Matthew 19: eternal life and kingdom of heaven

Who has eternal life? Those who belong to the kingdom of heaven, right?! Who is saved in Christian terms? Those who surrender their life to Jesus. Where in the Bible may we put all this together? In Matthew 19, we see all this together.
We read:

16 Another day, a man stopped Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

A man (a rich guy) asks what he has to do to get eternal life, however here, in Matthew 19, is the first occurrence of "eternal life" of Matthew gospel. The enphasis on previous chapters has been on the kingdom of heaven. It is not explained how this guy came up with this question. I would expect much more a question like:

“Teacher, what good thing must I do to enter in the kingdom of heaven?”

However, after Jesus said that the rich guy should sell everything, he left Jesus. We read:

23-24 As he watched him go, Jesus told his disciples, “Do you have any idea how difficult it is for the rich to enter God’s kingdom? Let me tell you, it’s easier to gallop a camel through a needle’s eye than for the rich to enter God’s kingdom.”
25 The disciples were staggered. “Then who has any chance at all?”
26 Jesus looked hard at them and said, “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it.”

Jesus commented that it was difficult for the rich guy to enter God's kingdom, however the question was about "eternal life". We can understand that "eternal life" and "enter in God's kingdom" are close related. Every Christian who is saved, believes they are on the way to eternal life because they trust what the Lord has done to them. In this same chapter, we understand that Jesus thinks of himself as much more important than any other disciples' family. Every Christian surrenders his life to Jesus as in:

28-30 Jesus replied, “Yes, you have followed me. In the re-creation of the world, when the Son of Man will rule gloriously, you who have followed me will also rule, starting with the twelve tribes of Israel. And not only you, but anyone who sacrifices home, family, fields — whatever — because of me will get it all back a hundred times over, not to mention the considerable bonus of eternal life. This is the Great Reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first.”

Sadly for the rich guy, he couldn't give up everything to follow Jesus.

Matthew 18: How to enter in the kingdom of heaven?

We don't read so much things like: "accept Jesus" or "when were you converted?" in the gospels and even in the roman catholic church. However, we read in MSG:

2-5 For an answer Jesus called over a child, whom he stood in the middle of the room, and said, “I’m telling you, once and for all, that unless you return to square one and start over like children, you’re not even going to get a look at the kingdom, let alone get in. Whoever becomes simple and elemental again, like this child, will rank high in God’s kingdom. What’s more, when you receive the childlike on my account, it’s the same as receiving me.


The values of this world are the opposite of the values in the kingdom: the king of this world is the one who is served but the King in the kingdom of heaven is the one who not only serves, but also give his life as food for their servants.  Therefore, to enter in the kingdom is necessary a conversion, a change in priorities. This change is not easy for any human being, but it is the work of the Spirit who makes one person start over like children: everything has to be learned again.

To learn means to recognize errors and improve. A Christian is not someone perfect, but a one who walks with Christ, who learns with Jesus. As he is not perfect, the kingdom of heaven, the church must help him, forgive him and teach him. We read:

15-17 “If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him—work it out between the two of you. If he listens, you’ve made a friend. If he won’t listen, take one or two others along so that the presence of witnesses will keep things honest, and try again. If he still won’t listen, tell the church. If he won’t listen to the church, you’ll have to start over from scratch, confront him with the need for repentance, and offer again God’s forgiving love.

It is really strange and marvelous that the kingdom of heaven is made of sinners who are constantly repenting.

Matthew 17: This is my Son

 Peter declared that Jesus is the Son of God, but now the Father declares that Jesus is his son. In a private moment with only three disciples: Peter , John and James, Jesus shines and a voice is heard:

5 While he was going on like this, babbling, a light-radiant cloud enveloped them, and sounding from deep in the cloud a voice: “This is my Son, marked by my love, focus of my delight. Listen to him.”

Who in the Old Testament was called the Son of God? The nation of Israel, but there was not a single person who was called the Son of God. To the first Christians, the statement: "Jesus, the Messiah, Son of God" was very important, so important that the fish was the symbol of the first Christians due to ICTUS ( (Ι) = Iesus (Jesus), (Χ) = Christos (Christ), (Θ) = Theos (God), (Υ) = Yios (Son), (Σ) = Soter (Savior)).

Jesus is the son loved by the Lord in whom the Lord delights. Certainly Jesus was not a spoiled child. Soon after this statement we read:

22-23 As they were regrouping in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is about to be betrayed to some people who want nothing to do with God. They will murder him—and three days later he will be raised alive.” The disciples felt scared to death.

Jesus, the Messiah, Son of God knew he was to suffer in the cross, but he also knew he would defeat death.

