| Christian Life and Doctrine | November 1971 |
Treasures in Heaven
“Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, 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
THE words of our text were addressed to a young man who approached Jesus and “said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” (Matt. 19:16) In Luke 18:18 this young man is referred to as a “certain ruler.” And the record in both Matthew and Luke clearly indicates that he was rich, hence he is often referred to as “the rich young ruler.” However, while he was rich in the wealth of this world, and evidently exercised some degree of authority among men, he realized full well that these advantages would be but temporary, and thus vain, unless he could continue to live. He knew that the rich cannot take their riches with them when they die.
With this realization weighing heavily upon him, this young man went to Jesus—Mark 10:17 says that he came running—and asked the Master what he could do that he might inherit eternal life. (Matt. 19:16) There is no indication here that this rich young ruler was asking about a future life. This is indicated by Jesus’ reply in which he referred the young man to the Ten Commandments, or the Law, which was given to Israel at the hand of Moses. The Law did not promise eternal life beyond the grave, but the Law did promise that anyone who could live up perfectly to its requirements would continue to live here on earth, which meant that he would not grow feeble and ultimately die.—Rom. 7:10
This young man, being a Jew, knew about the commandments and the reward they offered for complete obedience to them, so he replied to Jesus, “All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?” (Matt. 19:20) Let us conclude that this man had been sincere in his efforts to keep the commandments, but realized that he was not gaining the reward which obedience to them offered. While he is referred to as a young man, he was evidently not so young that he did not already sense that he was slowly losing his youth; that he was not so strong and vibrant of health as he formerly had been, so his plea to Jesus was, “What lack I yet?”
A Complete Giving Up
Jesus replied to this young man, saying, “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.” Mark’s account adds, “take up the cross.” (Matt. 19:21; Mark 10:21) Jesus’ expression, “If thou wilt be perfect,” does not imply physical perfection, but a complete doing of God’s will, for only those who are fully devoted to God and to the doing of his will are pleasing to him, and in line for whatever blessings he may wish to bestow.
The record states that “when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.” (Matt. 19:22) In other words, this young man, although no doubt noble so far as worldly standards are concerned, was not willing to pay the price of being one of the Master’s followers. Besides, Jesus’ reference to taking up the cross may have helped the young man to reach his negative decision. In Jesus’ day, under the Roman law it was customary for a criminal condemned to death by crucifixion to carry his cross from the judgment hall to the place of crucifixion. Thus for one to carry a cross would indicate that he was on the way to death. This rich young ruler had asked Jesus what he could do to have eternal life, but Jesus simply invited him to give up his riches and follow him into death. No wonder the young man went away sorrowful.
A Heavenly Hope
Had the young man been able to grasp it, in reality Jesus offered him a far more compensating portion than merely to remain alive as a human, and to continue enjoying his riches, for he said to him that if he would sacrifice everything, even life itself, he would have treasure in heaven. The Law did not promise a heavenly reward, hence the idea of heavenly treasure would be quite new to the rich young ruler, and evidently such a prospect had no appeal for him.
It would seem that Jesus’ disciples were listening to this dialog between Jesus and the young man, and there were elements in it which they did not at the time understand, so Jesus explained further to them. He said that “a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven,” and also that “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.” The record continues, “When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?”—Matt. 19:23-25
Jesus could have explained to his disciples that rich men can enter into the rulership phase of the kingdom of God if they are willing to devote all that they have, and themselves, to the service of the Lord. He explained this thought in part by his illustration of a camel going through the eye of a needle—apparently a reference to a small gate within the larger gate leading into the city of Jerusalem, called the needle’s eye gate. Camels could go through this gate on their knees, after first having their pack removed.
While Jesus had used this illustration it seemingly was lost on the disciples, and they still enquired, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus did not give a direct reply to this question. He simply said, “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” (Matt. 19:26) Peter knew that this was not a full answer to his question, so he inquired further, “Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?”—Matt. 19:27
It is apparent why Peter asked this question. He had heard Jesus invite the rich young ruler to give up his all and follow him, with the promise that if he did this he would have treasure in heaven. This was a new thought to the disciples. They had given up their all and they supposed that they were to be associated with Jesus in an earthly kingdom. It seemed worthwhile to give up everything in order to obtain a high position of honor like this among men. But now Jesus was talking about treasure in heaven. What could he mean, and how did they, the disciples, fit into such an arrangement? So, Peter asked plainly, “What shall we have therefore?”
Thrones and Judgment
Replying to this question Jesus said, “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.” (Matt. 19:28) This was not the full answer as to what would constitute the promised “treasure in heaven,” but it did give some information, and very important information at that. It re-reveals that the promised treasure in heaven involved “glory” and “thrones,” and the exercise of judgeship authority.
But these treasures were not to be obtained until after our Lord’s return, not until “the Son of man shall sit upon the throne of his glory.” Jesus mentioned this point again in his Parable of the Sheep and the Goats. We quote, “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: and before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats.”—Matt. 25:31,32
The “holy angels” who are shown in this parable as being with the Son of man when he sits upon the throne of his glory are the “called, and chosen, and faithful” of this Gospel Age; those who left all and followed him. The word “angel” in the New Testament is a translation of a Greek word which simply means “messenger.” The messenger may be heavenly or earthly. In this case the reference is to those who are exalted to heavenly glory to live and reign with Christ.
