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Matthew 19:16-30 (The rich young man)

INTRODUCTION: Our message series is called “Jesus, the Master Teacher,” and we are looking at a series of Jesus’ teachings from Matthew 18-20. Today we come to Jesus’ teaching about riches and the kingdom of God. (Read Matthew 19:23-26 and pray.)

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Last week we looked at Jesus’ teaching on marriage in verses 1-12, and today we come to Jesus’s teaching about money in verses 16-30. You may wonder why we are skipping over the section on Jesus and the little children in verses 13-15. That’s because we already covered these verses when we looked at Jesus’ other teaching about children in Matthew 18:1-5.

But it is interesting to see how these verses fit into the context of our present chapter now that we are here. His teaching on children in verses 13-15 naturally follows his teaching on marriage in verses 1-12. And the children in verses 13-15 create a clear contrast to the rich young man in the following passage. Jesus says that the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as the little children. (Matthew 19:14) But Jesus says it is hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Each of Jesus’ teachings in Matthew 18-20 are prompted by various occasions or questions that people bring to Jesus. Today’s teaching is prompted by the rich young man asking Jesus, “What must I do to get eternal life?” It’s an important question and one that we should all be asking. So, let’s listen in as Jesus talks first with the rich young man and then with his disciples about money, wealth and what we must do to be saved.

I. Jesus and the rich young man (16-22)

Our passage begins with Jesus and the rich young man. This young man has a lot going for him. He addresses Jesus as “Teacher.” He seems sincere in his questioning. The gospel of Mark tells us that Jesus loved him. (Mark 10:21) He certainly comes to the right person for answers.

But he has some misconceptions about salvation and how a person obtains eternal life. And so, Jesus needs to teach him, even as he needs to teach us, about what it means to follow Christ and go to heaven.

   A. Only God is good (16-17a)
      – Romans 3:10-12

The first thing Jesus needs to teach him is that only God is good. Look at verses 16-17:

Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” 17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good.” (Matthew 19:16-17)

This young man is clearly interested in spiritual matters, which is a good thing. He wants to live right. He wants to do good. He wants to go to heaven. He’s just not sure how to get there.

But his question shows he was basing his salvation on good works. He asks Jesus, “What good thing must I do?” For him it was all about doing. He was probably looking for one big, radical thing he could do that would assure him of eternal life, one grand gesture that would guarantee his place in heaven. So, he asks Jesus, “What good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

Jesus answers his question with another question. Jesus replies, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only One who is good.” Jesus is clearly speaking about God here. He is reminding him that only God is truly good.

Now Jesus is also good because Jesus is God, but he’s just trying to get this young man to think here, because there’s a big difference between doing good and being good. The young man asked about doing good: “What good thing must I do?” Jesus points him to God who is good, because you can’t truly do good unless you are good.

And that’s our problem with trying to do good things to get into heaven. Only God is good, which means we can’t do good without God. We read in Romans 3: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God…. there is no one who does good, not even one.” (Romans 3:10-12) There is no one righteous, that is, there is no one who is good. Therefore, there is no one who does good, not even one!

The young man asked Jesus, “What good thing must I do to get eternal life?” But it was the wrong question. Only God is good, and so there is no good thing we can do to enter heaven.

   B. If you obey the commandments, you will live (17b-19)
      – Leviticus 18:5, 19:18

But the young man is focused on doing good, so Jesus directs his attention next to God’s commandments. Look at verses 17-19 where Jesus tells him:

“If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.” 18 “Which ones?” the man inquired. Jesus replied, “‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, 19 honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 19:17-19)

“If you want to enter life,” Jesus says, “obey the commandments.” Jesus’ words here are straight out of the Old Testament where God said in Leviticus 18:5: “Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. I am the LORD.” (Leviticus 18:5) Jesus says, “Do you want to live? Do you want to enter life? Obey the commandments.”