Matthew 16: Who is Jesus to Peter?

 The Jews were under Roman control. They were expecting the Messiah for a long time. The Messiah would make the will of the Lord - He would destroy the enemies of Israel.
We read:

13 When Jesus arrived in the villages of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “What are people saying about who the Son of Man is?”

16 Simon Peter said, “You’re the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Peter had already seen many miracles and sermons of Jesus. Jesus said that the Spirit revealed that to Peter.

21-22 Then Jesus made it clear to his disciples that it was now necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, submit to an ordeal of suffering at the hands of the religious leaders, be killed, and then on the third day be raised up alive. Peter took him in hand, protesting, “Impossible, Master! That can never be!”

Peter was chocked. He left everything to follow Jesus. He bet on Jesus. Now, Jesus is saying that he will be killed. Peter must stopped listening to Jesus at this moment.

23 But Jesus didn’t swerve. “Peter, get out of my way. Satan, get lost. You have no idea how God works.”

Perhaps Jesus was looking to Peter when he said:

24-26 Then Jesus went to work on his disciples. “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for?

Peter became a leader in the beginning of the church, but the tradition says he was crucified by a roman persecution to Christians. Jesus called me to a life of suffering, self-sacrifice that involves to bless my enemies, to pray for them. Jesus became the center of the Peter's life.

Matthew 15: Word and Love in Jesus

I am attending a Presbyterian church. The Word is well studied and preached. Does our church is also a community where one loves another? In a questionnaire, most members were satisfied with the exposition of the Word, but not so much about how love is expressed in our church. I suppose that there are other churches that are the opposite. 

In chapter 15 we read about how the Word and Love was very important to Jesus.
The pharisees accused Jesus of not being a rigorous teacher: his disciples didn´t wash their hands before meal. This would make them impure before the Lord. Jesus answer was based on the Word. First, he accused the pharisees of breaking the law themselves by creating rules that lead to dishonoring the parents and then, he said that what makes a person impure the Lord are what goes out from the heart. He used the Word to argument it.
Matthew 15 then shows Jesus compassion to a caananite woman who insisted very for Jesus to cure his daughter. In that society, a caananite woman was greatly despised, but Jesus commended her faith.
I read the Bible everyday. I love the Word. Do I love other people? No so much I am afraid. I want to be more like Jesus that loves the Word and other people.

Matthew 14: word and signs from the King

In Matthew 13, we read parables about the kingdom of heaven. In Matthew 14, we read about great signs from the King. If I were with the disciples, it would be clear to me: "the kingdom of heaven has come now, and I am next to the king!".
However, the signs are very different from what one Jew would imagine. He could thought about fire falling from heaven consuming sinners, but in Matthew 14 we read about Jesus feeding a great crowd and after Jesus walking on the sea. Was the disciple Peter a sinner? Certainly so, but he was walking with the master. We read:

28 Peter, suddenly bold, said, “Master, if it’s really you, call me to come to you on the water.”
29-30 He said, “Come ahead.”
Jumping out of the boat, Peter walked on the water to Jesus. But when he looked down at the waves churning beneath his feet, he lost his nerve and started to sink. He cried, “Master, save me!”
31 Jesus didn’t hesitate. He reached down and grabbed his hand. Then he said, “Faint-heart, what got into you?”
32-33 The two of them climbed into the boat, and the wind died down. The disciples in the boat, having watched the whole thing, worshiped Jesus, saying, “This is it! You are God’s Son for sure!”

In the end of Matthew 14, it was clear: Jesus is the son of God.

Matthew 13: parables to explain the Kingdom of Heaven

In Matthew 13 we read many parables. Many of them begin with:

"the kingdom of heaven is like  ... "

If I were to complete this sentence, I would say that the kingdom of heaven is a place where the Lord's will is done, and therefore is a place of joy and peace.
But Jesus didn't say anything close to that. In fact, he did say something like that but in much more subtle way.
For instance:

45-46 “Or, God’s kingdom is like a jewel merchant on the hunt for exquisite pearls. Finding one that is flawless, he immediately sells everything and buys it.

I understand that the kingdom is like a group of people who found Jesus extremely important to his life, in fact, Jesus himself said that He is the life. If we think of the kingdom as a group of people with the same purpose, then we can say that the parables about the kingdom of heaven is talking about the church. The Church in fact is the place where the Lord's is done (through struggles) and where we find joy and peace (not as the world understands, but joy and peace in the middle of persecution and suffering.

