The truth of God’s free grace had been almost lost sight of by the Jews. The rabbis taught that God’s favor must be earned. The reward of the righteous they hoped to gain by their own works. Thus their worship was prompted by a grasping, mercenary spirit. From this spirit even the disciples of Christ were not wholly free, and the Saviour sought every opportunity of showing them their error. Just before He gave the parable of the laborers, an event occurred that opened the way for Him to present the right principles.
(COL 390.1)
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As He was walking by the way, a young ruler came running to Him, and kneeling, reverently saluted Him. “Good Master,” he said, “what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?”Matthew 19:16.
(COL 390.2)
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The ruler had addressed Christ merely as an honored rabbi, not discerning in Him the Son of God. The Saviour said, “Why callest thou Me good? There is none good but one, that is, God.”Matthew 19:17; Mark 10:18. On what ground do you call Me good? God is the one good. If you recognize Me as such, you must receive Me as His Son and representative.
(COL 390.3)
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“If thou wilt enter into life,” He added, “keep the commandments.”Matthew 19:17. The character of God is expressed in His law; and in order for you to be in harmony with God, the principles of His law must be the spring of your every action.
(COL 391.1)
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Christ does not lessen the claims of the law. In unmistakable language He presents obedience to it as the condition of eternal life—the same condition that was required of Adam before his fall. The Lord expects no less of the soul now than He expected of man in Paradise, perfect obedience, unblemished righteousness. The requirement under the covenant of grace is just as broad as the requirement made in Eden—harmony with God’s law, which is holy, just, and good.
(COL 391.2)
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To the words, “Keep the commandments,”(Matthew 19:17) the young man answered, “Which?”(Matthew 19:18) He supposed that some ceremonial precept was meant, but Christ was speaking of the law given from Sinai. He mentioned several commandments from the second table of the Decalogue, then summed them all up in the precept, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”Matthew 19:19.
(COL 391.3) 2 I
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The young man answered without hesitation, “All these things have I kept from my youth up; what lack I yet?” His conception of the law was external and superficial. Judged by a human standard, he had preserved an unblemished character. To a great degree his outward life had been free from guilt; he verily thought that his obedience had been without a flaw. Yet he had a secret fear that all was not right between his soul and God. This prompted the question, “What lack I yet?”Matthew 19:20.
(COL 391.4)
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“If thou wilt be perfect,” Christ said, “go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come and follow Me.”Matthew 19:21. “But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions.”Matthew 19:22.
(COL 391.5)
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The lover of self is a transgressor of the law. This Jesus desired to reveal to the young man, and He gave him a test that would make manifest the selfishness of his heart. He showed him the plague spot in his character. The young man desired no further enlightenment. He had cherished an idol in the soul; the world was his god. He professed to have kept the commandments, but he was destitute of the principle which is the very spirit and life of them all. He did not possess true love for God or man. This want was the want of everything that would qualify him to enter the kingdom of heaven. In his love of self and worldly gain he was out of harmony with the principles of heaven.
(COL 392.1) 4 I
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When this young ruler came to Jesus, his sincerity and earnestness won the Saviour’s heart. He “beholding him loved him.”Mark 10:21. In this young man He saw one who might do service as a preacher of righteousness. He would have received this talented and noble youth as readily as He received the poor fishermen who followed Him. Had the young man devoted his ability to the work of saving souls, he might have become a diligent and successful laborer for Christ.
(COL 392.2)
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But first he must accept the conditions of discipleship. He must give himself unreservedly to God. At the Saviour’s call, John, Peter, Matthew, and their companions “left all, rose up, and followed Him.”Luke 5:28. The same consecration was required of the young ruler. And in this Christ did not ask a greater sacrifice than He Himself had made. “He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich.”2 Corinthians 8:9. The young man had only to follow where Christ led the way.
(COL 393.1) 2 I
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Christ looked upon the young man and longed after his soul. He longed to send him forth as a messenger of blessing to men. In the place of that which He called upon him to surrender, Christ offered him the privilege of companionship with Himself. “Follow Me,”(Mark 10:21) He said. This privilege had been counted a joy by Peter, James, and John. The young man himself looked upon Christ with admiration. His heart was drawn toward the Saviour. But he was not ready to accept the Saviour’s principle of self-sacrifice. He chose his riches before Jesus. He wanted eternal life, but would not receive into the soul that unselfish love which alone is life, and with a sorrowful heart he turned away from Christ.
