THE RICH YOUNG RULER
Cecil Hook 

A lady once quipped to me that she had heard so many sermons about the Ethiopian eunuch that she felt personally acquainted with him. Perhaps, you feel the same way about the Rich Young Ruler. But have you heard my revised version of the account about him? Let me tell you about it.

He was such an admirable person who seemed to have everything going in his favor, for he was young, wealthy, a ruler, upright, sincere, God-fearing, respectful, and eager for self-improvement. He must have been handsome, too! Have you ever known a nicer person? Without regard for the dignity of his position, he ran to Jesus and knelt before him inquiring, "Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?"

You remember that Jesus was disappointed with the response of this loveable inquirer. At what point in the interview was Jesus disappointed? My revised version may offer you something different to consider.

That sincere young man was not coming to Jesus asking him for eternal life, but he was wanting to know what good deed he could do to gain that life. Jesus recognized in him the heart of the achiever-the do-it-yourself religion of the Pharisee. Jesus' answer should have brought him to a proper sense of perspective:

"If you would enter life, keep the commandments." But, as Jesus began to enumerate the Ten Commandments, the young man interrupted, "Teacher, all these have I observed from my youth; what do I still lack?"

Generally, we have praised the young man for his keeping of all the commandments and his desire to go beyond perfect law-keeping into meritorious philanthropy. Jesus' answer should have broken through the youth's facade of achieved righteousness so that he would have responded despairingly, "But, Teacher, you know that I cannot keep all the commandments perfectly! You know that law cannot give life!" Then Jesus could have reassured him with, "Believe on me and I will give you eternal life!" Or, as he offered to the Samaritan woman, "Ask me for living water; the water that I shall give you will become in you a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

"Now that I am such an exemplary law-keeper," the young man seems to be saying, "what good deed of achievement do I lack?" So, Jesus seems to be answering him, "All right, since you are going the route of achievement, I am challenging you to go all the way: sell all that you have and give it to the poor and follow me as an itinerate preacher!" Instead of the young man recognizing the futility of his effort toward achieved righteousness, he only saw that he was beaten in his own game. So, he walked away in sadness. He failed his own challenge which Jesus threw back to him. We, like Jesus, love him for his goodness and are saddened to see him leave being so rich, yet so poor.

While our attention is given to Jesus' teaching concerning the peril of riches in this text, it must not be diverted from the real lesson about justification and righteousness which the Rich Young Ruler inquired about.

When the disciples inquired in puzzlement, "Then who can be saved?" Jesus replied, "With men this is impossible." This most nearly perfect of human beings could not save himself through his sincerest effort of good works, and he lost the joy of his religion when he realized that he could not. He walked away with saddened countenance instead of waiting to hear the good news of grace that "with God all things are possible!" God can save the imperfect man, knowing that he will always be imperfect and undeserving.

In our sermonizing on this narrative, we have generally emphasized the disappointment in that this young man was unwilling to give all that he had to the poor: yet, we do not make that a prerequisite of eternal life for the rest of us. Jesus never set the impoverishing of ourselves as a prerequisite of salvation, but he was trying to make this works-oriented man see the folly of depending upon what he could accomplish. With man—even this most nearly perfect man—it is impossible. After receiving the gift of life from Jesus, he would have had his riches to use in expressing his love and gratitude to both God and man.

In our generation, many disciples have turned away with saddened countenance because they have felt that they could never measure up. Many others have continued to hear the burden of a demand religion as they doggedly try to perform all the good works. They, like the young ruler, are never sure that they are doing enough. They lose the joy of their relationship with Christ.

But, praise the Lord, others of us are accepting imputed justification by the grace of God through faith in Christ and are accepting righteousness as a gift. Being free of the oppressive yoke of legal demands, they no longer feel compelled to prove themselves good enough to be saved or to do deeds of philanthropy sufficient to gain his favor. In their sanctified lives, they use his gifts to show their love and gratitude by serving God and their fellow man. It is a life of security, joy, and happiness.

The old version pictures efforts of achieved righteousness; the revised version illustrates the good news of the grace of God. Surely, Jesus must have been disappointed with the very first words of the Rich Young Ruler when he asked, "Teacher, what good deed must I do to inherit eternal life?" — 1350 Huisache, New Braunfels, Texas