When a rich man met Jesus..Encounters with Jesus

Today’s encounter is written by Andy Brown who blogs at http://andy-brown.org. Please check out Andy’s blog which I have found a great encouragement and blessing. There are some great points which Andy brings out of this encounter.

The Rich Young Ruler

In this Encounter with Jesus, a rich young ruler has a conversation with Christ. It is a revealing discussion, and one which has much to teach us. Some would make this into a doctrine, and say that what Jesus tells this man, we must all do. However, the text does not specify this but we would be foolish not to learn the lessons that this encounter offers. 

17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”

20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

Mark 10:17-22 NIV

Jesus is approached by a man, and note how this man approaches Him. He runs. In normal day-to-day life, we rarely run up to a person unless we have something urgent to say or ask. Reaching Christ, this man falls to his knees. Again, not a typical thing you or I might do in our place of work or favourite shop. 

On the face of it, this man is keen indeed to speak with Jesus. He pays Jesus much respect, kneeling before Him and addressing Him as “Good teacher…” He asks his question, yet before Jesus answers, He asks something of His own. Why do you call Me good? Is Jesus stalling for time so He can come up with an answer to the man’s question? Hardly! No, Jesus is not stalling, but instead honing in on the heart of the matter. 

Jesus says, “No one is good but God alone.” This is not a rebuke, and Jesus is not saying don’t call me that. Rather, Jesus is reminding this young man of who He really is. If you call Me good, then you are calling Me God. If Jesus is God, then His next words are essential. 

Jesus points out that this young Jewish man must know the commandments, and lists several of the Big 10. Don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t murder… He is saying to the rich man that you know the rules, and are you not keeping them? 

Verse 20 again sees the rich young ruler addressing Jesus, and again, he calls Him “Teacher,” but note this time the word “good” is missing. Is Christ no longer good? Of course He is! But if this man again says “Good Teacher,” then he is acknowledging that Jesus is equivalent to God, and he is not ready to do that. 

He goes on to say that he has kept all of these commandments from his youth. This is quite the claim! He’s never once murdered? Perhaps not. He’s never stolen anything? Less likely. He’s never told a lie in all his days? Extremely doubtful! 

It turns out that this young man has a rather high opinion of himself. Falling to his knees may on the surface seem a gesture of humility, yet we see here that he claims virtual perfection in following the commandments. If he was so certain of his performance, why would he come to Christ asking about how to inherit eternal life in the first place? We cannot know for sure, but perhaps he was showing off and looking for a public affirmation from Jesus? 

Jesus hits him where it hurts – his wallet. And this blow is not one of spite, but of love. Verse 21 says plainly that Jesus loved him, and so gives the man two instructions. He is to go and sell all that he has and give it to the poor for one, and to then come and follow Jesus. 

How does he respond? His face falls and he goes away sad. Why was he sad? Because he had great wealth. 

It is at this point many conclude that wealth is therefore a bad thing. It is not. Love of wealth is. Jesus has put two choices before the man; Christ or money. The pull of his great wealth is possibly too much, and he goes away deeply unhappy. 

For this man to follow Christ, he must give up all that he has. 

We ought not to be too hard on him, as I wonder if any of us would fare better? We love our comforts; the roof over our heads, the cupboards full of food, the cars, the clothes and the tech. Would we give it all up for Jesus if He asked us to? Only you know. 

If Jesus really is who He says He is, then He deserves more than just a casual acquaintance with us. His Lordship means that there should be nothing more important than Him in our lives. Whether it is money, lust, family or anything else, if we could not let that thing go in order to follow Jesus, then that thing is our true lord. 

Jesus undoes this man. He shows him in a few words that his self-righteousness and his belief in his own performance are insufficient. Jesus shows him that his heart – his treasure – is not in God or heaven, but in his earthly possessions. 

Where is your treasure? Is there anything in your life that you could not let go of if Jesus asked you? What do you rely on more than God? If not Jesus, what is your real lord? 

Jesus uses this as a teaching opportunity for His disciples, and warns them of the dangers of riches. He shows them how hard it is for the rich to enter God’s kingdom. This should make us uncomfortable because most people reading this are likely “rich” by God’s standards. 

Do you own your wealth, or does it own you? 

We do not know what happened to this man. He walked away from Jesus, and we don’t know if he decided to follow Jesus’ instructions or not. This is a hint that the Bible is not a made up story, because no author would leave such a detail like that undone. I suspect God does it deliberately, and leaves us to ponder what the man will do. 

This encounter with Jesus must have turned the man’s world upside down. It would have been quite the change to do what Jesus asked of him, and yet if he did not, how could his life ever be the same again? How could he continue to enjoy that wealth knowing it separated him from eternal life? 

Whatever wealth you have, or whatever has the danger of becoming an idol in your life, remember that eternity is a very long time. Is the temporary pleasure of wealth in this life worth sacrificing your eternity for? I think not. 

Money, sex, career, family, or power. All of these can replace Jesus in our lives. None of them should. Lay your heart out before the Lord today, and let Him show you anything which is taking His rightful place.