Articles
The Rich Young Ruler - Mark 10
The Rich Young Ruler - Mark 10
He was rich (Mark 10:22,23), young (Matt. 19:20), and had some measure of prominence (called a ‘ruler’ in Luke 18:18). We don’t know if he was good-looking or popular. In addition to this, he was very religious having kept ‘the commandments’ from his youth. Jesus loved him, yet said: “One thing you lack…”. At first we would think that ‘he had it all’, but Jesus says otherwise.
While he was a good person in so many areas, he loved his material wealth. This posed the greatest of problems for him. This was the ‘one thing’ that stood between him and the kingdom of God (vs. 23,24,25), treasure in heaven (vs. 21), being saved (vs. 26), and eternal life (vs. 17). This one thing stood in the way of fulfilling the greatest commandment of all: loving God with all your heart.
Jesus saw into the very heart of the issue and challenged him at the very point of his failure. There was no sermon about the evils of money or the problems of materialism. There was the straightforward challenge to sell it all, give it away to the poor, and follow me. From all indications we have in the story, he failed. Holding on to his wealth was the most costly mistake he could make: it cost him the kingdom of God, treasures in heaven, being saved, and eternal life.
This scares me as I live in the most prosperous country of the world and enjoy a lifestyle that is enjoyed by only a small percentage of the world’s population. I read about the deceitfulness of riches and wonder if I have deceived myself. I memorized the fact that covetousness is idolatry (Col. 3:5) but question what I would have done if I were in the shoes of this young man.
No, as Christians we are NOT specifically told to sell everything and give it to the poor. We ARE taught to love God more than everything else. We are taught to be ready to share (1 Tim. 6:17-19). We are taught that we should USE such materialistic gifts to the glory of God and not just for the ease of living. Yet we are warned that a true examination of our own hearts is made difficult in this by the very deceitfulness that materialism brings (cp. Mark 4:19).
Jesus flatly stated that it is hard for person who is rich in this world to enter the kingdom of God. Hard it may be, but we must examine ourselves. Hugh DeLong
