I had a hard time deciding what message I wanted to deliver this week. There are so many parables and teachings of Jesus I want to talk about it's often hard to decide which one is the right one for the right time. Today, I've decided to focus on Jesus' encounter with the rich, young ruler recorded in Matthew chapter 19.
One day, while Jesus was teaching a rich, young ruler came to Jesus and asked Him a question. The ruler said, "Good Master, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?" This rich, young ruler wanted an answer to a question which is in the soul of every person. He wanted to know how he could live after death. He wanted to live forever.
What I find interesting is that the first assumption this young ruler had about obtaining eternal life is the same assumption that so many people make today. People believe that eternal life is obtained by doing good. Somehow, if the good outweighs the bad; then Heaven will be your eternal home.
Last week I mentioned that at one time I use to do a lot of evangelism work, and we would often initiate conversations by asking if people were 100 percent sure that if they died today they would go to Heaven. Most often people without Christ would say no. But sometimes people would say that they were 100 percent sure. Then we would ask them why. Probably 99 percent of the time people would respond by saying they were a good person or they were just as good as anybody else. Like the rich ruler, they thought that they could earn their way to Heaven.
Jesus responded to the young ruler's query by asking why the man called Him good. Only God is good. Only Jesus, God come in human flesh, has lived a life without sin. He is the only one who has ever done it, and that is why Jesus could be the sacrifice for the sins of the world. In order to know eternal life, one has to know Jesus.
Jesus said to the ruler that if the ruler was going to to good he would have to keep the commandments. At this point, the ruler asked Jesus which commandments to keep. Jesus responded by saying, "Thou shalt do no murder. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." I think Jesus was saying that one has to keep them all.
This foolish young ruler responded by saying that he had kept all the commandments. He then wanted to
know what else he had to do. He didn't recognize his own selfishness. He'd never examined his life to realize that there is none righteous. As the Scripture clearly states, everyone has sinned and fallen short of God's righteous standard. If you break just one of the commandments, it is as if you've broken them all.
One of the reasons the ten commandments and the other laws of the Bible were given was to show people their sinfulness. They show us that we need a righteousness not our own. We need the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ.
In Matthew 19:21, Jesus continued His conversation with the ruler. Jesus was trying to bring the man to an understanding of his own inadequacy and his need to make Jesus the Lord of his life. Jesus told the man to sell everything he had, give it to the poor, and then to come and follow Him. This is something the man was unwilling to do. He was a man of great wealth, and when it came right down to it, the man loved the things of this world more than eternal things.
What Jesus was pointing out to the young man was that this man didn't really love his neighbor as himself, or he would have been willing to give away his wealth and follow Jesus. By violating the commandments to love God with all of his heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love one's neighbor as himself the ruler was guilty of breaking every commandment. There was no way he could be good enough. He couldn't be righteous enough. He needed Jesus.
As the rich man walked away from Jesus, Jesus said that it was hard for a rich man to enter Heaven. It was easier for a camel to walk through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter Heaven.
When the disciples heard Jesus' words about the wealthy, they wondered who could be saved. In Jesus' day, if someone was wealthy and healthy it was seen as evidence of righteousness and that a person was right with God. Jesus turned this way of thinking on its head. Throughout His entire ministry, Jesus showed that wealth and health weren't the signs of favor with God. God is looking for those with a humble heart who want to follow Him
Jesus told His disciples that with God all things are possible. Through the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, God can bring anyone to the foot of the cross. As I said last week, there is no sinner God cannot save.
Don't put your trust in yourself, your good works, or your wealth to obtain eternal life. Put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.
As I conclude this week, I'd like to just say a few words about wealth and Jesus statement about giving away all of one's possessions. If those who are wealthy would give more of their income to help the poor and suffering what a difference it could make. How much money does someone really need? How much is enough? There are many who could give away 90 percent and live on 10 percent and still have enough to live like a prince for years.
Also, look at how much oppression occurs in this world so others can obtain wealth. It is not necessarily wrong to be very wealthy. But how was that wealth obtained? Are you paying your workers a living wage? Are you helping the world? Just realize, one day both rich and poor will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Amen.
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