The Rich Young Ruler

The exchange between Jesus and the rich, young ruler, is recorded in all three synoptic gospels. Several questions arise from the dialog...

Why does Jesus ballk when the young man calls Him "good teacher"? Why would He say that only God is good, when He is God? Scholars believe that Jesus was speaking somewhat sarcastically to the man, knowing that he did not recognize Him as being the Messiah. "Why do you call me good? Only God is good?" In other words, if you don't acknowledge me as God, why are you addressing me as "good"? Who do you think I am? Many liberal scholars today regard Jesus as simply a good, moral teacher, but not as the Christ.

When the man asks what must be done to inherit eternal life, why does Jesus offer a list of commandments to follow, setting up a works-based in stead of faith-based prerequisite? Many scholars believe that this was done in an effort to expose the man's true self. Jesus used the commandments as the framework for his response because it would have been a familiar starting point for His listeners. If this were Jesus' only comment about salvation, it would be easy to conclude that He was claiming that good works were necessary for salvation. but He had much more to ay on the subject, and repeatedly harped on the fact that our obedience to God, or lack thereof, is a direct reflection of our love for Him. He wants our hearts! If obedience to the law were paramount, Jesus would have been thrilled with the Pharisees. So He was not saying that obedience to the commandments were the only requirement. He was setting the young man up for the harsh realization that even though he had done all that he could to be right with God, he missed the mark...as we all do. The man went from feeling very pious, as one who had "kept all the commandments since his youth" to one who realized his poverty before the Lord.

What did Jesus mean by the statement that "it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Heaven"? Can rich people go to heaven? If you are reading this blog, you are rich. Whether it feels that way to you or not, in comparison to the world's population, you are rich. So this is a difficult saying, targeted at us. It is obviously hyperbole, but meant to illustrate the point that wealth is a hindrance to faith. Good stewards can use their material resources for the kingdom of God, but as a rule, those encumbered with worldly riches are consumed with them at the expense of heavenly gain. It has been said that money is the root of all evil, but the Bible does not say that. The Bible says that the love of money is the root of all evil. The Bible also says that "where your treasure is, there will your heart be also", meaning that those who treasure their wealth, do not treasure God, for we cannot serve both God and money. The disciples recognized the difficulty of what Jesus was saying and asked, "who then can be saved?" Jesus replied that" what is impossible with man is possible with God". Wealth is an obstacle to real faith, but not an insurmountable one.

Tomorrow's reading: Matt. 20:1-34; Mark 10:32-52; Luke 18:31-19:27