Having made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of His will, according to His purpose which He set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth. Ephesians 1:9,10.

In our chapter, Matthew 19, Jesus, the Son, is leaving Galilee for the last time as He makes His way to Jerusalem. The Pharisees are trying to trip Him up; people are still not understanding truth so deep that even today we can’t see without His help. When Jesus had finished saying these things, He left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan. Large crowds followed Him, and He healed them there. Some Pharisees came to Him to test Him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?” “Haven’t you read,” He replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ (Gen. 1:27) and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’ (Gen. 2:24)? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?” v. 1-7. Moses commanded? Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.” v. 8-9. But it was not this way from the beginning…from the beginning there was light and Adam and Eve walked with God. When they turned away and believed the lie of Satan, everything changed and darkness entered the world. Violence in homes, in hearts, in nations and in the world…the hardness of our hearts. Then people brought little children to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” When He had placed His hands on them, He went on from there. v. 13-15. And then a man comes asking how he “gets” eternal life…Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” “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.” “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,’ (Exodus 20:12-16, Deut. 5:16-20) and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Lev. 19:18). “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.” When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. v. 16-22. To follow Jesus was to love Creator God more than his temporary wealth in this life. That he could not do. Jesus pointed out that it would be easier to have a camel go through the eye of a needle, or a narrow space, than for someone rich to enter the kingdom of God. The prevailing attitude of the disciples’ time, and indeed of every age, is that the wealthy are better than the poor, so how could that be? Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” v. 26. As with every other deeply held idea, the disciples were stumped to understand this new teaching. But it was from the beginning. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and have nothing that takes His place in your heart. Everything good thing flows from that place in our hearts of having no god – nothing – before the true Creator God, Father, Son, Spirit. His disciples gave up everything to follow Jesus and learn from Him. Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for My sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.” v. 28-30.

At the renewal of all things….with God all things are possible! In this life there is heartache, unbelief, misunderstanding, sorrows pressing down everywhere. It’s a burden we were never meant to carry because it’s too big for us. That’s why Jesus, the Son, came and why He was resolute in His going to Jerusalem where He knew what awaited Him. He did that for us. Can we live for Him? “Good souls many will one day be horrified at the things they now believe of God.” – George MacDonald. Can we let God teach us? Can we go forward with God, walking in the light of His truth – even as the world walks in the darkness of old? Can we realize our deepest need is for Creator God and then pray for every person, every child of God? Because they are our brothers and sisters, our mothers and fathers, our neighbors, our enemies, our friends. Jesus exposed our darkness by the light of His life lived in faithful obedience to the love of the Father. We have so much to learn! Pray for His help and trust His love and His care and His timing is Good.