The Mistakes of the Rich Young Ruler
Matthew 19:16-19:22
In the three and a half years of Christ's earthly ministry, He held thousands of conversations and counseled perhaps many hundreds of people. The Gospels record only a portion of those exchanges, indicating that those dialogues chosen for inclusion in the Bible are of particular importance to us, and we should pay close attention to the lessons there for us.
In this world of sin it is easy to get our values distorted . Property, money, material possessions, or a large bank account seem to give us security, but it is all a dream. We came into this world with nothing and it is certain we will go out with no material possessions. Jesus has promised us eternal life if only we believe on Him and determine to dedicate our lives to Him. So many are bartering away eternity because they consider this world more important, their values are all mixed up. The rich young ruler who came to Jesus had this problem.
As Jesus looked at this young man, he saw in him such promise and such potential. And we are told that as Jesus beheld him, He loved him. And, yet, the story ends in tragedy.
Matthew, Mark and Luke all say that he went away sorrowful. He came to Jesus with a question and went back sad because he did not like the answer.
We find this story in Matthew 19:16 -30; Mark 10:17-30 and in Luke 18:18-30. Now how did we get the term "Rich Young Ruler?"
The word translated "ruler" in Luke 18: 18-30 is Greek archon, "generally, one who has administrative authority, 'leader, official.' " It is used of various Jewish leaders, including those in charge of a synagogue and members of the Sanhedrin.
Matthew's account (19:22) adds another detail and refers to the ruler as a "young man," Greek neaniskos, "a relatively young man, 'youth, young man' (from about the 24th to the 40th year)." Luke 18:23 tells us "he was a man of great wealth." "Wealth" is Greek plousios, "pertaining to having an abundance of earthly possessions that exceeds normal experience, 'rich, wealthy.' " The adjective "great" translates Greek sphodra, "a very high point on a scale of extent, 'very (much), extremely, greatly.' "
That's why we call him “The Rich Young Ruler”.
He was a wealthy man, and a young man. His eyes were set on religious matters - on teachers, eternal life, good deeds. He had the look of a seeker: he seemed willing to listen and eager to learn. He seemed a disciple-in-the-making. But his story has a dark end. It was he that inspired Jesus famous words "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom." Matthew was there to watch the unfolding of this man’s confrontation with Christ. Let us examine his account of the fateful meeting.
Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life.? Mark tell us that he ran to Jesus and fell at His feet and asked "What must a person do in order to enter into eternal life?" How would you answer this? Those who know the gospel message would answer, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will have eternal life." Such an answer is based on many passages such as the following:
John 3:15-16; John 5:24; John 6:35; John 6:47; John 11:25-26; John 20:31; Acts 16:31.
Also "inheriting eternal life" was a common idea in the New Testament in the time of Jesus. - see Luke 10:25 - The parable of the Good Samaritan.
And this young man in his fine robes, immaculately groomed, came running to Jesus and he is found kneeling in the dirt of the roadside at the edge of town, with a burning question on his heart.
Most of the wealthy, religious people who asked Jesus questions in public were trying to trick him into some imprudent statement -- "Should we pay taxes to Caesar?" (Luke 20:22). "Why do your disciples pluck grain on the Sabbath?" (Luke 6:2). "This lady was caught in the very act of adultery. Shouldn't we stone her as Moses directed?" (John 8:4). But this man's question was no trick. It was a sincere question to which he needed to know the answer -- how to inherit eternal life.
This young man came, not to tempt Christ, but to learn from him. We know that he was not a Sadducee because it is clear that he believed in eternal life and wanted to attain it—an unusual goal for someone of his position and age. Sadducees do not believe in the life after death. A man of wealth will often trust his riches and not be interested in what God has to offer. The young do not often look beyond today, much less to the far reaches of eternity.
The question tells us several things about the young man:
1.He must be feeling inadequate in his spiritual preparation somehow or he probably wouldn't ask the question.
2.He sides with the Pharisees rather than the Sadducees , because the Sadducees didn't believe in life after death, and this question clearly implies that he does.
3.He believes that eternal life is something that one earns or merits by what he does.
Ask the common man or woman in your community and you'll probably come up with a similar belief. You go to heaven if you do good. You go to hell if you do bad things. Well, only very bad things. Eternal life is a reward for what you do on earth. That's what people tell you.
