Jesus met a rich, young man one day. You can read his story in Matthew 19:16-22. He was interested in religious talk. He seemed willing to listen and eager to learn.
But his story had a sorry end. It was this story that caused Jesus to say that it is ‘easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom.’
What mistakes did he make?
1. He did not recognize Jesus as Lord.
This young man came rushing to Jesus, fell on his knees, and said “Good teacher, what good thing do I need to do so that I may have eternal life?’ He recognized Jesus as a great teacher, but that was all. He did not refer to Jesus as Lord.
It is not enough to recognize Jesus as a moral man with tremendous insight and depth. We must recognize Jesus’ divine authority. As C. S. Lewis said – Jesus is either a liar, a lunatic, or the Lord. He cannot be only a teacher.
2. He was unaware of his own faults.
This young man proclaimed to have never violated several of the commandments – murder, adultery, stealing, etc. These were all man – to – man transgressions. But he was unaware of his faults toward God. When Jesus told him to sell everything and give it to the poor, this gave light to His replacement for God – riches & possessions. He allowed these to become more important than God.
3. He misunderstood the plan of grace.
This rich man thought eternal life was a reward for good living. He asked, “What good thing must I do to have eternal life?” Actually there is no good thing or things. Only to believe on Jesus Christ as Savior. That is grace. As wealthy as he was, he was spiritually bankrupt and terribly poor of faith. His only hope was to trust in the grace of God.
4. He went away.
In a way, this was his only mistake. A man can be wrong in every way, but if he will turn to Christ, all will be forgiven and new life will be given. Even the disciples did not understand the Lordship of Christ or His grace. But they were willing to follow Jesus.
This is what it really means to be saved. If you are willing to follow Jesus on the journey from brokenness to wholeness, He will lead you. If you ware willing to walk all the way, every hard step, then you are a wise individual – even if you are not young and rich.