Hey everybody! Thank you for joining me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, I am incredibly excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. If you missed a day and want to catch up, visit the archives page HERE! But there is no shame if you start today! Day 223, Matthew 19:21-22 — The Rich Young Ruler Matthew 19:21-22 (NASB1995) “Jesus said to him, ‘If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’ 22 But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.” Historical Context Jesus is setting out from Perea toward Jerusalem when a man runs to and kneels before Him to ask about what he can do to obtain eternal life. However, there is a problem with his question. He does not ask how to inherit eternal life, but ‘what he must do’ to earn it. Such is the sin that leaves many condemned as they seek to ‘do good’ rather than seek the One who is. Discussion Yesterday, we continued the conversation between Jesus and the young ruler and learned about the futility of man’s efforts to earn salvation. After hearing that he must keep the commandments to inherit eternal life, the young ruler asks Jesus which ones. From his perspective, he seems to have the answer he sought. However, his understanding of salvation is twisted, as he believes it is entirely up to him to earn it. Jesus then referenced six commandments to make a point. He shows the young ruler that he seeks to do ‘good’ for himself rather than in his love for God. The ‘goodness’ the young ruler seeks to do is faulty and imperfect, revealing his need to submit to God’s perfect goodness. The point is to challenge the young ruler to look within and see that he is not good on his own and must follow God in childlike faith. The young ruler explains he keeps these commandments. He is ‘good’ by man’s standards as he obeys the laws of ancient Judaism and lives with moral integrity and respect for others. Yet, he sincerely recognizes something is missing. He understands that simply obeying the commandments is too easy. In his twisted thinking, he asks Jesus what else he needs to do. Today, we read one of Jesus’ most famous statements as He explains what else the young ruler must do to inherit salvation. Jesus says, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” This is arguably the most famous and controversially debated of all Jesus’ words. Many take this statement out of context to support various interpretations, but this is not a universal command for all believers to practice. This is a specific command to a specific person for a specific reason. Nowhere in Scripture does God command believers to sell all their possessions to inherit anything. However, Scripture does warn of the dangers of wealth and the potential fatal love for it, as one’s loyalty either lies with it or God (Matt. 6:24). In this passage, Jesus answers the young ruler’s question by telling him to sell his every possession and generously give to the poor to inherit the kingdom of heaven and be ‘complete’ or ‘declared good.’ This might sound like Jesus is giving the young ruler a ‘work’ to complete to earn his salvation, but that is not the case. Jesus is simply revealing the young man’s blind eyes and hypocritical heart to prove that his idea of ‘goodness’ is not the same as God’s. Notably, Jesus’ command to the young man to sell all his possessions is far more radical than most realize. Since property as capital was a basis of societal standing[1], ancient Jewish charity laws regulated how much a person could give[2] and argued against exuberant generosity.[3] On top of tithing and taxes, a person could give a maximum of twenty percent of their income and property[4], so one would not fall into poverty. Thus, Jesus’ command to sell everything was an extraordinary test to prove two things: whether the young ruler valued eternal treasures above earthly possessions and his claim that he loved his neighbor as himself.[5] We previously learned that the young ruler claims to love his neighbor and follows the law entirely, which likely includes giving to the poor. Yet, Jesus’ radical request challenges the young man to see that he is not as good as he believes. Even though he gave to the poor and thought of himself as ‘good’ for various reasons, Jesus’ comment shows that the young ruler was not genuinely generous and indeed loved himself more than others. Furthermore, Jesus’ command does not stop at the challenge of selling all of his possessions and giving to the poor, as He tells the young ruler to follow Him too. This was a genuine call for the young man to give up his life and follow the Messiah. This was a call the twelve received joyfully, including Matthew, who was a successful tax collector with abundant wealth and possessions. Matthew was not as wealthy as this young man, but their callings were similar. The difference is in their response to Jesus’ call. Matthew immediately left everything behind to follow Jesus while the rich young ruler reacted negatively, as Matthew writes, “22 But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.” Notably, this is the only recorded occasion where a person responds negatively to Jesus’ call to follow Him.