The young man's question betrays both his superficial understanding of inheriting eternal life, and his superficial understanding of a person's ability to do good deeds that are pure, unmixed by ulterior motives. The Prophet Isaiah scathing words 750 years before -- "all our righteous acts are like filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6) -- have somehow escaped the young man.
Notice that in the brief scope of a few verses salvation is spoken of in various terms and figures: "eternal life" (18:18, 30), "treasure in heaven" (18:22), "entering the Kingdom of God" (18:24, 29), and "being saved" (18:26).
The young ruler came rushing to Jesus, and falling to his knees (Mark 10:17-31) he asked "Good teacher, what good thing need I to do, so that I may have real and unending life?" Jesus, perceiving the youth’s mistakes, answered with a question, a question that would prove the depths of the young ruler’s knowledge of God. "Why do you call me good?"
Jesus was in the habit of asking such disarming questions. The young man did not recognize with whom he was talking - the giver of eternal life. The young ruler saw Jesus as a moral man, a man of insight and depth, but he did not recognize His divine authority To the young man Jesus was another teacher.
Christ's response to all this is interesting. He first establishes that none are truly good except God, and to Him goes all glory. Then Jesus tells him to "keep the commandments "Which commandments" he asked.
Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘Honour your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ ” Only Matthew list the "You shall love your neighbour as yourself." Luke and Mark does not include this commandment." Jesus listed the last six of the Ten Commandments, the ones dealing with human-to-human relationships. He did not mention the first four because the Jews of the time were well-versed in the mechanics of the first four commandments, in terms of the letter of the law, so Christ lists the ones in which they were weakest.
It seems so simple, right? In order to have eternal life, "keep the commandments." How do we who claim the law has been done away, get around this simple instruction? Verses, such as John 14:15, "If you love Me, keep My commandments," reinforce this straightforward directive.
The young ruler tells Christ that he has kept the commandments since he was a child. What else should he do? Jesus does not contradict him. In Mark's account, it says He looked at him and "loved him." Possibly, this man was adept at keeping the letter of the law, but he was coming up short in abiding by the spirit of the law.
Suppose for a moment that the wealthy youth had never violated the commandments Jesus presented to him. Suppose that he had never murdered - not even with his tongue. Suppose that he had not committed adultery -not even in his heart. Suppose that he had not stolen - or even envied. Suppose that he had never spoken less than the whole truth. Even still he was unaware of his own faultiness. Did you notice that Jesus only presented him with the parts of the Decalogue that deal with man-to-man relationships. The other commandments have to do with God-to-man relationships, and this young man had obviously not fulfilled those commands. If he had fulfilled them, he would have immediately recognized Jesus as the Son of God. But he did not recognize Jesus, and he did not tell the truth to Him about his behavior. He was tragically blind.
The last commandment which Jesus had mentioned, and which the rich young ruler had claimed to have kept from his youth, was "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." The Lord was now going to put this to the test. Did he really love his neighbor? Would he be willing to give his riches to his poor neighbors? Before this man was ready to be saved, he needed to see himself as a guilty lawbreaker. Only then would he be ready for the good news, that Christ Jesus came into this world to save guilty lawbreakers (compare 1 Timothy 1:15).
All of the Ten Commandments are summed up in two commandments, which have been called the two greatest commandments: "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets" (Matthew 22:37-40).
The rich young ruler claimed to have kept the commandments from his youth up. The plan of the Lord Jesus was to clearly demonstrate to this man that he was guilty of breaking the two greatest commandments.
1) He did not love God with all his heart because he refused to believe Him and refused to follow Him (verses 21-22).
2) He did not love his neighbor as himself because he was unwilling to give to his poor neighbors (verses 21-22).
Whatever the case, Christ does not attempt to sermonize on this point. The way the young man phrased his question, "What do I still lack?" smacks a bit of pride or self-righteousness. In effect, he says, "I'm keeping the commandments and have done well in that regard all my life. Show me where I'm coming up short."
The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “ If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
Jesus proposes that the man sell all his property and give the proceeds to those who are least able to reciprocate -- the poor. James says in 1:27 : "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world"
When the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, For he had great possessions. He knew what this meant: Christ's high standards and his own ambitions and desires were incompatible. Being both thoughtful and well-intentioned, he went away "sorrowful."
He wanted the heavenly treasure, but he wanted also the temporal advantages his riches would bring him. He was sorry that such conditions existed; he desired eternal life, but he was not willing to make the sacrifice. The cost of eternal life seemed too great, and he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions
Too many are like the rich young ruler. We long for the privilege of everlasting life, but are unwilling to put Jesus first in this life. Not every person is required to give up all wealth, but this young man had made riches his god, and was in fact breaking the first and second commandments. Riches were his idol.
