O my soul,

Did you find the way to that treasure in heaven yet?

You ought to have done so because it’s not well hidden and you have a map. But if perhaps you are thinking that X marks the spot you would be wrong. For it is in fact love which marks the spot.

And behold, a man came up to [Jesus], saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?”

― Matthew 19:16

Learn a lesson from this likeable young man, for many make similar mistakes and he made several, and there’s one right here in the first thing he said.

“What good deed must I do to have eternal life?”

― Matthew 19:16

One good deed? In the singular? Just one? Will that be enough?

By no means!

And [Jesus] said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honour your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbour as yourself.”

― Matthew 19:17-19

Isn’t this interesting?

Jesus has quoted only six of the Ten Commandments. He skipped the first four. Why would he do that?

Recall the context in which the Lord introduced the Ten Commandments.

And God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”

― Exodus 20:1-2

The commandments were given to the Israelites by their rescuer and redeemer who had every right to command obedience⸺the one who is also our own rescuer and redeemer.

And here are the four commandments which Jesus skipped.

“You shall have no other gods before me.

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain,

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”

― Exodus 20:3-4,7a,8

We’ll come to Jesus’ skipping⸺or as we’ll see, not skipping⸺over these headline commandments. But before we do that, let’s notice his rephrasing of the tenth commandment. Listen to the continuation as originally given.

“Honour your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

“You shall not murder.

“You shall not commit adultery.

“You shall not steal.

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.

“You shall not covet your neighbour’s house; you shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbour’s.”

― Exodus 20:12-17

And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honour your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbour as yourself.”

― Matthew 19:18b-19

Jesus restated the commandment not to covet as, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.”

How interesting! Why would he do this?

Jesus was unwrapping the commandment to reveal the full extent of its reach, which is far more than its original hearers had understood, and far more than any of us have understood. Isn’t that his main point in the Sermon on the Mount?

Notice too the young man’s eagerness to claim obedience to these and how Jesus gently exposed his shortfall.

The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

― Matthew 19:20-21

The young man hadn’t remotely kept these commandments and as such was so much like us. So Jesus simply showed him the full extent of “love your neighbour as yourself” until the young man understood his shortfall.

When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

― Matthew 19:22

Not only was his failure to love revealed but suddenly too were his idols exposed. For what was it that defined him? What was he living for? What had he built his life upon? Jesus showed him and he went away sorrowful. What a tragic figure he was, and how very much like us.

For are we ourselves not overflowing in material wealth in our western affluence? Are we not rich like that tragic young man?

And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

― Matthew 19:23-26

It is clearly impossible for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, notwithstanding the weasel words of reinterpretation imposed upon this verse by commentators throughout history.

But hear Jesus’ words, and cry out in gratitude and adoration.

“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

― Matthew 19:26b

Now what about Jesus’ skipping over the first four commandments? Are these not in fact the more important, for it is these which concern our relationship with our Heavenly Father, which must surely come ahead of our relationships with one another.

And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

― Mark 12:28-31

So notice how Jesus returns to exactly this in our passage.

Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit 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 children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

― Matthew 19:27-30

Is this not in fact precisely the commandment? Have no other gods before the Lord, and worship no idols. Put the Lord ahead of houses and brothers and sisters and father and mother and children and lands. And is Jesus not doing for us precisely what he did for that young man when he showed him how completely and comprehensively he had failed to understand “love your neighbour as yourself”, but now in the context of “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength”?

For these verses are addressed also to us. Have we actually understood “You shall have no other gods before me”? How the idols creep in!

O my soul, what is it that you have you placed ahead of the Lord? Gently and firmly and unequivocally Jesus says repent.

And what a return on that investment you can expect! A hundredfold! So do not hold back!

O my soul, love the Lord with all of your being, and your neighbour as yourself, and you shall have treasure in heaven, a hundredfold of what you surrender for the Kingdom! 🙏