Begin the Swing

It is a short chapter, and I would like to see it to the end. Matthew 19 finishes with an exchange between Christ and his disciples on the topics of entrance into the kingdom, and the regeneration.

Matthew 19:23-30. It goes like this: Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich 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 someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me 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 wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.

But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.

It is needful to note that Christ repeats himself. This, I think, is for emphasis. We must focus. For of all the points in this exchange upon which we require definition, repetition should not be dismissed. Let us, therefore, list the points and examine them.

First. Repetition for emphasis. What is repeated? Two matters: the insufficiency of the man of substance, and the nature of the kingdom. “A rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom,” KJV. The word 'hardly' means: 'with little likelihood'. We want to know, then, how hard can it be? Jesus wanted to make that point plain – thus the repetition. It is so hard for a man of substance to enter heaven, that there is a greater likelihood of someone threading a needle with a camel. There is simply too much substance to fit through the strait and narrow eye. Think of a dog with a stick in its mouth trying to get through a narrow door. He must either drop the stick, or discover how to walk sideways.

Christ mentioned the kingdom twice. Repetition. Once, he called it the kingdom of heaven, then possibly in the same breath, he turned around and called it the kingdom of God. The word 'of' implies ownership, so when he says 'kingdom of God' we get a clear picture of a 'kingdom' ruled by God. God is king: the kingdom belongs to him. He owns and operates it. On the other hand, when we read 'kingdom of heaven', we must surely know that Christ is not talking about a kingdom that is simply named 'heaven'. No. It is a kingdom that is ruled by heaven, (owned and operated.) Heaven is equal to God, but more on that later.

Second. Can a worldly man enter the kingdom? We think of worldliness as involving a necessary amount of ownership. We know from bitter experience that substance is hard won, and easily lost. On this plain of existence, we depend on our substance. We eat it, we wear it, we trade with it. We also know that there are levels of substance, and levels of worldliness. Imagine if you carried all you own and use on one of your shoulders. You might find yourself dropping some of the excess weight. With God all things are possible. There is a way to get through the strait and narrow, but it will cost you. God can get you through the eye of that needle, but it is up to you not to be as gross as a camel.

Doubtless, a crafty rich man might find a way to squeeze through the strait and narrow. He might line up his possessions in single file and march them through – oh, but wait: “with man this is impossible.” No. He cannot push them through, or pull them through. He is not allowed to go back and forth to bring them in one at a time. His passage through is totally personal, so paying someone to help won't work either. Man has a predisposition – that is to say, a worldly, possession-oriented way of looking at things. It is an inclination that colors his every thought, action, and reaction.

But: “with God all things are possible.” God provides a formula that will ensure you get through that strait and narrow entrance into the kingdom. That formula is neither worldly, nor possession-oriented. Rather, the formula is a radical departure from the norm. Man must change his way of thinking. To enter a spiritual kingdom, man must learn to see things spiritually. He must become different; he must become new. He must learn to associate and identify with spiritual possessions – that is, he must spiritually see a spiritual core nature, rather than physical extensions. That is why John told us in 1 John 3:2, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”

Third. The astonished response of the disciples, especially of Peter. Everyone owned something they wanted to hang on to. Having possessions nearby is quite handy, after all. Peter was a man of some substance. He owned a home, he had a wife, he operated a business that kept his family fed. That is why, to me, his response seems anguished. He wasn't filthy rich, but what was his was his. He worked hard for it, and was emotionally invested in its maintenance. He may have really wanted to ask, 'what more do you want from us? We barely have too sticks to rub together, and we even left those behind to follow you – please tell us it's not for nothing.'

Fourth. Compensation. Christ made a list of compensations for those who forsook all to follow him. Whether these compensations are literal or figurative or spiritual has yet to be determined. It is so often the case that we read something without fully seeing what it is that we are looking at. And as investments go, the list of compensations seems unparalleled. Give up one thing, get a hundred. Look closely at the list; if you leave your wife behind, you get a hundred more. That's a deal with appeal for any Solomon. To be candid, it sounds a bit like the seventy virgins that Muslims go on and on about.