Matthew 12: Jesus, the suffering servant of Isaiah

A descendant of king David would restore Israel according to many prophets. The Messiah would come in power, destroying the enemies of Israel. However, Isaiah prophesies about the servant of the Lord who carries the sin of Israel. Were these prophecies talking about the same person? Yes, the gospel of Matthew points to the suffering servant in Isaiah 42:

15-21 Jesus, knowing they were out to get him, moved on. A lot of people followed him, and he healed them all. He also cautioned them to keep it quiet, following guidelines set down by Isaiah:
Look well at my handpicked servant;
    I love him so much, take such delight in him.
I’ve placed my Spirit on him;
    he’ll decree justice to the nations.
But he won’t yell, won’t raise his voice;
    there’ll be no commotion in the streets.
He won’t walk over anyone’s feelings,
    won’t push you into a corner.
Before you know it, his justice will triumph;
    the mere sound of his name will signal hope, even
        among far-off unbelievers.

He will treat people kindly: "He won’t walk over anyone’s feelings, won’t push you into a corner.".
Matthew 12 contrasts the religiosity of the pharisees to the kindness of Jesus.
The pharisees divided people in two groups: those who follow their interpretation of the law (torah) and those who don't. Their interpretation was somehow cold - the law was above mercy. For instance: to cure in the Sabbath day is to work (is it written in Torah or is it an interpretation?), so they were observing if Jesus would break their interpretation of the law and cure a man. 

Imagine how heavy was to follow the pharisaic interpretation of the law - it pointed to a God that resembled an old man full of his selfish manias. When Jesus fulfills the suffering servant he pointed to a merciful God that loves people. 

Am I loving people?

Matthew 11: How Jesus see himself?

In Matthew 11, John (the Baptizer) is not so sure that Jesus is Messiah, so he asks his disciples to ask Jesus about it. Jesus answered:

4-6 Jesus told them, “Go back and tell John what’s going on:
The blind see,
The lame walk,
Lepers are cleansed,
The deaf hear,
The dead are raised,
The wretched of the earth learn that God is on their side.
“Is this what you were expecting? Then count yourselves most blessed!”

This is a reference to Isaiah 35. Jesus saw himself as the one who fulfills this prophecy, but what is this prophecy saying? It is talking about restoration. Jesus saw himself as the one who restores Israel (or the world) to the shalom, to the will of the Lord. As a Christian, I understand that Jesus is the one who restores me to be pleasant to the Lord.

Matthew 10: "The kingdom of heaven has come near"

Jesus calls his disciples to spread the message: "The kingdom of heaven has come near". This message would be authenticated by power. Sicks would be cured, demons would be expelled and dead people would be raised. The way Jesus is seen is the key. Jesus wants that his disciples consider him much more important than they themselves. We read:

38-39 “If you don’t go all the way with me, through thick and thin, you don’t deserve me. If your first concern is to look after yourself, you’ll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you’ll find both yourself and me.

40-42 “We are intimately linked in this harvest work. Anyone who accepts what you do, accepts me, the One who sent you. Anyone who accepts what I do accepts my Father, who sent me. Accepting a messenger of God is as good as being God’s messenger. Accepting someone’s help is as good as giving someone help. This is a large work I’ve called you into, but don’t be overwhelmed by it. It’s best to start small. Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice. You won’t lose out on a thing.”

The who accepts what Jesus does, accepts the Father. To accept Jesus is to accept the Father. Accept Jesus is the key to enter in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 9: The pharisees accuse Jesus of blasphemy

According to the merian webster dictionary, blasphemy is:

1a
: the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God accused of blasphemy

b
: the act of claiming the attributes of a deity for a mere man to suggest that he was … divine could only be viewed … as blasphemy—John Bright †1889

We read:

1-3 Back in the boat, Jesus and the disciples recrossed the sea to Jesus’ hometown. They were hardly out of the boat when some men carried a paraplegic on a stretcher and set him down in front of them. Jesus, impressed by their bold belief, said to the paraplegic, “Cheer up, son. I forgive your sins.” Some religion scholars whispered, “Why, that’s blasphemy!”

A mere man can't forgive sins in general of anyone. He can forgive only sins addressed to him. In this passage, a paraplegic man's sins are forgiven by Jesus. No wonder the pharisees accused Jesus of blasphemy because they couldn't see Jesus as the son of God. Jesus answered showing a sign that he was no mere man: he cured the paraplegic man.
It raised a question to the pharisees: is Jesus with divine authority as he makes signs that no mere man can do? Jesus made many more miracles and signs but it interesting:

32-33 Right after that, as the blind men were leaving, a man who had been struck speechless by an evil spirit was brought to Jesus. As soon as Jesus threw the evil tormenting spirit out, the man talked away just as if he’d been talking all his life. The people were up on their feet applauding: “There’s never been anything like this in Israel!”
34 The Pharisees were left sputtering, “Smoke and mirrors. It’s nothing but smoke and mirrors. He’s probably made a pact with the Devil.”

