Tackling Tradition 56: The Rich Young Ruler

 Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”

17 So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

18 He said to Him, “Which ones?”

Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ 19 ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”

20 The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?”

21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

Some people think that this text proved that Yeshua taught a species of works righteousness as the way to inherit eternal life.   They would be wrong.  

In the story, the young man comes to Yeshua under the assumption that eternal life is earned.    Yeshua addresses him on his own level, pointing him to the 2nd Table of the Law.   The young man claims to have done so all his life, so Yeshua tells him to go sell all he has & give it to the poor.   

Yeshua is administering the Law in order to reveal the impossibility of earning eternal life.  The young man is exposed as a glutton.  He covers material gain more than he loves other people, especially the poor.   Consequently, he leaves, dejected. 

Then Yeshua administers the Gospel: 

And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 27 Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.  (Matthew 19:23–30, ESV)

We are reminded that eternal life is a matter of grace & faith which moves us to lay down our works righteousness & to demonstrate our faith by laying down houses, relatives, relationships, etc in follow Christ.