Click here for the Matthew 19:16-22 PODCAST
16 Now behold, one came and said to Him, "Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?" 17 So He said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments." 18 He said to Him, "Which ones?" Jesus said, "You shall not murder," "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not steal," "You shall not bear false witness," 19 "Honor your father and your mother," and, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 20 The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?" 21 Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. ~ Matthew 19:16-22
Today, we return to our study of Matthew 19 where the Lord Jesus was approached by a young man who was rich and religious. This young man was a leader, he was respected and he was influential. He was also the ruler of a synagogue. But one thing he lacked: he had never come to the end of himself and he knew he lacked salvation.
In v.16 of today's passage we read, "Now behold, one came and said to Him, 'Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?'"
According to Mark and Luke's gospels, after teaching the disciples on greatness, the Lord Jesus was approached by this man who ran up to Him, fell on his knees before Him and addressed Him as one who possessed inherent goodness that only God possesses. He then asked a question of the Lord Jesus which was full of poor theology. He assumed that sinful man can earn God's favor through his obedience. The emphasis in his question was on himself, and, it provided a stark contrast to what the Lord had been teaching the disciples about the major role selflessness plays in discipleship. This man had everything this world had to offer but he knew he lacked something. He had a personal relationship with everything else including religion, but that was a far cry from having been "born again." This only goes to prove nothing in this world will ever truly satisfy us, for "God created us with a God-shaped vacuum that only He can fill."
In v.17 of today's passage we read, "So He said to him, 'Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.'"
The Lord Jesus spoke to this man in his own language. All this rich young ruler had ever known was self-produced achievement and self-manufactured morality. This is why the Lord Jesus challenged his understanding of "goodness." This young man failed to understand that the purpose of the law of Moses is to reveal to us our sinfulness. He had looked into the mirror of God's word and did not see the sin in his own life. In fact, he saw the law as a means to feel good about himself. He failed to understand the principle that if we break the law in one small part, we are immediately guilty of having broken it all.
In addition, the rich young ruler failed to see that the law cannot save any of us. He tried to establish his own righteousness, failing to understand true righteousness is of God. He also failed to see that through God's mercy He imputes His righteousness on the one who repents of his way and believes in the Lord's way. The rich young ruler failed to understand that in order to inherit eternal life, we must confess our sin and we must realize that we cannot earn God's acceptance by our obedience to the law. The Lord Jesus didn't argue with this man. Rather, He informed him that salvation is reserved for those who come to an end of themselves and are desperate for God.
This merely emphasizes that the foundation of our salvation is always on the work of the Redeemer, not on the work of the redeemed. If it were not for God's forgiving nature, none of us would choose repentance. It was William Hordern who once said, "It is never our repentance that causes God's forgiveness; rather, it is God's forgiveness that causes our repentance."
In v.18-19 of today's passage we read, "18 He said to Him, 'Which ones?' Jesus said, 'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,' 19 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"
In response to the question of the rich young ruler, the Lord Jesus highlighted several of the last six commandments. The first four commands, not mentioned, have to do with our relationship with God. The last six address how we treat other people. Ah, this sounds familiar to what the Lord had just taught, the disciples; that is we should value the least. Here, in this response to a man who had all this world has to offer, the Lord Jesus accentuated the behavior of greatness and how it loves others selflessly.
In v.20 of today's passage we read, "The young man said to Him, 'All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?'"
This man claimed to have kept the commands, but he did not understand that his obedience could not earn the favor of God. This very wealthy man had never become like a child and he had not come to an end of trusting in himself and in his wealth. This explains that in the end he was more committed to his wealth than he was to going to heaven. It was the wealth and the supposed goodness of this man that defined him the most. In fact, it was his wealth and his goodness that had kept him from entering into a personal relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ.
In v.21 of today's passage we read, "Jesus said to him, 'If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.'"
The Lord Jesus knew that being perfect was and is an impossibility for any fallen human. And, the Lord Jesus never said that if we sell everything we have and become poor that we could earn our way to heaven; that deifies the very point of the context. The Lord Jesus exposed the true heart of this self-righteous man who incorrectly stated, "I've kept the law since I was young." The answer the rich young ruler gave to the Lord Jesus that spot-lighted man's ultimate problem which is not our obedience but our sinfulness. And, the only remedy to our sinfulness is the death of the Lord Jesus on the cross where He paid the penalty for our sin which had separated us from God.
In v.22 of today's passage we read, "But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions."
No doubt this young man sincerely tried to keep the law; in fact, this may have been what brought him to the feet of the Lord Jesus in the first place and he didn't realize it. Then, the Lord Jesus did not quote the law to him as a means of salvation, because obedience to the law does not save us. The Lord Jesus quoted the law to him because in doing so He held up the law as it were a mirror revealing to him his inadequacy.
Sadly, the man who had all this world had to offer went away sorrowful. Subtly, we are given an accurate portrait of how this world will never satisfy our deepest longings and needs. This young man who had everything that money and power and youth could give him, knew in his heart that there was something missing in his life. That day the rich young ruler had caught a glimpse of eternal life but he walked away sorrowful, because he was unwilling to repent from his goodness so that he might be defined by the Lord's goodness.
