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So the last will be first, and the first will be last.

What does it really mean?

Poor will be wealthy? Wealthy will be poor? I don’t think Jesus is talking about the wealth status in heaven.
Receive what? Gold and Silver is kind of useless in heaven. There are too many in heaven.

Mark 10:29

Luke 13:30

Matthew 19
29And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother[f] or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. 30But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.

Many who are materially poor and/or have sacrificed much will be saved.  Many who are materially rich and/or have sacrificed nothing substantial won’t be saved.

That’s how I read it.

Hi Ray,

4 words: “Context is your FRIEND”.

Have you looked at the wider context of the Matthew ch.19 account?

e.g. verses 1-12:
Jesus answers Q’n on divorce, leading to related monologue

verses 13-15:
Jesus welcomes the little children, when the disciples would have sent them away; He says, “to such belongs the kingdom of heaven”.
(Children would have been last in line for everything, so this seems a relevant link into the next section..)

verses 16-22:
Rich young ruler comes to Jesus, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?”

verses 23-30
Jesus’ commentary on the rich in general; Peter responds, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?”

At the end of Jesus’ reply to this question, is where THE quote appears.

But wait! There’s more!!

Jesus follows up verse 30 with a parable - and ends the parable with a similar quote.

My questions, which might assist you to work out how the context helps understand the passage, ARE:

What are the themes in Matthew 19:1 to 20:16? Or what is Jesus emphasising?

What is the main point of this section of Scripture?

How does it tie in to the ideas of inheriting eternal life, and the “kingdom of heaven?

TZ.

I am looking at the reward.

Receiving 100 times more? Receive what?

Some Christians are taking a tough job and some Christians are taking a easy job.

At the end of the day, if the reward for both parties (Let’s say eternal life in this case) is same. Why brother taking the tough works? Sadly, that’s what I found in the church culture.

The bible does talk about reward. I just wonder what will be reward apart of eternal life.

Eternal life and the “kingdom of heaven”?

Ray Lau - 05 November 2009 08:40 PM

The bible does talk about reward. I just wonder what will be reward apart of eternal life.

Being with Jesus our Lord, our King and Saviour, face to face, with no more death or mourning or crying or pain..?

What greater reward is there than HIM?

What better hope? (And the only reason I don’t say “Bring it on!!” or “Come, Lord Jesus!” is that I know it means death-judgment-hell for loved ones who don’t believe.)

So what if other Christians around me seem to be leading full, rich, happy, blessed, suffering-free lives while I get the short straw? Are my present sufferings worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed one day? What is seen here/now is temporary, what is unseen is eternal (ROM. 8:18 and 2 COR. 4:16-18).

And let me remind the reader that I, Tia, speak these words, NOT glibly as one who’s always had it easy, but as a survivor of countless tsunamis of material/emotional deprivation
- watching so many other Christians have lives that seem to run so much more smoothly & happily than mine.

Oh, life seems unfair, when I live by what I see around me. When I compare my life to the lives of Christians around me.

But I’m going to live by faith and not by sight, remembering that I do not have all the puzzle pieces!!

If I live, should not I live for Him?
And if I die, I gain Him.
Therefore I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.

Jesus Christ, His blood, His righteousness, His salvation, His approval, His very self - being with Him in glory is ALL the reward I need.

No matter whether life sings
- or sucks.

TZ.

P.S. Ray, what do you really want out of life? What would satisfy you?
What do you expect life should deliver?
What do you know from Scripture of what God promises to deliver?
Do you question God’s goodness, when your life doesn’t seem as good/happy as other Christians you know?
Do you believe, as many Christians in Australia/the UK/the USA believe, that you are entitled to every material and other blesssing or happiness this world can offer - and God should really clean up His act if you don’t have the same deal as your Christian brothers/sisters?

Somewhat incendiary questions, I know.

When I looks at the way a lot of people how treat each other and how they live and wonders how they can know so much about the bible yet know so little about Jesus…...............

I called myself a Practical Christian. I am a man who focuses more on how it applied rather than the pure doctrine.

My mind foucs on valuation. Yep I compare stuff, that’s how I work.

A middle class / high income earner Christian church offen refers drunky, drug addicits and homeless guys to our church. Is it because we have the faculty to cater them, we must take them. Shouldn’t they drop down their social status at chruch starting a ministry in that field? Who should we send to them? Should our church send them high income earner / people who drives a Prosche to their church. What a joke!!

They seems spending so much time foucing on doctrine teaching but in real life here they are. “Let’s party hard and live in a good life & forget about what the doctrine tell them to do.”

People who receive blessing and power is not doing what they suppose to do, they are the one who create a deadly church cluture killing people faith. I am dare to question God’s fairness in this world becuase I know that"Life isn’t fair” in this life.

And I am a discouraged worker who try to pick up any leftover works from “them” who are supposed to do it.

Matthew 6: 1"Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

Matthew 16:27 (New International Version)

27For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.

Hebrews 10:35 (New International Version)

35So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.

Revelation 22:10-13
10Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, because the time is near. 11Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile continue to be vile; let him who does right continue to do right; and let him who is holy continue to be holy.”

12"Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. 13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

A ticket to Heaven is defintely part of the reward. Is there all????

What other rewards do we have??? Will someone have a bigger seat in heaven? & some have a smaller seat?

That’s something we’re gonna have to find out when we get there

Ray Lau - 25 November 2009 10:54 PM

“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. 13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

A ticket to Heaven is defintely part of the reward. Is there all????

What other rewards do we have??? Will someone have a bigger seat in heaven? & some have a smaller seat?

Have you looked at MATTHEW 20, verses 1-15 - or ch.25, verses 16-23?

Arthur Lee - 26 November 2009 02:45 PM

That’s something we’re gonna have to find out when we get there

In ch.20 of Matthew’s gospel, we meet a vineyard owner who pays one set wage to all hired workers - whether they worked all day or just before evening. His response when some complain: “..are you envious because I am generous?”

Conversely, in ch.25, the servant who gains two more talents out of the 2 that his Master entrusted to him gets exactly the same praise and reward as the servant who was entrusted with five and gained 5 more. Compare verses 21 and 23.

Sounds like all receive equal treatment - BUT, what matters is the wisdom, goodness & faithfulness of the servants. That is what the Master commends them for, and their reward..?

..TO “come and share your master’s happiness/joy”.

N.B. This is NOT a comprehensive exegesis of this passage. Please do not read it as such. Go and read the passage yourself - in its context - and see for yourself.

Wanting to avoid sounding glib, but - let God be God.

TZ.