ch man to enter into the kingdom of God."[1002] At this
statement the disciples were amazed. "Who then can be saved?" they
wondered. Jesus understood their perplexity, and encouraged them with
the assurance that with God all things are possible. Thus were they
given to understand that while wealth is a means of temptation to which
many succumb, it is no insuperable obstacle, no insurmountable barrier,
in the way of entrance to the kingdom. Had the young ruler followed the
advice called forth by his inquiry, his possession of riches would have
made possible to him meritorious service such as few are able to render.
Willingness to place the kingdom of God above all material possessions
was the one thing he lacked.[1003] Everyone of us may pertinently ask,
What do I lack?

THE FIRST MAY BE LAST, AND THE LAST FIRST.[1004]

The sorrowful departure of the rich young ruler, whose great possessions
were so much a part of his life that he could not give them up at the
time, though we may hope that he afterward did, brought forth from Peter
an abrupt question, which revealed the course of his thoughts and
aspirations: "Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what
shall we have therefore?" Whether he spoke for himself alone, or by his
use of the plural "we" meant to include all the Twelve, is uncertain and
unimportant. He was thinking of the home and family he had left, and a
longing for them was pardonable; he was thinking also of boats and nets,
hooks and lines, and the lucrative business for which such things stood.
All these he had forsaken; what was to be his reward? Jesus answered:
"Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the
regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory,
ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of
Israel." It is doubtful that Peter or any other of the Twelve had ever
conceived of so great a distinction. The day of regeneration, when the
Son of Man shall sit on the throne of His glory, as Judge and King, is
even yet future; but in that day, those of the Lord's Twelve who endured
to the end shall be enthroned as judges in Israel. The further assurance
was given that "every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or
sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my
name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting
life." Rewards of such transcendent worth could scarcely be reckoned or
th