Matthew 19:16-26 "The Rich Young Ruler"

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Please turn in your Bible to Matthew 19. Today, we are looking at VSS 16-26.

Last week, we saw that Jesus departed Galilee…a huge moment...the time had come and “...He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.” On His was to Jerusalem, Jesus stops in Perea and ministers to the multitudes there.

And, towards the tail end of Jesus’ ministry in Perea, the Pharisees came testing Jesus…and asked Him about divorce…

Jesus takes them back to the beginning to look at God’s original intent for mankind…His ideal…which did not include divorce…divorce was a divine concession because of man’s hardness of heart.

After this go around with the Pharisees, little children were brought to Jesus…the disciples seemed to think them a nuisance, but Jesus welcomed them saying in V14 “…do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”

Before Jesus departed Perea, Mark tells us “He took them [the children] up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them.”

Now, as Jesus begins to depart Perea and heads toward Jerusalem…in Mark 10:17, we read the setting for today’s account, “Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”

With a sense of urgency, this character chases Jesus down to ask one final question before Jesus departs…

And, as easy as it is for children, with child-like faith…with humble qualities…to enter the kingdom of heaven…we see a contrast... as Jesus said in V23 “…it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.”

We know this young man as “The Rich Young Ruler” which is our sermon title for today.

Let’s pray!

Matt 19:16 “Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”

Notice Matthew begins with the words “Now behold,” which are there to grab your attention…35x “behold” is written in Matthew…more than any other NT writer.

So, why does Matthew feel the need to call attention to this account? Well, this was a rather unusual occurence.

It’s not surprising that Luke also included “behold” when he introduced Zacchaeus in Luke 19:2 “Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.”

Another unusual occurence. And, what was unusual about these two events?

Men of earthly prominence did not commonly approach Jesus to inquire about eternal life…so, truly was something to behold.

Interesting, both Zacchaeus and the young man in Matt 19 are rich, men of position, and approach Jesus in an undignified way…Zacchaeus climbed a tree and the young man ran to see Jesus.

In the end, Zacchaeus repents, restores wealth to those he cheated, and Jesus proclaimed, “Today salvation has come to this house.”

We read in Luke 19 that Zacchaeus received Jesus joyfully…calls Him ‘Lord,’ and then repents and restores wealth to those he cheated…his heart is changed. There was a transformation in Zacchaeus by truly encountering Jesus. Jesus proclaimed, “Today salvation has come to this house.”

It’s different for the young man here in Matt 19.

Scholar D.A. Carson wrote, “He wants to earn eternal life; and in the light of v.20, he apparently thinks there are good things he can do, beyond the demands of the law, by which he can assure his salvation. Many Jews believed that a specific act of goodness could win eternal life; and this young man, assuming this opinion is correct, seeks Jesus’ view as to what that act might be.”

Zacchaeus did good things in response to salvation. This young ruler wants to do good things to earn his salvation…there’s a difference.

So, what do we know about this man in Matt 19...

Matthew describes him as a “young man,” with “great possessions.”

And, Luke describes him as a “ruler”... Gk. archōn... a very general title for a “magistrate, prince, or chief.” Too broad of a term to pinpoint his occupation.

Luke also states he is “very rich.”

So, put it all together… Rich, Young Ruler.

And notice the character traits of this young man…He is spiritually-minded…he asks a question regarding eternity which is impressive because many young people who are wealthy and in power... do not consider eternity, but this man does.

This man also has wisdom in that he asks this question to Jesus who is the absolute authority on eternity.

He is also respectful. He honors Jesus with the title, “Good Teacher” and Mark records he knelt before Jesus. The word “knelt” by def. is “the act of one imploring aid, and of one expressing reverence and honor.”

Finally, it seems this man is moral. Jesus will present to him several commandments regarding treatment to others and, in V20, he professes he has kept all of these from his youth. He is quite the guy.

Sometimes we think if we could go back in time and do it all over again, we’d change this and that…avoid this mistake…handle money differently…handle relationships differently…hind sight is 20/20.

Based on the standards in our society, this young man would not need to look back on his life to change things, because he already had it all. Or did he?

