saw in Jesus something that evoked such a question. Immediately, as was His manner, the Lord tested his faith, asking why he called Him "good," seeing only God was good. Notwithstanding, He added, "But if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." This, of course, is exactly what the Law had demanded and promised (Lev 18:5; Ezek 20:11-12; Rom 10:5; Gal 3:11-12). Earlier, Jesus had privately told Nicodemus, "That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life . . . that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life . . . He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life" (John 3:15,16,36). But this young man had asked what to DO, so Jesus pointed him to the requirements of the covenant with which he was familiar.
At this point, the young man displayed a flawed spirit. Rather than devoting himself to all of the commandments, as sensitive David, he asked "Which ones?" Condescending to the young man's law-view, Jesus mentioned the commandments associated with man's relationship with man. "Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, honor thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself" (vs 18-19). Not one word about God, loving God, putting Him first, honoring Him, or not taking His name in vain -- not a single word. Jesus will show how far this young man is from the kingdom of God.
When the inquirer said he had kept those commandments since he was a youth, Jesus replied, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." That was the "first and great commandment" (Deut 6:5; Matt 22:37-18) stated another way -- on a more practical level. It proved to be the undoing of the inquirer. When the young man heard that, "he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions." (vs 18-22)
Jesus did not let the occasion go without further comment. He said to His disciples, "Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. 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" (vs 23-24). The words were startling to Jesus' followers. Seeing their implication they replied, "Who then can be saved?" They felt this requirement eliminated virtually all men. It was at this point that Jesus affirmed the words of our text: "With men THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE, but with God all things are possible."
It should not surprise you that these words are not generally believed. Taken at their face value, it is not possible for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God – to be "saved." In fact, the limitation is not confined to the rich, for the disciples asked how ANY ONE could be saved. Salvation is something that requires Divine involvement. It is not possible in human energy – even when there is an interest in eternal life! The rich young man was intrigued by eternal life – but not enough. He was seeking eternal life – but not heartily enough. He had other interests, and they disqualified him from the blessing.
Through faith, however, what is impossible becomes possible. If the young man of our text balked at selling all of his goods, what would he do when told to deny himself totally and, taking up his cross every day, follow Christ (Lk 9:23)? What about counting all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Phil 3:8)? Or, hating anything and everything that stands between the person and the Savior (Luke 14:26)? For that matter, who in our day believes these requirements to be absolute? Such things are "impossible" to the flesh – they just cannot be accomplished through natural aptitude.
Somewhere along the line, the impossibility of salvation apart from Divine involvement must be seen and acknowledged. Then, and only then, will salvation be appropriated, and hope spring up within the heart. God will enable those who see the impossibility of being saved through their own strength. However, wherever this attitude is missing, Jesus will require more of the individual than they are willing to give, and they will also go away sorrowing.
PRAYER POINT: Father, I thank You in Jesus name for a salvation so great, it is worth the loss of everything else.