The truth is that money itself has a way of polluting us, that is, tempting us to compromise our values in order to gain and retain it. "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs" (1 Timothy 6:10).
Earlier, Jesus has taught his disciples about the importance of faithfulness with regard to money: "No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money" (Luke 16:13). Now his disciples have an object lesson to learn from -- an actual rich man, fabulously wealthy. Can he -- will he -- become a disciple?
Jesus' words to the rich young ruler are quite consistent with what he has been saying to his disciples throughout his journeys:
(1) "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters -- yes, even his own life -- he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:26-27).
(2) "In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:33)
(3)"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it" (Matthew 13:44-46).
(4)"For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it" (Luke 9:24.
Matthew and Mark note that the man went away sorrowful. Jesus remains standing where he is, on the verge of continuing his journey. But the earnest and rich young ruler, his face stricken with grief ("the man's face fell," says Mark in 10:22), rises from his knees. He averts his eyes from Jesus, turns slowly, and moves away from the band of disciples.
He cannot go with them. He cannot go with Jesus, as much as he would love to. Because he loves one thing more, and he cannot leave that to serve God.
In a very real sense he has broken the first commandment: "You shall have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3). Nor can he obey the Shema which, as a devout Jew, he recites twice a day: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength" (Deuteronomy 6:4).
Jesus had proved to him, and to those who heard this conversation, that you cannot serve God and Money! "Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other" (Luke 16:13). It is true. And for the young man, sadly true.
The rich young ruler had a heart of unbelief. God had given him an amazing promise: If he would sell what he had and give to the poor and follow Christ, he would have treasure in heaven (verse 21). Certainly treasure in heaven would be far better than any earthly treasures this man could ever accumulate.
In Matt. 6: 19-21; Jesus says “Don’t collect for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
However, this man did not believe God. He did not believe the promise. Not only was he a lawbreaker, but he had a major problem of unbelief. And "without faith it is impossible to please God" (Hebrews 11:6).
Christ avoids becoming entangled in a dispute about his claim, but gets right to the bottom line: sell his possessions, give the money away, and follow Him as a disciple. Yet, the young ruler was unwilling to do this. His treasure was here on earth. His money exerted a stronger tug on his heart than Christ did When we embrace Christ, we must let go of the world, for we cannot serve God and money.
"What good thing must I do to have eternal life?" There is no good thing. Only to believe on Jesus Christ as Savior. As wealthy as he must have been, he was spiritually bankrupt, and terribly poor of faith. The young man thought that he could buy his way to eternal life. Just like the Pharisee in the parable of the Pharisee and the sinner in Luke 12.
He then told them, “Watch out and be on guard against all greed because one’s life is not in the abundance of his possessions.”
And the rich man said: “And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” But God said to him, “ Fool, ! this night your soul will be required of thee; then whose will those things be which you have provided?”
“That’s how it is with the one who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
This man had made provision for the future and placed his security in temporal things. It is not wrong to provide for the future, in fact we should, but this man had placed his trust in riches, and excluded God from his reckoning. His wealth could not save him from death, but Jesus could have given him eternal life if only he had put God first - Matthew 6:33
The treasures of this world are corruptible, but the treasure that Jesus offers is absolutely secure. We lay up heavenly treasure by putting our trust in Jesus and living for Him.
Our Lord's main purpose was to show the rich young ruler his lost condition, not to reveal to him God's plan of salvation. You need to get lost before you can get saved. That is, no one is ready for salvation until he realizes his guilt before a holy God. The Lord Jesus skillfully demonstrated to this man that he was a guilty lawbreaker.
Suppose the rich young ruler had not walked away, but instead had fallen at Jesus' feet and said, "Lord, I admit that I have broken God's laws. I have not loved my neighbor. I have not loved God with all my heart. My heart is wicked and corrupt, and I come before You as a guilty law breaker. Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner. Lord, what must I do to be saved?" God is ever ready to receive sinful men God has a gospel for those who recognize how lost they are.