Here, the pharisees created an explanation. Jesus made a pact with the Devil and so he could perform such miracles. The pharisees attributed signs made by the Holy Spirit to the devil, and so (as in Mark), the pharisees blasphemed against the Holy Spirit.
King David was a Messiah, anointed by the Holy Spirit, however, he didn't perform any miracle. The gospel of Matthew presents Jesus in a far superior way than David. He makes the reader answer: Was Jesus the Messiah? Do you submit to him? Depending on the reader's position he is a citizen of God's kingdom or not.

Matthew 8: the king Jesus is powerful and merciful.

It is very difficult to get near a king, and it is much more difficult to be served by a king. In Matthew 8, Jesus is the king who gets near different kinds of people: an unclean leper is cured by Him, a gentile (a roman centurion) has his servant cured, Peter's mother in law is cured, his disciples are saved from a storm and demon-possessed men are released.

It is very easy to understand that Jesus is powerful and loves people, even demon-possessed ones who are very difficult to love.
I know that in my nature, I want to be far from sick and demon-possessed ones because I don't want to get sick nor share the troubles of demon-possessed people. It is a self preserving reaction; however the powerful king is very different. He is powerful enough not only to stay pure but also to purify.

Should a disciple of Jesus behave as Jesus behaved? I, as a disciple, don't operate miracles but even so, it is necessary power from the Spirit to love people, mainly the ones who can not give back anything.

Matthew 7: in the kingdom, obey the king

Although trust and obedience are very important, Jesus finishes his sermon with:

24-25 “These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock.

26-27 “But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.”

The Lord's sermon is beautiful to me but I must obey it. I know that it is impossible for me to obey unless the Spirit empowers me to do so.

Matthew 6: The invisible Father knows you

The Lord is invisible. We can't see him, or listen to him with our normal eyes and ears, but we can see others. Every human being wants to be applauded and well treated by others but the Christian must know that this is much less important than to be "applauded" by the Lord.
Thus, a Christian must pray to the Lord, read the Bible searching for wisdom from the Lord to please Him. It is much less important to be seen as a good Christian by other members of the church or to be seen as a good Bible scholar.
It is difficult to understand that our food, our intelligence and even our money come from the Lord. He is the One who provides, so a Christian must trust his future in the Lord's hands. It is much more natural to think that my money is MY money because I got it but that is not what the Jesus taught us.
The Lord is merciful and certainly I am not merciful as the Lord is, but He calls me to be merciful too. He wants me to forgive others because He forgave my sins.
So, Matthew 6 encourages me to live with the assurance that the Lord looks to me and takes care of me. This assurance must lead me to respond to his love in a transformed life that should make me pray reflecting the "Lord's prayer" MSG:

9-13 Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what’s best—
    as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You’re in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You’re ablaze in beauty!
    Yes. Yes. Yes.

Matthew 5: who is the Lord? who is the Father?

In the Old Testament we read a lot about "the day of the Lord", a day where justice is made, a day of punishment. In chapter 4, we read:

17 From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

Why to repent? To escape the punishment in the day of the Lord according to many prophets. The Lord is merciful but it is necessary to repent before the day of the Lord as it is necessary to repent before our death because one day we all will have to face the Lord.
In Matthew 5 we read the Sermon on the Mountain. In special we read:

43-47 “You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the supple moves of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.
48 “In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.”


It is very common for us, Christians, to think of ourselves as the chosen people as the Jews thought about themselves. Nothing wrong about it, but what is wrong is to listen to

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

and say: my neighbor needs repentance, not me. But in the sermon of the mountain, it becomes clear that the chosen people are the ones who should repent. In particular because, there are many aspects of our lives who don't fit to the will of the Lord as we read in MSG:

"You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity."

Certainly I am sure that I should love more my enemies. I should greet the one who doesn't greet me because the Father loves my enemy too.
In summary, the Lord that punishes is the same Father who loves his enemies and expect repentance.

Matthew 4: The Temptation of Jesus

After the baptism, Jesus is taken by the Spirit to be tested. It is very interesting the two first temptations, when Satan says:

"If You are the Son of God ..."

In order to prove that you are the son of God, use power to be satisfied; or
in order to prove that you are the son of God, make the angels work for you.

In a similar way, Satan wants a Christian to doubt that he is accepted by the Lord through the blood of Jesus, besides, Satan tempts a Christian to divert from the will of the Lord.

