And so, with clouded face he gazed down into what he lacked - within; but also gazed up in Christ on what he needed. And, although we hear no more of him, who that day went back to his rich home very poor, because very sorrowful,' we cannot but believe that he, whom Jesus loved, yet found in the poverty of earth the treasure of heaven.
Nor was this all. The deep pity of Christ for him, who had gone that day, speaks also in his warning to his disciples. [4958] But surely those are not only riches in the literal sense which make it so difficult for a man to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven [4959] - so difficult, as to amount almost to that impossibility which was expressed in the common Jewish proverb, that a man did not even in his dreams see an elephant pass through the eye of a needle. [4960] But when in their perplexity the disciples put to each other the saddened question: Who then can be saved? He pointed them onward, then upward, as well as inward, teaching them that, what was impossible of achievement by man in his own strength, God would work by His Almighty Grace.
It almost jars on our ears, and prepares us for still stranger and sadder to come, when Peter, perhaps as spokesman of the rest, seems to remind the Lord that they had forsaken all to follow Him. St. Matthew records also the special question which Simon added to it: What shall we have therefore?' and hence his Gospel alone makes mention of the Lord's reply, in so far as it applied only to the Apostles. For, that reply really bore on two points: on the reward which all who left everything to follow Christ would obtain; [4961] and on the special acknowledgment awaiting the Apostles of Christ. [4962] In regard to the former we mark, that it is twofold. They who had forsaken all for His sake' [4963] and the Gospel's,' [4964] for the Kingdom of God's sake' - and these three expressions explain and supplement each other - would receive in this time' manifold more' of new, and better, and closer relationships of a spiritual kind for those which they had surrendered, although, as St. Mark significantly adds, to prevent all possible mistakes, with persecutions.' But by the side of this stands out unclouded and bright the promise for the world to come' of everlasting life.' As regarded the Apostles personally, some mystery lies on the special promise to them. [4965] We could quite understand, that the distinction of rule to be bestowed on them might have been worded in language taken from the expectations of the time, in order to make the promise intelligible to them. But, unfortunately, we have no explanatory information to offer. The Rabbis, indeed, speak of a renovation or regeneration of the world ({hebrew}) which was to take place after the 7,000 or else 5,000 years of the Messianic reign. [4966] Such a renewal of all things is not only foretold by the prophets, [4967] and dwelt upon in later Jewish writings, [4968] but frequently referred to in Rabbinic literature. [4969] [4970] But as regards the special rule or judgment' of the Apostles, or ambassadors of the Messiah, we have not, and, of course, cannot expect any parallel in Jewish writings. That the promise of such rule and judgment to the Apostles is not peculiar to what is called the Judaic Gospel of St. Matthew, appears from its renewal at a later period, as recorded by St. Luke. [4971] Lastly, that it is in accordance with Old Testament promise, will be seen by a reference to Dan. vii. 9, 10, 14, 27; and there are few references in the New Testament to the blessed consummation of all things in which such renewal of the world, [4972] and even the rule and judgment of the representatives of the Church, [4973] are not referred to.