Riches and Salvation

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 but One-God. You know the commandments:
Do not murder;
Do not commit adultery;
Do not steal;
Do not bear false witness;
Do not defraud;
Honour your father and mother."
He said to Him, " Teacher, I have kept all these from my youth."
Then looking at him, Jesus loved him and said to him, "You lack one thing: Go, sell all you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasures in Heaven. Then come, follow Me."
 But he was stunned at this demand, and he went away grieving, because he had many possessions. Mark 10:17-22

Firstly Jesus addresses this young man's use of 'good.' He had spent his life working on being 'good.' Jesus' comment cuts through man's thinking about goodness. Only God is good and if I am good, it is because of Him. Amen!

Next Jesus tells the young man to keep the commandments that relate to how he must treat others. The young man had kept these but knew he needed more for eternal life. Keeping the commandments did not make him good or give him eternal life. Where are the commandments relating to God and the Sabbath?

The scripture tells us that Jesus loved him, He could see a hungry heart, a seeking heart.

What Jesus told the young man to do was grievous: sell all he had and give it to the poor and follow Him. Selling all he had stopped him because he had great wealth. I am sure he would have followed Christ, and perhaps did, from a distance. However he was now challenged to do the difficult.

After the young man left Jesus taught about the difficulty the wealthy have in coming to salvation, especially if they rely on their wealth. The listeners were astonished because in their minds: great wealth ment great blessing.

We know that there were wealthy people who befriended Christ. Lazarus and his sisters were well off, as were several women who followed Him. Jesus was not opposed to wealth but to money owning people. Wealth can be a cage and following Christ is a walk of freedom.

We do not know what happened to this young man. What if he was Lazarus? Jesus said it was not impossible for the rich to come to Christ, just difficult.

Just as riches make it difficult to come to salvation so does self-righteousness. The Pharisees were also challenged.

Whatever cages us is the difficulty, but all things are possible to us who believe. Amen!


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