What must I do to inherit eternal life? That was the question that a particular young man asked Jesus. We learn that the young man kept the Law and was blessed by God with wealth. And yet, something inside told him that he was missing something.
“As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: Do not murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness; do not defraud; honor your father and mother.” He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these from my youth.” Looking at him, Jesus loved him and said to him, “You lack one thing: Go, sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” But he was dismayed by this demand, and he went away grieving, because he had many possessions. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!”” (Mark 10:17–23, CSB)
The young man asked an important question. But notice the way he put it. What must I do? Emphasis on “I”. We learn through the rest of the New Testament that there is nothing we can do to inherit eternal life but to repent, believe, and receive Christ’s forgiveness.
Jesus lays out some of the Ten Commandments for him to consider. This is also telling. Yes, the young man had kept the law concerning murder, adultery, theft, deceit, fraud, and honoring parents. But notice that Jesus didn’t include the Laws about honoring God and not coveting what others have. I believe that Jesus left those out on purpose because He was going to dig deep with this person.
The young man reported that he had kept those laws from his youth. Jesus looked at him and loved him. And in that love dug deep into his heart and saw the idol of wealth. Jesus said, “You lack one thing: Go, sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Destroy this idol and follow me.
Jesus asks the same of us, but our treasures may be something other than wealth and possessions. The young man asked Jesus a profound and direct question. Jesus gave him a profound and direct answer. Let go of your treasure. It could be wealth, power, gratification, identity, achievements, abilities, family history, other individuals (including our family), or something else. It’s that thing you hope Jesus never asks you to give up for Him.
Jesus then said, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” This pulls us back to our previous article about entering the kingdom like a child. We are to trust God instead of our own heart treasure or material wealth. For the rich young man, that meant giving things away. That could be true for us as well, but it could also mean putting things in the right place. Something that the rich young man found difficult to do.
The conversation about wealth and the kingdom isn’t finished. After the young man left, Jesus elaborated further on it to His disciples. We’ll pick that up next time.
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