“Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?”
This short question holds the essence of the human solution to heaven. “We just need to love more.” “Be kind.” “Pay it forward.” Phrases such as these reflect attempts to create heaven here on earth through human determination. They are attempts to do something to have eternal life. These efforts are not enough because people do not have enough. You and I, sourcing from our own will and strength, do not have enough to create the heaven for which we desire here on this earth.
Jesus can serve as the gate to the Kingdom because He is eternal. His will and strength are where we must source our own. We must turn to Him and depend upon Him for eternal life.
The rich young ruler, though he claimed that he obeyed each of the commandments his entire life, recognized through his questioning Jesus that attempting to enter heaven via his own strength was not enough. Effectively, he was asking “what else must I do?”
The simplicity of the answer of Jesus came as a disappointment to the young man not because Jesus’s answer was too simple, but because it challenged the man at his core.* Jesus told the man to love His neighbor as himself, and the man claimed that he accomplished this. When challenged with action, however, the man realized that something stood in the way.* Jesus challenged the man to express his love for his neighbors completely by giving his neighbors the same luxury that he enjoyed: met needs. And Jesus asked Him to give it all.
In this moment, the rich young man is challenged with the reality that a) he may not love his neighbor as himself, b) he has misunderstood who his neighbor is, c) he does not really love himself, or d) that he loves his possessions more than God (aka his possessions were his god). Whichever of these options was true for the heart of this man, he left that day as a sad example to each of us.
Jesus does not take advantage of this opportunity to bemoan wealth, for those with wealth helped to support the ministry of Jesus (see e.g., Luke 8:1-3). In this exchange, Jesus points to each of our hearts, inviting us to allow Him to identify what may stand between us and complete devotion to Him.
Entering eternal life is not about the “one more thing to do;” entering eternal life is about the “one more thing we must surrender.” We must surrender all, allowing Jesus to be our Lord (master) and Savior. Jesus did not necessarily need this man in this moment to give all away that he owned. He needed this man to be willing to do whatever Jesus asked of Him; Jesus requires complete devotion.*
Today, take a step.
Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to allow Him to point out what may stand as an idol in your life. Perhaps God wants you to surrender an area of your life that you have attempted to hide from Him. Maybe God wants you to give something of your time, riches, gifts, skills, or talents to someone in need. Maybe God wants you to abandon your effort to try to earn eternal life in exchange for His effort to secure eternal life for you. Perhaps God wants you to surrender all.
Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.
Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a step today… just one is fine.
Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!
*Leon, Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew. Pillar New Testament Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992), 487–493, and Keener, C. S., Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt 19:16–23) (InterVarsity Press, 1997).