It’s noteworthy that while this man had possessions, prime of youth, position in life, and great personal attributes…The longing of his soul was NOT satisfied. He was aware that he was lacking…that he was missing something.

In the 1600’s, Pascal (who was quite brilliant... French Mathematician, Physicist, Inventor…a Jansenist theologically (which was a compromise between Catholicism and Protestantism)…nevertheless Pascal said, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of each man which cannot be satisfied by any created thing but only by God the Creator, made known through Jesus Christ.”

And, what he said is true… there is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every person…and that’s what we are observing with this rich, young ruler.

Also consider the vast wealth of Solomon, and his reflections in Ecclesiastes of emptiness…vanity he calls it. The word vanity appears in the bible 38x, 36x in Ecclesiastes…even Solomon’s wealth did not fill the God-shaped vacuum.

Notice that as this young man engages Jesus…we can observe a few errors in his thinking and his approach…

He calls Jesus “Good Teacher,” but Jesus is more. It would be more appropriate to call Him “Lord, Savior, God,” or perhaps by a messianic title like “Son of David,”... but he does not call on Jesus by any of these names. Instead he calls Jesus “Good Teacher” and there were a lot of good teachers in the land.

And, his question has two problems: “…what good thing shall I do that I may have [or “inherit”] eternal life?”

The first problem was thinking any good he was capable of would be acceptable to God.

This is a mistake because there is no “good thing” that you may do to inherit eternal life. Isa 64:6 states, “...all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags...”

The second problem is he thought he could do something to inherit eternal life, which is a common philosophy of works based righteousness. World religions, cults, and even some humanists believe entrance into eternity is earned by good works.

But, this is not true. Good works does not earn anyone a place in eternity…all people are inherently eternal…and if you turn to Rev 20, we get a picture of which reality of eternity people will experience based on works or faith...

At the end of the Millennial Reign of Christ, Rev 20 pictures the Great White Throne Judgment (a judgment of the works of unbelievers of all ages). Rev 20:11-15 reads “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it [Jesus Christ], from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead [spiritually dead], small and great, standing before God, and books [plural- wide is the gate that leads to destruction] were opened. And another book [singular- narrow is the gate which leads to life] was opened, which is the Book of Life [for believers]. And the dead [unbelievers] were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Good works will get you on the wrong side of eternity.

The alternative is having your name written in the Book of Life. The Bible teaches it’s not the good works you do, but the works that were done by Jesus at Calvary. He died on the cross and gave the free gift of God…salvation by faith in Jesus Christ.

With faith in Jesus, Rev 3:5 promises, “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.”

Earlier in Jesus’ ministry, a group of people wanted Jesus to perform a 2nd miracle of multiplying loaves and fish, and said to Him, John 6:28-29 “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

You want to do something to earn salvation? Believe in Jesus.

Eph 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

Salvation is a gift of grace from God. It’s not earned through good works, because if it could be…people would boast in pride. “Look at what I did! I got a cat out of a tree.” “Well, I saved a child from a burning building.” “Well I...” And, people would just pat their backs and try to one-up each other.

And, then heaven would be just like earth. Full of pride. Can you imagine spending eternity listening to people boast about how they earned salvation?

So, in wisdom, God never enacted works-based salvation system. God flipped it upside down...

“...whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

“If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”

Think about how Jesus describes kingdom citizens in the Beatitudes, Matt 5 “Blessed are... the poor in spirit,... those who mourn,... the meek,... those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,... the merciful,... the pure in heart,... the peacemakers,... the persecuted for righteousness’ sake,... For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

I like the thought of spending eternity with a bunch of people who know they did not earn salvation, but are only in heaven because of grace…

But, there are still many people out there today that do not understand grace…they believe they must earn salvation.

Rom 11:6 “And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.”

MacDonald stated, “These two principles—grace and works—are mutually exclusive. A gift cannot be earned. What is free cannot be bought. What is unmerited cannot be deserved. Fortunately, God’s choice was based on grace, not on works; otherwise no one could ever have been chosen.”

And, so we praise God that He chose grace, and belief in His Son as the standard for salvation.

