The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Matthew 19:16-24, “And behold, one came to Him and said, ‘Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may
obtain eternal life?’
17 And He said to him, ‘Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you
wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.’
18 He said to Him, ‘Which ones?’ And Jesus said, “You shall not commit murder; You shall not commit adultery;
You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness;
19 Honor your father and mother; and You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
20 The young man said to Him, ‘All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?’
21 Jesus said to him, ‘If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you
shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’
22 But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieved; for he was one who owned much
property.
23 And Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
24 And again I say to you, 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.’”

“Turn to page 16 and answer the questions on that page.” The instruction seems pretty straight forward, but there’s always some student who will ask, “Which questions? There sure are a lot of ‘em.” Understandably, teachers become tired of being plied with questions, the answers of which are clearly evident. I have to wonder if Jesus didn’t tire of questions like the one above in verse 16.

The Ten Commandments were written with Jewish people in mind. The first four commandments are theological in nature. They concern man in his relationship with God. The second six commandments are sociological in nature. They concern man’s relationship with his fellowman. Jesus’ response to the young man’s question dealt with the six sociological commandments. The youth’s response stated that he had kept them all faithfully since he was a child, but something was missing. He lacked assurance of eternal life. “What good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?”

Jesus picked up on the young man’s use of the word “good,” and announced that God is the only one who is good. He turned the question from the secular to the spiritual. “If you wish to be complete,” Jesus said, “go and sell your possessions and give the proceeds to the poor…” At this point, the LORD has put His finger on the pulse of the young man’s problem. He undoubtedly thought that because he was keeping the commandments, God had enabled him to acquire his many possessions. Yet, the crux of his problem was that his possessions had become his god, and the true and living God had been displaced. His need was that his possessions be cleared out so that God could become the focal point of his life.

Eternal Life is being lived now within those who have trusted Jesus Christ alone. Eternal Life is spiritual in nature. It is freely given to those who willingly turn from their sin and trust in Christ alone for forgiveness. It can be yours today, if you ask the LORD’s forgiveness for your sin and firmly believe that He will give you His Eternal Life! He did that for me; I am praying He will do that for you, as well. You must simply believe.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom