The Overconfident Rich Young Ruler

Nathan Stam
Children/Communications Pastor

I have a lot of possessions. Too many. I like books. I like music. I like movies. Consequently, I have many of those items. Kristi was thrilled the day I discovered the wonderful resource of our local town library and began the marvelous process of checking out--reading--and returning books instead of bringing home purchased epic tomes to collect dust somewhere in our home. I also have a stamp that I like to stamp on my books to show that they are mine.

I have an iPhone, which I confess that I love. There's an XBOX 360 in our living room that was bought for purely unselfish reasons (Yeah right!) like playing family DVDs, watching Netflix, looking cool with its whirling green light, etc. And we have a van. This is no ordinary van; it has automatic doors. I don't know what we did before we had automatic doors they are so convenient. My Dad stills stares incredulously at them whenever he loads our kids in the car and they close by themselves, slowly and carefully without smashing any little fingers.

Stuff. The more we have the more we want. The more we want the less satisfied we feel. And the more miserable we feel when our stuff breaks or falls apart.

In Mark 10 we read about an encounter Jesus has with a man we know only as a "rich young ruler." This fellow comes to Jesus one day; actually, he runs up to Jesus and kneels before Him and asks, "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

Jesus answers with a logical progression, "Do you believe in me as God, or am I just a teacher, a rabbi to you?" He then continues by reminding the young man of the commandments which he would have been familiar with and here's where the descriptor of the man expands to "overconfident rich young ruler." The ruler replies, "I've kept all these from my youth." Really? You've honored your father and mother perfectly? You've never born false witness?

Jesus looks at this earnest young man and Mark records that Jesus loved him and then He addresses what was really in the young man's heart: "Sell all you have and give to the poor. And then come follow me."

Verse 22 says that the man was stunned at this demand and went away grieving because he had many possessions.

While this rich young ruler was sincere in his assertations that he had kept the commandments he obviously wasn't keeping the first commandment; that of God taking first place in his heart, because he was hung up on all his possessions and couldn't let them go. He was floored by Jesus' request. If only the Rabbi had given a different answer!

This hits home for me sitting in my comfortable house in 21st century America typing on my nice computer using my only occasionally erratic wireless network. Am I willing to follow Jesus and to let go of whatever it is that is holding me back from loving Him with my whole heart? Could I say goodbye to my stuff? I can't serve both God and Money, that's for certain. God, let King David's prayer be mine: "Help me to be single-minded and whole-hearted in my devotion towards You, Jesus." And let nothing hold me back.