As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do so that I may inherit eternal life?” But Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not give false testimony, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” And he said to Him, “Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth.” Looking at him, Jesus showed love to him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But he was deeply dismayed by these words, and he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property (Mark 10:17-22, New American Standard Bible).

Earlier, Jesus had told His disciples to take drastic action against the sin in their lives, illustrating it by saying that if any body parts caused them to sin, they should be cut off. He was not telling them to literally maim themselves, because it is sinful attitudes, not body parts, that cause us to sin.

In this reading, Jesus met a man who needed spiritual amputation surgery. He wanted to go to heaven and be part of God’s kingdom. He claimed that he had followed the Ten Commandments diligently; Jesus did not deny that. His righteousness probably matched that of the scribes and Pharisees but did not exceed it (Matthew 5:20).

He encouraged this man to go beyond the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. He challenged him to cut off the thing that would lead him into sin. The spiritual diagnosis: The love of money was the root of all evil in this man’s life. The prescription: “Go and sell all you possess and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me” (Mark 10:21).

It was too much. The man gave up and walked away. He could not part with his money.

When addressing this passage, many preachers will tell us that Jesus told only the rich young ruler to sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor; that is not a direct command for all of us. That is true, but we still need to ask ourselves: Is the love of money present in my heart? How much do I give to others—needy individuals or ministries—to glorify God? How much do I spend on luxuries and extras?

What if I won the Mega Millions lottery jackpot? What would I do with the money? At what point would I give to the needs of others? How much would go to ministries that spread the Gospel to the lost? On the other hand, how much would I spend on the luxuries I have been able to only dream about? Would I use the money to serve God or to satisfy my own desires?

How do you handle the money that God has entrusted to you? Is there anything that you need to give up because it keeps you from following Jesus?

Copyright © 2023 Michael E. Lynch. All rights reserved.