Friday, October 23, 2015

Matthew 19 - The Rich Young Ruler

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. Matthew 19: 23-26. 

The rich, young ruler is one of my favorite Biblical characters, mainly because I so relate to his plight to DO all the "right things" in order to be righteous before God. All of us who are Type A, first-born, high achievers can relate to this fleshly desire to complete our checklist of "to dos" in order to feel good about ourselves. Many times, we look over all our accomplishments and accolades and pat ourselves on the back, convinced that God must be equally pleased with us. While it may be true that God is pleased, it certainly will NOT be because we have kept the law. On the contrary, it will be because we have BELIEVED with our hearts that Jesus was raised from the dead and CONFESSED that He is lord!

Jesus, in His compassion, did not turn this ruler away when he refused to humble himself and own up to his shortcomings. I believe this ruler was sincere in his belief that he had kept the law as best as one could keep it, and that his riches and prestige were proof of such obedience. And yet, he came to Jesus, calling Him the Good Master, inquiring as to what more must be done to gain eternal life. Jesus did not rebuke him but, instead, led him down the path of revelation - that it was his riches and worldly accolades that were the hindrance in receiving truth. By selling all of his stuff and giving away the proceeds to the poor, this man could rid himself of those worldly things that weighed him down and kept him tied to the yoke of the Law and from ACCEPTing BY FAITH the grace Jesus offered. But unfortunately, this was too much to ask, and the man went away sad.

In that wicked generation of Jesus' day, there were many like this young ruler who viewed what Jesus was offering as too great of an obstacle to overcome. Can you now see how God, through the prophet of old, defined Jesus as the capstone upon whom men stumble? There are those today who cannot accept what the Gospel offers; they, too, are unable to throw away their religion, with all of its rules, laws, and traditions, and accept the Truth of salvation solely and completely BY GRACE!