There’s a story in the book of Luke, called “The Rich Ruler” (Luke 18:18–30). It’s about an encounter Jesus had as he preached and healed on the east side of the Jordan River (today, this area is the country of Jordan). As usual, crowds of people surrounded Him. So, this man, described as a rich ruler, had a question for Jesus. “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” It’s not the first time someone has asked Jesus this question. Nicodemus had that question in his mind when he came to Jesus (John 3:1–21). Another time, when Jesus told the parable of the good Samaritan, that story was triggered by a man asking the same thing (Luke 10:25–37). How do I get eternal life? Good question.
Now, Jesus was the master at exposing sin—especially those who thought they were without sin. So, Jesus answers this young ruler’s question by telling him to obey the commandments. But the man wants more, he’s after specifics. He asks, “Which ones?” (Matt 19:18). That tells us something about this man—he’s interested in getting the task done, so he can move along with life. He wants to check the right commandment boxes off his to-do list. Jesus patiently answers again. He gives the guy a list of commandments: Don’t murder. Don’t steal. Don’t commit adultery. Don’t lie. Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as yourself. Now, to disobey any commandment is sin. So, the ruler says, with great confidence, “All of this I have kept.” He believed he had kept all these commandments perfectly. Really? Did you catch that last commandment? Love your neighbor as yourself. Let’s talk about that.
Briefly (so much more could be said), what this involves is to treat everyone around you, day after day, hour by hour, minute by minute, with the same level of attention and care you devote to yourself. No slipping up. Can anyone truly do this? Try going for a single hour without your thoughts centering on a two-letter word: me. “Me” is at the center of all I think about, all that I talk about, and all that I do. Think about it: I’m planning this, I want that, I don’t feel good, I don’t have time, I don’t have enough, I’m tired, I’m hungry…you get the picture. It’s an impossible command. To love your neighbor as yourself is impossible without God. And that’s Jesus’s point. This man is confident he’s perfectly obedient, and Jesus is making clear that no one—including this guy—can keep the commandments perfectly.
Jesus really wanted this guy to get the point. So He told the man to go sell all his stuff, give the money to the poor, and come follow Him. To give all his money to the poor would put this guy’s money where his mouth was. It would prove he was willing to take care of his neighbors the way he took care of himself. His money kept him fed, clothed, and comfortable…and his money could do the same for his neighbors—feed them, clothe them, make them more comfortable. But no. The ruler became very sad—he wouldn’t do that. Now don’t misunderstand. Jesus did NOT tell the guy to sell everything because that would “earn” him eternal life. He told him to sell everything because it forced this man to acknowledge he, in fact, was not keeping all God’s commands. He couldn’t. He was a sinner in need of Jesus. And since he refused to believe in Jesus, there was no eternal life ahead for him. He decided a comfortable life on earth was worth more to him than eternal life. Maybe later on he reconsidered and repented and trusted in Jesus. If he did, he got the message and did inherit eternal life. If he didn’t, he’s paying an eternal price in hell. The reward of faith in Jesus is life, now and forever. If you need prayer or a Bible, let us know.
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