(A) Introduction. Read: Luke18v18to25

The encounter Jesus had with the rich, young ruler obviously made a big impression because it is dealt with by all three writers of the synoptic gospels.

It is a difficult story. Matthew's account differs significantly from the others. Many of us have a lot of sympathy with the rich young man. It is hard to understand why Jesus dealt with him quite so abruptly and discouragingly. I feel that several Bible expositors paint a blacker picture of the young man than is warranted. I cannot accept the opinion of Alan Carr who entitled a sermon on this passage: 'The man who went to hell with heaven on his mind.'

(B) What Jesus loved about the rich, young ruler.

There were some people that Jesus in his humanity found more loveable than others. He had a special love for John and for Mary, Martha and Lazarus. We have to include the rich, young ruler in that list. Mark records: Jesus looked at him and loved him. I am so glad Mark provides this key piece of information because it helps me to understand why Jesus dealt with the young man in the way he did.

There is a lot that is likeable about the rich, young ruler:

(1) He wasn't complacent.

He was young, very rich and in a position of influence. It seems very strange that none of the gospel writers name him. I like to think that he was Joseph of Arimathea. Joseph was rich and a member of the Sanhedrin. We don't know that he was young but there are three clues that he might have been. His tomb was new and he went boldly to ask Pilate permission to remove Jesus' corpse from the cross. He also, with some help from Nicodemus, took down Christ's body and carried it to his tomb for burial. This took some physical strength. Bold action tends to be the mark of a young man. It is evident from the gospel accounts that Joseph was the prime mover in ensuring Jesus had a decent burial. Nicodemus - the older man - was more cautious. We get more cautious as we age! Pilate's willingness to release the body to Joseph suggests, too, that he was a personable, highly thought of, individual. (See exposition on John19v31to42) Perhaps, if the young politician was Joseph of Arimathea, he is not named by Matthew, Mark and Luke because the story is not entirely to the credit of a man who later came to be much admired by the early church.

Jesus said to the rich ruler: "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God." Lk18v24. We in the wealthy West immediately identify with this statement. People are kept from coming to Jesus because their comfortable life style fosters complacency and a false sense of security. Life is sweet - they don't need God!

This wasn't the case with the rich, young ruler. He is very obviously concerned about pleasing God because he asked Jesus: Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" v18. Now we cannot be sure what he meant by, 'eternal life'. I know what I mean by it but whether the rich young man meant the same as me I cannot say. It seems from Jesus' reply that he wanted to know how to please God.

This surely is a worthy aim! Most rich, successful, young people in today's Britain don't give God a thought. Even some Christians do not take very seriously the part of the Lord's prayer that says: "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done - on earth as it is in heaven."

(2) He was boyishly eager and enthusiasic.

As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him ...... . "Good teacher," he asked ..... . Mk10v17.

I think it possible that the rich, young ruler had watched Jesus bless the little children. It pleased him. He found Jesus' relationship with the children endearing. Some of Christ's love for humanity shone forth. Perhaps, the ruler wanted to be like Jesus - to possess his quality of life. If this was his desire the young man really did want eternal life. Jesus' life was of the ulitimate quality. John wrote in his first epistle: The life appeared, we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and appeared to us. 1Jn1v2.

Boyish, idealistic enthusiasm for what is good is attractive. The young ruler had this in common with the zealous apostle John - the disciple the Lord loved.

(3) He was humble.

As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Mk10v17.

It is a amazing that a young man, a possible a member of the Sanhedrin and certainly extremely rich, should go down on his knees before Jesus - the working-class prophet from Nazareth. He must have been mightily impressed with Jesus to show such humility. In all my 40 years of teaching I never had a pupil approach me on their knees!! The very fact the ruler asked Jesus for advice at a time his popularity was on the wane and the authorities were plotting against him shows both humility and independent judgment.

(4) He was upright.

By comparing the accounts in the three synoptic gospels the rich ruler had not murdered, committed adultery, stolen, given false testimony or defrauded anyone. Furthermore he had honoured his parents and loved his neighbour as himself.

It doesn't seem to me that the young man was unwilling to use his wealth to benefit others. If he loved his neighbour as himself he would help the poor. If the rich ruler hadn't defrauded anyone then he paid his employees a fair wage promptly as the Law demanded.

The man who fell at Jesus' feet was an excellent young fellow - one, any mother would be delighted to have marry her daughter.

(5) He was sincere.

When Jesus told the young man: "One thing you lack. Go, sell everything you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven" (Mk10v21) he wasn't indignant, incredulous or angry. Mark tells us: At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. Mk10v22.

Evidently the rich ruler really did want to please God - but the task Jesus set was too demanding! It probably appears to high to most of us if we are honest. Peter reckoned that he had left all to follow Jesus but he was never asked to sell his boats. He still had the use of a boat after the resurrection of Jesus.

Why did Jesus find it necessary to deflate the young man? Evangelists, including the great apostle Paul, did not make belief in Jesus conditional upon selling everything and giving it to the poor. This would be almost as bad as what the Galatians were doing; making salvation dependent upon faith in Christ and circumcision.

