The Rich Young Ruler

"Jesus 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.” v21 of Matthew 19:16-22.  NKJV

One day, a rich, young ruler came to Jesus asking Him what good deed he could do to inherit eternal life. Jesus told the young man to keep the commandments, to which he replied that he had done this since his youth. Jesus knew that this would have been an impossible task; the law was too difficult to keep, and yet, he was claiming that he had kept them all this time. Jesus could see that the man had not kept the commandments - they were impossible, but he had made a god of his wealth, not honouring the first commandment Exodus 20:3. He was wealthy but his neighbours were poor and in need.

Jesus knew this man's heart and could see his selfishness, He therefore 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.'  v21. This verse does not teach salvation by works. Rather Jesus was proving the error of the man's claims to have fulfilled God's law (v20). If the young man loved his neighbour to the extent required by the law of Moses (v19) he would have had no difficulty in giving away his wealth to a needy person. No one, as rich as they may be, can buy their way into heaven because of their good deeds. There will be some shocks when some stand before God at the end of the day and He asks, 'Why should I allow you into my heaven?' It will not work to tell Him that you gave millions to the starving people of the world along with a host of good deeds. There is only one way one can be allowed into heaven, and that is to have Jesus as your Lord and Saviour 'I'm the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.' John 14:6. If you never knew this, realise it today before it is too late. We get into heaven by grace, not by works Ephesians 2:8.

To add to this, no one, except Jesus, is perfect in the kingdom of God. Perfectionism is rooted in fear, so when the so-called perfectionist attempts to be perfect, he becomes to fearful when he can't reach this position. No one can spin the plates and keep them running for very long.

So, let us forget trying to be perfect for Jesus. He knows we can never do it. This is why He rescued us by dying on the cross for our sins. Be yourself, but never stop trying to fulfil God's will. He will be right there to help you.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

Lord Jesus, I have sinned   

I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle 

Check it out