The Rich Young Man
TRANSLATION
(16) And behold, a man came to (Jesus) and said, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to gain eternal life?” (17) And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. But if you would gain (eternal) life, keep the commandments.” (18) He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “Do not kill, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, (19) honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.” (20) The young man said to him, “I have kept all these (commands). What do I still lack?” (21) Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell all that you possess and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come! Follow me.” (22) But when the young man heard this, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
(23) And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you it is difficult for a rich person to gain entrance to the kingdom of heaven. (24) And again I tell you it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to gain entrance to the kingdom of God.” (25) And when the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said, “Who then can be saved?” (26) And Jesus, looking at them said, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (27) Then Peter said in response to him, “We have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” (28) And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you that, at the renewal of all things when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you also will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (29) And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for my name’s sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. (30) But many who are first will be last and the last will be first.”
OBSERVATIONS
Gaining “eternal life” (a term found in vss. 16 & 29) lay at the heart of this passage, both in the question the rich young man asked and in Jesus’ explanation to his disciples. Once again repetitions help us discern the thrust of this segment of Matthew’s Gospel. In the first, “(young) man” is found twice (vss. 16 & 22). “Good” was repeated three times (in vss. 16 & 17), “keep/kept” twice (vss. 17 & 20), and “possess/possessions” twice (vss. 21 & 22). “Heaven” is found three times in both segments (vss. 21 & 24), “follow/followed” twice (vss. 21 & 28), “disciples” twice (vss. 23 & 25), “rich person” twice (vss. 23 & 24), “gain entrance” twice (vss. 23 & 24), and “kingdom” twice, once with “of heaven” (vs. 23) and once with “of God” (vs. 24), “left” twice (vss. 27 & 29), and “twelve” twice, once with “thrones” and once with “tribes” (both in vs. 28). In essence, the rich young man had asked Jesus the wrong question about eternal life. Instead of framing it in terms of “What good deed must I do,” he should have asked, “What kind of person do I need to be to receive from God eternal life as a gift?”
OUTLINE
I. The rich young man received a challenging answer when he asked Jesus about gaining eternal life. (16-22)
II. The disciples sought clarification and were promised great rewards for their commitment. (23-30)
IDEA STATEMENT
Those who by faith follow Jesus as his disciples gain what earthly riches can never provide, eternal life and heavenly rewards in God’s Kingdom.
APPLICATION
In many parts of the world, including the Jewish culture of Jesus’ day, wealth is considered a sign of God’s favor. The young man who approached Jesus on this occasion was known to have been the owner of great possessions, probably due to having been born into a family of means. Although blessed with riches, he still evidenced uneasiness by asking Jesus what he still needed to do to gain eternal life for himself. Jesus’ first response was to offer him the standard answer most religious Jews of his day would have given: “Keep the commandments.” When the young man sought to justify himself with his response, “All these I have kept…what do I still lack,” he gave Jesus the opportunity to expose the one obstacle blocking his way: “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.” While this was not the answer the young man wanted to hear, it was surely the one he and all those within earshot needed to hear to challenge and correct their mistaken ideas.
After the young man had left disappointed, Jesus took advantage of the moment to teach his disciples more deeply about the nature of God’s Kingdom. He began with the statement, “…only with difficulty will a rich person gain entrance to the kingdom of heaven,” and emphasized his point with the vivid illustration of a camel passing through the eye of a needle, a literal impossibility. The disciples’ responses showed that they had grasped the impossibility of entering God’s kingdom by their own efforts. In the ensuing discussion Jesus made it clear that by choosing to follow him as disciples they had embarked on a life of dependence on him that would gain them what amassing earthly possessions never could, eternal life and heavenly rewards.