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For everyone, our Savior was love; He received all who came to Him, listened to all, and offered each what was needed for the soul. He welcomed the good with joy; He comforted sinners with meekness. Both the poor man and the small child could freely approach Him; nor did He reject the rich who sought spiritual wealth. When He came from Galilee into the regions of Judea, the Pharisees approached Him with questions about divorce, and He resolved their questions; then children were brought to Him, and He blessed them. After that, a certain ruler came to Him, and the Lord entered into conversation with him. The account of Christ’s reception of this man is all the more worthy of attention, because in the Gospel we more often see poor people near Jesus than the rich.
And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? (Luke 18:18).
Thus narrates St. Luke, and further notes regarding this ruler that he was very rich; while St. Matthew calls this same person a young man. Thus, this is a remarkable man; he is a ruler, and at the same time a young man, and furthermore a man of great wealth—yet he asks what he must do to inherit eternal life. We would offend our conscience if we supposed that the ruler asked his important question merely to tempt the Lord. The Gospel narrative gives us no grounds to judge him so harshly. On the contrary, St. Mark says that the ruler approached Jesus with complete sincerity and reverence: There came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him (Mark 10:17). Clearly this was not a frivolous person. Though young and wealthy, he concerns himself with a matter of great importance, and he does so with heartfelt earnestness and reverent attention to the weight of the subject. Is it not true that he may be pointed out with benefit not only to the elders of Israel, but also to Christians of our own time? Consider: Are we all concerned, as he was, with the important question, What shall I do to inherit eternal life? Do not some among us spend whole days calculating how to become richer? Do others not lose sleep over how to rise a step above their neighbor? And yet the Gospel says, Woe unto you that are rich! (Luke 6:24). We know the judgment spoken against those who seek the highest seats in assemblies. Thus, is not the young and wealthy ruler of Israel a reproach to our own age?
And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God (Luke 18:19).
The young ruler, though a good man and sincere in seeking what was needful for his soul, had not yet entirely freed himself from the spirit of those like himself; he was not yet free from the prevailing opinions of his contemporaries. Following the common view of the time, he saw in Jesus only an ordinary teacher and spoke with the language of worldly courtesy: Good Master! And the Savior reproves such words of worldly politeness. If you, said the Lord, regard Me only as an ordinary teacher, then why do you call Me good? Why do you ask Me what you must do to inherit eternal life? No mere teacher can know what leads a man into the Kingdom; still less can such a teacher rightly be called good, for God alone is the source of goodness and wisdom—He alone is good.
In saying this, the Savior does not deny that He Himself, as the Son of God, is all-good; rather, He gently leads the ruler toward that very understanding. It is as though He says, either do not call Me good when you think of Me only as a man, or be more attentive to Me and do not judge Me according to the measure of the crowd.
What a lesson this is for people of the so-called “high society”! They consider it proper to shower others with grand titles, to greet them with words that, in their own conscience, bear no relation to the persons addressed, but which they use out of what they call courtesy, propriety, or the desire to say something pleasant. They flatter others’ vanity—knowingly—and yet say, “Such is the custom.” They give a sick soul poison and say, “It must be so!”
Our words must be true to the truth of God, to the Word of God.
Brethren! It must not be so. For every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment (Matt. 12:36).
Our words must be true to the truth of God, to the Word of God. Thou knowest the commandments, says the Savior to the young man: Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. And the young man said, All these have I kept from my youth up. Or, as St. Matthew relates more fully: If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto Him, “Which?” Jesus said, “Thou shalt do no murder, etc. The young man saith unto Him: “All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?” (Matt. 19:17–26). And Jesus, adds St. Mark, beholding him loved him (Mark 10:21).
The good young man did good and was willing to do good. As soon as the Savior reminded him of the commandments necessary for eternal life; as soon as He said, If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments—the young man quickly asks, Which? Looking at his deeds only externally, he supposed that he had fulfilled the commandments, yet he also supposed that for drawing nearer unto God, for attaining higher perfection, for entering into the new Kingdom, some more exalted labor was required: What lack I yet?
Do you not see that this young man had not only many good deeds, but also a certain humility—the beginning, in fact, of spiritual life? He was not only on the path of salvation from eternal death, but also on the path toward spiritual perfection, toward the Kingdom of Christ, though he had not yet entered that Kingdom. Therefore the Lord, with a look of love, showed him His good pleasure, His love.
To the young man’s question, what commandments are necessary for eternal life, the Lord replies that these are the commandments given on Sinai. The young ruler thought that for entering the new Kingdom, perhaps the old commandments were no longer needful. But the Lord of both the Old and New Covenants declares that both then, in the Old Covenant, and now, obedience to God’s commandments is necessary, for in them is expressed the will of God for those who would be accounted worthy of blessed eternity.
