Rich, Young Ruler

While the story about the rich young ruler is found in Matthew, Mark and Luke, it is interesting that in no Gospel is he actually called the rich, young ruler. Although his riches are mentioned in all three gospels, in Matthew (19:16 – 22) he is a young man, but not called a ruler; in Mark (10:17 – 22), he is neither young nor a ruler; in Luke (18:18 – 23), he is called a ruler, but there is no mention of his age. However, they all refer to the same individual, and it is wealth (along with his inability to dispose of it) that is crucial to the passage. So, is there anything in here that we can learn from today, or is the command to ‘sell everything and come, follow me’ aimed solely at the young man? An interesting way in to discuss wealth, but not directly relevant to us now?

I think there is much more going on in these few verses than may be immediately obvious. To begin with, Jesus was asking this man to give up more than just his possessions and his wealth. Yes, that was a vital part of it, but his riches may also have been part of his identity, part of how he defined himself as a person. They would, presumably, have been part of his role as a ruler, however that was defined. His wealth gave him a certain status in his society, and while that may have brought responsibilities, it would also have brought rewards. All this was he being asked to give up by selling everything he owned. The radical requirement to sell everything and give it to the poor was a prerequisite to follow Jesus; he could not follow Jesus and maintain his lifestyle and his wealth. In order to attain eternal life, he had to do just one thing: sell all he possessed and give it away; give it to the poor, who would benefit from the money, but from whom he could not expect to gain anything. It was this that he could not do. Too tough? Jesus never made a secret of the challenge involved in following him. His disciples were warned that they would have to take up their cross in order to follow Jesus; that anyone who put their families before Jesus were not worthy of him. This man is being asked to put God first, and the only way he can do that is to sell his possessions.

The passage begins with the ruler asking Jesus: Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? There may be a certain amount of flattery involved in this question, which Jesus immediately dispels by querying why he is called ‘good’. Beyond this, it seems to me that the young man is looking for a contract, for something he can do. Almost, that to inherit eternal life was a continuation of the life he lived on earth, and how could he be sure that he earned it. That there must be something he could do in order to guarantee himself a place in the life to come. Unfortunately for him, that understanding is also dispelled. There is only one thing he needs to do and that one thing proves impossible. He is seeking a contract; he is offered a relationship – but a relationship that he can only engage in by dispossessing himself of the one thing that prevents it: his wealth.

That wealth would have given him a certain amount of security and independence, both of which he would need to let go if he sold all he owned. Indeed, letting go of his security and independence may have been partly why he needed to sell everything. In becoming a follower of Jesus, he was being asked to become dependent, not just on Jesus, but also on the group that followed him. Some of whom were very far from being rich or rulers. That dependence may have been vital to his inheriting eternal life; it may also have been part of which prevented him from following. For the rich young ruler, his wealth stood in the way of the relationship offered by Jesus, which was the crucial and only answer to his question. A question which he may have been genuine in asking, but which he did not desire enough to put Jesus’ words into practice.

But how is all this relevant to us today? We are not being asked to give up everything, are we? Well, probably not, but there are some questions that we can ask ourselves that lead from this story. To begin with, how far is our identity rooted in the love of God and how much is it dependent on our possessions? Is anything we possess more important to us than God? If so, what does that tell us? Is our faith in God rooted in a relationship or do we see it far more as something contractual? That if we do x, y and/or z, we are guaranteed eternal life? What are we dependent on? Is our security rooted in God, or in something else? If the answer is both, how can we increase our dependence on God?

The rich young ruler was offered a relationship which would have transformed his life; so are we. The challenge for us today is what must we do for that relationship. What is preventing us from following Jesus wholeheartedly? Are we, like the rich, young ruler, pursuing a contractual religion instead of one based on love? Are we putting Jesus before everything else or do we see faith as an add-on, a part of our life but not the central whole? Will we, like the rich young ruler, walk away sad, or can we do whatever we must to follow Christ?