(C) Where the rich, young ruler went wrong.

(1) He passed judgment on Jesus.

In this the rich young ruler was just like Nicodemus who came to Jesus and said: "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no-one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." Jn3v1and2. Jesus did not express pleasure in the judgment of Nicodemus. Instead he made a very abrupt response: "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." Jn3v3. (See exposition on John3v1to12)

The youthful ruler in his boyish enthusiasm made the same mistake as Nicodemus. He made up his mind. Jesus was a bit of 'all right'. So, he expressed his approval of Jesus with the words: "Good Master ... ." Neither the rich young man nor Nicodemus realised it was not their judgment of Jesus that mattered so much as his judgment of them. So, Jesus challenged the ruler. If he, Jesus, is good - as God is good - is it any more fitting to pass judgment on him than it is on God.

Jesus is not concerned with our good opinion! There are plenty of people, including atheists, who would concede that Jesus was good. He was more than that! Jesus knew that he was more than that. He does not want our good opinion; he demands our submission. Jesus said: "The work of God is this; to believe in the one he has sent." Jn6v29. If we believe in Jesus we commit ourselves to him - lock, stock and barrel.

(2) He was travelling down a hopeless path.

The rich, young ruler thought he could win God's approval by some great deed. Matthew probably conveys the sense of his question to Jesus: "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" Mt19v16. He had done well to keep the commandments and most devout Jews believed this was the way to please God. But the ruler wondered whether there was something more he should do. He asked Jesus: "What do I still lack?" Mt19v20.

This is a bad route to follow because whatever great work we undertake, and maybe succeed in achieving, there is always something greater to do. We can purge ourselves of this sin and that sin but there invariably remains another sin to deal with as we strive for perfection.

I believe Jesus used heavy irony to point this out in the Sermon on the Mount. He said: "For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." Mt5v20. He goes on: "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gauge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell." Mt5v27.

What does Jesus mean by this teaching? The great Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy seriously attempted to live by the ethical teaching of Christ's great sermon and signally failed! Philip Yancey in his book, 'Soul Survivor,' wrote of Tolstoy: I feel sad as I read Tolstoy's religious writings. The X-ray vision into the human heart that made him a great novelist also made him a tortured Christian. Like a spawning salmon, he fought upstream all his life, in the end collapsing from moral exhaustion. As a child, he had believed in a magical 'green stick' on which words were carved that would destroy all evil in the hearts of man and bring them good. He never found that green stick, never truly came to terms with the fallenness of humanity, including himself. He thought that his own will would suffice to chase away evil, and it failed him. Yet even Tolstoy for all his desperate efforts to overcome lust never resorted to plucking out his eyes or castrating himself.

What Jesus means by this teaching is that if a man chooses to please God by his own efforts it will be impossibly difficult to do so! However righteous he might be there would always remain room for improvement. To be free from certain sins a man we would have to take drastic action. It is a hopeless route - as Tolstoy found - and only leads to despair and disillusionment. Thank God there is another way.

(3) He was, perhaps, not aware of how much his wealth and standing meant to him.

The rich, young ruler valued his status, influence and wealth much, much more than he realised. He wanted to keep his old life but give it added value by meeting a special challenge, undertaking an important project or making a substantial sacrifice. The rich ruler wanted to add Jesus to his portfolio of assets. He hoped Jesus would reveal the secret of his 'feel good factor.' As it turned out he was not prepared for a radical change to take place in his life. He wasn't ready for it.

Quite a lot of people come to Jesus with the same desire as the wealthy ruler. Jesus deals with this sort of convert in his Parable of the Sower. They are represented by the seed that fell on stony ground. They make a good show until trouble comes. (See my exposition on Lk8v4to15.)

(D) How Jesus dealt with the rich, young ruler.

(1) He challenged the young man's judgment.

Jesus seems to be saying something like this: "You call me good. Have you really thought this through? Do you know how good I am? Am I so good as to be comparable to God himself? Do you accept that I am the Son of God?"

Lots of non-Christians admit that Jesus was good. To quote Charles Moore writing in today's Daily Telegraph: In this week's Spectator, Matthew Parris who calls himself a "Protestant atheist", says that Jesus was a man whose teachings have "transfiguring energy," an undismissibly real man". Jesus is "a colossal embarrassment" to the Church. So here we have an atheist who believes Jesus was good! The question is: how good? The apostle John wrote: We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. Jn1v14. Is Jesus that good? If so he demands rather more than enthusiastic approval; he demands our all.

(2) He challenged the young man's resolve.

Matthew puts Christ's challenge like this: "If you want to be perfect, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." Mt19v21.

Jesus says to the young man: "If you really want to do something very special, so special that you will earn brownie points in heaven, so particularly special that even God will be impressed - sell up and give EVERYTHING to the poor." We flinch at this! What Jesus says is so abrupt and shocking.

I think to myself, 'Surely there was a better way to deal with the young man than this." Jesus simply invited the other disciples to, "Follow him." Peter claimed: "We have left all we had to follow you!" Lk18v28. That was not quite true. Peter had a boat to fish from after the resurrection. The disciples followed Jesus and eventually learned to dispense with their possessions - although, according to Paul, the apostles, including Peter, took their wives with them when visiting the churches. (See 1Cor9v5.

