In this passage, Jesus challenges the young man to prioritize God over his morality,
obedience to the law, and material possessions.
Jesus identifies in this encounter the idolatry of riches, pride in his morality, and vanity in
obeying the laws. In the heart of the rich man were all these things that prevented him from
completely surrendering to the Messiah. He realized that everything he had, everything he
was, all his fulfillment of the Law was not enough. The rich man decided to approach Jesus
and ask him, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to obtain eternal life?” (Matt. 19:16)
In Jewish Law, it was enough to keep the commandments to be accepted by God and live
without guilt.
The cultural and religious context of the time helps us better understand this man’s mindset.
In first-century Judaism, keeping the Law of Moses and living a moral life was the path to
righteousness before God.
For this man, the concept of eternal life was tied to obedience and righteousness according
to the Law. Knowing his heart, Jesus begins to bring order and clarity to this encounter. First,
he says:
Matthew 19:17
“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good.
But to answer your question—if you want to receive eternal life, keep the commandments.”
JESUS CHALLENGED IDOLATRY
The young man didn’t understand the depth of the question, but he asked the right person.
Although he respected Jesus, he didn’t perceive that true holiness is achieved by the grace
of God and not by one’s own works or efforts. Just like the young man, many of us may ask
ourselves, “How am I going to do that, if on the other hand he also calls us to be good
stewards?” But what Jesus sought was the proper position of the heart.
Matthew 6:21
Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
THE IMPORTANCE OF MATERIAL THINGS
Jesus revealed that the young man’s wealth was not bad in itself, but that his attachment to
it was an obstacle to fully surrendering to God and entering His kingdom.
Matthew 19:23–24
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter
the Kingdom of Heaven.
I’ll say it again—it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich
person to enter the Kingdom of God.”
A RADICAL PROPOSAL
Eternal life is a treasure in heaven. Jesus offered the rich young man the opportunity to
invest in that treasure in exchange for renouncing his earthly goods.
Matthew 19:21
Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the
money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
Matthew 6:19
Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and
where thieves break in and steal.
FOLLOWING JESUS
This renunciation had the purpose of preparing him to follow Jesus and give up all material
security. But beyond the physical aspect, the point was that this security should not rule his
heart—instead, his dependence should rest on God.
Jesus invites the man to experience a perfect life through total surrender to Him and to the
Kingdom of God. Living unattached to material things leads us toward perfection—aware
that we live as borrowers and in the end will leave everything behind.
Proverbs 23:4–5
Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit.
In the blink of an eye wealth disappears, for it will sprout wings and fly away like an eagle.
THE MAN’S REACTION
He felt sorrow when confronted with the truth. The young man went away sad because his
love for his riches was greater than his desire to obtain eternal life and follow Jesus.
Just like this young man, many of us feel secure and confident in our possessions, goods,
good jobs, good salaries, high credit scores—and we think that fulfilling outward duties is
enough to feel good with God, even when we tithe, give offerings, or are generous. However,
these things can silence our conscience and distance our hearts from God.
Jesus is not saying that wealth is bad; what is wrong is allowing wealth to take the place that
belongs to God.
Matthew 6:24
No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted
to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.
Proverbs 10:22
The blessing of the Lord makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.
My prayer is that wealth would be the result of God’s blessing and not of our ambition to
make ourselves rich. Let us be careful.
Proverbs 23:4–5
Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit.
In the blink of an eye wealth disappears, for it will sprout wings and fly away like an eagle.
In verse 25, the disciples are shocked and surprised and ask Jesus who can be saved. This
comes from the Jewish belief that wealth was the result of obedience and closeness to God.
Being rich was considered a symbol of prosperity and divine approval.
With Jesus’ teaching, wealth—rather than being a sign of spiritual security—becomes an
obstacle to true discipleship.
Jesus’ response to His disciples affirms that the difficulty the rich have in entering the
Kingdom of God is that their hearts are attached to their riches.
Let us examine our hearts and ask these questions:
● Am I aware that nothing belongs to me and that I have taken hold of what is not
mine?
● Do I value my possessions more than my relationship with God?
● Are my possessions a blessing or a barrier to following Jesus?
Now I want to encourage you: let your desire be greater than your limitations. If you desire to
follow Jesus, it is worth giving everything for Him, who did not spare His own life to reach
you and me. We were and are His greatest desire.
Am I ready to give everything to follow Jesus?