Mat 19:21, Act 2:45, 4:34 | Barnes | STEP | Verse 21. If thou wilt be perfect . The word perfect means complete in all its parts---finished, having no part wanting. Thus a watch is perfect; or complete, when it has all its proper wheels, and hands, and movements in order. Job was said to be perfect, ; not that he was sinless, for he is afterwards reproved by God himself, but because his piety was proportioned, and had a completeness of parts, he was a pious father, a pious magistrate, a pious neighbour, a pious citizen. His religion was not confined to one thing, but extended to all. Perfect means, sometimes, the filling up , or carrying out , or expression of a principle of action. Thus, , "Whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected ." That is, the keeping of the commandments of God is the proper expression, carrying out , or completion , of the love of God. This is its meaning here. If thou wilt be perfect , complete, finished if thou wilt show the proper expression of this keeping of the commandments--go, etc. Make the obedience complete. Mark says, ( ) Jesus beholding him loved him . He was pleased with his amiableness, his correct character, his frankness, and ingenuousness. Jesus, as a man, was capable of all the emotions of most tender friendship. As a man, we may suppose that his disposition was tender and affectionate, mild and calm. Hence he loved with peculiar affection the disciple John, eminently endowed with these qualities. And hence he was pleased with the same traits in this young man. Still, with all this amiableness, there is reason to think he was not a Christian; and that the love of mere amiable qualities was all the affection that was ever bestowed on him by the Saviour. One thing , adds Mark, thou lackest . There is one thing wanting. You are not complete . This done, you would show that your obedience lacked no essential part, but was complete, finished , proportionate, perfect . Go and sell that thou hast , etc. The young man declared that he had kept the law. That law required, among other things, that he should love his neighbour as himself. It required also that he should love the Lord his God supremely; that is, more than all other objects. If he had that true love to God and man; if he loved his Maker and fellow-creatures more than he did his property, he would be willing to give up his wealth to the service of God and of man. Jesus commanded him to do this, therefore, to test his character, and to show him that he had not kept the law as he pretended; and thus to show him that he needed a better righteousness than his own. Treasure in heaven . . Follow me . To follow Jesus, then meant to be a personal attendant on his ministry; to go about with him from place to place, as well as to imitate and obey him. Now it means, 1st. to obey his commandments 2nd. to imitate his example, and to live like him. (n) "go and sell" (o) "follow me"

Matthew 19:21

Verse 21. If thou wilt be perfect. The word perfect means complete in all its parts---finished, having no part wanting. Thus a watch is perfect; or complete, when it has all its proper wheels, and hands, and movements in order. Job was said to be perfect, Job 1:1; not that he was sinless, for he is afterwards reproved by God himself, Job 38:1-40:4 but because his piety was proportioned, and had a completeness of parts, he was a pious father, a pious magistrate, a pious neighbour, a pious citizen. His religion was not confined to one thing, but extended to all. Perfect means, sometimes, the filling up, or carrying out, or expression of a principle of action. Thus, 1Jn 2:5, "Whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected." That is, the keeping of the commandments of God is the proper expression, carrying out, or completion, of the love of God. This is its meaning here. If thou wilt be perfect, complete, finished if thou wilt show the proper expression of this keeping of the commandments--go, etc. Make the obedience complete.

Mark says, (Mk 10:21) Jesus beholding him loved him. He was pleased with his amiableness, his correct character, his frankness, and ingenuousness. Jesus, as a man, was capable of all the emotions of most tender friendship. As a man, we may suppose that his disposition was tender and affectionate, mild and calm. Hence he loved with peculiar affection the disciple John, eminently endowed with these qualities. And hence he was pleased with the same traits in this young man. Still, with all this amiableness, there is reason to think he was not a Christian; and that the love of mere amiable qualities was all the affection that was ever bestowed on him by the Saviour.

One thing, adds Mark, thou lackest. There is one thing wanting. You are not complete. This done, you would show that your obedience lacked no essential part, but was complete, finished, proportionate, perfect.

Go and sell that thou hast, etc. The young man declared that he had kept the law. That law required, among other things, that he should love his neighbour as himself. It required also that he should love the Lord his God supremely; that is, more than all other objects. If he had that true love to God and man; if he loved his Maker and fellow-creatures more than he did his property, he would be willing to give up his wealth to the service of God and of man. Jesus commanded him to do this, therefore, to test his character, and to show him that he had not kept the law as he pretended; and thus to show him that he needed a better righteousness than his own.

Treasure in heaven. Mt 6:20.

Follow me. To follow Jesus, then meant to be a personal attendant on his ministry; to go about with him from place to place, as well as to imitate and obey him. Now it means,

1st. to obey his commandments 2nd. to imitate his example, and to live like him.

(n) "go and sell" Lk 12:33, 16:9, Acts 2:45, 4:34,35, 1Timm 6:18,19 (o) "follow me" Jn 12:26

Acts 2:45

Verse 45. And sold. That is, they sold as much as was necessary in order to procure the means of providing for the wants of each other.