Many Bible expositors claim that the rich, young ruler could never follow Jesus unless he gave up his wealth. Well, today, evangelists do not make salvation conditional upon giving up all our possessions and then exercising faith in Jesus.

It is significant that before Jesus told the young man what to do Mark tells us: Jesus looked at him and loved him. Mk10v21. I am glad of that. There is a comparable aside in John's gospel. When Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick he delayed going to Bethany for 2 days. John records: Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Jn11v5. Jesus didn't delay responding to the sister's request because he didn't love them and he didn't make such excessive demands of the rich ruler because he didn't care about him. The reverse was true.

Jesus used shock tactics on the rich young ruler because he was on the wrong path. He was on a hopeless quest. He could never, ever be good enough to satisfy God by his own efforts. He could never, never be good as Jesus was good. Indeed, if Jesus simply came to set us a good example then Jesus would be more than a colossal embarrassment to the church. His life would fill us with the deepest, most abject despair. It is an example we can never live up to. The reason Jesus is the hope of the church is because his main task was not set a wonderful example. It was to save he came. That is what the rich young ruler needed to realise. However good he managed to be he would still need saving. This is the truth that so many people - journalists like Matthew Parris - fail to understand.

(3) He highlights the danger of riches.

Great wealth is a danger in three ways:

(a) It breeds complacency, self-satisfaction and a false security. Many people share the mentality of the rich farmer who said: "Take life easy; eat, drink, and be merry." Lk12v19. (See my exposition on Lk12v13to21)

The rich young ruler was a better man than the prosperous farmer! He wasn't complacent. He wanted to please God and he ran to Jesus and fell at his feet to find out.

(b) It encourages self-sufficiency. Many rich men have been successful. They have a 'can do' attitude. If there is a problem - it can be fixed.

The young ruler was a bit like this. He had managed to do just about everything else and so he thought with a bit of enterprise he could please God.

It is difficult for the prosperous and successful to submit to, and depend upon, Jesus for salvation. It is hard for them to admit that there is something that they cannot do for themselves. We all have to become beggars - scroungers - to be saved. There is no other way. We have to rely on another. We must throw ourselves on Christ's mercy. Sinners have nothing to offer - except themselves in submission and gratitude. Salvation is by grace and through faith.

(c) It is undoubtedly God's rival for a man's first love. Most of us believe that we can have Jesus and our possessions. We can have it all. That, in truth, is why we flinch at Jesus' words to the rich, young ruler. Very few Christians have sold all they have and given the money raised to the poor.

But what if God did ask us to choose? What would win - our love for God or our love of money? Jesus did say: "You cannot serve both God and money." Lk16v17.

(4) Jesus points to another way.

I am not entirely sure what Jesus meant when he said: "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." Lk18v22. Why does Jesus say, "One thing you lack," and then mention two things? I cannot accept that selling everything and giving it to the poor will necessarily please God. Paul wrote: If I give all I possess to the poor ...... and have not love, I gain nothing." 1Cor13v3. Leo Tolstoy gave most of what he owned away but his wife wrote in her diary: There is so little genuine warmth about him; his kindness does not come from his heart, but merely from his principles.

Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea, Martha, Mary, Lazarus, Joanna, Susanna and Lydia were all well-to-do. They used their wealth in God's service. They were not told to get rid of it all in one fell swoop!

Maybe Jesus is telling the rich, young ruler to get the one big thing to earn God's favour out of his system and then, having cleared the deck, he could do the one thing that really mattered - follow him.

Jesus taught that the way to please God is to believe on the one he has sent. Jn6v29. He also said: "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." Jn17v3.

If we know and believe in Jesus we depend upon his sacrificial death for the forgiveness of sins and accept him as our Master. If Jesus is our Master then we do our best to serve and obey him. We do not do this without help because Jesus gives to all who believe in him the gift of the Holy Spirit who imparts new life and provides daily help. As we progress in the Faith we will learn to manage our wealth and use our possessions to God's glory. Some will be called to be poor - or at least poorer - to do God's work. My brother Paul and my fellow elder's son, Richard, left well paid jobs and took substantial pay cuts to enter the Baptist ministry.

(E) Conclusion.

What became of the rich, young ruler? He left Jesus very sadly. Nicodemus left Jesus greatly puzzled but he became a disciple albeit for a time a secret one. If the idealistic young man was indeed Joseph of Arimathea then he came to see the one thing he lacked. Let us hope, like one of the characters in Leo Tolstoy's last novel, 'Resurrection,' he at last realised the only sure means of salvation from the terrible wrongs which mankind endures is for every man to acknowledge himself a sinner before God. The only sure fire way to receive eternal life is by God's grace, Christ's mercy and the Spirit's renewing power. This is a lesson we all have to learn. I believe it is a lesson the rich, young ruler learned - because he was a sincere if misguided inquirer, Jesus loved him and Jesus came to seek and to save the lost.