The Reward of Christ's Followers

Chapter 76
MATT. 19:27—20:16; MARK 10:28-31; LUKE 18:28-30
The rich young man would not renounce his wealth for the sake of Christ, but the disciples had left everything to follow Him. Thinking of this, Peter asked what their reward would be. And Jesus answered:
"Amen I say to you that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man shall sit on the throne of His glory, shall also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left house, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall possess life everlasting. But many who are first now will be last, and many who are last now will be first.
"For the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. And having agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And about the third hour, he went out and saw others standing in the market place idle; and he said to them, 'Go you also into the vineyard, and I will give you whatever is just.' So they went. And again he went out about the sixth, and about the ninth hour, and did as before. But about the eleventh hour he went out and found others stand­ing about, and he said to them, 'Why do you stand here all day idle?' They said to him, 'Because no man has hired us.' He said to them, 'Go you also into the vineyard.' But when eve­ning had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers, and pay them their wages, beginning from the last even to the first.' Now when they of the eleventh hour came, they received each a denarius. And when the first in their turn came, they thought they would receive more; but they also received each his denarius. And on receiving it, they began to murmur against the householder, saying, 'These last have worked a single hour, and thou has put them on a level with us, who have borne the burden of the day's heat.' But answering one of them, he said, 'Friend, I do thee no injustice; didst thou not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is thine and go; I choose to give to this last even as to thee. Have I not a right to do what I choose? Or art thou envious be­cause I am generous?' Even so the last shall be first, and the first last; for many are called, but few are chosen."

"Have I not a right to do what I choose?" God distributes talents among men accord­ing to His own design, endowing each with the gifts most suitable. Who are we to ques­tion the wisdom of His plans? None of us is without some gift, besides the great gift of life itself. Who, then, cannot find much within himself with which, and for which, to render thanks to God?

Lessons in Prayer

Chapter 75
MATT. 19:3-26; MARK 10:2-27; LUKE 18:1-27
To teach His disciples to pray persistently and confi­dently, Jesus told them this parable:
"There was a judge in a certain town who did not fear God and did not respect man. Now there was a certain widow in that town, and she kept coming to him saying, 'Do me justice against my adversary.' And he would not for a long time. But afterwards he said within himself, 'Although I do not fear God, nor even respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will do her justice, lest by her continual coming she finally wear me out.'
"Hear what the unjust judge says; and will not God avenge His elect, who cry to Him day and night? And will He be slow to act in their case? I tell you that He will avenge them quickly. Yet when the Son of Man comes, will He find, do you think, faith on the earth?"
In behalf of humility and against self-righteousness, He told another parable:
"Two men went up to the temple to pray, the one a Phari­see and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and began to pray thus within himself: 'O God, I thank Thee that I am not like the rest of men, robbers, dishonest, adulterers, or even like this publican. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I possess.' But the publican standing afar off, would not so much as lift up his eyes to heaven, but kept striking his breast, saying, 'O God, be merciful to me the sinner!'
"I tell you, this man went back to his home justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself shall be hum­bled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted."
Some Pharisees came up and sought to trap Him by asking whether it was lawful for a man to repudiate his wife (as many rabbis were then teaching this could be done for any cause). And Jesus answered:
"Have you not read that the Creator, from the beginning, made them male and female, and said, 'For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? Therefore now they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined to­gether, let no man put asunder."
They then asked Him why, if this were so, Moses had pro­vided for a wife being dismissed through a written notice. And Jesus answered:
"Because Moses, by reason of the hardness of your heart, permitted you to put away your wives; but it was not so from the beginning. And I say to you, that whoever puts away his wife, except for immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and he who marries a woman who has been put away commits adultery."
The disciples were surprised to hear Jesus teach that the marriage bond could not be broken; and they asked Him whether it would not be better for a man not to marry at all. Then Jesus said to them:
Not all can accept this teaching; but those to whom it has been given. For there are eunuchs who were born so from their mother's womb; and there are eunuchs who were made so by men; and there are eunuchs who have made themselv­es so for the kingdom of Heaven's sake. Let him accept it who can."
As Jesus was speaking, some little children had been brought forward for Him to bless them. The disciples began to rebuke the children and their escorts, thinking perhaps to save their Master annoyance. But when Jesus saw what they were doing, He said indignantly:
"Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for of such is the kingdom of God. Amen I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God as a little child will not enter into it."
And calling them to Him, He embraced the children and blessed them.
As Christ continued His journey, a young ruler came to Him, saying, "Good Master, what good work shall I do to have eternal life?" Jesus said:
"Why dost thou ask Me about what is good? One there is who is good, that is God. But if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments."
The young man asked, "Which?," and Jesus replied:
“Thou shalt not kill,
Thou shalt not commit adultery,
Thou shalt not steal,
Thou shalt not bear false witness,
Honor thy father and mother,
and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."
The youth said he had kept all these, and asked what more was required. Then Jesus counseled him:
"If thou will be perfect, go, sell what thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."
The young man went away depressed, for he would not give up his wealth; he was too attached to his material comforts. And Jesus said to His disciples:
"Amen I say to you, with difficulty will a rich man enter the kingdom of heaven. And further I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through an eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven."
The astonished disciples asked who could be saved if this were so, and Jesus replied:
"With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

In the first of these parables, Christ empha­sizes the necessity of perseverance in our efforts to grow in holiness. By continually as­piring to union with God by constant prayer we will finally achieve Him. Possession of Him will not be denied us if our prayers are persistent and confident. "Pray always" in word and work should be the watchword of the soul striving to lay hold of eternal life. Is prayer an effective, constant, integral part of my spiritual life?

The Coming of the Kingdom

Chapter 74
MATT. 24:26-28, 37-41; LUKE 17:20-37
Answering some pharisees who asked Him when the kingdom of God would be established, Jesus said:
"The kingdom of God comes unawares. Neither will they say, 'Behold, here it is,' or 'Behold, there it is.' For behold, the kingdom of God is within you."
Concerning His second coming, He told the disciples:
"The days will come when you will long to see one day of the Son of Man, and will not see it. And they will say to you, 'Behold, here He is; behold, there He is.' Do not go, nor fol­low after them. For as the lightning when it lightens flashes from one end of the sky to the other, so will the Son of Man be in His day. But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
"And as it came to pass in the days of Noe, even so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking, they were marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noe entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Or as it came to pass in the days of Lot. They were eating and drinking, they were buying and selling, they were planting and building; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. In the same wise will it be on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. In that hour let him who is on the housetop and his goods in the house, not go down to take them away; and likewise let him who is in the field not turn back. Remember Lot's wife. Whoever tries to save his life will lose it; and whoever loses it will preserve it. I say to you, on that night there will be two on one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. Two women will be grinding together; one will be taken, and the other will be left. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken, and the other will be left."
They asked where He would appear. And Jesus said:
"Wherever the body is, there will the eagles be gathered together."

"The kingdom of God is within you." How often do we remind ourselves of this? It is not our work, its success or failure, our repu­tation for virtue, our position in life, our achievements which really matter, but the flourishing or desolate kingdom of God within us. The land where God and I walk alone together—it is either a magnifi­cently adorned place of retreat or a barren desert, empty of spiritual riches. Only in death will we behold this creation in all its reality of fruitfulness or want but now is the time for its cultivation. What are God and I accomplishing in my soul?