(COL 393.2) 2 I
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As the young man turned away, Jesus said to His disciples, “How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God.”Mark 10:23; Luke 18:24. These words astonished the disciples. They had been taught to look upon the rich as the favorites of heaven; worldly power and riches they themselves hoped to receive in the Messiah’s kingdom; if the rich were to fail of entering the kingdom, what hope could there be for the rest of men?
(COL 393.3)
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“Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And they were astonished out of measure.” Now they realized that they themselves were included in the solemn warning. In the light of the Saviour’s words, their own secret longing for power and riches was revealed. With misgivings for themselves they exclaimed, “Who then can be saved?”Mark 10:24~26.
(COL 394.1)
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“Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”Mark 10:27.
(COL 394.2)
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A rich man, as such, cannot enter heaven. His wealth gives him no title to the inheritance of the saints in light. It is only through the unmerited grace of Christ that any man can find entrance into the city of God.
(COL 394.3)
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To the rich no less than to the poor are the words of the Holy Spirit spoken, “Ye are not your own; for ye are bought with a price.”1 Corinthians 6:19, 20. When men believe this, their possessions will be held as a trust, to be used as God shall direct, for the saving of the lost, and the comfort of the suffering and the poor. With man this is impossible, for the heart clings to its earthly treasure. The soul that is bound in service to mammon is deaf to the cry of human need. But with God all things are possible. By beholding the matchless love of Christ, the selfish heart will be melted and subdued. The rich man will be led, as was Saul the Pharisee, to say, “What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.”Philippians 3:7, 8. Then they will not count anything their own. They will joy to regard themselves as stewards of the manifold grace of God, and for His sake servants of all men.
(COL 394.4)
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Peter was the first to rally from the secret conviction wrought by the Saviour’s words. He thought with satisfaction of what he and his brethren had given up for Christ. “Behold,” he said, “we have forsaken all, and followed Thee.”Matthew 19:27. Remembering the conditional promise to the young ruler, “Thou shalt have treasure in heaven,”(Matthew 19:21; Mark 10:21; Luke 18:22) he now asked what he and his companions were to receive as a reward for their sacrifices.
(COL 395.1)
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The Saviour’s answer thrilled the hearts of those Galilean fishermen. It pictured honors that fulfilled their highest dreams: “Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”Matthew 19:28. And He added, “There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My sake, and the gospel’s, but he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.”Mark 10:29~30.
(COL 395)
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But Peter’s question, “What shall we have therefore?”(Matthew 19:27) had revealed a spirit that uncorrected would unfit the disciples to be messengers for Christ; for it was the spirit of a hireling. While they had been attracted by the love of Jesus, the disciples were not wholly free from Pharisaism. They still worked with the thought of meriting a reward in proportion to their labor. They cherished a spirit of self-exaltation and self-complacency, and made comparisons among themselves. When one of them failed in any particular, the others indulged feelings of superiority.
(COL 396.1)
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Lest the disciples should lose sight of the principles of the gospel, Christ related to them a parable illustrating the manner in which God deals with His servants, and the spirit in which He desires them to labor for Him.
(COL 396.2)
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“The kingdom of heaven,” He said, “is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.”Matthew 20:1. It was the custom for men seeking employment to wait in the market places, and thither the employers went to find servants. The man in the parable is represented as going out at different hours to engage workmen. Those who are hired at the earliest hours agree to work for a stated sum; those hired later leave their wages to the discretion of the householder.
(COL 396.3)
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“So when even was come, the Lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.”Matthew 20:8~10.
(COL 396.4)
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The householder’s dealing with the workers in his vineyard represents God’s dealing with the human family. It is contrary to the customs that prevail among men. In worldly business, compensation is given according to the work accomplished. The laborer expects to be paid only that which he earns. But in the parable, Christ was illustrating the principles of His kingdom—a kingdom not of this world. He is not controlled by any human standard. The Lord says, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways.... For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”Isaiah 55:8, 9.
(COL 396.5) 2 I
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