Matthew 19
Now when Jesus had finished saying these things, He left Galilee and went into the part of Judea that is beyond the Jordan;
and large crowds followed Him, and He healed them there.
And Pharisees came to Jesus, testing Him and asking, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?"
He replied, "Have you never read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female ,
The Pharisees said to Him, "Why then did Moses command us to give her a certificate of divorce and send her away ?"
He said to them, "Because your hearts were hard and stubborn Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way.
The disciples said to Jesus, "If the relationship of a man with his wife is like this, it is better not to marry."
But He said to them, "Not all men can accept this statement, but only those to whom [the capacity to receive] it has been given.
Then children were brought to Jesus so that He might place His hands on them [for a blessing] and pray; but the disciples reprimanded them.
But He said, "Leave the children alone, and do not forbid them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
After placing His hands on them [for a blessing] , He went on from there.
And someone came to Him and said, "Teacher, what [essentially] good thing shall I do to obtain eternal life [that is, eternal salvation in the Messiah's kingdom] ?"
Jesus answered, "Why are you asking Me about what is [essentially] good? There is only One who is [essentially] good; but if you wish to enter into eternal life, keep the commandments."
He said to Jesus, "Which commandments?" And Jesus answered, "You shall not commit murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not give false testimony ;
The young man said to Him, "I have kept all these things [from my youth] ; what do I still lack?"
Jesus answered him, "If you wish to be perfect [that is, have the spiritual maturity that accompanies godly character with no moral or ethical deficiencies] , go and sell what you have and give [the money] to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me [becoming My disciple, believing and trusting in Me and walking the same path of life that I walk] ."
But when the young man heard this, he left grieving and distressed, for he owned much property and had many possessions [which he treasured more than his relationship with God] .
Jesus said to His disciples, "I assure you and most solemnly say to you, it is difficult for a rich man [who clings to possessions and status as security] to enter the kingdom of heaven.
When the disciples heard this, they were completely [3]astonished and bewildered, saying, "Then who can be saved [from the wrath of God] ?"
But Jesus looked at them and said, "With people [as far as it depends on them] it is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
Then Peter answered Him, saying, "Look, we have given up everything and followed You [becoming Your disciples and accepting You as Teacher and Lord] ; what then will there be for us?"
Jesus said to them, "I assure you and most solemnly say to you, in the renewal [that is, the Messianic restoration and regeneration of all things] when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, you [who have followed Me, becoming My disciples] will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.