Jesus is approached by a Rich, Young, Ruler in Matthew 19:16-22. This young man seemingly had everything anyone could ever want, yet he realized that he was still missing something, so he asks Jesus in 19:16, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” Jesus then leads him through the 10 commandments, which unfortunately does not have the effect it should on this Young Ruler. Calling the commandments to mind should bring any of us to humility. As Jesus taught in the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-12, the proper order of this mindset, beginning with, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (recognize our poverty of spirit in light of who He is, which is the opposite of pride) “Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted (we mourn over our own sin once we lose our pride)...”. But this is not the response from this Young Ruler, as we read in 19:20, “All of these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” So, Jesus said in 19:21, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasures in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

Jesus wasn’t speaking against riches as many mistakenly believe. Many rich men were truly blessed: Abraham, David, Solomon, even Joseph of Arimathea. Jesus was pointing out to this young man that he couldn’t find salvation because he was trusting in his riches, rather than trusting in Jesus. We can’t miss the conclusion of this encounter, in 19:22, “But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, For He had great possessions.” Jesus would not force His will on this young man, He allowed him to exert his own free will and walk away from Him. Most are blinded from what really matters by a multitude of distractions and pride. Many place their hope and trust on living the “American Dream” and “having it all”, only to find their lives meaningless and hopeless as they chase after things instead of Him. But true love respects free will.

For us, who know Jesus as our Lord and Savior, this means we should be pointing others to Jesus as the only true source of joy and contentment. Like Jesus, we need to bring others to a position of humility from which the gospel message can be sought after. But like Jesus, when rejected, we cannot force our will on others, but must lovingly allow them to go their own way. Belief and trust in Jesus is a choice. Each and every person will eventually stand in judgment and their verdict and eternal destination will hinge on this one decision. Our role is to plant seeds, open eyes, point others in the right direction, etc. But our love for others must remain, as others are allowed to make their own decision.