6 Words That Will Change Your LifeSample

We often read the story of the rich young ruler (Mark 10:17-22) and feel saddened, grieving and scratching our heads. 

But was Jesus really saying that to get to heaven we have to keep the Ten Commandments and give all our stuff to the poor to be saved? Now, I know you may be tempted to qualify this passage by thinking, “Well, no, but you have to be  willing  to do all of that.” But Jesus is asking the rich young ruler for more than willingness, he’s asking him for everything. 

If we’re honest, in the deepest parts of our hearts, we know that we fall way short in the same way the rich young ruler did. We, like him, have broken the law, and according to Jesus in  Matthew 5:21-30,  continue to break it every time we sin. We all have something we’ve not given up—money, shelter, time, and so on.  

I’m convinced that when Jesus was talking to the rich young ruler, He was not painting a clear picture of the gospel. No, He was painting a clear picture of the law, and the law’s true requirements. In one brilliant stroke, Jesus helped this young man—who initially thought he was a pretty good person—to see the covetousness, greed and narcissism that actually ruled his heart.  

It’s interesting to me that Mark 10:21 tells us, “Jesus looked at him and loved him.” Jesus loved this young man so deeply that He had to break him of his self-reliance and gently expose him for the sinner that he was. Because it is only once people are convinced that they’re sinners that they know they need a Savior. 

I sometimes wonder if, in the frustrating years that followed this encounter with Jesus, God dispatched one of His followers to share the message of grace with this young man whom He loved. I imagine a Christ follower sharing that this same Jesus who showed him how sinful he was, died in his place on the cross so that through simple faith, he could be saved. 

Will we see the rich young ruler in heaven? I don’t know, but if I were a betting man, I’d say yes. If Jesus loved this young man enough to take the time to expose his sin, then it seems like Jesus would love him enough to send someone down the line to share His message of grace through faith alone, in Christ alone. 

Do you know someone who thinks they are good enough to make it to heaven on their own merits? Maybe ask them to read the story of the rich young ruler in Mark 10:17-22. Use it as an opportunity to share the real meaning of this passage and introduce them to the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.