The original ten words or commandments from God appear many times in the New Testament, as we saw in the last post I shared. Today’s reference is mentioned in three of the four gospels, so I think it worth noting for our series. I also think it’s worthy because it relates to us all in some way at various points on our spiritual journey.
The setting.
Jesus is getting ever closer to his final trip to Jerusalem. Crowds are getting to be oppressive, and religious rulers are hounding him at every turn, trying to trick him and catch him out in blasphemy. When a group of young children comes up to the rabbi, his disciples push them away. This brings an instant rebuke from Jesus, as he teaches them that “the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” He blesses them and moves on.
In this milieu, a wealthy young man approaches the radical rabbi with a question:
“Teacher, what good must I do to have eternal life?”
Matthew 19:16b CSB
For the average Jew, this should have been a non-starter. After all, the Ten Commandments were the foundation to the covenant lifestyle of every Jew since the Exodus. Still, this man was curious to know if he was missing something. I’m sure he’d been listening to the teaching of Jesus and was wondering if he was now on shaky ground with God.
The answer—part 1.
Jesus knew he was looking for confirmation, but first, he reminds him that The Good One is God alone. This should have been a clue that the man was missing something in his self-righteousness, but Jesus didn’t press the issue, he went on to tell him:
“If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
“Which ones?” he asked him.
Jesus answered: “Do not murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness; honor your father and your mother; and love your neighbor as yourself.”
“I have kept all these,” the young man told him. “What do I still lack?”
Matthew 19:17b-20
Though God alone is good, he provided his people with the standard for godly living. Jesus lists several of the commandments from Exodus 20, though I’m sure he didn’t intend to mean that the man should or could ignore the others, like having no other gods before God, worshipping idols, misusing God’s name, or ignoring the Sabbath. Perhaps, in knowing the man’s heart, he sees that he has a sincere faith in God and keeps the Sabbath, so presses in on those commandments that relate to his fellow man.
Yet, in the eyes of the young man, he has not missed a beat in obeying these essentials of the faith. He’s feeling pretty good about himself so far, but his sincerity to please God won’t let the topic finish without being sure, so he asks what he lacks. What’s missing in his life?
The answer—part 2.
Wealth, in first-century Jewish society, was viewed as a blessing. It was a given that those who had wealth were blessed by God. This is the same mindset that viewed barren couples as under a curse. Goodness equaled physical riches or blessings. This is why this young man questioned Jesus further. There was no obvious thing in his life that was keeping him from entering paradise.
Jesus must go to the heart of the matter. He was definitely a counter-culture kind of rabbi, and this answer would take not only the young man by surprise but his disciples, religious leaders, and the crowd as well.
“If you want to be perfect,” Jesus said to him, “go, sell your belongings and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
Matthew 19:21
Ouch, that must have hurt. What did his possessions have to do with it, anyway? Well, according to Jesus, everything. His possessions were holding him back from full obedience and allegiance to the Son of God. We don’t know how that was happening, but Jesus did. He knew his heart, and obviously, it was an issue because of the reaction it provoked in the young man—he went away grieving.
The issue.
The thought of selling everything he owned to give to the poor went above and beyond what the young man was willing to do for God. He liked his earthly treasures too much, even if selling them meant he’d have treasures in heaven.
Jesus would go on to tell his disciples that it’s hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. Earthly possessions have a way of keeping us too attached to this world for our own good. When my eyes are fixed on Christ and my future with him, this world is seen as what it is—a temporary passage to my eternal home. We can hold lightly to the things of this world and to even give them away, when we remember we won’t be taking them with us.
When Peter tries to put this in perspective for himself and the other disciples who left everything to follow Christ, Jesus comforts them by saying they will receive abundantly more in heaven because of what they willingly gave up for Christ.
Following the Ten Commandments is not as easy as the young man would have liked to believe. In fact, we can only truly apply ourselves to them through the power of the Holy Spirit. Still, on this side of heaven, we will fail to obey them 24/7, 365 days a year. Thus, our need for Jesus. Our deficiencies in following the commands of God are covered with the redemptive blood of Christ. That’s what gets us into the good graces of God for eternity.
Recognizing our deficiencies because of our sinful nature is what the young man missed. Jesus tells us how to deal with it—Give everything up to him.
What is holding you back from giving everything up to Jesus? Don’t walk away grieved in your heart. Let Jesus make the impossible possible by putting your trust in him.
Grace and Peace
If you missed the last Learning from the Past post, click HERE, or start the series from the BEGINNING.
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