The Rich Young Ruler

There is a story in the gospels that has always bothered me. It is the story about the rich young ruler who asks Jesus what he needs to do to have eternal life. I’ve been bothered by this story primarily because at the end of it Jesus says, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 19:23b). In Luke he says, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” (Luke 18:24).

How disturbing is that! I consider myself to be wealthy. I’ve been told by pastors and educators that I’m wealthy—not specifically me but Americans in general. I’ve been told that America is one of the richest nations in the world, and that America's poor live better than most of the world’s population. So Luke 18 makes me start worrying that I need to sell all my possessions and live in a cardboard box because my wealth is going to disqualify me from heaven.

Plus, I've found several aspects about this story puzzling. Like why does Jesus ask the man, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone” (Luke 18:19b). Why would Jesus correct the man like that? Wasn’t the rich young ruler correct in calling Jesus good? 

And if it’s impossible for any of us to be perfect apart from Christ, why does Jesus say to the man, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor?” (Matt. 19:21b) Did Jesus mean that if the man sold all his possessions, he would be perfect and have earned himself a place in heaven? 

And one more peculiar bit: after Jesus says it's hard for a rich person to be saved, why did the disciples ask, “Who then can be saved?” (Matt. 19:25b). Did they think that being wealthy automatically got you a place in God’s kingdom?

See. Doesn’t make sense.  

And that’s why I think this story is about more than just material wealth. I think it's talking about how the rich young ruler relied upon his wealth for assurance maybe even proof of his moral riches. 

Matthew, Mark, and Luke precede the story of the rich young ruler with Jesus asking the little children to come to him. I believe the take-away from that is that we must recognize our helplessness and total reliance on Jesus in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. 

Next, this rich young ruler asks, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus answers him, saying, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone” (Luke 18:18-19). 

I propose the ruler was saying: “Jesus, you're a particularly upright person. Certainly, you'll be able to recognize another upright man. See it’s like this, I’ve been good my whole life, but I’m worried. How can I know that I’ve been good enough?”

Jesus’ response challenges the ruler’s use of the word "good." It's like he's saying, "You call me good? Do you even understand what good is? No one can be good enough but God."

Next, Jesus seems to answer his own question, namely, what goodness is. “You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” And the ruler replies, “All these I have kept from my youth” (Matt 18:20-21). 

I think Jesus is giving the ruler a chance to assess himself. “Do you really think that you haven’t committed adultery or stolen murdered? Do you really think you’ve never lied or dishonored your parents? If God only is good, how close do you think you've come to his standard?” And in reply, the rich young ruler says, “Well, I’ve done all that. That means I've arrived. Right?”

Then Jesus says, “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” (Matt 19:21). Now, I don't think Jesus is saying that if the man sold all he had and followed Jesus, he would've reached God’s standard of perfection. I think Jesus is saying something else. 

Might Jesus be asking the rich young ruler to give up more than just his wealth? Might he be asking him to give up his goodness and the proof thereof? Such a question would’ve prompted the man to ask himself, “How can I do that? Being wealthy and following all the commandments are the signs that I'm good. How would I know I was good without them?”

All the gospels show how both the rich and the poor followed Jesus. And while Jesus has plenty to say about wealth, I think in this instance, the rich young ruler's wealth was just the tip of the ice burg. The ruler couldn't give up his own man-made assurances that he had arrived. He wasn't ready to rely on Jesus' goodness. So the man goes away sad. He can’t give up what makes him feel safe, righteous, holy.

Jesus next says, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” (Luke 18:24-25). Again, this part seems like Jesus is just talking about financial wealth, but I think that’s because prosperity was often seen as a sign of moral goodness. 

The disciples next question makes it seem even more apparent that Jesus can't only be talking about financial wealth. “Who then can be saved?” they ask (Matt. 19:25b).

Why would the disciples be asking this? They weren't wealthy? Did they think they were doomed because they weren't wealthy? And didn't they see plenty of wealthy people around them who weren't good? There were the Romans, after all. And tax collectors were wealthy.

The disciples' question only makes sense if they’re not just talking about the rich young ruler's wealth but his seemingly good lifestyle. “If that ready-made man can’t make it to heaven, who can?” 

So Jesus then looks at the disciples and says, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:26b). The point can’t be driven home anymore than that! No man, no matter how put together his life is, can gain eternal life. But with God, through the blood of Jesus, anyone can be good enough, both the wealthy and the poor.

This reminds me again of what Jesus said prior to this story: “Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” (Luke 18:16-17). Even the ready-made man can recognize his need for Jesus and rely on his savior for everything. 

So here's the conversation again in Abby version:

RICH YOUNG RULER: Jesus, you're particularly upright. Certainly, you'll be able to recognize another upright man. See it’s like this, I’ve been good my whole life, but I’m worried. How can I know that I’ve been good enough?

JESUS: You call me good? Do you even understand what it means to be good? No one is good enough but God. Do you really think that you haven’t committed adultery or stolen or murdered? Do you really think you’ve never lied or dishonored your parents? If only God is good, how close do you think you've come to his standard?

RYR: Well, I’ve been pretty good. I've kept all the commandments. 

JESUS: If you want to reach God's standard, give up all you've worked for, your wealth of goodness, and rely on me instead.

RYR: I can't give up everything. I've worked so hard!

JESUS (to disciples): How difficult it is for people like that to enter the kingdom of God. For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a ready-made-man to enter the kingdom of God.

DISCIPLES: If a ready-made-man can't make it, who can?

JESUS: With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. He both defines what is good and then sends the one to meet that standard. No assurance of salvation can be found apart from following me.

All verses used are in English Standard Version.

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