Written ~ 07-10-2023
Matthew 19: 25-26
“The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked. Jesus looked at them intently and said,
“Humanly speaking, it is impossible.
But with God everything is possible.”
This statement from Jesus comes right after the story of the “rich man!”
A young man had come up to Jesus asking Him what good deed could be done to have eternal life. Jesus replied basically – you must keep the commandments.
I thought it was funny that the man then asked, “which ones?” Seems to me all of them – but that’s not what Jesus says – He lists off, you must not murder, you must not commit adultery, you must not steal, you must not testify falsely. Honor your father and mother and love your neighbor as yourself.
When the young man said he had done all those things, Jesus simply said – “Sell all your possessions, give the money to the poor.” Then he would have treasure in heaven. Not until he did all of that, Jesus says, ” Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard that! He was deeply saddened because he had a lot of possessions, so he turned and walked away. He walked away from Jesus! But instead of going after him, Jesus says to His disciples,
“I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. I’ll say it again – it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!” (Matthew 19:23-24)
I can only imagine the looks on the disciples’ faces, because verse 25 says they were astounded. I love the synonyms of astounded:
Amazed, astonished, dumbfounded, flabbergasted!
“Then who in the world can be saved?”
The response Jesus gives is one of the more famously quoted verses…. It has almost become the “umbrella” verse that covers everything you and I do not understand.
“Humanly speaking, it is impossible…
But with God everything is possible…”
It is true though, isn’t it? This verse could cover most anything we come up against that seems an impossibility. But we need to be careful to not use this verse as an excuse, not to search out the Will of God.
The young rich man came to Jesus asking what He needed to do to have eternal life. Jesus gave him the answer. But the young man could not follow through with the instructions Jesus had given him. So, when we look at this example, we see the impossibility of this man following Jesus. But God can work on the young man’s heart and turn him back to Christ, nothing is impossible.
Where we might give up on a situation, feeling the overwhelming impossibility of a circumstance ever working out, or falling into place – We must continue to Seek God!! Because with God everything is possible!
What I have learned from my studies is that there is always something we need to do to see the impossibilities of life working together for the good. We cannot just throw our hands up in the air in frustration or despair and figure there is no use in trying anymore. -NO-
We need to fervently pray, we need to seek God’s word for clarity, for comfort, for instruction. Even seek out wise counsel.
In our story of the rich young man, it says he went away sad. Why? Because of the one thing Jesus asked him to do, he could not do it.
Sometimes when we are faced with an impossible situation, God is asking us to do something – usually something difficult, something we do not want to do. And by turning and walking away, we could be missing out on God’s Glory, because we cannot let go of either a worldly possession or an attitude or a habit or just plain stubbornness.
God wants to bless our lives with ALL His possibilities. We just need to follow Jesus in all we do. Giving the Almighty God in Heaven all the glory, praise, and honor in everything we do.
But guess what… we may not see some of those impossibilities become possible in our lifetimes? WHAT?!
In verse 27 of Matthew 19, Peter says to Jesus…
“We’ve given up everything to follow You. What will we get?”
And what is the response Jesus is giving to them? In verses 28-30, He tells them, your reward is in heaven – you will have to wait until you get there to find out how everything works out.
So, when we are asking Jesus a question and we are seeking God for an answer. We must trust that God in His infinite power is working out the details of our inconvenient situations…
Let me clarify… this does not always have to be about the demanding situations that life throws at us. This could be about something wonderful, something you want to pursue, a ministry, an employment goal, an educational goal – something you have your heart set on that seems utterly impossible. to achieve. It may seem like the “Camel through the eye of a needle” situation (verse 24). But God can use your willingness to, at times, give up your “everything” to change your impossibilities into His Glorious possibilities.
So instead of using verse 26 as an umbrella to cover all our requests. Let’s diligently seek God, ask Him what it is we need to do to see God’s Glory move in all our requests. The answers He gives may surprise you. Let’s not be like the rich young, man, turning away from Jesus because we cannot, or will not do as He’s asked.
Instead, let’s be that “camel through the eye of the needle” let’s pursue all that God is asking of us. I don’t know about you, but I would LOVE to see God’s possibilities blossom in my life!!
It is a hard prayer – but asking God to tell us what we need to do or to give up, is going to wind up being the biggest blessing; if we can let go of what is holding us back.
Thank You Father for being the God of possibilities! Help me to let go of things in my life that might hinder Your Hand moving in my life.
Thank You Jesus for loving me, my desire is to follow you with the entirety of my heart, mind, and soul.
~AMEN~