Jesus is Better

Matthew 19:16-30

• A Sincere Request (v16-22)
• A Shocking Revelation (v23-26)
• A Sweet Reassurance (v27-30)

A Sincere Request (v16-22)

16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” (ESV)

He had an earnest desire to confer with Christ, and is not ashamed even then to run after him when Christ was a despised person. […] It was disgraceful in that age to run after him. Nicodemus, a man of his rank, was convinced, yet he durst not publicly own Christ […] (Nicodemus) came to (Jesus) by night, so as least to be taken notice of; but this man runs after him in the highway, and sets all other respects aside, that he might seek a salve for the sore which run upon him, so great and earnest was his desire to have his conscience satisfied. —Thomas Manton

17 And he 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.” (ESV)Matthew 5:17-18 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” (ESV)

Matthew 12:34-35 “You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.” (ESV)

18-19 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, Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (ESV)

Matthew 5:27–28 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (ESV)

Matthew 15:18–19 “But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person.” (ESV)

Matthew 15:5-6 But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. (ESV)

Matthew 22:37b-40 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (ESV)

Verse 20 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” (ESV)

Philippians 3:4b–6 “If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.” (ESV)

Practical conviction is best, and men never see their unworthiness so much as wen they are held to their own covenant […] If men will betake themselves to stand to or fall by the sentence of the law or covenant of works, let them see how it will succeed with them. —Thomas Manton

21 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.” (ESV)

Matthew 5:43-45b, 48 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. […] You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (ESV)

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

A Shocking Revelation (v23-26)

23-24 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.” (ESV)

Matthew 6:19-20, 24 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. […] No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (ESV)

Matthew 13:22 “As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.” (ESV)

Proverbs 18:10–11

    The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe. A rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and like a high wall in his imagination. (ESV)

Matthew 18:1–4 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (ESV)

25-26 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.” (ESV)

A Sweet Reassurance (v27-30)

27 Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” (ESV)

28 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.” (ESV)

29 “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.” (ESV)

30 “But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” (ESV)

So What?

If I want to follow Jesus more closely in 2026, what part of my life might I need to give up?

A man that keeps the law only outwardly can no more be said to keep the law than he that hath undertaken to carry a tree, and only takes up a little piece of the bark. —Thomas Manton

Philippians 3:4b–11 If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. (ESV)