18 Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
19 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. 20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ”
21 And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.”
22 So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
23 But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.
Luke 18:18-23
Jesus counsels the rich young ruler. The ruler here apparently was raised with the last but still felt lacking when it came to inheriting eternal life.
As always, Christ raised the bar, telling the man that he should sell all his possessions and distribute the profit to the poor so he may lay up treasures in heaven. As he cherished his wealth to a greater degree than eternal life, he left saddened.
Christ began this change with humility and pointed to the Father as the only one who is good, making it clear who this ruler should be seeking. He then sees how the ruler justifies himself with the law, and challenges him to sacrifice.
This modern generation puts far too much value in fleeting worldly wealth, myself included. Christ set this standard impossibly high so that we must strive to reach for it every single day of our lives. He overcame the world, and now it is our turn to have such faith in Him that we may do the same.
Such a thing is more difficult for the exalted than it would be for the humble.