Selling one's possession and giving to the poor is not a condition for receiving eternal life. When the jailor asked, "What must I do to be saved?" the answer was not, "Sell what you have and give to the poor, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:30-31). The Gospel of John was written so that people might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing they might have life through His Name (John 20:31). Over and over again in the Gospel of John we find that the one condition necessary to have eternal life is to believe in Jesus Christ (John 1:12; 3:16; 3:18; 3:36; 5:24; 6:35; 11:25; 20:31; etc.). Never in the Gospel of John are the unsaved told that they must sell what they have and give to the poor in order to gain eternal life.
The book of Romans was written to set forth "the gospel of God" (Romans 1:1), and it does so in a most comprehensive way. Repeatedly Paul teaches in Romans (and elsewhere) that faith in Christ, and faith alone, is the sole condition for salvation. Nowhere in Romans are we told that a person must sell his possessions and give to the poor in order to be saved (see Romans 10:9-10) In Ephesians 2:8-9, a key salvation passage, we are told exactly how a person is saved. He is saved "by grace through faith" and not by any works which he has done.
Salvation is not based on something that we do; it is based on what Christ has done (His finished work). We do not contribute to our own salvation; Christ paid it all. Salvation is not working; it is resting on the work of Another, even the Lord Jesus Christ: "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness" (Romans 4:5).
Religion is man trying to bring himself to God by human effort, by good works, by ritualism, by traditionalism, by sacraments, etc. Salvation is Christ bringing us to God on the basis of what He did for us on the cross: "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God" (1 Peter 3:18).
God's holiness utterly condemns the best man ("As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one"--Romans 3:10). God's grace freely justifies the worst man ("For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus"--Romans 3:23-24).
The gospel message brings to man not a work to do, but a word to believe about a work done: "But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you" (1 Peter 1:25).
We are saved, not because of what we have done, but because of the mercy of God based upon what Christ has done on the cross: "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost" (Titus 3:5). A person can never be saved by his own good works: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Good works done by sinful man can never please a holy God. The greatest good work is God's work accomplished by Jesus Christ who offered Himself on the cross as the sinner's Substitute. Thus we are not saved by good works, but we are saved unto good works: "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10). "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13).
Are you resting fully in the finished work of Christ? Are you trusting in Jesus Christ, who He is, what He has done for you and what He has said in His Word? "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else" (Isaiah 45:22).
What did he possess that had such a hold on him as to make him willing to walk away from eternal life? What was holding him back? What did he really trust in? There is nothing spiritually wrong with wealth itself. The Bible is full of examples of godly men who were very wealthy—for instance, great men of God like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Job, and David. The problem is in the love of money.
It is instructive to study what Christ had to say to His disciples after the rich young ruler sadly walked away:
"Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." When His disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, "Who then can be saved?" But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:23-26)
Twice Jesus tells us how hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God. The Christian walk is not easy for anyone, but it is particularly hard for the wealthy. In fact, Jesus goes on to say, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.
This proverb has always been intriguing. What is the meaning of "Eye of the Needle," or the "Needle's Eye." This gate was designed in such a way that it could be used by pedestrians but not by people on their camels. The only way a camel could get through this "Eye of the Needle" was to be unloaded and crawl through on its knees. This great story—and several variations of it—have made the rounds over the years.
The spiritual analogies were clear. The camel could go through the "Eye of the Needle," but only after being stripped of its baggage—its wealth!
And then the scriptures say " He went away sad.." In a way, this is his only mistake. A man can misunderstand the divinity of Christ, and misunderstand God’s grace and still be saved if he will commit to staying with God. Peter, Andrew, John, Matthew, and the others did not fully understand the Lordship of Jesus, and they certainly did not fully understand the plan of grace, but they stayed with Jesus. They were willing to commit to a lifestyle of learning Him. They apprenticed themselves to Him, for the long time. That is the way to be saved. If you are willing to launch out with Christ on the long journey from brokenness to wholeness, if you are willing to walk all the way, every hard step, then you are a wise men, even if you are not young or wealthy.
.Jeremiah 29:13
And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for me with all your heart..
There is no doubt. Eternal things have top priority. There are many things in this life we must do that are not spiritual – our work, household chores etc., and these we should do to the best of our ability. The way we go about our mundane tasks can be a good Christian witness to the community. It is only when these things crowd out spiritual things, and become all absorbing to the exclusion of the spiritual, that they are wrong. As long as the spiritual is top of the list, we have nothing to fear.
My dear friend, is there anything, any hindrance, that you are unwilling to give up to follow Jesus? You may not be wealthy, but if there is something you possess, or that possesses you, laying it down is a vital part of following the Master. He must have your all, as he calls gently to you: "Come, follow me."