Well, let’s take a look at Jesus’ response to this young ruler…V17...

Matt 19:17 “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.”

In true Rabbinic style, Jesus answers a question with a question…and will cause the man to pause and think.

Is there truly no one good? What about Noble Peace Prize winners…Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa, and so forth…are they not good? Maybe good from a human to human comparison, but they fall short of the glory of God.

In Rom 3:10-12, Paul echoing Psalms 14 & 53, wrote, “There is none righteous, no, not one; 11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. 12 They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.”

Only God is good.

Ps 73:1 “Truly God is good to Israel, To such as are pure in heart.”

Ps 118:1 “Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”

The rich young ruler’s understanding of absolute goodness is lacking…his thought on goodness falls short of God’s standard of goodness. Truly only God is Good.

So, Jesus replies... ‘Why do you call Me good?...only God is good’…this question, which is never answered by the young man, will press him to consider- who is Jesus to him?

And, that’s the big question for all of us… Jesus asks, “…who do you say that I am?”

If man is not good and only God is good....what does this make Jesus? Either Jesus is not good -or- He is good because He is God.

Jesus is helping this young man to understand that He is more than just a “Good Teacher.”

If Jesus was just a good teacher, a prophet…even your savior, but not your God (as the Mormons teach)…anything less then God, and you miss on who Jesus really is.

Jesus is God and there are many verses to support this...

Thomas proclaimed, “My Lord and my God!” John 20:28

Titus 2:12-13 Paul exhorted, “...we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ...”

Peter begins his 2nd Epistle with 2 Pet 1:1 “Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ...”

In Heb 1:8, quoting Father God, “But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever...”

But, my favorite, Mark 14:61-64 straight from the precious lips of Jesus... during His trials the High Priest pressed Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” 62 Jesus said, “I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” 63 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “What further need do we have of witnesses? 64 You have heard the blasphemy! What do you think?” And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death.”

“I am” is a proclamation of deity that looks back to Exo 3:14 “And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”

The High Priest knew Jesus proclaimed His deity and tore his clothes, an act of grief…he tore his clothes in response to what he considered blasphemy- an affront against God.

Many places in scripture, Jesus is proclaimed as God. The rich, young ruler came to Jesus using the phrase “Good Teacher” as a courtesy…not even realizing the depth of his statement.

This young man does not respond to Jesus’ question. I wonder if he had a dumbfounded look on his face, because Jesus continues and states, “But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

The young man asks what he must DO for eternal life, so Jesus tells him to keep the commandments.

Now in the law there were a total of 613 commandments. The purpose of the law was not to keep the commandments, but to help Jews realize they couldn’t keep the commandments…thus they would cry out for a Savior.

So, now thinking about ‘keeping the commandments,’ the young man inquired, V18...

Matt 19:18-19 “He said to Him, “Which ones?” [Jesus said, “All of them…duh!”…Oh no…that’s what I would have said.] 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.’ ”

So Jesus quotes some of the Ten Commandments in Exo 20…also called the “decalogue” (Gk. dekalogos- deca - ten; logos- word)... I have a slide representing the Ten Commandments…and we’ll keep this up as a point of reference.

Quick side-note: We are told that Moses had 2 tablets... but we don’t know which commandments were written on which tablet.

Some believe all Ten on both tablets…as a contract copy…one copy for God and one for the people and both put in the Ark of the Covenant (according to Deut 10:5 and 1 Ki 8:9).

Some divide the commandments as 3 & 7, 4 & 6, or 5 & 5 for various reasons.

4 & 6 is not a bad thought…the first four relate to the vertical: man’s relationship to God, and the last six relate to the horizontal: man’s relationship to man.

And that’s why you may hear a Pastor reference the “second tablet” as pertaining to this rich young ruler.

Jesus gives the commandments out-of-order compared to Exo 20…Jesus lists commandment in this order: 6, 7, 8, 9, then 5 and possible alludes to 10 and Mark 10:19 adds, “Do not defraud” meaning ‘to defame or rob’…which is either a complement to the 8th or 9th commandments “not stealing” or “bearing false witness” or represents the 10th Commandment “You shall not covet”... since defrauding is typically a bi-product of coveting.