Possessions. Property, particularly real estate. This word κτηματα refers, properly, to their fixed property, as lands, houses, vineyards, etc. The word rendered goods, υπαρξεις, refers to their personal or movable property.

And parted them to all. They distributed them to supply the wants of their poorer brethren, according to their necessities.

As every man had need. This expression limits and fixes the meaning of what is said before. The passage does not mean that they sold all their possessions, or that they relinquished their title to all their property; but that they so far regarded all as common as to be willing to part with it IF it was needful to supply the wants of the others. Hence the property was laid at the disposal of the apostles, and they were desired to distribute it freely to meet the wants of the poor, Acts 4:34,35. This was an important incident in the early propagation of religion; and it may suggest many useful reflections.

(1.) We see the effect of religion. The love of property is one of the strongest affections which men have. There is nothing that will overcome it but religion. That will; and one of the first effects of the gospel was to loosen the hold of Christians on property.

(2.) It is the duty of the church to provide for the wants of its poor and needy members. There can be no doubt that property should now be regarded as so far common as that the wants of the poor should be supplied by those who are rich. Comp. Mt 26:11.

(3.) If it be asked why the early disciples evinced this readiness to part with their property in this manner, it may be replied,

1st, that the apostles had done it before them. The family of the Saviour had all things common.

2nd. It was the nature of religion to do it.

3rd. The circumstances of the persons assembled on this occasion were such as to require it. There were many of them from distant regions; and probably many of them of the poorer class of the people in Jerusalem. In this they evinced what should be done in behalf of the poor in the church at all times.

(4.) If it be asked whether this was done commonly among the early Christians, it may be replied, that there is no evidence that it was. It is mentioned here, and in Acts 4:32-37, 5:1-4. It does not appear that it was done even by all who were afterwards converted in Judea; and there is no evidence that it was done in Antioch, Ephesus, Corinth, Philippi, Rome, etc. That the effect of religion was to make men liberal, and willing to provide for the poor, there can be no doubt. See 2Cor 8:19, 9:2, 1Cor 16:2, Gal 2:10. But there is not proof that it was common to part with their possessions, and to lay it at the feet of the apostles. Religion does not contemplate, evidently, that men should break up all the arrangements in society; but it contemplates that those who have property should be ready and willing to part with it for the help of the poor and needy.

(5.) If it be asked whether all the arrangements of property should be broken up now, and believers have all things in common, we a prepared to answer--No. For,

1st, this was an extraordinary case.

2nd. It was not even enjoined by the apostles on them.

3rd. It was practised nowhere else.

4th. It would be impracticable. No community where all things were in common has long prospered. It has been attempted often, by pagans, by infidels, and by fanatic sects of Christians. It ends soon in anarchy, and licentiousness, idleness, and profligacy; or the more cunning secure the mass of property, and control the whole. Till all men are made alike, there could be no hope of such a community; and if there could be, it would not be desirable. God evidently intended that men should be excited to industry by the hope of gain; and then he demands that their gains should be devoted to his service. Still, this was a noble instance of Christian generosity, and evinces the power of religion in loosing the hold which men commonly have on the world. It rebukes also those professors of religion--of whom, alas! there are many--who give nothing to benefit either the souls or bodies of their fellow-men.

(*) "goods" or, "Substance" (c) "parted them" Isa 58:7, 2Cor 9:1,9, 1Jn 3:17

Acts 4:34

Verse 34. That lacked. That was in want; or whose wants were not supplied by the others.

As many as, etc. The word used here is employed in a large, indefinite sense; but it would be improper to press it so as to suppose that every individual that became a Christian sold at once all his property. The sense doubtless is, that this was done when it was necessary; they parted with whatever property was needful to supply the wants of their poor brethren. That it was by no means considered a matter of obligation, or enjoined by the apostles, is apparent from the case of Ananias, Acts 5:4. The fact that Joses is particularly mentioned, Acts 4:36, shows that it was by no means a universal practice thus to part with all their possessions. He was one instance in which it was done. Perhaps there were many other similar instances; but all that the passage requires us to believe is, that they parted with whatever was needful to supply the wants of the poor. This was an eminent and instructive instance of Christian liberality, and of the power of the gospel in overcoming one of the strongest passions that ever exist in the human bosom--the love of money. Many of the early Christians were poor. They were collected from the lower orders of the people. But all were not so. Some of them, it seems, were men of affluence. The effect of religion was to bring them all, in regard to feeling at least, on a level. They felt that they were members of one family; belonging to the same Redeemer; and they therefore imparted their property cheerfully to their brethren. Besides this, they were about to go to other lands to preach the gospel. They were to leave their native country; and they cheerfully parted with their lands, that they might go and proclaim the unsearchable riches of Christ. Acts 2:44.

(*) "lacked" "wanted"