Many of us have speculated as to who the “rich young ruler” could have been, but the value of the incident lies in the fact that this is not mentioned. Whoever he was, he must have been in a hurry. He came running to Jesus (verse 17). It is not unusual these days to see young people in a hurry, in fact to us who are a little older they seem to be always in a hurry. Whatever the young ruler’s reasons they seemed to be urgent and so required haste. He must have been a humble young man, for he fell at the feet of a peasant, Jesus. It is not customary for the ruling class to fall at the feet of a peasant, but this young man evidently had a problem that could not be solved by the keeping of the laws, and he thought that perhaps this new teacher might be able to help him. It is quite evident that, although his life appeared to be exemplary in the keeping of the commandments that Jesus called to his attention (verse 19), there was in his heart a feeling of dissatisfaction and inadequacy regarding matters that lead to everlasting life.
Whether the young man’s life was exemplary or otherwise, Jesus did not contradict his estimation of his virtues, but faced him with a problem that would prove the depth of his desire for information and understanding concerning the deeper and more important things of life. Jesus so many times does the same thing with us — the answer to our problems often comes in the reminder of another related virtue we may never have thought about.
In evaluating the claim of the young man that he had observed the commandments from his youth. let us take note of the fact that when Jesus had listened to what he had to say, “beholding him, he loved him” (verse 21). It is something to remember that Jesus loves us even though many times we may turn sorrowfully away, finding His commandments too exacting at the present time. It must be the future promise in our hearts that Jesus sees that causes Him to love us, for He alone knows the struggle that so many times involves the lives of young people and others who would give their hearts to Him. It is not easy, it was not easy for the rich young ruler. He had yet to learn much, as he turned sorrowfully away from Jesus.
“My son,” says Solomon, “give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways” (Proverbs 23:26).
“Keep thy heart with all diligence: for out of it are the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23).
It would seem that the problem with him, as with us, is, as the young man so aptly put it: “Good master, what shall I Do that I may inherit eternal life?” Let us take note of the fact that it was a question involving action. What must I Do? Although we know that eternal life cannot be earned (it is the gift of God), yet, if we are really God’s children we must be active in His work, as James tells us in James 1:22: “Be ye doers of the word and not hearers only.”
We realize from the record that there was something lacking in the young ruler’s life, and that he had come to recognize this fact. Riches, servants and power did not fill his need, and so he came to Jesus. We who do not have riches have often thought that the possession of them would fill our needs. This is, in fact, telling God that in giving these things to others, and not to us, He has made the wrong disposition of this world’s goods; that if we had them we would do better than those to whom they had been entrusted, and that’s just what they are ——– entrusted. (Read Luke, chapter 16, and especially verses 10, 11).
“One thing thou lackest”, Jesus said to the rich young ruler. Just imagine! If Jesus came into an assembly of ours, the Sunday morning meting, the Bible Class or the Youth Meeting, and said to us: “You lack only one thing to give you eternal life”, how eager we would be, how anxious to find out what it was! “What is it Lord”, we would ask. “only tell us, for life everlasting is our deepest desire and need.” But would we, like this young man, turn sorrowfully away when we realized that entire consecration is the only way we will ever reach Christ’s kingdom?
Jesus said to the rich young ruler: “Go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast and give it to the poor.” Here for a moment let us stop. Superficially it appears that what the young man lacked was poverty. If this is so, then, in a manner of speaking, all he had to do was to get the load of his riches off his back (Mark 10:25) and eternal life would be his. We can see that this is not the answer. If it were, then it would by all means leave many of us who never had riches without hope. It is not reasonable to suppose that the way to life everlasting is accumulating riches, and then disposing of them to the poor. It was for him, the rich young ruler, the pressing need for the moment to prepare him for the more important lack in both his life, and in the life of everyone who has not yet done what Jesus said was absolutely imperative in order to gain everlasting life. So, then, in saying this to the rich young ruler, he is saying it to every one of us, no matter what our circumstances may be. What then is the final word and way to God’s gift of eternal life that all of us desire to have? Listen to Jesus again, and write His words on your hearts, for they most certainly are the issues of life everlasting: “Come, Follow Me.” Three words! This was his lack and is ours, too, who have not given our lives to God and confessed our belief in Him and in His power to give eternal life through first, baptism into His name! and then following Him wheresoever He may lead us.
The rich young ruler went sorrowfully away, for he had great riches. When he got home he no doubt did one of two things, and we, on hearing Jesus’ summons to follow Him most likely do identically the same. He either began to wonder whatever had possessed him to run to this Galilean peasant and humble himself at His feet; or else the words of Jesus so upset his life and peace of mind that he did finally dispose of his wealth, which actually was his lack in following Jesus, and, we hope, although we do not know, merited the love of Jesus by forsaking all and following Him.
All of us must come to realize that unless we are following Christ our problem is like that of the rich young ruler. He was self-sufficient, he was waited on by servants, and no doubt in his own household was a law unto himself. He lacked a dominating principle in his life, he lacked a center of authority. In other words, he had not found his King. Perhaps we, as God’s people, have never really found our King. In our seeking and planning we have been self-centered and self-governed.
If we have riches this is what they have done for us, for others the problem may be something different. We recall the parable that Jesus told of the man who made a great supper (Luke 14: 16-24), and those he had bidden began to make various excuses: one had married a wife, another had bought five yoke of oxen, and still another had bought a piece of ground (perhaps he had built a new house), and none of them could come.
What is our problem? Of course we alone can answer the challenge of Jesus —”one thing thou lackest”. But whatever the individual answer is to the things in our lives which may cause us to make excuses to the Master, the demand is clear to all regardless of their problems, “Come, Follow Me“. This is what He says, and this is the only way to life everlasting.
And so we see that Jesus is right, as of course He always was, and is, and if we come to Him in a hurry, or otherwise, young or old, rich or poor, the answer to the most important question of all time, and the most vital one in our hearts and lives is, “Come, Follow Me.” When we hear this call, let us not, as did the rich young ruler, turn sorrowfully away, but, without even one look backward, come, and follow Him where-ever He may lead us.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One