Matthew 19 21

Matthew 19:21 kjv

Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

Matthew 19:21 nkjv

Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."

Matthew 19:21 niv

Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

Matthew 19:21 esv

Jesus said to him, "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."

Matthew 19:21 nlt

Jesus told him, "If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

Matthew 19 verses

Matthew 19 21 Meaning

Matthew 19:21 captures Jesus' direct response to a rich young ruler who claimed to have kept all the commandments but still sought what he lacked to inherit eternal life. Jesus revealed the man's idol: his immense wealth. The verse presents Jesus' radical call to sacrifice earthly security (selling all possessions and giving to the poor) for heavenly treasure, thereby becoming wholehearted (perfect) in devotion and fully following Him. It's a specific diagnostic challenge meant to expose and remove the primary obstacle to this particular individual's complete discipleship.

Matthew 19 21 Context

This verse is part of Jesus' teaching on discipleship and the Kingdom of Heaven, specifically within the narrative of the rich young ruler (Matt 19:16-22; parallel Mark 10:17-31, Luke 18:18-30). The young man approaches Jesus, asking what good thing he must do to inherit eternal life. After Jesus points him to the commandments, the man asserts he has kept them all from his youth, asking "What still do I lack?" Jesus' response in Matthew 19:21 is a targeted, profound revelation of his ultimate impediment. Immediately following this interaction, the man walks away sorrowful, leading to Jesus' pronouncement about the difficulty for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God and the disciples' astonishment, setting up further teaching on God's ability to save and the reward for those who sacrifice everything to follow Him. This specific challenge exposes the idolatry of wealth as the one thing standing between the ruler and full devotion to God.

Matthew 19 21 Word analysis

• Jesus (Ἰησοῦς, Iēsoūs): The central figure, divine teacher, and ultimate authority.
• said (εἶπεν, eipen): A direct, definitive statement, not a suggestion.
• to him (αὐτῷ, autō): Directed specifically at the rich young ruler, indicating a personalized command, not a blanket instruction for all.
• If you want (Εἰ θέλεις, Ei theleis): Implies desire and willingness; "if you truly desire." It poses a condition on his professed longing for perfection.
• to be perfect (τέλειος εἶναι, teleios einai): teleios means complete, mature, whole, or having reached one's intended purpose. Not flawless moral sinlessness (as only God is truly perfect), but utterly wholehearted devotion, lacking nothing that would hinder true relationship with God. Here, it relates to the one thing he lacked in his pursuit of spiritual completeness, pointing to undivided allegiance to God.
• go (ὕπαγε, hypage): An imperative, commanding immediate action and departure from his current way of living.
• sell (πώλησον, pōlēson): An imperative, a radical and total divestment. Not just a percentage or charitable donation, but liquidation of all possessions.
• your possessions (σου τὰ ὑπάρχοντα, sou ta hyparkhonta): Referring to "your existing things," his wealth and property. This directly confronts the object of his idolatry and security.
• and give (καὶ δὸς, kai dos): An imperative, not just passive selling, but active distribution.
• to the poor (πτωχοῖς, ptōchois): To the truly needy, those in abject poverty. A counter-cultural act demonstrating trust in God rather than wealth, and practical love for neighbor.
• and you will have (καὶ ἕξεις, kai hexeis): A promise, the assured outcome of this radical obedience.
• treasure (θησαυρὸν, thēsauros): A store of value, security, riches.
• in heaven (ἐν οὐρανῷ, en ouranō): Points to a spiritual, eternal, and indestructible reward, directly contrasting his earthly, perishable wealth.
• Then come (δεῦρο, deuro): An invitation to draw near, an imperative to begin a new relationship and journey.
• follow me (ἀκολούθει μοι, akolouthei moi): The ultimate command and purpose of the previous steps. akolouthei implies discipleship, allegience, patterning one's life after Jesus' teachings and example, dedicating one's entire being to Him. This is the goal; the selling and giving are the necessary preconditions to remove his spiritual obstacle.

Words-group by words-group analysis

• "If you want to be perfect": This clause sets the condition and purpose. The "perfection" the young man seeks, and that Jesus diagnoses, is not sinlessness but a state of complete devotion, lacking nothing in allegiance to God.
• "go, sell your possessions and give to the poor": These are radical, interconnected actions targeting the core issue. "Selling all" highlights total renunciation, while "giving to the poor" redirects the value from self-hoarding to compassionate use, demonstrating trust in God and love for others over material security.
• "and you will have treasure in heaven": This is the immediate promise and motivation for the sacrifice. It contrasts fleeting earthly wealth with enduring heavenly reward, establishing a completely different value system where true security is spiritual, not material.
• "Then come, follow me": This is the climax and true objective of the whole command. The selling and giving are not the end themselves, but a necessary purification and obstacle removal so that the rich young ruler could wholeheartedly embrace true discipleship—living entirely for Christ. This ultimate command reveals the path to true completeness (perfection).

Matthew 19 21 Bonus section

• The young man's great possessions (Luke 18:23) were not merely large but signified the scale of his attachment and the difficulty he faced.
• This verse precedes Jesus's teaching on the camel and the eye of a needle, underscoring the exceptional challenge wealth poses to spiritual entry into God's Kingdom.
• While not a command for universal asceticism, the principle of radical detachment from anything that hinders one's pursuit of Christ remains applicable for every believer. What one's personal "great possessions" might be could differ: fame, power, comfort, reputation, or even specific relationships that draw one away from God. The demand is always on the idol in the heart, not solely wealth.

Matthew 19 21 Commentary

Matthew 19:21 is a precise and potent word from Jesus, uniquely tailored for the rich young ruler. It is not a universal mandate for every Christian to become indigent, but a specific spiritual diagnosis and prescription for an individual whose wealth had become an insurmountable idol, hindering his wholehearted pursuit of God. The young man, seeking to know what "good thing" he lacked for eternal life, was sincere in his adherence to the law's outward expressions. However, Jesus probed deeper, revealing the one command he was unwilling to obey—the command to prioritize God above all things, particularly his great possessions.

The term "perfect" (teleios) here signifies completeness, maturity, or being wholehearted in one's devotion. It's about a lack of anything hindering full commitment to God. For this man, wealth was that specific impediment. Jesus' command to sell everything and give to the poor was designed to unmask his true loyalty and break his idolatrous attachment to money. The promise of "treasure in heaven" presented a radical exchange of temporal security for eternal value, demanding faith in God's provision over self-reliance. Ultimately, the directive culminated in the essential call: "Then come, follow me." This reveals that the stripping away of earthly wealth was merely a precursor to the true goal—undivided, absolute discipleship to Christ. This verse profoundly underscores that genuine commitment to Jesus requires a willingness to surrender anything that stands as a rival to His lordship in one's life. It serves as a stark reminder that while the law may outline actions, the heart's true devotion to God often requires radical, personal sacrifice of what we hold dearest.