Jesus said unto him,
If you will be perfect, go and sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
All Commentaries on Matthew 19:21 Go To Matthew 19
John Chrysostom
AD 407
Do you see how many prizes, how many crowns, He appoints for this race? If he had been tempting, He would not have told him these things. But now He both says it, and in order to draw him on, He also shows him the reward to be great, and leaves it all to his own will, by all means throwing into the shade that which seemed to be grievous in His advice. Wherefore even before mentioning the conflicts and the toil, He shows him the prize, saying If you will be perfect, and then says, Sell that you have, and give to the poor, and straightway again the rewards, You shall have treasure in Heaven; and come, and follow me. For indeed to follow Him is a great recompense. And you shall have treasure in Heaven.
For since his discourse was of money, even of all did He advise him to strip himself, showing that he loses not what he has, but adds to his possessions, He gave him more than He required him to give up; and not only more, but also as much greater as Heaven is greater than earth, and yet more so.
But He called it a treasure, showing the plenteousness of the recompense, its permanency, its security, so far as it was possible by human similitudes to intimate it to the hearer. It is not then enough to despise wealth, but we must also maintain poor men, and above all things follow Christ; that is, do all the things that are ordered by Him, be ready for slaughter and daily death. For if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. Matthew 16:24 So that to cast away one's money is a much less thing than this last commandment, to shed even one's very blood; yet not a little does our being freed from wealth contribute towards this.
