the young man with great possessions

Matt 19:16-22 And, behold, one came and said unto Him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And He said unto him, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto Him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honor thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. The young man saith unto Him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow Me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. (Also See Mark 10:17-22; Luke 18:18-23)

In Matthew’s account, as well as the same accounts recorded by Mark and Luke, this incident involving this man immediately follows the event when Jesus received the little children, whom He compared to the kingdom of heaven. Here in the lesson text we learn of a wealthy young man (Vs. 20) having great possessions (Vs. 22), who was further described as a certain ruler by Luke. He had probably heard the teaching of Jesus regarding the hope of eternal life, which belonged to God’s heirs, and, according to Mark and Luke, had to be inherited. Therefore he asked Jesus: what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? By this question we know that the young man believed that eternal life was gained by the performance of deeds. The young man was asking this question: what deeds do I need to perform in order to obtain eternal life? Although this young ruler had the wrong expectations, it should be noted that there is no question that could possibly be asked by this man or any other man or woman on earth that holds greater, more everlasting consequences than “what must I do to be saved?”

Before answering the young ruler’s question, Jesus corrected the title this young man used in addressing Him. The young man prefaced his question by referring to Jesus as Good Master. Bible scholars seem to think that this appellation was intended to flatter Jesus in a polite but common manner, having thoughtless meaning, much like Mister, Sir, Miss, and Ma’am are used today in addressing others. Jesus told the young man that the title of Good Master can only be spiritually applied to God. The ultimate meaning of “Good Master” is one that has infinite perfection; one that is spiritually divine; one that has not been corrupted by an earthly birth. Although Jesus did not deny His own divinity, He wanted to teach the young man to never use such titles in a trite, foolish, and meaningless manner.

Before answering the question posed to Him, Jesus told the young man to keep the commandments of God. He then asked Jesus which he was to obey. Jesus recited the sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and fifth of the ten commandments given to the Jewish nation through Moses from Mount Sinai, namely,Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honor thy father and thy mother.The first four of the Ten Commandments, which deal with man's relationship to God, were passed over by Jesus. He recited only the commandments that are to be honored when dealing with one's fellow human beings. This He summarized with the command of God found in Leviticus 19:18 and restated in Matthew 5:43 by Jesus in His "Sermon on the Mount," and again in Matthew 22:39 -Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.It is an innate character of mankind to desire happiness, and theis commandment tells us that we must have the same desire to seek the same degree of happiness for all others by our conduct of life - by the things we say and do.

After Jesus recited these commandments to the young man, he responded by telling Jesus that all these things have I kept from my youth up. These commandments were taught to him by his Jewish religious teachers from the time he was a small child unto the present day. Although this young man felt that he had filled these outward duties, it seems that he knew inwardly that his spiritual conscience told him that something remained unfulfilled. Therefore he pressed Jesus further by asking a question only recorded by Matthew: what lack I yet? The outward attempt to please God was evident in this young man, and Jesus recognized that fact. Mark notes this when he wrote, then Jesus beholding him, loved him (Mark 10:21a). Continuing with the lesson text, Jesus, recognizing his shortcoming said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow Me.

Perfect, as it is used here, does not mean sinless perfection. For mankind, this is impossible. Its meaning is more nearly that found in 1 John 2:5 where perfection is described as keeping the word of God with true love in one’s heart. Jesus told the young ruler exactly the spiritual characteristic that was lacking in his life in order to gain eternal salvation, and this was his reaction: when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. The imperfection of this young ruler was evident to Jesus at that time, and to all that are privileged to read this account today. His heart was hardened by the same vainglorious and prideful characteristics that were openly exhibited by the self-righteous scribes and Pharisees. Sure the young man had obeyed the moral intent of duty toward his fellow man, but more than likely for the wrong reasons. It seems that his obedience to these commands was merely filling the bare minimum of the outward duty demanded by the Mosaic Law. His gifts to those in need were disproportionate to his great wealth. Obedience to God is incomplete without the loving desire to do so.

Although a very young man and a ruler, he had accumulated great possessions, and it is evident that he had an idolatrous attachment to them. All gifts of life come from our Heavenly Father. Sole title to them was never intended to be transferred to mankind. Men and women are only stewards of the worldly possessions that we attain in life. In order to lay up treasure in heaven, they must, with true brotherly love, be unselfishly shared with others that are in need. Sure, God gives us all things necessary to sustain our lives here on earth, but we have an obligation to demonstrate our love for other men and women of the world by filling whatever need we see in others, whether it be a physical or a spiritual need.

Filled with selfish sorrow and grief, the rich young ruler went away without heeding Jesus command. Unless he later repented of his sinful, vain, and prideful ways, the young man “sold” his soul’s hope of eternal salvation. In exchange, by ignoring his godly duties as a good steward, he selfishly keep for himself the worldly gain that God had allowed him to accumulate for the very short life on earth that remained. Sure, he would still inherit eternal life, but it would forever be the punishment of hell – not the heavenly abode of God and the One that told him what he was spiritually lacking – Jesus Christ, the promised Savior.