The Road to Jerusalem: Part 2 - Matthew 19:16-20:16

This week on the road to Jerusalem we witness Jesus' encounter with the rich young man. This encounter on the road leads to in depth teaching from Jesus on our relationship to money and material things, as well as the  nature of God's grace.

• Read Matthew 19:16-26. How seriously do we take Jesus’ teaching on wealth? Do we try to make it a metaphor for other things? Do we consider it to be a special calling only for some? Do we try to live it literally?

• What might Matthew 19:26 say about how we should respond to what Jesus teaches on wealth? What might it say about the relationship between God's grace and our attempts to follow Jesus' radically different way of living?

• Read Matthew 19:27-30 and compare it to the similar sayings in Mark 10:28-31 and Luke 18:28-30. What kind of reward can we expect for making sacrifices for Christ? How does Matthew’s understanding of this reward differ from that found in the other Gospels?

• Read Matthew 20:1-16. How do you respond to the way the land owner pays the labourers? Is the landowner being fair? What does the parable say about God’s grace, who receives grace and how we react to the way God gives it? How is the parable connected to what Jesus has said in 19:16-30?