Life Ministries

“I Have To Do What?”
Luke 12:15-21 and Matthew 19:16-22

    This story is written also in Mark 10 and Luke 18, and if you combine the three, you will come up with the fact that this man was a “rich,” “young,” “ruler.” How rich he was matters not; how young he was matters not; what kind of a ruler he was matters not; what does matter is the question he asks of Jesus…“What must I do to get eternal life?”  He is looking at eternal life; life after life; heaven; as something that can be earned. There are still many people today who think God grades on a curve!  Who think that if their good deeds outweigh their bad, they will go to heaven. If they are good people; if they give generously; if they help with community events and attend church on Christmas and Easter, they will somehow make it, despite what the Bible says.  The reason is, of course, that they don’t really know what the Bible says. 

    So, Jesus as usual, beams right in on the heart of the matter; “If you want eternal life, obey the commandments.” Which is true by the way, if you live up to all the requirements of the law, you will get to heaven. There is only one thing wrong with that; it’s impossible! Romans 3:10 says “There are none righteous, not even one.”  3:23 says “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God”… And, James 2:10 tells us that “whoever keeps the law yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking it all.”
    Upon hearing the reply of Jesus to obey the commandments, this man asks “Which ones?”  Jesus answers him with commands five through nine, and then adds Leviticus 19:18 about loving your neighbor, for emphasis. All of these have to do with our relationship with our fellow man. To this the man replies; “All of these I have kept”…So, why didn’t he just rejoice and leave it at that?  Why did he add the words “What then do I still lack”? I think it’s because even though he was physically wealthy, he felt spiritually bankrupt. I think he was one of those in the crowd who followed Jesus and saw the miracles; was amazed by his teachings; felt - maybe for the first time - the love and concern of God for His people, His creation, and, he knew in his heart that something in his life was incomplete; something was lacking. That something was the first four commandments beginning with; “Love the Lord your God”…“Thou shall have no other gods before me”…“Thou shall not make for yourself any idol”….
    His wealth had come before his God, and Jesus confronts him with - “Give it all to the poor, and come follow me!” All this guy heard was “You have to give it all away!” Now, I don’t think Jesus was asking him to make a vow of poverty, but he was pointing out that which was the obstacle in his life to finding the answer to his question.  The real deal - the real core of the issue - are found in the last three words; “come follow me” that’s the way to eternal life!  That’s what Jesus really wants.  It’s not through obedience to a set of external rules; it’s not through a lot of good deeds and generous giving; it’s not by just attending church and hugging the pastor…. although it does help…No, it’s by “laying aside all that would hinder us” and coming to the Cross…it’s all about the first four Commandments.
    There are a couple of things that I think we need to see in this story that are not so obvious; first is that the Law is still important. The Apostle Paul told us that it is “through the Law that we become conscious of sin.” The Law was not given to condemn us, but to make us conscious of our sin. Jesus said; “I have not come to abolish the law, but rather to uphold the law.” Some have grabbed the verse in which Paul says “we are no longer under the law, but grace” and say that the Ten Commandments are no longer needed because if we break the law, or sin, it’s O.K. because grace will save us. Jesus says the Law is still in effect…While grace is a wonderful thing, and thank God for His amazing grace…it does not abolish the law. It’s interesting that if you were to ask the question “What are the Ten Commandments?” Most people could recite those that Jesus gave in this scripture; “Do not murder”; “Do not steal”; “Do not commit adultery”; “Do not covet Thy neighbor’s wife or his things” but, not many would give the first four; “Thou shall have no other gods before me”; Thou shall not make; bow down to; or worship any idols”; Thou shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain”; Observe the Sabbath and keep it holy”…all of which have to do with our relationship with God.
    The second thing we need to see in this scripture is the fact that this man “walked away sad”…and, I might add; “unsaved” because he was unwilling to give up some things in his life. The sad thing is that he - and we - place more importance on money and things, than we do on the salvation of our souls!
    Just for the record, there is nothing wrong with having money or fame or being successful. However, riches, wealth, prosperity, or blessing, however you want to describe it apart from God and a godly attitude, can blind and bind people, and prevent them from finding and doing God’s will for their life. Far too many people are chasing after the illusion that human success will satisfy, but we learn from this story that even though this rich young ruler seemed to have everything going for him, he still lacked assurance and peace. Let me also point out that Jesus said it would be “hard” for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven…not IMPOSSIBLE.
    This young man who had a close encounter of the Divine kind ran up to Jesus looking for answers  and makes a decision - a decision that sadly many people in our world today make - “There’s just too many things I have to give up.” What they are really saying is; “Eternal life…the assurance of eternal life… knowing where I will be after I die… is not worth the price.  The Bible says; “What good is it if a man gain the whole world, yet loses his soul”?  Do you have the assurance of heaven?  “What good thing must I do?”… “Come follow me” says Jesus…“Just come follow me.”