In Matthew 19, Jesus meets a young man eager to learn what he needs to do to gain eternal life. This question’s answer would be the most critical information he would ever receive. Here is the account of this conversation from Scripture:
“Just then, a man came up to Jesus and asked, ‘Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?’ ‘Why do you ask me about what is good?’ Jesus replied. ‘There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.’ ‘Which ones?’ he inquired. Jesus replied, ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’ ‘All these I have kept,’ the young man said. ‘What do I still lack?’ Jesus answered, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me. When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth” (Matthew 19:16-22).
Here are some lessons we can learn from their interaction:
As we read of Jesus and this man arguing, we quickly see that he does not fully understand who Jesus is or the radical truth Jesus had come to share with humanity. The man operates from a belief that his soul’s salvation can be earned if he performs enough good deeds.
The Jewish people were used to a religious system that was founded on laws. Goodness was fundamental to the Jewish belief system.
Jesus and the man talk about how he needs to keep God’s commandments, and the man immediately responds with knowing all the ones he has upheld. It is clear the young man understood the law.
As the conversation progresses, Jesus adds the comment that there is only one who is good, pointing to his own identity as the Son of God. The man misses this detail and is only focused on how he can find a way to earn his way to Paradise. Ironically, he was talking to “the way,” but could not see the grace in front of him because he was so caught up in the rules of the religion he was brought up in. He missed the heart of the message, which pointed to a Messiah King who would bring salvation to the people.
How many times have we acted like this young man? So caught up in the rules of religion that we miss out on a relationship with Jesus. Being a good person will not get you to Heaven! No one is good enough; only Jesus himself lived a blameless life. We must lay down our pursuit of goodness and instead embrace a life of obedience. We follow Jesus; we don’t earn his approval. We walk with him according to his ways because He first loved us.
We can see that the man believes he has lived according to the law and would be considered good and acceptable, but Jesus goes a step further in his requirements for Heaven to expose the condition of this rich young man’s heart. Jesus tells him to sell all he possesses and give it to the poor, and then he will have treasure in Heaven. Jesus invites him to then come and follow Him.
This was a radical request, but his response intended to reveal that man had violated Deuteronomy 6:4-5, which commands us to love the Lord with all our hearts, souls, and minds. Jesus’ response went straight to the heart of the matter for the man.
The man’s response to the question reveals the truth of his heart. He left feeling sorrowful because he had great possessions. He was unwilling to give up his comfort in this life to follow the one who made a way to our forever home in Heaven.
How many of us would respond just as the man did? If God asked us to sell our homes, donate our savings, and live as a nomad following him, would we be willing to do it? Do we value our comfort and success over a dynamic relationship with the Lord?
The way to Heaven is narrow, and God is jealous of our hearts. We cannot let the love of money, status, comfort, and wealth stop us from recklessly pursuing God’s will for our lives. Consider how radically different things would be if every Christ-follower were willing to give up some of their comforts because they love God wholeheartedly and take his command to care for the least of these seriously!
There would be no more youth waiting in foster care for forever homes because there would be a surplus of families willing to offer them a family. Single moms would feel supported and more willing to parent their children. People experiencing homelessness would be met with warm meals and a helping hand. Countries in poverty would find relief from those with more than they need. We see these things happening in small ways, but if the entire body of Christ took Jesus' call to heart, we’d see a world transformed!
The young man leaves disappointed; his works-based theology has failed him. His wealth that he loved had hindered him from reaching the eternal level of comfort he desired. Ultimately, he realized he did not possess the power to ensure his salvation, and he loved this world too much to follow the one that did have the power to unlock Heaven.
This story is a cautionary tale for those of us who believe a half-hearted engagement with Christianity leads to Heaven. God desires our complete surrender so we can join his family. Without acknowledging our deep need for him, we can spend our whole lives trying to hack our way to Heaven on our own, and we won’t get any closer to our goal than when we started.
Christianity is uniquely and solely a relationship-based faith. All we do as Christ-followers is based on a covenant relationship we make with Jesus, which is solidified by our confession of faith and baptism. We cannot find our way to salvation without the marriage of our souls to Jesus. Without Christ, salvation is as impossible as a camel going through the eye of a needle (Matthew 19:23). Thankfully, with Christ as the ruler of our hearts, all things are possible (Mark 9:23).
Amanda Idleman is a writer whose passion is to encourage others to live joyfully. She writes devotions for My Daily Bible Verse Devotional and Podcast, Crosswalk Couples Devotional, the Daily Devotional App, she has work published with Her View from Home, on the MOPS Blog, and is a regular contributor for Crosswalk.com. She has most recently published a devotional, Comfort: A 30 Day Devotional Exploring God's Heart of Love for Mommas. You can find out more about Amanda on her Facebook Page or follow her on Instagram.
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