This young man came running up to Jesus almost out of breath: "What good thing shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" A wonderful new-convert-to-be! Jesus caught his word "do," and proceeded to give him a thoroughly legalist answer: "Keep the commandments," and He cited the Ten. On the surface, His answer thrills legalists today.
The young man was fishing for more: he told Jesus he had done everything specified since he was a child. "What do I still lack?" What he meant was, he wanted to achieve perfection--the goal of every legalist.
Then Jesus zeroes in on the real thing: "If you want to be perfect, sell what you have and give to the poor." Don't think He wanted to discourage the youth: "you will have treasure in heaven." That should satisfy any acquisitive nature cultivated "from ... youth." But Jesus couldn't do any "evangelism" without telling about the cross: "And come, follow Me" (Matt. 19:16-22). The youth could have had first chance at becoming an Apostle Paul!
But the poor fellow had a terrific problem. It was worse than leprosy or being blind. He was rich, "he had great possessions." So he walked away. Jesus later conceded to the disciples: "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!" Then He repeated it with a slight difference--"who trust in riches … !" (Mark 10:23-25). He appears to contradict what He said in Matthew 11 about His yoke being "easy" and His burden "light" (28-30; again legalists may be delighted for they don't like that "easy" or "light" idea).
If you are rich (and everybody who gets this message is, in some way), you can solve your problem by confessing that you don't deserve a whit of the "wealth" you possess: what is your right is that second death that Jesus died in your place, and for you.
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