Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven; and come, follow Me.”  Matthew 19:21 ESV¹

Read Matthew 19:16-26, Mark 10:17-27 & Luke 18:18-27

Most of us want to be amazing at something. We want to stand out above the crowd in some area. We want to be noticed for some significant accomplishment. As a society, we venerate the surprisingly talented. We revere the exceedingly intelligent. We are mesmerized by the astonishingly beautiful. We worship the incredibly athletic. We esteem the exceptionally wealthy. And we honor tremendously influential. Because we are constantly trying to earn accolades and be more amazing than the next guy, we completely miss a great secret: it is actually a blessing to be extraordinarily average, because those who do have a great deal of talent, intelligence, beauty, athletic ability, wealth, or influence are often at a disadvantage.

The Bible records an account of a man who had position, possessions, and passion. He had respect, wealth, and influence. He had integrity, morality, and righteousness. And he had the youth to enjoy it all. But even with all of his success, security, and godliness, he couldn’t settle the nagging question if what he had was enough.

“As [Jesus] was setting out on His journey, a man” (Mark 10:17a), “a ruler” (Luke 18:18a), “ran up and knelt before Him and asked Him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit Eternal Life?’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone’” (Mark 10:17b-18). “‘If you would enter Life, keep the commandments.’ [The rich, young ruler] said to Him, ‘Which ones?’ And Jesus said, ‘You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ The young man said to Him” (Matthew 19:18-20a), “‘Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth’” (Mark 10:20b). “‘What do I still lack’” (Matthew 19:20b)? “And Jesus, looking at him, loved him” (Mark 10:21a), and, “said to him, ‘If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven; and come, follow Me.’ When the young man heard this, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions” (Matthew 19:21-22), “for he was extremely rich” (Luke 18:23b).

“Jesus, seeing that he had become sad” (Luke 18:24a), “said to His disciples, ‘Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Again, I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God.’ When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, ‘Who then can be saved?’ But Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible’ … ‘But many who are first will be last, and the last first’” (Matthew 19:23-26 & 30).

The rich, young ruler who ran up to Jesus and knelt before Him asked Jesus three questions. These questions reveal just how disadvantaged this privileged man really was.

“What good deed must I do to have eternal life?”

The first question the rich, young ruler asked was, “‘What good deed must I do to have eternal life’” (Matthew 19:16b)? When we are accomplished, we often get our self-worth from what we can do. But success can be a trap. Much achievement causes us to think we are more significant than we really are. The weight of the world begins to pile up on our shoulders. There is always more to do. And we can never know when we have done enough.

Those of us who are spiritual attempt to do many things to please God. Often, relying on our own common sense, we decide what we will do for God instead of taking our lead from Him. As a result, we end up working ourselves into exhaustion doing good things that aren’t necessarily God-things.

The rich, young ruler wanted to do a good deed that would guarantee his acceptance into the Kingdom of Heaven, but the good deed that leads to Eternal Life could only be done by Jesus. For us, all that needs to be done for us to obtain entrance into Heaven has already been accomplished. Now, our responsibility is to accept that gift, then abide in Jesus, and let the Holy Spirit produce fruit through us. When we try, without Jesus, to be spiritual and do good deeds, we may look impressive from the outside, but what we are producing is not real, life-giving, Christ-honoring fruit.

We can know that what we are doing for God is by our own effort if the work has left us drained of strength and energy. All a branch must do to produce fruit is to remain attached to the tree or vine. When a branch is connected to the plant, producing fruit is as simple as breathing. When we are in Christ, and Christ is in us, He will provide us with the power we need to do that which He is calling us to do. Those who have been successful in doing much good in their own strength miss the blessed simplicity of being with Jesus as He does His work through them.

“Which ones?”

The second question the rich, young ruler asked was in response to Jesus saying, “‘If you would enter Life, keep the commandments. [The rich, young ruler said to Him, “Which ones’” (Matthew 19:17b-18a)?

To answer his question, Jesus listed five of the Ten Commandments and a summary of those requirements. “‘You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 19:18-19). The others of the Ten Commandments, most of which fit under the category of, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength’” (Mark 12:30), are missing.

God doesn’t need humans to do anything for Him. “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of Heaven and Earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:24-25). So, why then does the LORD command us to love Him with all we have? We can’t really give anything to God, but when we love Him, we not only honor Him, but we benefit ourselves. God created people for a relationship with Him. There is a void in the human heart, which can only be filled with the LORD. When we love and glorify God, we are fulfilling our real purpose, and we experience a kind of joy that cannot otherwise be known.

