Interpretation of the Bible / Matthew 19:30

Matthew 19:30 contains one of the most interesting and mysterious quotes from Jesus. Most people don’t fully understand what this quote means when they first hear it. But if we look at the context of this verse, we can better understand what Jesus was trying to say.

Verse context

In this chapter, Jesus is talking to a rich young man who wanted to know what he needed to do to gain eternal life. After Jesus told him to sell all his possessions and follow Him, the young man went away sad because he was so rich.

Jesus also told His disciples that it was hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Then Peter asks Jesus what reward would come to those who left everything to follow Him. That’s when Jesus utters this famous verse.

Meaning of the verse

The message of this quote is essentially that first is not always best. Jesus is talking about the importance of humility and faith in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. The reward of the disciples who left everything to follow Him will not be measured by who was with Jesus from the beginning, who did the most deeds, or who accumulated the most wealth. It is the faith of the person that counts; that is what God sees, and that is how his worth is assessed.

In other words, Jesus is saying that social status, material well-being, and position in society do not matter; what matters is the quality of the person's spiritual life.