He was young, a ruler, and rich. According to the narrative, he came to Jesus asking: “Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” to which Jesus, in part, replied, “If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments” (Matthew 19:16–17, KJV). The rest of the dialogue was electric. “[The young man] saith unto Him, ‘Which?’ Jesus said, ‘Thou shalt do no murder, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness, honour thy father and thy mother: and, thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.’ The young man saith unto Him, ‘All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?’ Jesus said unto him, ‘If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.’ But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions” (vv. 18–22).
Having declared that he had kept the law, it was clear that loving God and his fellowman was not the priority it should have been. As Bible scholar Albert Barnes observes: “Jesus commanded him to [give up his wealth], therefore, to test his character, and to show him that he had not kept the law as he pretended, and thus to show him that he needed a better righteousness than his own. . . . He made an idol of his wealth. He loved it more than God. He had not kept the commandments from his youth up, nor had he kept them at all; and rather than do good with his treasures, and seek his salvation by obeying God, he chose to turn away from the Saviour and give over his inquiry about eternal life.” In some ways, the young man wanted what was in God’s hands without being willing to let go of what was in his. Unfortunately, some of us are the same way. While there is nothing inherently wrong with owning things, we need to ensure that those things do not “own” us. It is interesting that in Mark’s narrative, Jesus started His instructions to the young ruler with the words, “You lack one thing” (Mark 10:21, ESV). The “one thing” was his inability or unwillingness to show that he loved God more than he loved things. When challenged to do so, “he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.”
If God were to say to you and me, “You lack one thing,” what would that one thing be? In her poem Treasures, Martha Snells-Nicholson, a bedridden invalid who suffered in pain for over 35 years from four incurable diseases, writes:
One by one, He took them from me / All the things I valued most
Until I was empty-handed / Every glittering toy was lost.
And I walked earth’s highways, grieving / In my rags and poverty
Till I heard His voice inviting / “Lift your empty hands to Me!”
So I held my hands toward heaven / And He filled them with a store
Of His own transcendent riches / Till they could contain no more.
And at last, I comprehended / With my stupid mind and dull
That God COULD not pour His riches / Into hands already full!
“You lack one thing.” The last sentence of the poem says it all. Are you willing to give up what is in your hands for what is in His?