Lovingly looking up to God for approval concerning the decisions we make and the actions we perform takes away the strain of looking around at others. The pressure of staying ahead of the competition, worrying about what others think, and concern over our reputation are constant burdens for those of us who have become accustomed to receiving worldly recognition for our accomplishments. All these stresses melt away when we are living our lives for the audience of the only One who completely loves us. We know our religious activity lacks love for God if the focus is on how we look and what we are getting out of it. Those who do good with the ulterior motive of their own glorification forsake the joy of serving with no concern for self, and they miss out on the peace that comes from acting purely out of love for God.

“What do I still lack?”

Evidently, this seemingly bright, young man didn’t pick up on the clues Jesus was leaving him concerning his lack of love for God, because he asked. “‘Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth’” (Mark 10:20b). “‘What do I still lack’” (Matthew 19:20b)? “And Jesus, looking at him, loved him” (Mark 10:21a), and, “said to him, ‘If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven; and come, follow Me.’ When the young man heard this, he went away sorrowful” (Matthew 19:21-22).

This serious, young man was good at following rules, but was he good at actually keeping the Commandments? Was he really loving his neighbor as much as he thought he was? Did he love anyone as much as he loved himself? Not if he wasn’t willing to use what was so dear to him to help those in need. He became disheartened when Jesus asked him to give away his wealth because this young man considered his possessions to be his own.

It isn’t a sin to be wealthy, but it is a sin to think that you acquired anything by your own skill or merit. Everything we have is a gift from God and belongs to God. You may be blessed with talent, intelligence, beauty, athleticism, wealth, or influence, but none of these is yours alone. God graciously lets humans use what is His; He merely asks us to be good stewards of what He has shared with us.

What you have is meant to be used to bless others and bring them closer to the Giver. Fruit is meant to be taken and eaten by someone other than the one who produced it. We know when our fruit is self-made when we try to hold onto it. When the fruit has been produced by God, there is no holding back, because we know there is so much more from where that came.

Some wise person once told me, “The more you have, the more you have to take care of.” When we have much, we must be concerned about how to keep those things with which we have been endowed. But those who have learned to hold loosely to everything they possess don‘t have this worry. Releasing gives room for continued reproduction and many opportunities for multiplication. Sadly, those who are unable to let go of their fruit don’t know the freedom of surrender or exhilaration of expectantly waiting on God.

The question and answer session between Jesus and the rich, young ruler caused The Twelve to have a question of their own. Their inquiry revealed their limited perspective of what God values.

“Who then can be saved?”

When His disheartened guest left, “Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Again, I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God.’ When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, ‘Who then can be saved’” (Matthew 19:23-25)?

Several godly men, such as Abraham and King Solomon, were quite wealthy. In fact, the Scriptures seem to indicate that it was partly because of these men’s righteousness that God blessed them with wealth (see Genesis 24:35 & 1 Kings 3:9-13). No wonder the disciples were confused. The man who had just knelt before Jesus was an exemplary person; they must have thought he had been rewarded with wealth because of his godly behavior. If a man as pure as the rich, young ruler and those like him, would have difficulty getting into the Kingdom of Heaven, for whom would there be a chance?

When we are rich in those things which are considered valuable in this world, it is almost impossible for us not to put our trust in those things. “‘For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also’” (Matthew 6:21). The Twelve were concentrating on what made sense to them, but “‘the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart’” (1 Samuel 16:7b). If you trust in your monetary riches or other perceived strengths, your heart is committed to those things; your riches take the place of God. “‘No one can serve two masters, for 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 God and money’” (Matthew 6:24). Riches, of any kind, become an obstacle between a person and God.

Jesus mentioned, “‘only with difficulty will a rich person enter the Kingdom of Heaven’” (Matthew 19:23). Not only is it next to impossible for a person who is distracted by any variety of his/her wealth to enter Heaven, but, sometimes, God gives the gift of difficulty to a person of advantage to help that one become closer to or more like Himself. Struggle gives awareness of need. Eventually, need will lead us to look for assistance beyond ourselves. When lack causes us to seek help from God, we tap into an unlimited supply. “My God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

The Apostle Paul was not a man with physical wealth, but he did have a wealth of knowledge and spiritual experiences. Paul confessed, “To keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh … Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness’” (2 Corinthians 12:7-9).