Jesus understood that the Father is perfect, so it is imperative to live a life that is under the Father. The son loves the Father and wants to make his will.
The last temptation is not so different:

8-9 For the third test, the Devil took him to the peak of a huge mountain. He gestured expansively, pointing out all the earth’s kingdoms, how glorious they all were. Then he said, “They’re yours—lock, stock, and barrel. Just go down on your knees and worship me, and they’re yours.”

What is more important: to obey the Lord or to have the earth's kingdoms? The Messiah does indeed have the earth's kingdom as in Psalm 2. All the kings of the earth must submit to the Messiah, but to the Messiah who is the son of God, who obeys the perfect will of the Lord.

Jesus knew that he didn't have to prove that he is the son of God and as son, he is to live in perfect harmony with the father.

Why do I fall into temptation? Sometimes because I don´t see how beautiful is the Lord, how perfect is his will, and I put myself first to satisfy my desires above the Lord.

Matthew 3: Jesus is anointed by the Holy Spirit

 Saul and David were anointed by oil when the Samuel laid his hands on them; thus they were Messiah, "anointed". The point is that the Holy Spirit was with Saul when he was anointed and so with David.
Jesus is our Messiah, but how was he anointed?
We read:

13-14 Jesus then appeared, arriving at the Jordan River from Galilee. He wanted John to baptize him. John objected, “I’m the one who needs to be baptized, not you!”
15 But Jesus insisted. “Do it. God’s work, putting things right all these centuries, is coming together right now in this baptism.” So John did it.
16-17 The moment Jesus came up out of the baptismal waters, the skies opened up and he saw God’s Spirit—it looked like a dove—descending and landing on him. And along with the Spirit, a voice: “This is my Son, chosen and marked by my love, delight of my life.”

It is not written that this was the anointment, but in this passage, the Spirit declared how the Lord loves Jesus, and called Him, his son. Jesus is very precious to the Father and the Father was showing his love on baptism. Jesus was delighted on doing the Father's will.

We, as "little Christ", know that our Father loves us. May we delight on doing his will because we know that his will is good.

Matthew 2: Baby Jesus is recognized by gentile scholars from east but not by the Judean authorities

In Matthew 2, scholars from east recognize that the Messiah, the king of the Jews, was born and they came to worship Him. Perhaps, these scholars were influenced by the Jews in Babylon exile. They brought gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. Interestingly, the scholars from Judea  (ex: priests) knew the place where Jesus would be born but they were unable or unwilling to recognize Jesus as the Messiah. Some priests could have joined the east scholars to identify the Messiah, but they didn't.
Herod was the king settled by Rome. He wanted to preserve his power, thus he was afraid of the Messiah; so afraid that he was eager to kill Him. We read:

16-18 Herod, when he realized that the scholars had tricked him, flew into a rage. He commanded the murder of every little boy two years old and under who lived in Bethlehem and its surrounding hills. (He determined that age from information he’d gotten from the scholars.) That’s when Jeremiah’s revelation was fulfilled:
A sound was heard in Ramah,
    weeping and much lament.
Rachel weeping for her children,
    Rachel refusing all solace,
Her children gone,
    dead and buried.


Baby Jesus was protected by the Lord who instructed Joseph how to proceed to protect Him.
The power belongs to the Messiah, but some men can do everything to be in power.

Matthew 1: Emanuel - the Lord is with us

The newest book of old testament is taken as Malachi, 5 centuries before Jesus. In this period, it seemed that the Lord has silenced. Many prophets in old testament were claiming that there will come the "day of the Lord" when Israel would be restored, and the evil doers would be punished. The kingdom of the Lord would be governed by the son of David. Jesus came but many Jews didn't understand the connection to the old testament prophecies, thus, Matthew is a book that shows how the prophecies were fulfilled. It begins showing Jesus as the son of Abraham and son of David.

Jesus was born in a very peculiar way: He was born by the Holy Spirit and not by a human father. Matthew does not go into details about the implications of being born by the Holy Spirit, but it must be related to the fact that Jesus lived without sin and all other human beings have sinned.

The Lord is the One who writes the story of mankind, but not only that: He takes care of individuals too as he took care of Joseph. If Joseph were a mere robot in the hands of the Lord, it would not be necessary to reveal him the work of the Spirit. So, in Matthew 1 we see a great picture of the Lord dealing with the story of mankind, and also, a picture of the Lord dealing with one man, Joseph. The Lord is the One who loves mankind but He also is the One who loves me in particular. The Lord is with us, but He is in particular with me.