Let the Law have been given to restrain the passions of Israel—yet is the Christian without passions? Does he not feel within himself that other law warring in his members, even unto the grave? And what is necessary in order to attain at last the degree of higher perfection, to be clothed in the full image of Christ? One must first pass the toilsome path of many temptations; one must subdue the passions through obedience to the commandments that chastise those passions.
Where among us is an innocent youth? Where is a mature age without matured vices? Where is old age not enfeebled by sins?
Truly blessed are they who, together with the young ruler of the Gospel, can say that from their youth they have tried to keep the commandments. From them one may hope much for the future—toward higher perfection. But how many such people are found among us? Do children today know—do the elders feel in their souls—what the fear of God is? Do they learn the commandments by living them? Do they measure their lives according to them?
Jesus said unto him, “Yet one thing thou lackest.”
“If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow Me.”
The young ruler, because he kept the commandments, was worthy of the Savior’s love. And yet, in the judgment of the Savior, he still lacked one thing—namely, that he should sell his possessions, give to the poor, and follow Jesus. Why does the Savior say that for the young ruler’s perfection this very thing was lacking? Is it that every person who has property is thereby deprived of spiritual perfection? How shall we understand this? How shall we imagine the state of the young man and the requirement of the Savior?
The matter is this: The ruler not only had great possessions, but he loved those possessions. The sickness of his soul—the very thing that kept him from perfection—was his attachment to wealth. Otherwise he would certainly have fulfilled the Savior’s requirement; his goodness would have sufficed to give his possessions to the poor, for he loved his neighbor.
Thus, what the Savior requires of the young ruler, though expressed in a particular form, signifies a universal requirement: Renounce that which is dear to thy heart for the sake of thy Lord.
Does the Lord ask too much? Ah! what is there that the Lord has not the right to require of our hearts? All that you have belongs to Him and ought to be consecrated to Him.
Someone will say, “Where shall I find strength for such sacrifices? I am enfeebled by sins.” But who is to blame that you have enfeebled yourself by sins? “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect”—this is said to all. And this will is as good as it is just, for what better thing could a man desire than to draw nearer in perfection to his Lord? Let the sinner grieve that he has lost strength through his own wandering will, yet let him also know that God’s rights over him are not diminished thereby.
All that you have belongs to Him and ought to be consecrated to Him.
It is another matter that God does not require of every person the same special sacrifices. He, the all-wise Knower of hearts, always requires that which He ought to require and which each person could bear according to the state of his soul. Thus He requires of the young man precisely that which he lacked for full perfection and which he could have fulfilled had he overcome himself.To make the labor easier, the Lord sets before him encouragement suited to his soul’s condition. For a young man, riches were dear. The Lord does not take his riches from him, but merely transfers them to a safe place—to heaven. He does not destroy them, but exchanges perishable treasure for imperishable: “and thou shalt have treasure in heaven.”
“Come, follow Me,” adds the Savior. This is not a new requirement, but the old one; only now it is presented from another side, again for the young man’s benefit. Having removed the old garment, one cannot remain naked; having renounced a beloved thing, it is natural to love the better thing for whose sake the former was forsaken; having renounced oneself—one’s will and one’s passion—there remains to follow the Lord.
The Lord does not take his riches from him, but merely transfers them to a safe place—to heaven
The young ruler, accustomed to thinking himself happy because of wealth, did not yet know how to be content without wealth. The Lord sets before him the way to learn this—from His own example and teaching: If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me (Luke 9:23).
What the ruler hears, he had surely never heard from any Jewish teacher, nor read in any pagan philosopher. Thus, lofty is the teaching of the Lord, and yet at the same time utterly simple.
But when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.
How pitiable this is! Only one single step remained for him to reach the higher perfection—and the good young ruler grieves and refuses to take this step. He had kept all the commandments from his youth, yet he will not fulfill this one, the greatest of them. The mere thought that he must be deprived of all his possessions so weighed down his heart that he could not bring himself to obey the will of the Lord.
Such, brethren, is the meaning of your passions! As long as nothing is asked of us that touches what is dear to the heart, we imagine ourselves—and appear to others—as good people. But demand that we renounce the idol of the heart, and we cannot take a single step forward. Ask anything you will—only do not ask renunciation of this cherished object, and all will be done. But touch the soul’s idol, and everything changes. How painful it is to behold a Christian soul, a soul desiring its own good, yet entangled in the net of passion! Covetousness is idolatry, says the Apostle—and this is an evident truth. But say this to a lover of wealth, and he will accuse you. “Is it not enough,” he will answer, “that I am not a drunkard, that I harm no one, that I have done much for the public good, have served in this or that position? What more do they want from me?”