The Apostle Paul refers to these “messengers,” these faithful ones, saying, “When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” (Col. 3:4) So the prospect is a bright one indeed! It is a prospect of glory and, as Paul adds, also of “honor and immortality.” (Rom. 2:7) Nor is the prospect of such heavenly treasure a selfish one for, as Jesus explained, and as the Scriptures elsewhere so clearly teach, the purpose of sitting with Jesus in glory is to participate in the great future work of judging the whole world of mankind. And the Scriptures clearly teach that that judgment day will be one of rich blessing for all who then, when given a favorable opportunity, obey the laws of righteousness which will be in force.
The psalmist wrote, “Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof. Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice before the Lord: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.” (Ps. 96:11-13) What a blessed prospect it is to realize that if we are faithful unto death—faithful in giving up all that we have, and following Jesus into death—we will have this precious treasure, this joy of bringing blessings to all the families of the earth.
Jews and Gentiles
In Jesus’ explanation to his disciples concerning “treasure in heaven,” he said that they would sit on “twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” In his Parable of the Sheep and the Goats he indicates that all nations, which would include the twelve tribes of Israel, will then be on trial, or passing through their judgment day. This larger picture is quite in harmony with God’s original promise to Abraham assuring him that through his seed all families of the earth would be blessed.
Jesus explains further concerning the position of both Jews and Gentiles, as recorded in Matthew 10:15. Here Jesus compares the position in the judgment day of Jews who rejected him and his disciples with certain Gentiles. We quote, “Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.” (Matt. 10:15) Whether it will be less tolerable or more tolerable for individuals in the day of judgment will depend upon the amount of knowledge they previously had concerning God and his laws of righteousness, and the extent to which they endeavored to live up to the light they possessed.
For us it is a blessed source of encouragement to know that if we are faithful even unto death we will have the joy of dispensing the blessings of the judgment day and of the kingdom to the sin-sick and dying world of mankind. This was one of the joys set before Jesus which enabled him to endure the cross and to despise the shame which was heaped upon him because of his faithfulness to his Heavenly Father. It is likewise one of the joys which is set before us, and to the extent that our faith can lay hold upon the many promises of God which assure us of this high position of honor and rulership in the kingdom, and the purpose for which they will be used, we too will thereby receive strength and courage to continue in the narrow way of sacrifice, giving up our all, and following Jesus into sacrificial death.
Other Treasures
It is impossible for our finite minds to grasp clearly just what the glories of the kingdom will be like. The Apostle John wrote that “it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, and see him as he is.” (I John 3:1-3) While, as John declares, “it doth not yet appear what we shall be,” we do know that we will be like him, and that we shall see him in all his divine glory. What a treasure this will be!
We have rejoiced in our relationship with Jesus as our Advocate, our merciful High Priest, our Good Shepherd,” our Elder Brother and Friend. This association with him has been upon the basis of faith, for we have never seen him, although our faith in the promises has brought him very close to us. But beyond the veil it will be different. Then we shall see him face to face, and behold his glory; and the glory also of the Heavenly Father; indeed, we will share that glory, and will participate in that happy work of dispensing blessings of health and life to all mankind. What a treasure!
Yes, we will also meet our Heavenly Father in all his loving and resplendent glory. In prayer, Jesus said to his Father, “In thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” (Ps. 16:11) Paul informs us that Jesus is now “set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb. 12:2) And Jesus said that the overcomers would be granted the privilege of sitting with him in his throne, even as he was with the Heavenly Father in his throne.—Rev. 3:21
The thought of meeting and being with the great Creator of the universe, the One who is from everlasting to everlasting, is beyond our capacity to grasp with any degree of reality. Thinking of this as being one of the heavenly treasures, it is a treasure so great that we can comprehend its implications to but a small extent. But even though we can understand it only in part, we know that this is one of the “treasures” promised to the faithful. Paul wrote, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.”—Rom. 5:1,2
The Bride
In Revelation 19:7 Jesus is referred to as the Lamb, and in this text we are told of the time when “the marriage of the Lamb” comes, and when his “wife hath made herself ready.” The wife, or bride of the Lamb, will be his glorified church, and is depicted in Revelation 21 as a “holy city” which comes down from God out of heaven “prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” The foundations of this symbolic city are “garnished with all manner of precious stones.” (vs. 19) We may not understand all that is depicted by these precious stones, but they do represent riches of heavenly glory, and obviously a part of our “treasure in heaven,” treasure which will become ours upon the basis of giving up all our earthly treasure to demonstrate our zeal for the Lord and for his cause.
“And Have Not Love”
While it is true that the way into the heavenly glory is the way of sacrifice even unto death, this sacrifice must be motivated by love or else it will not be acceptable to the Lord. Paul sets this forth very beautifully in I Corinthians 13:3. It will be remembered that Jesus called upon the rich young ruler to bestow all his goods to feed the poor. Paul was evidently acquainted with this expression of the terms of the narrow way, and wrote, “Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profiteth me nothing.”
Jesus told the young ruler that if he bestowed all his goods to feed the poor, and followed him into death, he would have treasure in heaven. Paul built upon the sense of this illustration and explained that in order to make this “profit,” love must be the motive which moves us to sacrifice, to suffer, and to die. So, then, it is not merely a matter of sacrifice. Love must be the motive for our sacrifice, and if we are filled with the love of God, the love that prompted the Creator to give his Son to be our Redeemer, and the love which prompted Jesus to suffer and die that we might live, then we too will gladly follow in his footsteps of sacrifice faithfully unto death. May this indeed be our response to the Master’s invitation to follow him, and may the glories of the kingdom, and the future privilege of blessing others, continue to be the great joy set before us to encourage and strengthen us in our every time of need.