family is not important ?

caveman73 said...

MATTHEW 19:29 And 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.
(Your family is not important, nor your home, nor your country… Only God)


We notice that Jesus is responding to a question asked by Peter:

"We have left everything to follow you, what will there be for us?"

And we notice that this question was in response to Jesus interaction with the rich young man, and his discourse that followed the encounter.

I don't see that Jesus means here that family is not important. What I see here is that Jesus is saying that nothing is more important than to follow him.

With the rich young man, there was something that was "in the way" of his following Jesus. He put more stock in his possessions than he did on Jesus. The young man considered his wealth more important than following Jesus.

Jesus was illustrating a point. There are many things, many stumbling blocks, that will keep us from following him.

We also note that Jesus instruction to the rich young man was an instruction given specifically to that man. It was not an instruction he gave to everyone, not an instruction he gave to everyone in the church.

But we do take notice, Jesus was not saying that wealth was the only stumbling block.

The disciples are astonished. And Peter asks 'what about us? we left everything we had'

And in the verse that caveman73 quoted, Jesus tells Peter that Peter will inherit everlasting life.

I don't see here that Jesus is saying that family is not important.

But perhaps caveman73 is right, and has a better understanding of this passage than I do. Perhaps caveman73 has a more thorough insight on this verse.