Here is why losses are so bitter for us! Here is why we faint under the chastening hand of God! The Lord, knowing our illnesses, our hidden passions—those that we ourselves sometimes do not notice—takes from us that which nourished a particular sickness of the soul, which fed our passion. We ought to give thanks to the Physician of our souls. But instead, we murmur.
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.
The Savior says this not concerning the final lot of the good young ruler, for his fate is unknown. It may be that his sorrow, his struggle with himself, turned into the sorrow of repentance, and that his life was changed.
“And Jesus looked round about,” says St. Mark, “and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!” (Mark 10:23).
That is, the Lord turned His judging gaze upon others with the same disposition of heart and declared that it is exceedingly difficult for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God—more difficult than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle.
The Savior says this not concerning the final lot of the good young ruler, for his fate is unknown
And the disciples were astonished at his words. Even the sincerest disciples, not yet enlightened by the grace of the Spirit into the mysteries of the spiritual life, were amazed, indeed, frightened, by the Lord’s sentence concerning the rich.
But Jesus, answering again, said unto them: Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! (Mark 10:24). Here, instead of “they that have riches,” it is said, they that trust in riches. Thus, the Savior is speaking not simply of those who possess wealth, but of those who place their hope in wealth—those whose whole expectation, whose whole joy, lies in riches.
Yes, one may possess very little and yet inwardly yearn for much; one may be utterly poor and yet harbor a burning thirst for money, placing all hope for life in money. And to such a one it will also be said, as to the rich man, that it is hard to enter the Kingdom— as hard as it is for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle.
Even more easily, brethren, does a person become attached to wealth when he actually possesses it, for rarely do the rich part with their riches without sorrow. Remember—who were the chosen disciples of the Lord? Poor fishermen. Who were the disciples of the apostles? Not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, testifies the Apostle (1 Cor. 1:26). Among the martyrs, who freely gave their lives for the Lord, how many rich men do we see? How many powerful or honored persons? Not many!
He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful (Matt. 13:22). The seductive advantages of wealth, the cares and anxieties that follow it, choke the good desires of the soul. And how much evil does alluring wealth bring into the heart! How much injustice is committed for the sake of acquiring riches! Lies and deceit, envy and hatred—these succeed one another in the soul, and there is neither place nor time for good deeds. And the more they acquire, the more they thirst to acquire—thus further burdening the soul with sins. This is why the Evangelist simply says: How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God. And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved? But He said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God (cf. Luke 18:26–27)
According to the Evangelist Matthew (Matt. 19:25), it was the apostles who asked this of the Lord, and St. Mark likewise relates: And the disciples were astonished at his words… and they were astonished out of measure (Mark 10:24–26). What was it that caused the apostles to be terrified and to ask, Who then can be saved? The apostles themselves were poor; one would think they had nothing to fear on account of the Lord’s fearful judgment concerning the rich. But the apostles reasoned that if the entrance into the Kingdom is so narrow, if one must renounce everything in order to enter it, then it is hard to find even a poor man who does not possess something that might hinder him from entering. They were frightened by the very thought of the greatness of the sacrifices required for the heavenly Kingdom. To renounce all things!—they thought—how heavy, how strange this sounds! Thus the apostles thought while their minds and hearts were not yet purified and enlightened by the Comforter, the Holy Spirit.
And Jesus looking upon them saith… The Lord perceived their thoughts and by His gentle gaze calmed their troubled hearts: With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible (Matt. 19:26, KJV).
They were frightened by the very thought of the greatness of the sacrifices required for the heavenly Kingdom
What frail man cannot accomplish of himself—man weakened by sin, enfeebled by evil habits—the power of God can accomplish within him. He cannot deliver himself from spiritual blindness so as to see clearly his sins and weaknesses; he cannot overcome the infirmity of his will so as to enter with full faith into the struggle of self-denial and persevere unto the end. Whoever this man may be—rich or poor, learned or unlearned—it is impossible for him, by himself, to attain spiritual perfection. But what is impossible for man is possible for God. Let the weak man turn with prayer to the Almighty, and the Almighty, in His goodness, will give him all things needful; the power of God will strengthen him for the battle with the passions. Let him cast his infirmities before the Lord, despairing of himself; “God is faithful.” Help will be sent. The Lord assures us with an oath that He hath no pleasure in the death of the wicked, and is ready to grant everything necessary for our salvation.
Brethren! let us not forget the good qualities of the young ruler, and let us not forget also that which his riches did not permit him to attain.
Amen.
