The story of the rich young ruler has, over the years, intrigued me, yea, even haunted me. It is filled with theological and practical lessons that apply to every person, whether lost of saved.

The story is given in all three synoptics, here in Mark 10:17-31, and also in Matthew 19:16-30 and Luke 18:18-30. So it must be important for God to include it three times. I have chosen the Mark account because of two details he alone includes, for he notes the man’s eagerness, and also the Lord’s attitude toward him.
The story has been wrongly used to prove works salvation since Jesus told him, if he kept the Commandments, he would live, or have eternal life. It is NOT teaching this. After all, who can keep all the commandments all the time, both in letter and spirit? One primary purpose of the law was to bring the knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:20) This is Jesus’ point as we will see.
Our focus here will be on the crisis this man faced in his life. It was divinely ordained. After all, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him:” (John 6:44) God had obviously put into the heart of this man an awareness of his emptiness in spite of being the envy of many around. And he came to the right source for the answer, didn’t he!
When has God put into your heart a desire to seek Him for salvation, or to seek him at a new level of commitment? Was it during the special meetings? Was it during a sermon? Was it while reading the Bible? Was it at some unexpected place or time? Think back to a time when God was drawing you to Himself. Perhaps that time is right now. What was He promising? What was the cost? How did you respond?
It was not only divinely ordained but was also, in a sense, self-induced. Here was a man who had everything most people would consider to be important: all three Gospels tell us he was rich, so he could buy anything. Matthew tells us he was young, so he could do anything; he had the energy of youth. Luke tells us he was a ruler, so he could be anything; he was a boss. He must have been a man of integrity to be trusted with leadership responsibility early in life.
Are not these the things young people typically have as goals in life: a) to be independently wealthy at an early age; b) to stay young by exercise, botox, facial creams, and hair coloring; c) to climb the corporate ladder. He had it all!
Yet, he came running, fell at Jesus’ feet and begged Him to reveal what was missing in his life to be assured of eternity. (custom tells us that important people didn’t run to others. They let others run to them.) Never mind what others were doing (rejecting him, or coming at night); never mind how he appeared before others; never mind getting his fancy clothes dirty; never mind the humiliation of being a ruler and bowing before a controversial itinerant teacher. He had to know! That sounds eager enough! Often today we are ashamed to come forward, or to admit we have a need. Not this young man!
We would love to know his background- his family, the reason he was both young and a ruler, what he had heard about Jesus, what had brought him to such a crisis in his life, and why he believed Jesus had the answer to his longing. We don’t know these things, but you know what God is doing in your heart right now, and why, don’t you?
Have you ever sought the Lord with that type of fervor? If so, be assured that God put it into your heart to do so. Be assured also that, at that point, you faced, are facing, or will face a crossroads. Things will never be the same after your response.
The Bible says, “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” (Matthew 29:13) Yet, this man failed. We need to know, first, how he failed.
Matthew tells us he asked, “Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” (19:16) His earnest question reveals two problems. 1) He did not know to whom He was speaking. He was more than a “good teacher.” He was God in the flesh and Jesus’ first response clarified this. “Why are you calling me good? Only God is good.” (Jesus used questions like a surgeon uses a scalpel.) In other words, “I am either good and God (and you need to come empty of your own ideas), or I am just a teacher and a sinner. You must know your source of information. If it is God, you don’t come to evaluate but to learn and obey.”
When you come to God through the Bible, are you looking for Him to verify what you already decided to do, or are you coming to Him as God, the Lord, the only one who calls the shots?
2) He did not come with all his heart, but with his own agenda, based on his own good works. “What good thing can I do?” It appears he wasn’t as humble as he seemed to be.
The context is significant. Just before this in Mark, Jesus had said, “Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.” (10:15) This man didn’t. Just after it in Luke is the story of Zaccheaus who offered to give his money to the poor. He did.
Though the focus of this message is toward believers, I would be remiss to not tell you that, if you think some good deed will win heaven, you are sadly mistaken. Eph. 2:9 says, “Not of works.” Galatians 2:16 assures us that by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified.
“Nothing of my own I bring;
simply to the cross I cling.”
The ‘good work’ was done by Christ on the cross and salvation comes by believing that was sufficient payment for your sins and by receiving Him as your Savior. (John 1:12) In John 6, the people asked, “What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” (6:28-29) If God is drawing your heart to Himself, say YES today!
But Jesus met the man on his own level, of good works as He summarized the last six commandments. Matthew tells us Jesus even added the overriding second great commandment to them: love your neighbor as yourself. (Jesus repeated this again in Matt. 22:39) Truly if a person could keep all the commandments all of life both in heart and deed, he would not need a Savior. However, only Christ has done this.
Yet, in response to this list the man made a startling claim: “Master, all these have I observed from my youth.” (10:20) Do you think this was true? If “by the law is the knowledge of sin,” this man was surely deceiving himself.
In spite of this claim, the man asked, “What lack I yet?” (Matt. 19:20) He was aware of a need in his life.
Now note the next statement: “Then Jesus beholding him loved him.” In spite of knowing the man just lied to Him, and that he loved his gold more than God, that he would turn away from Him, Jesus still loved him. Now put your name in the phrase. Wherever you are, Jesus beholds you and loves you. He wants your best that will always glorify God. Remember Deut. 5:29.
Instead of arguing with him, or giving him illustrations of his failures as He did the woman at the well, Jesus masterfully gave the man a chance to demonstrate he loved his neighbor as Himself- give his money to the poor. Specifically His invitation was, “One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.” (10:21) If what he claimed was true, this should be easy!
