Matthew 19:16-22 To love is divine!

 Matthew 19:26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (NKJV)

To love is divine. God so loved the world that He gave us Jesus. When we come to God through His shed blood our sins are forgiven. To those of us who have been forgiven much offering others that same forgiveness is easier. Is it easy to forgive those who have harmed us? No, but all things are possible with Holy Spirit in our lives. We love others because God first loved us. The love of money is at the root of many evils. We are all flawed  and He knows that we are mere humans. Carla

Matthew 19:16-22

16 Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”

17 So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

18 He said to Him, “Which ones?”

•Jesus said•, “ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ 19 ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” (20 The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?”

21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.  (NKJV)

Why do you call Me good may be rephrased as “Why are you asking me concerning what is good?” The only One who can ultimately answer the question about goodness is God. The fact that Jesus went on to answer the question is a quiet claim to deity. This verse 21 does not teach salvation by works (Romans 3:23, 24; Ephesians 2:8, 9). Rather Jesus was proving the error of the man’s claim to have fulfilled God’s law (verse 20). If the young man loved his neighbor to the extent required by the Law of Moses (verse 19; Leviticus 19:18), he would have had no difficulty in giving away his wealth to needy people. The NKJV Study Bible

Eternal life describes life in the kingdom of the Messiah, which starts now but extends forever (John 3:16–17).

Why are you asking me about what is good?  God already had defined what is good when He gave the Israelites the 10 commandments. The one who is good refers to God, the giver of the commandments. Jesus responds with a representative sampling of the 10 commandments (Exodus 20:2–17), to which he adds the command about loving one’s neighbor (Leviticus 19:18).

Jesus sees the young man’s attachment to his possessions as a hindrance to faith. He commands the man to rid himself of whatever prevents him from making a total commitment to the kingdom of heaven. Jesus’ instructions suggest that the man has not truly kept the commandments, beginning with the first one—the command to have no other gods except Yahweh (Exodus 20:3). The man’s wealth is his god, and he is unwilling to part with it. Faithlife Study Bible

Exodus 20:12–16

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.“You shall not murder…

Deuteronomy 5:16–20

‘Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may be well with you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you.‘You shall not murder…

Leviticus 19:18

You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD

Luke 10:25–28

And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?”…

I lived in Southern California and my friend from seminary, Paul Ford, introduced me to St. Andrew’s Abbey, a Benedictine monastery and retreat center in the high desert.

It became my “go-to” sanctuary for renewal, where I would spend three days a month on retreat. But, let’s just say, unplugging and renewal takes some rewiring.

And speaking of “go-to”—I love re-telling this story, because it grounds me. On my first visit to St. Andrew’s, I met my spiritual director. At lunch we talked, and I told him I would be there for three days, on a “Sabbath Retreat”.

And then, outlined my plans. (You know, you can get a lot done in three days. I had sermons to write, editing on a book, and of course, books to read... I smile still remembering it all.)

We spoke again right after Vespers. And he asked, “How’s your Sabbath Retreat going?”

“I think I failed my Sabbath,” I told him.

He laughed and laughed. A laugh I gratefully carry with me to this day. And it is what spiritual directors are good for, to remind us not to take ourselves too seriously.

“How did you fail?” he asked.

And I told him that after lunch I went back to my room and laid down, for “just a minute”, and the next thing I knew, it was five p.m.

He laughed, and said, “I’m so glad you slept. You rested. You needed that. And while you slept, you’ll be glad to know you were held in the arms of God’s love.” Sabbath Moments