He Missed It All
J. Allen Blair
Many people are money-mad, willing to do most anything for money: lie, cheat, deceive, sell their bodies, and even kill. But what a delusion money can be. We need money, but money should never become our master.
A wealthy young man came to Christ to inquire about eternal life. He asked for nothing and expressed a sincere concern about his own spiritual need. In Matthew 19:16-22, we see him as a solicitous seeker, a satisfied seeker, and finally, a sorrowful seeker.
As a solicitous seeker, he sought out the Lord Jesus and asked, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? He wanted to do some good thing to earn his own salvation. I ask, How can a corrupt heart produce good things? God says in Jeremiah 17:9, The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Many, like this man, think they can earn their salvation, failing to realize that salvation is purely by God's grace.
The Lord Jesus answered the young man's question with another question, and then a recommendation. Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. Christ was not suggesting that he was not good. In the question asked by the inquirer, he addressed Jesus as Good Master, which was the conventional title for a rabbi or teacher. In other words, to the rich young man, Christ was not the Son of God-He was merely a good man, somewhat above the average.
If Jesus were only a human, He would be a sinner like anyone else. So He asked the young man, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God. If Jesus were merely a good man and not God, then it would be sheer blasphemy for Him to accept the title of good, for only God is wholly good. If Christ is nothing more than a good man or a wise teacher, there is no hope for any of us. He is God. This He proved conclusively; He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, healed lepers, He raised the dead, and rose from the grave, proving Himself, beyond a shadow of a doubt, to be God.
Jesus also informed the earnest seeker that if he were to find eternal life it was obligatory that he keep the commandments. This is not to suggest that God's way of salvation is through the keeping of the commandments. The law was not given to save sinners or rule saints. Paul wrote that the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith (Galatians 3:24). The commandments show us how sinful we are and reveal our need of salvation. No one has ever been saved without realizing the fact of his sinfulness.
The young man came to Jesus, like so many, filled with self-righteousness and pride. Our Lord used the commandments in an effort to reveal his utter helplessness and unworthiness. The solicitous seeker, in response to Christ's admonition to keep the commandments, quickly replied, Which? Literally, his question was, Which ones? There are approximately 419 commandments in the Old Testament and he wondered which ones Jesus had in mind. Obviously, our Lord was thinking of the Ten Commandments that are familiar to us, for in replying He omits the first table of the law (the first four-relationship between man and God) and begins by quoting the fifth: Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honor thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. And here, he stopped abruptly, omitting the tenth commandment which is Thou shalt not covet.
The wealthy young man boasts (Matthew 19:20,21) that he had kept all the commandments Jesus named. Here the solicitous seeker is transformed into the satisfied seeker. He appears to be satisfied with himself and his own achievements. The Lord Jesus knew this man, of course, as He knows all of us. In John 2:24 we read that Jesus did not commit Himself unto them, because he knew all men. Indeed, he does. He knows all about you and me and our sin. He knew about this rich, young man, and was trying to get the young fellow to become aware of his personal need.
There was one idol in his life, bringing condemnation to his soul and robbing him of peace and blessing-the sin of covetousness, denounced in the tenth commandment. It was for this reason that Jesus quoted the commandments leading up to, but omitting, the tenth. He gave the young inquirer every opportunity to recognize and confess his sin. But since he refused to admit his guilt, Jesus declared, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
The way of salvation is stated in the last phrase, come and follow me. But until this young man realized his sinfulness, he would not come. Jesus knew this, so he did everything he could to try to draw the man out. The deed of selling everything and giving it to the poor was but a test of his sincerity, not a means of salvation. It was the coming and following of Christ that alone could save.
Now we see the sorrowful seeker. The Scripture says that when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. He made his decision and went away, choosing to bow to gold rather than God. He failed to claim victory over his covetous spirit. Because of his greedy spirit, he was unable to grasp the meaning of Jesus statement, thou shalt have treasure in heaven.
Anything given in the name of Christ to help others is not merely a gift, but an eternal investment. We should never fear to part with our possessions for Christ. In doing so we are simply transferring them from a world where they will soon vanish to a place where they will have eternal significance. Christ was trying to get this young man to exchange a poor, risky investment for a sound one. But he refused to take the step of faith. He went away sorrowful. He could have gone away rejoicing, but he went away sad.
You may ask, "With all his money, why was he sad?" For the simple reason that it is not money that produces happiness. It is Jesus Christ. Money has its many limitations, but Christ has none.
Don't make the same mistake that this young man made. You can repent of your sin, accept God's forgiveness, receive Jesus Christ as Savior and follow His teachings, making Him the Lord of your life-satisfaction guaranteed by God!
Let the wicked forsake his way...and return...
[God] will abundantly pardon
(Isaiah 55:7).
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YOU ARE WANTED
On April 21, 1930, the Ohio Penitentiary experienced the worst disaster in its history. A terrible fire broke out in the early evening, eventually killing 322 inmates. Not only was the state penitentiary fire the worst fire in Ohio's history, it was also the worst fire in American prison history.
Discover how Dr. Blair uses this real life experience to share the Gospel in the free printed message for this month, You Are Wanted!