If these compensations are worldly, we might envision a man not married, per se, but rather responsible for the maintenance and well-being of many women, and not necessarily just of their physical needs. If this compensation is spiritual, and takes place in a higher realm, we might envision social protocols heretofore un-envisioned. As to a hundred fold more lands, that does, I admit, seem more or less solid. But, I have still to work through my worldly predispositions.

Fifth. Thrones. However these compensations play out, the most noteworthy of them all is the promise of thrones. Thrones represent not only power and authority, but a close proximity to Christ himself. Who could want for more than such a connection? In terms of compensatory thrones, I am reminded of the parable in which servants were left with a portion of their master's great wealth. Those who were able to use their portion to achieve even more were rewarded with greater responsibilities. Luke 19:17, “And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.”

Now, let us take a moment to look, not at the thrones of the disciples, but the throne of Christ. The New International Version of this text uses the words: “When the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne.” This version paints us a picture of some especially nice furniture. It is all very glorious, but I much prefer the rendering of the King James Version which reads: “When the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of his glory.” The King James Version speaks clearly of a quality that is possessed by the one who sits, not by that which one sits in. Christ owns, and is in full possession of 'his' glory. For me, that speaks of what the Son inherits from the Father – of a thing or a title or a power, some quality that is passed down to the rightful heir.

Christ is not the only one to inherit something. He tells his disciples that, on top of the hundred-fold compensations, on top of the thrones, they will also inherit eternal life. Just as power and authority are passed down from the Father to the Son, so too eternal life is passed down from Christ to his followers. That is: life unending, life that goes on and on, perpetually recurring life, life that empowers the individual to move past his or her worldly, possession-oriented predisposition.

Sixth. Regeneration. In biology, regeneration is the process of renewal, restoration, and growth that makes organisms resilient to natural fluctuations or events that cause disturbance or damage. In theology, Regeneration is the spiritual transformation in a person, brought about by the Holy Spirit that brings the individual from being spiritually dead to become a spiritually alive human being. Regeneration is another way of speaking of being born again. This comes from an internet search.

Concerning the millennium, there are several schools of thought. The premillennial view sees it as pertaining to an alleged return of Christ to set up an earthly kingdom over which he will reign from Jerusalem with his apostles ruling over the twelve tribes of Israel. This regime is supposed to continue for a literal 1,000 years.

There are those who think the regeneration has more to do with the prophet Daniel's concept of Christ's glorious approach to heaven, which would have commenced after his ascension. Then, there are those who favor the heavenly reward concept. This view involves a special honor for the apostles, a renovated earth, the final judgment, and the rebirth of the world. It is also said by some that the regeneration began on the day of Pentecost. And of course, there are the connections to Titus 3:5 and Acts 3:21.

The New International Version restates the regeneration as simply 'the renewal of all things'. This seems a rather middle of the road approach, but it actually plays into my court. I have long thought that events of all types and calibers are anti-linear – actually more dynamic and life like. There is an ebb and flow like the tides. There is an inhalation and an exhalation as with the lungs. My view sees it as a swinging back and forth as with a pendulum. 'The renewal of all things' is simply one natural extreme of that extent.

Seventh. First and last. We see in the compensations for believers and followers, a pattern that is not unfamiliar. When the householder of one particular parable employed workers for his field, he paid them in just that pattern at the end of the day: last first and first last. If you can picture it, envision a time-lapsed farmer plowing, planting, and reaching the end of his field. He turns to find that his crops are ready to be harvested, so he starts right away from where he stands. It is a time-lapsed harvest that begins with the last and works toward the first. Many things in the natural universe operate in this fashion, and by this pattern. It is like a pendulum that begins to swing back from where it stops.