When the young man asks Jesus which ones, Jesus focuses especially on the second part of the Ten Commandments which tells us how we should treat other people: do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother. But then he adds an additional commandment from Leviticus 19:18 where God said: “Love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.” (Leviticus 19:18)

The young man was looking for one big, radical thing he could do to ensure his entrance into heaven. He wanted to get it done all at once. Jesus instead directs him to the lifelong task of keeping God’s commandments. If you obey the commandments, you will live.

   C. The problem: None of us obey the commandments (20-22)
      – Ecclesiastes 7:20; Acts 16:31

Which is great except for one thing: none of us obey the commandments! We might think we do, but we don’t. A lot of times if you ask someone if they are going to heaven, they will say sure. If you ask them why, they will say because they keep the Ten Commandments. But then you ask them what the Ten Commandments are, and they can’t tell you. Keeping the commandments is the whole reason they think they are going to heaven, but they don’t even know what they are!

This young man was like a lot of us, except I bet he could tell you all of the Ten Commandments – in order, from memory, without hesitation. Look at verses 20-22:

“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. (Matthew 19:20-22)

The young man knew the commandments, and as far as he could tell, he had kept them. So, Jesus has to dig deeper under the surface to show this man how much he really needs God. So, Jesus tells him to sell it all. He tells him, “Sell everything you have, give it to the poor, and follow me.”

Now if Jesus had simply asked him to make a large donation, he probably would have done it. And felt proud of it. And felt that he deserved eternal life because of it. So, Jesus doesn’t ask for a donation. He asks for total surrender. Jesus asks for all of it, because he knows that it’s not just a matter of money but of the heart. This man’s heart is attached to his wealth, and until he becomes unattached, he can never follow Jesus.

It’s not the “giving away the money” part that will save him. It’s the “following Jesus” part. The young man asked Jesus for one thing he could do – one and done. Jesus said, “It doesn’t work that way. Come, follow me.” But first, Jesus pointed out the one thing that stood in his way.

Now we know why Jesus included the commandment, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” This man did not truly love his neighbor as himself, or he would want his neighbor to have what he had rather than keep it for himself. Jesus diagnosed the young man’s problem correctly. Sadly, the young man turned away because money was more important to him than Jesus.

Verse 22 is one of the saddest, most ironic verses in the Bible: “He went away sad, because he had great wealth.” That’s something you don’t hear every day, someone walking away sad because they have so much money. It’s like a person who is sad because they won the lottery, or sad because they got their government stimulus check, or sad because they received an unexpected inheritance. We usually associate great wealth with great joy. But this man was sad because of his great wealth.

This was the time for the young man to fall on his knees before Jesus and say, “I can’t do that. I can’t sell everything I have. I can’t love my neighbor as myself. I can’t keep the commandments. Help me! Save me!” And you know what? Jesus would have. Jesus would have saved him. But the man chose his money over Jesus and went away sad rather than saved.

Now, it’s important to note that this is not a universal command for all Christians. Jesus doesn’t ask all of us to sell all that we have and give to the poor. We know Jesus had other followers who were wealthy, and Jesus did not ask them to give it all away. No, this was a specific command for this young man, similar to when God asked Abraham to give up his son, Isaac.

So, Jesus doesn’t ask all of us to sell everything. But God does call you to surrender all that you have for Christ and his kingdom, and if that means selling everything and giving to the poor, so be it. We must be willing to follow Christ wherever he leads us. And there is still a word for us in Jesus’ command here that we should share the good things God has given to us with those who are in need.

But Jesus’ main command here is not so much, “Give it all away,” but rather, “Come, follow me.” Jesus knew that this young man could never follow him unless he first let go of his wealth. And so, Jesus put his finger on the precise thing that was keeping him from following Jesus.

What is your one thing? What is keeping you from following Jesus today? It could be money, pride, status, fame or popularity. It could be a specific relationship. It could be a pattern of living that you are not willing to let go. What are you choosing over Jesus? What is making you walk away sad today rather than embracing Jesus and the free gift of eternal life?

The young man wanted to know what good thing he could do to obtain eternal life. But there is no good thing you can do, because only God is good. Ecclesiastes 7:20 says: “There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins.” (Ecclesiastes 7:20) Yes, Jesus said if you obey the commandments you will live. But none of us obey the commandments.

