"Christ and the Rich Young Ruler" by Heinrich Hofmann. Photo: wikipedia.org
And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved? And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God (Luke 18:18–27)
Among the Gospel passages, there are many that can be called self-evident—those that require no explanation or interpretation, as they are already expounded and clarified by the Gospel text itself. The passage we heard today belongs to this category. Its general meaning is perfectly clear: riches can deprive a person of the Kingdom of Heaven, but not in and of themselves; only if a person becomes attached to them, if possession of earthly and visible goods becomes a small “god” that overshadows the true God.
However, despite the evident overall meaning of today’s passage, it contains much that is curious and beneficial for us to consider. The first point of interest is the personality of the young man who approached the Lord Jesus Christ with his question. We are told that he was rich and that he had authority—he was a ruler. From both our personal experience and humanity’s collective experience, we know well that the combination of youth, wealth, and power in one person almost inevitably deprives them of any lofty religious aspirations. Often, any one of these—youth, wealth, or power—is enough to entirely erase or prevent any interest in the spiritual realm, let alone in eternal life and life beyond the grave.
Yet the hero of today’s story somehow managed to preserve himself not only from obvious sin but also from complete immersion of his thoughts and desires into the material world. Without a doubt, he was an extraordinary young man—unusual and sincere. So sincere and pure, in fact, that the Apostle Mark, in his Gospel’s account of this episode, includes an intriguing detail: The young man did not merely approach the Lord Jesus Christ but knelt before Him—a gesture quite uncharacteristic of someone who, as the subsequent narrative shows, saw no sin in himself.
It is clear that we cannot accuse this young man of deceit or cunning when he begins his question with an unconventional address, which might seem flattering: “Good Master.” As it is written: And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God (Mark 10:18). Goodness is a natural and unchanging attribute of God, but it is not inherent to man. Human goodness or kindness is a matter of will, and the same person can change and cease to be good or kind at any moment. Often, all it takes is a split second, a single unpleasant word addressed to us, or one disagreeable look.
Christ’s response to the young man’s words serves two purposes. On the one hand, it reminds us of our human instability in goodness and kindness. On the other, it underscores the unique attribute of God—His divine goodness, which is most evidently manifested in His providential care for us. Christ reminds us of this so that we do not place our trust in human goodness but always remember that God exists and that He cares for each of us more than even the kindest and most loving person could ever care. All that is required of us is to trust in our Creator and Provider in all things.
