The Rich Man Who was Poor (Luke 18:18-27)
To say that you are a poor rich man would obviously be an oxymoron. If you're rich you're not poor and if you're poor you're not rich.
However no less than Jesus Christ himself taught that it is possible to be rich and yet poor.
As a matter of fact, he went one step beyond that and suggested that being rich could make you poor and you're probably thinking what in the world was he talking about.
Well, that's what I'd like to discuss today.
So, join me on the BPDP.
18 A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honour your father and mother.’”
21 “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.
22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 23 When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. 24 Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! 25 Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
26 Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?”
27 Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”
In this passage, a certain ruler approaches Jesus with a question: "Good teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" This individual, often referred to as the rich young ruler due to details provided in other Gospel accounts, remains somewhat mysterious in his identity and role.
While we are uncertain of his exact position, some speculate he may have had that title because he was a ruler over a synagogue.
The ruler's address to Jesus as "good teacher" is also significant, as it was not a common term in Jewish literature.
Jesus responds by questioning why he called him good, suggesting that only God is truly good. This leads Jesus to prompt the young ruler to consider the implication of his words:
Is he acknowledging Jesus as God?
Jesus then proceeds to address the ruler's question by highlighting the importance of recognizing who he truly is. He implies that acknowledging Jesus's divinity is foundational to obtaining eternal life.
Thus, one key takeaway from this passage is the significance of recognizing Jesus's true identity as a prerequisite for inheriting eternal life. This underscores the importance of acknowledging Jesus's divinity and understanding his role as the Messiah.
The gospel of John makes no doubt about the fact that Jesus is God in the flesh. John tells us that, “In the beginning was the word and the word became flesh and dwelt among us” in his opening verses.
So, Jesus is God in the flesh and all four gospels are focusedon saying he died and arose from the dead.
As a matter fact if you lay out the content of each of the four gospels you would see that the death and resurrection of Christ dominates each of them.
More material is taken up about that than anything else in the gospels.
What the gospel writers want us to know is that Jesus is the Messiah the son of God and he died for our sins and arose from the dead.
As a matter of fact, when John gets to the end of his gospel he says that , “It was written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ”.
Christ is the Greek word for Messiah the son of God and that by believing in him you might have life in his name.
So, continuing with the passage, the rich young ruler does not respond to Jesus's question about recognizing his divinity. His silence suggests that he may not have grasped or believed the implication of Jesus's question. This lack of response becomes significant as the conversation progresses.
Jesus then directs the young ruler's attention to the commandments, specifically focusing on the ones related to interpersonal relationships. He mentions the commandments regarding adultery, murder, stealing, bearing false witness, and honouring one's parents.
Interestingly, Jesus skips over the commandments related to one's relationship with God, possibly indicating that the ruler failed to recognize Jesus's divine nature.
By highlighting the commandments related to human interaction, Jesus aims to reveal the ruler's sinful nature. He emphasizes that the young man has not kept these commandments, indicating his need for salvation.
This approach suggests that Jesus is using the law to convict the ruler of his sinfulness and his need for a Savior.
When he taught the sermon on the mount you've heard it said that bow shalt not murder oh that's the Jewish rabbis way of handling the law was to say, well I never murdered anybody so I kept that law.
But Jesus said, you've missed the point bold testament made clear that God doesn't just look at your hands he looks at your heart he doesn't just look at your actions he looks at your attitude that God is interested in what you were thinking not just what you were doing.
Jesus says, if a man has hatred in his heart he's committed murder already so perhaps the rich young ruler is saying I kept the law in the sense that the Pharisees thought that they kept the law.
Let me go one step further.
In Philippians chapter 3, Paul outlines his religious background and credentials. He expresses pride in his Jewish heritage, highlighting his adherence to religious practices and his zeal for the law. Paul lists his accomplishments, emphasizing his strict observance of Jewish customs and laws. He underscores his commitment to righteousness and obedience to the Mosaic Law, considering himself blameless according to its standards. Paul's religious resume demonstrates his dedication to Judaism and adherence to its traditions.
This young man claims to have kept the commandments since his youth. However, Jesus challenges him to recognize his true spiritual condition and to understand the nature of genuine righteousness.
Jesus does this by directing the young ruler's attention away from external observances and toward a deeper understanding of the law.
Jesus instructs the rich young ruler to sell all his possessions, give to the poor, and follow him. This directive shocks even the disciples, but Jesus explains that it is difficult for those who trust in riches to enter the Kingdom of God.
The emphasis here is on trust — the young man's reliance is on his wealth rather than on God. So, Jesus's command to sell everything underscores the importance of placing one's faith and trust in God rather than in material possessions.
In summary, the rich young ruler's question reveals his misunderstanding of true righteousness and eternal life. Jesus challenges him to recognize his spiritual poverty and to trust in God rather than in his wealth.
The lesson for us is to prioritize our relationship with God above worldly possessions and to trust in Him for our salvation.
So, here we have the case of a man who, despite being materially rich, was spiritually poor. In fact, his material wealth blinded him spiritually. His riches made him spiritually destitute. If he had truly been rich, he would have trusted in his money, and perhaps he would have gained greater spiritual insight.
Jesus advises that to enter the Kingdom of God, one must do three things:
Recognize who Jesus is, realize one's own spiritual poverty, and rely on Jesus for salvation.
Salvation is not achieved through riches, righteousness, or religion but through faith in Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and rose from the dead.
Unfortunately, the rich young ruler didn't grasp this message. He became very sorrowful upon hearing Jesus's words because he was heavily reliant on his wealth. He left without fully understanding the significance of Jesus's teachings.
Jesus then addresses his disciples, explaining how difficult it is for people who trust in riches to enter the Kingdom of God. He uses the added metaphor of a camel passing through the eye of a needle to illustrate the immense challenge it poses.
Jesus emphasizes the impossibility of relying on anything other than Him for salvation.
In essence, the issue was not simply having wealth but allowing wealth to have control over one's life.
Upon hearing Jesus's assertion that it is difficult for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God, the disciples are astonished and questioned who then could be saved.
This reaction likely stemmed from a prevalent Jewish belief that wealth was a sign of God's favour and assurance of salvation. Jesus responds to their question by affirming that it is impossible for humans to achieve salvation on their own, it is possible with God.
Salvation is not attained through human effort or wealth but through faith in Jesus Christ and the work of God.
In essence, Jesus's message in this passage is evangelistic, emphasizing the need for faith in Him for salvation rather than reliance on material wealth or even good deeds. It's a reassurance that salvation is attainable through God's grace, not through human merit.
Superficially this passage may seem to suggest a stringent requirement of selling all possessions for salvation, a closer examination within the context of the Gospel narrative reveals a broader message of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. This understanding aligns with the broader themes of Luke's Gospel and the teachings of Jesus throughout His ministry.
But I must end by reminding you that the point of the passage is that in order to have eternal life you must trust from Jesus Christ the Rich young ruler came as close to the gate of heaven, he was face to face with Jesus Christ who is the door after all. Yet he didn't take the simple state of faith to go through the door.