Trending
And the poor have the gospel preached to them
Matthew 11:5
We will continue with our study of Mark 10:13-31 this week. In our text (Matthew 11:5), the word poor has this meaning: "destitute of wealth, influence, position, honors; lowly, afflicted." This is also the situation of the children in Mark 10:13-31, Matthew 19:14, and Luke 18:16. And in Matthew 5:3, Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor (destitute) in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
By His sovereign electing grace, God chose to call the meek, humble, and lowly people to Himself. If the rich, religious, and good people are going to enter the kingdom, they must come the same way, with no merit of their own. Jesus said in Matthew 9:12-13, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
James 2:5 tells us, "Has not God chosen the poor (destitute) of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?" Luke 19:10 says, "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."
Here is an important point to remember: before anyone can find their way to heaven, they must first realize they are lost. The inexperienced hunter who is lost in the mountains will often walk in circles until he realizes he is lost. Then, in desperation, he will try another way.
In Luke 18:9-14, we read of a Pharisee who went up to the temple to pray. He was proud of the good person he was and the good deeds he had done. There was also a tax collector who "would not so much as lift his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner."
We must rid ourselves of Pharisaical pride and humble ourselves in the sight of God like the tax collector. We find another example of humility in Luke 15:11-32, with the prodigal son. The younger of the two sons had enough of his family and life in his father's house. He is tired of rules, work, and being restrained by his parents. He thinks he knows what he wants and needs, to get away from home and go where the action, fun, and excitement are.
The father gave him his portion, and the younger brother was off to experience the world. Verse 13 says, He journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. He was living wild, fast, and hard; what he got from his father did not last long.
Then verse 17 says, "But when he came to himself," when hunger pains and cold began to set in, common sense returned. So, he decides he will humble himself and repent of his sin against heaven and before his father. Sometimes God has to take us so low that we only have one way to look, and that's up.
The son came home with nothing in his hands, no merit of his own, only his sin to claim. His father received him gladly and welcomed him back into the home.
What a great example of how our Heavenly Father receives sinners to Himself.
James 4:10 tells us, "Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up." But for the proud, religious, self-sufficient person who does not come through the righteousness of Christ, he will be humbled by these words on judgment day, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness."
Contact the author at thoughtsonword@gmail.com if you have any comments or questions.
•••
Lyndon Stimeling, of Richfield, has been writing about faith and family for many years. He has self-published four books, Common Thoughts on The Word in 2016, Eye of a Needle in 2017, Common Thoughts on The Word II in 2019 and A Bridge Between in 2023. He has also had articles published in The Coming Home Journal and local newspapers and has written a children's book.