We know our view of the workings of God is tainted when we believe that God only ordains pleasant happenings. Sometimes, the LORD lets unpleasant things happen to good people so good people will stop trusting in themselves and their own abilities and start relying on Him. From a human perspective, it doesn’t make much sense that difficulty would bring one closer to the One allowing the trouble. That is one reason why “Jesus [told His disciples], ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible’” (Matthew 19:26).

God can take blessing and curses, strengths and weakness, circumstances He allows and those which were intended by others for evil, or anything else in all of creation, either positive or negative, and work those together for the benefit of humans so that they will draw closer to Him. (see Romans 8:28-38). God is the only One who can use a plethora of circumstances to awaken human hearts. The Holy Spirit is the only One who can bring humans into a realization of their need for salvation. Jesus is the only One who can save human souls; no one has ever been amazing enough to save him/herself.

“Why do you call Me good?”

The rich, young ruler and the disciples weren’t the only ones asking questions. Jesus asked a question of His own: “And Jesus said to [the rich, young ruler], ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone’” (Mark 10:18). Jesus’ question reveals the Truth that sets humans free from all of their striving.

The young man seeking from Jesus a sure-fire way to enter Eternal Life passed over this essential question. In the process, he completely missed the powerful statement Jesus was making. It is as if the moment the rich, young ruler came up to Jesus; Jesus held out His hand and said, “Hello, I am God. How may I help you?” If this man had grasped the reality that he was speaking with God—God who was going to answer his serious questions truthfully—he would have realized Jesus didn’t intend to discourage him.

If the rich, young ruler could have seen the love in Jesus’ eyes, he may have understood, what Jesus really meant when He answered his question about lack. Jesus wasn’t merely a man, and He wasn’t only talking about physical wealth. Jesus’ answer meant, “Get rid of all of the baggage standing in the way between you and Me and come join Me. You will be with Me where I am, and the abundance I have will also be yours.” If the young man had understood what Jesus was really saying, he would have no reason to go away sad. He would have only had reason to rejoice because he had found that for which his heart really desired.

Similarly, Jesus is calling out to us, “I am God. How may I help you?” He is pleading with us, “Get rid of all of the baggage standing in the way between you and Me and come join Me. You will be with Me where I am, and the abundance I have will also be yours.” So much of our baggage is connected to what comes out of the areas in which we are amazing from this world’s point of view. The more impressive we are from our own perspective or in the opinions of others, the more we miss out on the blessings of a relationship with Jesus now and the rewards of that relationship in eternity.

Jesus told His disciples, “‘Many who are first [now] will be last [in eternity], and the last [now] first [in eternity]’” (Matthew 19:30). God is watching and keeping track of what happens on Earth. Many of those who have gotten accolades on Earth will miss out on rewards in Heaven (see Matthew 6:5-6). And many of those who have suffered on Earth will find comfort in Heaven (see Luke 16). It is often the success of the advantaged that makes them self-sufficient and prevents them from coming to God. And it is often the suffering of the disadvantaged that makes them realize their need and helps them submit to God. The greatest spiritual blessings come out of the most significant physical inadequacies.

I doubt many of us will ever achieve our goal of being amazing according to worldly standards. But we should consider our many insufficiencies as blessings because it is they that cause us to rely on and fall in love with Jesus. It is our connection with Him that gives us significance no matter how anyone else sees us. Jesus is our Treasure in Heaven; being in the shadow of His glory is the only thing that will really matter. Christ is enough, and in Him, we have enough. “Therefore, [we can] boast all the more gladly of [our] weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon [us]. For the sake of Christ, then, [we are] content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when [we are] weak, then [we are] strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

I don’t know where you find yourself today or what you have experienced in the past. I don’t know how your life has been less than you have hoped or why you have been disappointed and disillusioned. I don’t know what nagging questions are troubling you. But I do know you can settle the unrest once and for all by looking at each area of inadequacy as a blessing in disguise. Those areas of difficulty are the very things God is using to bring you closer to Him. Join me in rejoicing in “weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities” (2 Corinthians 12:10). May all your troubles turn your eyes and your heart to God Almighty, the only One who is Truly Amazing.

 

 

¹ Scripture quotations marked with ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All Scriptures are taken from the ESV unless otherwise noted. To aid in understanding, I have capitalized references to God.