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The same teaching is given to the Twelve after they had asked the Lord what they
would receive after faithfully following Him. His reply was:
"I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on His
glorious throne, you who have followed Me (and the Lord had previously made clear
what this would cost in suffering and taking up the cross) will also sit on twelve thrones
judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or
sisters or father or mother or children or fields for My sake will receive a hundred times
as much and will inherit eternal life" (Matt. 19: 28, 29, N.I.V.).
Here again inheriting eternal life is connected with works.
In the same way when we come to the judgment of the living nations at the Second
Advent of Christ recorded in chapter 25:, those entertaining eternal life are connected
with actions, not faith alone. They had fed, clothed, attended to the Lord in sickness,
although they had no consciousness of actually doing these things with the Lord in view.
It is such who inherit eternal life in Matthew's Gospel.
Nothing is clearer than eternal life is parallel to entering the kingdom when set up by
the Lord in the future, and this is connected with faithful service. Eternal life in Matthew,
Mark and Luke, is linked with doing, keeping, forsaking and following the Lord.
This makes problems, of course, because it does not agree with the revelation given
later connected with the Body of Christ, as made known in Paul's ministry. Once we see
the distinction between the earthly phase of God's kingdom purpose where redeemed
Israel is in the centre, and the heavenly phase of that same kingdom purpose which is
connected with the Body of Christ, the problems vanish. It is a question of
"distinguishing the things that differ" (Phil. 1: 10 margin). We must also recognize that
entering the kingdom is in the nature of reward as we have seen and as the Sermon on the
Mount clearly teaches, and rewards can be won or they can be lost by actions, obedience,
or disobedience.
One thing that can militate against faithful response to the Lord's claims is money, as
the young man found, whom we have been considering. "If you want to be mature", the
Lord told him, "go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure
(reward) in heaven. Then come, follow Me" (Matt. 19: 21). The Lord was touching a
vital point with him, for he was rich (22). He had progressed so far, but here was one
thing that was blocking the way, as it has been doing ever since, that is, the love of
money. There is nothing wrong with money. It is the fascination of money that grips the
human mind and controls it that is the danger. It becomes the most important thing in life
and therefore an idol; consequently the Scripture warns us that it is the love of money
which is dangerous, for the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. "Some people,
eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with griefs"
(I.Tim.vi.10, N.I.V.), and in the context we are studying, the Lord Jesus stated:
"I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to 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 man to
enter the kingdom of God" (Matt. 19: 23, 24, N.I.V.).