[6] This negative response reveals that the young ruler was not genuinely doing good works for God but for himself. It also shows that riches and earthly possessions were his idols, as he grieved at the thought of giving them up. It is ironic because the young ruler believed he was generous and doing many ‘good works’ for God, yet he could not lay down at the feet the one thing God gave him.[7] He refuses to give up his life for the sake of the gospel, which is the basic command for all who profess to follow Jesus. The gospel of Christ is all-consuming and requires a life sacrificed unto God. While the young ruler checked most of the boxes, he lacked the one thing required above the law—complete heart-surrendering submission to God. He was too comfortable with his life and the earthly treasures in his possession, which revealed his true loyalty lay to mammon instead of God. The young man did not grieve because he did not want to follow Jesus—he grieved because the cost was too great. Just like the scribe, the young ruler failed to count the cost, as His heart desired his earthly possessions above the One who gave them to him. Such is the sin that keeps many condemned as they refuse to lay down their earthly lives to the One who sacrificed everything for their eternal ones. We will continue this passage tomorrow. Application This is a weighty passage that should challenge us all. I mean… we are supposed to die to ourselves daily, right? While this passage is not a command for all believers to give up everything, it should provoke us to ponder if we are genuinely counting the cost to follow Jesus. Think about it and be honest with yourself. If Jesus called you to give up your life, would you do it? If He called you to sell your cozy home to become a missionary, would you do it? If He called you to give more generously, but that kept you from living comfortably, would you do it? Would you give up your job? Your possessions? Your dreams and desires? Or would you grieve at the thought of giving up the comfort of your wealth and possessions as the young ruler did? Again, this passage does not mean we must literally give up all our possessions, but our response to the thought of this reveals where our hearts align. Certainly, something came to mind just now. Something that you know you need to sacrifice unto the LORD. Something that might be holding you back from giving the LORD more of your time, heart, and mind. This something might be keeping the LORD from molding you into the person He wants you to be for the kingdom. Some simple, obedient thing that might lead more people to Christ. Let’s make it more practical. This concept is not only about money and possessions. If God called you to step out of your comfort zone and share the gospel with your coworkers, would you do it? Are you remaining obedient against the pressure of persecution or rejection? Some would rather stay quiet in the comfort of their well-paying job than speak the truth of God’s word and risk social shaming. It is important to recognize when our wants and desires carry more weight than God’s. He wants for no one to perish and if we claim Christ, then we are responsible for sharing the gospel and making disciples. When God puts it on our hearts to do something, we must respond to this call and seek to obey the leading of the Spirit in whatever it is. The problem with the rich young ruler was that his heart was far from God. He did not genuinely seek to follow God wholly, but to do so on his own terms. He served God to the extent that he was comfortable. But when confronted by Jesus to follow God uncomfortably, he grieved and ran away. How often do we do the same? How often do we run from the LORD’s call? Of course, the rich young ruler is an extreme example, or is it? Have you counted the cost of following Jesus? Do you deny yourself daily? Do you self-sacrificially serve others above yourself? Have you considered how you would respond to a radical call to give up what makes us comfortable to serve God wholeheartedly? This is a call we must all answer. May we genuinely consider the cost of following Jesus and challenge ourselves to answer truthfully if we grieve at the thought of losing everything for Christ. May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Jesus every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Next, we read Matthew 19:23. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to discuss publicly, you can reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together. References [1] Doug O’Donnell, “New International Greek Testament Commentary.” [2] Craig Keener, “IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition.” [3] O’Donnell, “New International Greek Testament Commentary.” [4] Ibid. [5] Keener, “IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition.” [6] O’Donnell, “New International Greek Testament Commentary.” [7] Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown, “Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary.”
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