Matthew 19:16-22
“If you want to be complete, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me” (v. 21).
The Bible story of the Rich Young Ruler is generally well known, and because of this some might be tempted to skim through this article. I encourage you to reconsider the implications of the story.
The designation “rich young ruler” comes from a compilation of Matthew, Mark, and Luke’s account of a man’s encounter with Jesus. All three state he had many possessions, while Matthew tells us he was young (Matthew 19:20), and Luke tells us he was a ruler (Luke 18:18). The story is part of one of Jesus’ visits to the region of Judea, where He encounters and offers instruction to, or about, several groups—the Pharisees (Jewish religious leaders), a group of children, and lastly the man who asks Him:
“Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” (v. 16).
Several things are clear here. First, the man acknowledged Jesus as a “teacher”—from the Greek didaskalos, meaning, “a highly respected instructor acknowledged for their mastery in their field of learning.” Secondly, the man believed in the reality of eternal life. Thirdly, he believed eternal life was a consequence of good actions here on earth. It’s reasonable to assume he was not, like the Pharisees, challenging Jesus or His teachings but instead truly looking for answers.
After a rather odd response from Jesus about “goodness” (v. 17a—maybe for another article), Jesus tells the man, “If you would enter [eternal] life, keep the commandments” (v. 17b), to which the man responds, “Which ones?” (v. 18). Either the man was ignorant of God’s commands in the Old Testament (which as we see later is unlikely), or he knew them yet was hoping Jesus would narrow them down.
And here’s is where it gets interesting.
Jesus responds, “You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness. Honor your father and mother, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (v. 18-b-19), to which the man replies, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” [v. 20b – Emphasis added].
It’s evident the man understood the importance of the Jewish Law, yet why would he believe he lacked something necessary to gain eternal life? More on that later.
Jesus replies, “If you want to be complete, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me” (v. 21). The man walks away “…deeply dismayed by these words, and grieving; for he was one who owned much property” (v. 22).
We don’t know whether the man gave his life to Christ later as Jesus’ words sank further into his heart and spirit. What we do know is that he was aware of his need. Why else would he ask Jesus about eternal life in the first place? Why would he subsequently ask Jesus what else he lacked to attain eternal life? Awareness of need is indeed the first step to redemption, but not the most important step—for revelation without repentance is useless. This is where the “cost” of following Christ comes into play. By asking the man to divest himself of “stuff” Jesus revealed the real issue:
He wasn’t asking the man to give up his possessions,
but to give up that which possessed him— “SELF.”
Jesus knew the man’s possessions had hold of him before the question was asked, proven by the man’s response of being “dismayed and grieving” at Jesus’ response. It wasn’t about what the man owned. It wasn’t about being materially rich or poor. It was about laying down one’s life, one’s identity, for one much better.
We know objectively, from the organizations and movements themselves, that the prevalent “crusade” and “seeker sensitive” forms of evangelism in the 20th century did not produce lasting results. While some did come to Christ and grow as disciples, most did not. Too often it was a call to Christ without the requisite dropping of “self.” Consider Jesus’ call of the original disciples:
“Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And He said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of people.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets; and He called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him” (Matthew 4:18-22).
“Immediately they left” …their identities, livelihood, and earthly relationships in favor of Christ, and Jesus was very poignant in this cost of following Him:
“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26).
What? Hate our family members? Hate ourselves?
As always, context is key. We know the Bible doesn’t contradict itself, and because Jesus affirms that we are to “honor our father and mother” (Mark 7:9-13), and “love our neighbor as ourselves” (Mark 12:30-31), the “hating” aspect of Luke 14:26 must have a different meaning—and it does. First, the Greek word for “hate” (miseó) is a preference verb—i.e., it means to “love less” than something else. This is affirmed by its similar usage in the Old Testament:
“If a man has two wives, the one loved and the other hated (scorned)…” (Deuteronomy 21:15a; Hebrew meaning “loved less”)
“I have loved you,” says the Lord. But you say, ‘How have you loved us?’ ‘Is not Esau Jacob’s brother?’ declares the Lord. ‘Yet I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have hated. I have laid waste his hill country and left his heritage to jackals of the desert’” (Malachi 1:2-3; Hebrew meaning “loved less”)
Like His conversation with the rich young ruler, Jesus’ admonition in Matthew 4:18-22 is meant to unearth a deeper reality: A true follower of Jesus Christ loves Him ABOVE ALL things. Self-identity, family, friends, possessions, gifts, talents, ambitions, accomplishments—these are “nets” that must be let go to allow God to reposition or discard them according to His will, not ours. Remember, the early disciples dropped their nets for Christ, only to regain them as “fishers of men.”
Too many of us claim “Jesus is above all things!” yet we live differently. We still drag “nets” behind us that encumber or negate our relationship with Him. The cost of following Christ is high (trade our life for His), but so is the reward:
“Jesus said, ‘Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last, first’” (Mark 10:29-31).
This passage is worthy of a 6-week sermon series! Let’s focus on the very last phrase, “But many who are first will be last, and the last, first.” To some this seems out of place, yet it explains a key aspect of Jesus’ teaching:
Those who put themselves first will be left behind. Those who put themselves last will be welcomed to the front of the line into Heaven.
Jesus illustrated this in Luke 14:7-11:
“But when you are invited, go and sit down to eat at the last place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; and then you will be honored in the presence of all who are at the table with you.”
In this same passage Jesus also admonished the Pharisees for their self-importance:
“Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it!” (Luke 14:43-44).
Coming to Christ is like giving away a broken bicycle (our life) that we deeply cherish. It’s like Jesus saying, “If you give Me that bike, I’ll give you a new one.” Despite its broken state some reject the invitation, declaring, “But it’s “MINE!” [Any other Tolkien fans see the analogy with the One Ring of Power?] As previously noted, redemption and salvation begin when through the conviction of the Holy Spirit we recognize our brokenness, yet we must then trust and accept Jesus’ invitation to make all things new for the work to be complete.
That’s the “completeness” Jesus was talking about in His conversation with the rich young ruler, and believe me, it’s worth the cost.
Pondering 