The commandments Jesus lists are easier to validate than the first four commandments. If you have no legal record, and a good reputation, for the most part one could claim they kept these commandments, which this young man does.

After laying out the horizontal commandments, Jesus adds the summary statement “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Which God also cited this as a summary of to the moral laws in Lev 19:18

Jesus cited loving your neighbor as the second great commandment in Matt 22:39

Paul says the law is “summed up in this saying” in Rom 13:9 & “the law is fulfilled in one word” love your neighbor as yourself Gal 5:14

So, why does Jesus present these specific commandments?

Some think Jesus is building up to His next statement...others think this man was guilty of not loving his neighbor otherwise he would have given away his possessions…I think we are observing Jesus pointing out the commandments this man kept which gave him an external appearance of righteousness...

I wouldn’t go so far as to say this man kept these commandments perfectly in the sight of God, but enough that he was considered blameless in the sight of man. Similar to why the Pharisees were called, “white-washed tombs” because they had a beautiful outer appearance, but inward there was rot.

And, Jesus is going to put His finger on the core issue of this young ruler that is inhibiting his spiritual salvation. Look at VSS 20-21...

Matt 19:20-21 “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 [Mark records, “Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and 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.”

I love that detail in Mark… Jesus “loved him.” Loved agapaō- Scholar Bill Mounce defines this kind of love as “God’s undeserved love for the unlovely.”

I believe Jesus truly loved this man who seemingly lived right from the time of his youth.

Youth ended at age 13 for a Jewish boy when he celebrated his Bar Mitzvah and entered adulthood.

And, though he did the right things from a young age... and despite following the religious guidelines... this young man was aware that he was lacking.

I think Jesus loved this honesty. The word “lack” in Gk. means “to fall short or be deficient.” So, Jesus presents what he must do to be “perfect” which means “having reached it’s end...brought to completion.”

In love Jesus is honest with this man in return, but the man is not going to like what he hears...

Jesus puts his finger on the one thing that is keeping him from eternal life… his possessions. The first of the Ten Commandments is, “You shall have no other gods before Me.”

I think the heart of the matter was a matter of the heart, and this young man’s heart was set towards possessions over God. His possessions were his idol.

So Jesus commands him, “…go, sell what you have and give to the poor...” …this was specific for him…what he needed to hear…not necessarily for you, unless possessions are an idol for you. They were high place in his life, a barrier to salvation that needed to be dealt with.

Over the years, I have had several high places in my life that I had to tear down…these high places have varied and were not always inherently bad, but I made these things bad because they occupied too much love in my heart… too much thought in my mind…and took too much time.

They were an idol because the evidence would show that I devoted more to these things than to God. And that’s what an idol is…it’s the thing you give greater devotion or worship to over God.

For this young man, Jesus pin-points the very issue inhibiting him from eternal life. His possessions occupied his heart, and in his crowded heart…there was no room for God.

That’s why Jesus precisely puts his finger on this issue … for this man.

Jesus is the Great Physician and with surgical precision He knows how to operate on each of our hearts.

So, what is it for you? Maybe your here today and your walking in tandem with the Lord perfectly. If so, praise God. But, maybe there’s an idol that needs addressing?

What do you love more than God? Family? Sports? Leisure? This is getting a little personal…a little uncomfortable. In love, Jesus put his finger precisely on the very thing this man needed to address. So, what is it? Video games? Money? Pleasure? Food? Some secret sin?

Listen to me…when I read the news…I see a mess. The problem with America is far beyond politics, agendas, and money…at the core…we are an idolatrous nation. Our nation loves many things over God. All the issues and problems we are seeing in our country is because we have strayed from God. We have turned from God.

You want to fix this nation…it starts by uncluttering your heart.

We can learn from history…at various times and various situations, the Jews were in a similar place as our nation…with idolatry at the core of what rotted their nation. We hear this in the cry of the prophets...

Jer 3:22 “Return, you backsliding children, And I will heal your backslidings.”

