What Do You Treasure Most?
The recent fires in the L.A. area have caused people to lose many things that they valued. Things of great sentimental and financial value have been lost and for most, these things will never be recovered. Ultimately those who lost material things have been forced to assess what they truly value and most have realized they value what can never be lost. In Matthew 19:16-30, Jesus assured His disciples that their sacrifice of what the world values in order to follow Him would be rewarded richly in heaven. And moreover, they will receive eternal life. I pray that we will realize what is truly valuable and will hold on to Jesus above everything else. Amen
Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”
So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
He said to Him, “Which ones?”
Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ Honor your father and your mother,’ and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” (Matthew 19:16-20)
This rich young ruler came to Jesus hoping to justify himself as righteous and to find a way to receive eternal life through his own works. He called Jesus good and asked what good works he needed to do to gain eternal life. Jesus informed him that he would need to keep the law perfectly. Which ones? Jesus said…. all of them!
The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?”
Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. (Matthew 19:21-22)
The rich young ruler claimed that he had in fact met the requirement that Jesus had posed to him as necessary to attain eternal life through his own works. But Jesus put him to the test in order to determine where his heart was and whether he could truly keep the law perfectly. The first of God’s commandments is “you shall have no other gods before me”. And the rich young ruler failed miserably in keeping this commandment. He valued holding on to his wealth more than he valued following God (Jesus). He had made his wealth a god and prioritized it above a commitment to God.
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”
But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:23-26)
Man cannot do what God can do. What is impossible for man to do is completely possible for God to do. It is impossible for us to save ourselves. The rich young ruler found that it was impossible to save himself or anyone else because he fell short of the Law’s requirements and couldn’t keep it perfectly. Jesus point and lesson for His disciples is that only God can save us!
Then Peter answered and said to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?”
So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first. (Matthew 19:27-30)
Peter didn’t grasp the significance of what Jesus was saying. If someone was blessed enough by God to be rich but they couldn’t get into heaven, then what chance did Peter and the other disciples have? Had he given up everything to follow Jesus, only to miss heaven? Jesus assured Peter that his commitment to follow Jesus would not be in vain. To the contrary, Peter and anyone else who followed Jesus and put Him above everyone and everything would be blessed a hundred fold…. And they would inherit eternal life!
When we value anything more than we value God, we have made a choice to sacrifice salvation and eternal life. We cannot gain eternal life by our works. Only God’s grace provides a pathway for our salvation through faith in Jesus. Faith in Jesus and following Him must be our first priority, and the story of the Rich Young Ruler (RYR)emphasizes this truth. This young man who claimed to want to gain eternal life, went away disappointed because he wasn’t willing to give up the hold that the world had on him in order gain the riches in heaven that God had for him. While rich in material wealth, the Rich Young Ruler (RYR) was bereft of wisdom to know what was truly valuable. Like a child who chooses the offer of a nickel over an offer of a dime, he chose poorly. Jesus offers each of us the same choice that He posed to the RYR. What do you treasure most…Jesus offer of salvation and the eternal riches of heaven, or the temporal things of this world?
Blessings, Rev. Glenn
