16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” (Matthew 19:16–22 (ESV)
A rich, young man approached Jesus one day. He asked Jesus a question. It was “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” The young individual possessed a mistaken perspective. He thought eternal life was the result of him performing some good deed, favor, or moral act. In his mind, eternal life was the result of his own personal achievement.
Jesus’ response to the young man directed him to a greater principle and purpose. And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.”
The rich, young man asked another question regarding the commandments. He was direct and confident. “Which ones? Jesus focused on the second tier of God’s moral commandments. They dealt with man and his relationship to his fellow man. And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
The rich, young man again responded directly and confidently. “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” However, there remained a nagging doubt about his standing with God and the acquisition of eternal life. So it is with everyone who bases eternal life on their self-righteous works. It is an impossible task prompted by an impossible dream.
Jesus proposed a final requirement for attaining eternal life. Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”
Jesus told the young man that he needed to forsake everything he trusted in for happiness, contentment and purpose and trust, commit, depend and worship the Lord alone. This is the essence of eternal life; not only in future but also in the present.
The rich, young ruler would not do this. This standard was too high and unattainable for him. His real love were his possession and not the Lord God. He worshiped wealth and rejected the greatest treasure he could ever possess (Matt. 6:19-24).
John Calvin wrote, “The heart and mind of main is a perpetual forge of idols.”
“The human mind, stuffed as it is with presumptuous rashness, dares to imagine a god suited to its own capacity as it labors under dullness; nay, is sunk in the grossest ignorance. I substitutes vanity and an empty phantom in the place of God. To these evils, another is added. The god who man has thus conceived inwardly attempts to embody outwardly. The mind, in this way, conceives the idol, and the hand gives it birth,” explains one Bible commentator.
“Wealth does not interfere with everyone’s discipleship (Gen. 13:2; Luke 8:1–3), and not everyone needs to sell all his possessions. Nor are the poor inevitably “better Christians” than the wealthy. Yet riches stood between this man and Christ; thus, he had to surrender his money. Likewise, we all must abandon idols (14:25–33; 1 John 5:21),” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.
“Will we cling to that which keeps us from full commitment to Jesus, or will we surrender all that we have to the Lord?”
1 Corinthians 10:14 (ESV) – “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.”
Will we? Will you? Will I?
Soli deo Gloria!
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