Zech 1:3 “‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Return to Me,” says the Lord of hosts, “and I will return to you...”

God promises in 2 Chron 7:14 “...if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Our land is broken, and it’s because of backsliding, wicked ways, idolatry…these are the results of allowing the things of this world to occupy more love in our hearts than God.

Jesus promises this rich young ruler that if he got rid of the treasures he had on earth (his idol)…then “...you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Jesus lays out the path to eternity…

repent (turn from the world),

Mark adds, “take up the cross” (put to death the man inside you who lives for fleshly satisfaction),

come (invitation),

and follow Me (dedication).

Change your mind about what you love on earth, and love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Sadly, in V22... 

Matt 19:22 “But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”

It is not an easy thing to tear down high places, to destroy idols... It’s not easy, but it’s eternally profitable.

Jesus extends an invitation (actually “follow me” is an imperative/ a command), but the young man declines, at least at this time, for his heart is set on his possessions…and he is sorrowful... he is grieved.

And, the reason he is grieved is because Jesus is asking for a sacrifice. Jesus is asking him to do the best thing for him…to sacrifice his earthly idol and follow Jesus.

This is the point where so many people walk away from God. They don’t mind religion and a casual relationship with God, but don’t ask them to sacrifice their idol.

The thought of sacrificing his many possessions made this man sorrowful. And, since Jesus loved him, I'm sure Jesus was sorrowful too...

VSS23-24...

Matt 19:23-24 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

In response to this man’s sorrow, Jesus turns to His disciples for a teaching moment.

It’s very difficult for the rich to be saved IF they trust in their riches, because to be saved one must trust in Jesus alone.

It’s impossible to be saved good works, by riches, by following the law…only Jesus can save.

Biblically, we see rich people are saved…The Patriarchs, Joseph, David, Joseph of Arimathea, Zacchaeus...countless wealthy saints through the ages…the trick was they had wealth, wealth did not have them. Their money was a tool…it served them, they didn’t bow to it.

But, for every wealthy saint, there are many more people who have sold their souls to serve money...

1 Tim 6:10 “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

Matt 6:24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

And, this is the point of Jesus’ illustration of the camel and the needle.

The camel was the largest animal employed by Jews, and the needle Gk. rhaphis by def. “to sew; a needle”…a sewing needle…the eye of the needle is where the string passes through…it’s NOT a small gate within another gate, as some teach.

The point Jesus is making is he is figuratively presenting an impossibility... If one trusts in their wealth and will not trust in Jesus for salvation…then it’s impossible for them to be saved.

A rich man, unless they have faith in God, can no more enter the kingdom of heaven than a camel can fit through the head of a sewing needle. It’s impossible.

Thus, in VSS25-26, the response...

Matt 19:25-26 “When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Jesus’ statement challenged the Jewish notion that material prosperity was a tangible evidence of God’s blessing.

Jewish thought was ‘he who kept the law would live and prosper’ based on Deut 30:15-16 “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, 16 in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess.”

Prosperity doctrine has been around far longer then modern health and wealth teachings.

And, the disciples are baffled…they were taught that wealth was a sign of blessing, but Jesus is shattering this notion. If a wealthy person cannot be saved, then who can be?

Jesus looked at them... “to look attentively...fixedly…” [this is an intense teaching moment]…and said to them, “With men this [salvation by wealth or works] is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Humanly speaking, you cannot be saved on your own accord…salvation is work of God.

If you are sitting here today and there is a God shaped vacuum in your heart that you are trying to fill with the things of this world and it’s not working…

…if you know there is something you still lack… maybe today’s that day to surrender?

Jesus told this young man who had it all, he needed to let go…maybe today’s the day to let go?

Don’t walk away sorrowful like he did. Jesus is inviting you to come and follow Him.

Let’s pray!

If you are here today, and you’ve never prayed to welcome God into your life…to commit your heart to Jesus, just see me afterwards and say, “Pastor Marc I want to accept Jesus today.”

If you need prayer for anything else, there are many people here to pray with you.

Read ahead.

“The LORD bless you and keep you;

The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you;

The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” ’ Num 6:24-26