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And Come follow Me - Matthew 19:21
And Come follow Me - Matthew 19:21
The story of the rich young ruler is known by most bible students, in particular that Jesus told him to ‘sell what you possess and give to the poor’ (vs. 21).
This young man was a keeper of God’s law (vs. 20), a statement that Jesus doesn’t argue with, yet he still lacked in his relationship with God.
Jesus' answer actually has TWO parts that make up the one thing that he lacked. Yes, he was to sell all and give it away, but he was also to then FOLLOW JESUS. The problem with this young man is that he couldn’t follow Jesus without first being willing to rid himself of his possessions. This is indeed a matter of the heart. With all of his religion, his heart was still not right with God.
Earlier Jesus had said that a man can not serve God and Mammon. You cannot have your heart set upon the things of this world AND also have it set upon God. Instead of following Jesus, he went away.
In his going, he went away sorrowful. He still had his possessions, but he also had an empty space in his heart, a space that should have been filled with love for God. Possessions can never fill that space.
Part of the deceitfulness of riches is that it promises to satisfy the soul, but it simply cannot. Riches are temporary and can not give eternal blessings. Riches are lost, stolen, destroyed, and temporary. The heart yearns for that which is eternal.
This is yet another episode in the life of Jesus wherein he speaks of the bad effects that monetary things have on people. He spoke of it in the chapter 6 in the Sermon on the Mount. He spoke of the rich fool who made all of his plans apart from God. He spoke of the rich man and Lazarus.
He warned and warned about the real problem that riches and the desire for them bring into one's life. So many people are like this young man, they have both great riches AND a sorrowful empty heart towards God.
I know it may be an oversimplified answer, but it seems to me that we need to reconsider what we ‘possess’ and view them as a ‘stewardship’. All things are God’s and we have been allowed to use some of them. It is not about how MUCH, but rather how we use what we have.
Many people need the same challenge that Jesus gave this young man. IF, and I know that Jesus did NOT command this of everyone, but IF He did ask you to follow Him by giving away all your earthly possessions, would you? Do you love God more than things?
Hugh DeLong