Notice his assets were in commodities. Today we call them ‘securities.’ He had to liquid them, then give the money away. That would burn his bridges, wouldn’t it! No 30 day waver in this one!
Note the promise here: “treasure in heaven.” Not just eternal life but eternal reward on top of that. It was more than he asked for! He was being invited to be the 13th disciple! Perhaps he could later be the replacement for Judas. If so, he would be 1) rich in heaven, 2) have eternal life (forever young), and 3) rule over the 12 tribes of Israel in the Millennium, as Jesus promised in the verses that follow. (Matt 19:28- In fact, Jesus told the disciples here that they would, one day, be rich young rulers!) He could “have his cake and eat it too!” In addition, Jesus would be saving him from the three things that “choke the Word,” namely, c) the cares (ruler), a) riches, and b) pleasures (young) of this life that bare no fruit. (Luke 8:14)
Further, there is a sense in which he would give up nothing but instead exchange it for a better spiritual equivalent. Eph. 1:17-19 a) Riches of the glory of his inheritance; 2) greatness of His power (young); 3) hope of His calling (ruler).
The only catch it, he would have to wait until later to get all this. From our perspective, he would wait, at the most, 40 years because the Romans destroyed and scattered Israel in AD 70. Being rich and a ruler meant nothing after that and he would no longer be young. But as of today he would be enjoying the “treasures of heaven” for 1941 years . . . so far! Not a bad bargain; not a difficult choice!
Yet, even in that, he would not have to wait for spiritual reward. Paul tell us in Eph. 1:17-19 that God promises believers a) the riches of the glory of His inheritance; b) the greatness of His power; c) the hope of His calling!
But note the cost here: Sell all and give to the poor- it would mean he would no longer be rich.
Take up the cross- that was an instrument of shame, confinement, and death. He would be giving up the advantages of being young. It would mean dying daily.  (1 Cor. 15:31)
Follow me- he would be giving up being a ruler. He would be a disciple.
The man went away sorrowful. He came expectant and left empty. He failed his crisis. Typically he would begin to make excuses why this was asking too much, how much good he could do for God keeping his money, how this answer would not meet his need. He would then stop praying; he would turn bitter, perhaps even be one of those on the front row shouting, “Crucify Him!” At least he might have said, “If this is the result of His way, I have no regrets for what I chose that day.” But that was Friday, and Sunday was coming.
Now we need to know why he failed.
Before we examine this, note please that Jesus did not make it easy. He was demanding total commitment. a) He did not negotiate with him. It was as He said or nothing. b) Jesus did not accept him because he was sincere. Truth came before sincerity. c) Though Jesus loved him, He did not run after him and beg him to reconsider. Instead, He admonished those present not to follow the RYR’s choice. There was no compromise.
Now, in conclusion, let’s example several reasons why this man failed when offered the opportunity of a lifetime- and beyond!
1) He failed of the grace of God. (Hebrews 12:15) I am confident God gave him the enablement to obey. He refused to accept it.
2) He came with his own agenda. It was to be his way or nothing. God says, “It is my way or you lose.”
3) He failed to have an eternal perspective on the cost and reward. He viewed the loss of his beloved money, not as a child losing a tooth to make room for a bigger, better one and as a part of maturing, but as an adult losing a tooth with no hope of replacement. In reality, he loved his money and thus violated the first four commandments, loving God with all his heart, soul, strength, and mind. (Matt 22:37-38) yes, the truth is, he broke all 10 commandments! Is there something you love more than God?
4) He failed to consider the great cloud of witnesses (Heb. 12:1), people who paid the cost of living by faith and got the reward: Enoch, Abraham, Moses, Jeremiah, Amos, Nehemiah, David, Zacharias and Elizabeth, Simeon, Anna, even the disciples standing before him.
We also have many modern examples: George Muller, Hudson Taylor, Amy Carmichael, John Paton, etc., people down through history who pave paid the price and gotten the reward. Are you one of them?
But we also have a New Testament Bible example the RYR didn’t have. Paul was probably also a rich young ruler. He was about Christ’s age and was given authority and finances to round up Christians in Acts 9. Yet he tells us, “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:” (Phil. 3:7-9)
The Bible also gives us many who failed their crisis crossroads: Lot, Cain, Gehazi, Balaam, David, Solomon to name a few.
5) He failed to grasp the significance of the Gospel. Salvation is not free! It cost Jesus everything to provide it without money and without price. But those given this free gift are told, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” (Luke 9:23) This is only reasonable. If we understand the Gospel (Romans 1-11), the mercies of God, then the “reasonable” response is to present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. (Rom. 12:1) A living sacrifice is a life-long, cross-bearing follower.
The story challenges me, but, as I said, it also haunts me. I have faced many crisis times in the 46 years since I was saved. To many I responded rightly. But two haunt me. The first was while in seminary. A teacher challenged us to buy and read a booklet by Barbour on total surrender. I did so and considered what that would cost me. Out of fear I consciously backed away. Years later I was at a conference and was challenged to greater commitment. I wept because, in my heart, I knew I was not willing to pay the cost. God has used me and, for that, I am humbled and glad. But I wonder how much more He would have used me if I had responded at these and other times as a living sacrifice.
So the lesson is simple: don’t waste your crossroad crisis. Obeying God is a win-win situation in the long run. And there may never be another such offer. (Prov. 29:1)