Matthew 5:27-30
Obstacles Following Jesus
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.
Matthew 10:34-42
Confrontation with Others when Following Jesus
34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn
“‘a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’
37 “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.
40 “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41 Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”
Matthew 19:16-22
The Rich and the Kingdom of God
16 Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”
17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”
18 “Which ones?” he inquired.
Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, 19 honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]”
20 “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”
21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
One has to change to follow Jesus...And in change there is a difficultly...Change is tough...Change is hard...It is easier to leave everything the same...To change oneself, there is this cost in how our life once was and now how it will be when we completely follow Him...Jesus reminds us that there is a cost in following Him...And through His teachings, we learn there is this great cost in following His teachings...There are obstacles in our lives, there is confrontation with family and friends, and yet this Man who came and taught us and His original Twelve Disciples spoke the Absolute Truth and brings hope to a us and a troubled world...It is very hard to make this change and the Great Saints have tried...Jesus has this Moral Perfection that alludes us, yet we want to be like Him and learn from Him...
We know that Jesus came for sinners and He wants us to repent, so that we may be with Him and His Father...So we must change as best we can, knowing that old earthly habits are very difficult to change...
The rich young man after meeting Jesus left Him and went away sad, because he wanted to keep his wealth...Jesus told this man, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven...Then come, follow Me.”...The young man did not follow Jesus because he had great wealth...The wealth must have meant more to the young man than following Jesus...
Jesus tells us He did not come to bring peace to the earth...He did not come to bring peace, but He came with a sword...He came to turn a man against his own father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household...Anyone who loves their father or mother more than Jesus, He says, is not worthy of Him; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than Him is not worthy of Him...And whoever does not take up their cross and follow Him is not worthy of Him...And whoever finds their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for His sake will find life and live it to the full...
Jesus teaches us that there are many obstacles throughout our lives that cause us to be separate from Him...When we have looked at another woman or man lustfully we have already committed adultery with her or him in our heart...So if your right eye causes us to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away...It is better for us to lose one part of your body than for our whole body to be thrown into hell...And if our right hand causes us to stumble, cut it off and throw it away...It is better for us to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell...In hell we are separated from Him...
One can see as He explains it, that following Him is very difficult...The very nature of Jesus' comments like these are very mysterious...But this mystery somehow meets the wants of man...Part of the mystery is that Jesus teaches us the eternities...Our focus and thoughts are on earth and this earthly life...His mysterious words somehow make sense and give life purpose and meaning...If we reject His Words our life is this unexplainable riddle...But if we can find truth in His Words the history of mankind can be satisfactorily answered...Because this is the Man we are supposed to be like, and the One we are supposed to follow...
Let us each day, pray for His Mercy, and His Great Grace...