Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.

                                                                                                               Matthew 19:21-22

Today: Read Matthew 19

It’s always a good thing to ask the right questions. I believe we often tend to “spin our wheels” in an attempt to understand things that, in reality, are not that important. We would do well to prioritize our spiritual lives by asking the right questions. That is exactly what the young man in our passage today is doing. And what was the question? “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” Jesus begins by questioning the man’s reference to Him as “good.” Jesus identifies God alone as the only being that can make the claim of being perfectly good. He then references the Law as the means by which the man will find life. The man asks for clarification as to which Laws and Jesus responds by mentioning several but not all of them. It is important to note here that Jesus is not teaching a works-oriented salvation. To do so would nullify the cross and the gospel (Galatians 2:21, 3:22, 26). Jesus is answering this man according to the old covenant, which was in effect until the completion of the new.

At this point the man seems to have a high view of his keeping the commandments. Because Jesus did not call him out on this claim, neither will we. Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt and say that he had indeed kept all of those commandments. The truth: he was still lacking and he knew it. It is at this point that religion gets a foothold in the lives of many and leaves them with a false sense of their own righteousness. There are many morally good people in the world and for some that virtuous living is equated with salvation. Nothing could be further from the truth. While righteous living should be the goal of every individual, it has no saving power whatsoever. This is a hard truth for the spiritually prideful. The only way for the Law to save is if it is kept to the very letter. By transgressing God’s Law just once, we become guilty of the whole thing (James 2:10).

The gospel of Mark reveals Jesus’ attitude toward the man. “Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him…” (Mark 10:21). So Jesus responds to the man’s concern regarding his shortcomings with a specific instruction, “go and sell your possessions.” Again it is important to note that Jesus is not setting a precedent for all born again believers in all generations to follow to the letter. If that were the case, then the only authentic believers would be those who sell everything they have (I haven’t seen that in my experience). Rather Jesus is going straight to the heart of the matter. This man’s possessions had become so important to him that he was not willing to part with them even if it meant missing out on eternal life. And how do we know this? Look at his reaction to Jesus’ instructions, “But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.” He wanted the answer, but he didn’t like the answer. Jesus was talking about sacrifice and selfless living, something the man was unwilling to do.

Jesus uses this as a teaching moment for the disciples by declaring:

“Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

                                                                                                            Matthew 19:23-24

When I think of this rejection of Jesus’ love, it saddens my heart. Then I remember that I have done the same thing time after time against my Savior. Selfish living and clinging to things that don’t ultimately matter, I can relate to this man. But there is good news!

When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?” And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

                                                                                                               Matthew 19:25-26

If you feel that you cannot be saved because of your track record, you would be incorrect. If you believe that doing good things will bring about or even solidify your salvation, you are also incorrect. If salvation were based on our moral perfection, then no one would be saved. But the things that are impossible for us are possible with God. Although believers should make every effort to honor God with their lives, the reality is that none of us have or ever will accomplish such a task. We are in need of a Savior and His name is Jesus! The only way we will miss out on salvation is to reject Jesus’ love for us as demonstrated through the gospel (John 3:18). Call on Him today, trusting Him with your future, and enjoy the freedom of knowing that you belong to God!