6/7/11 Matthew 19:16-19 Jesus on the Ten

¹⁶ Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”
¹⁷ “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”
¹⁸ “Which ones?” he inquired.
Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony,  honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”

(Presbyterian Disaster Assistance team helps with tornado relief)

Thoughts: There are basically two ways to get to heaven.  One way is by keeping the commandments perfectly.  No one but Jesus will enter that way.  Even this young man who kept all of these still could not sell all he had and give to the poor- which is what he lacked.  The other way to get to heaven is by the grace of God. 
But the commandments that Jesus listed should not be overlooked.  They all had to do with love for neighbor (Calvin called them the second table of the Law).  The ones missing were putting other gods first, making idols, misusing God's name, keeping the Sabbath, and coveting.  It is not that these were unimportant, but the ones listed by Jesus were more visible, measurable, and plain.  Jesus was giving the young man something concrete to strive for.  1 John 4:20, 21 echoes this in saying, ²⁰ "Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. ²¹ And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister."

Prayer: Help me, O Lord, to show love for you by loving those around me.  Help me to go out of my way to love others that I hear are in need.  We pray for those who are recovering from disasters today.