Luke 18:18-24 And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
1. There is a man in the Bible whom we know much about — but we do not know his name. He is simply referred to as “the rich young ruler.” And here is what we know.
2. He was rich; secured with financial stability, and free from the anxiety of want. And he was young. His whole life lay before him; and, coupled with his wealth, the sky was the limit on what he could become, and achieve.
3. He was also a ruler. That means he held a position of power and influence. He was in charge, on top of things; always ready with a plan, an answer, a solution, or a new idea. We also know that he was devout. He was a good and decent man; a man of principle, and high morals. A man whose sense of duty to God and country kept him conscientious of his words and deeds.
4. So far, we know that he was rich, young, in charge, and devout. But we do not know his name. We do, however know two more things about this man.
First, despite the fact that he was rich, young, in charge, and devout — we also know that he was unsatisfied with his life.
“Good Master,” he said to Jesus, “what is it that I am lacking?”
What a self-revealing question. And how true it is of so many who today possess wealth and position, that ever-present in the depths of their hearts is the gnawing realization that something is still missing.
5. When Jesus told the young man to give up everything he had and to come and follow Him, the nameless fellow could not do it. This brings us to the last thing we know about him — He walked away from the Lord filled with sadness.
Proverbs 22:1 A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.
6. This was his life’s defining moment — an opportunity to walk into history with Jesus Christ. But he turned the offer down. And in so doing gave up a good and great name, which we surely would have known to this day had he said yes to Jesus. He would have been named among the favored followers of the Lord, and the exploits of his life would live on in the telling of the gospel story though all generations.
7. But he said no.
Mark 10:25 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.
8. Having need of nothing he couldn’t buy, but still not fulfilled is common among people of all social levels, not just the rich. Things do not fulfill. They might amuse for a time, then some else come along ‘they have to have’.
By the way, our definition of rich has changed drastically in the last 50 years. A household income of $400,000 in 1954, which was subject to a 91% marginal tax rate, would be equivalent to roughly $4.66 million today. The rich young ruler had more than enough to meet his needs and was considered rich because of it. It did not mean he was a multimillionaire.
8. Many today equate abundance to blessing. Is it? When is enough, enough? What material markers do we need to be considered successful? Define successful in worldy terms. Now define successful in spiritual terms. Are they the same?
Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Well, I will leave you with this — the offer is still on the table. Though this rich, young, ruling, devout, and unsatisfied man said no and walked away sad — YOU can say yes.
John 12:26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.