So, what must you do to be saved? You must put your faith in Jesus. Acts 16:31 says: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:31) Do you want to enter eternal life? You must trust Jesus who died on the cross for your sins if you want to be saved.

II. Rich persons and the kingdom of God (23-26)

So, that’s Jesus and the rich young man. But let’s move on, because Jesus now uses this occasion to teach us about rich persons and the kingdom of God.

   A. It’s hard for the rich to enter God’s kingdom (23-24)
      – 1 Timothy 6:9-10

Back to Matthew 19, look at verses 23-24:

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell 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.” (Matthew 19:23-24)

In those days wealth was viewed as a sign of favor from God, but Jesus turns things around by talking about how hard it is for the rich to enter God’s kingdom. Well, how hard is it? Not just a little hard. Not just “you’ve really got to work at it” hard. No, Jesus says it is on the “impossibility scale” of hard for the rich to enter God’s kingdom.

He says 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. The camel was the largest animal found in Israel at that time. The eye of the needle was the smallest of openings. Plus, the camel has all those humps that get in the way, too. Jesus takes the largest animal and the smallest of openings and says it is easier for a camel to go through the needle’s eye than for the rich to enter God’s kingdom.

You might wonder, well, who are the rich? Jesus doesn’t say. He doesn’t give a number. You and I are rich compared to those around the world who have very little. But Jesus doesn’t give a number, because it’s not so much a matter of what you have but rather your attitude towards what you have.

You don’t have to be rich for money to be a snare. Even the desire to be rich can keep someone from Christ. We read in 1 Timothy 6: “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1 Timothy 6:9-10)

The Bible’s teaching is clear. Whether you are actually wealthy or just want to be wealthy, money can be an obstacle to faith. It doesn’t have to be. There are many rich people who love God and serve God and give generously to God’s kingdom. Money is not the root of all evil. It’s the love of money that’s the root of all evil.

But that’s the problem, isn’t it? Most of us love money! That was the rich young man’s problem. He loved his money more than Jesus. And so, Jesus told his disciples it’s hard for a rich man to enter God’s kingdom. 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.

   B. Only God can save (25-26)
      – John 14:6; Acts 4:12

Back to Matthew 19, now look at verses 25-26:

When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” 26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:25-26)

The disciples are shocked at Jesus’ statement because they (along with everyone else) were used to viewing wealth as a sign of God’s blessing or approval. And if it’s impossible for a person whom God has blessed to go to heaven, then how can anyone be saved?

Jesus says, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” In other words, only God can save. We can’t save ourselves. If the rich being saved is like a camel going through a needle’s eye, for the rest of us it’s still like a horse or a zebra trying to go through the needle’s eye. We can’t do it. It’s impossible to save ourselves. But with God all things are possible. Every time a person is saved it is a direct miracle from God.

Only God can save. And the Bible tells us that God only saves through his Son, Jesus Christ. We read in Acts 4:12: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) Rich or poor, great or small – all must enter the kingdom of heaven through Jesus. Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

So, yes, it’s hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. It’s hard for all of us. In fact, it’s impossible apart from God. Only God can save. And God only saves through Jesus.

III. The cost and reward of following Jesus (27-30)

Which brings us to the final section of our passage which focuses on the cost and reward of following Jesus. And here we learn two vital truths. 1) You must give up everything to follow Jesus. And 2) You receive far more from Jesus than you give up for Jesus.

   A. You must give up everything to follow Jesus (27)
      – Matthew 16:24-25

First, you must give up everything to follow Jesus. Look at verse 27 with me now:

Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?” (Matthew 19:27)

Good old foot-in-the-mouth Peter, always the first to speak up. He basically asks Jesus, “We gave up everything for you. What do we get in return?”

Now, to be fair to Peter here, they really did give up everything to follow Christ. When Jesus called the disciples, they left their nets and fishing boats and tax collector booths and families behind. When you’re standing there on the shore with your fishing boats and nets, and Jesus comes along and says, “Follow me,” you have a choice to make. You can stay there with your fishing boats and nets, or you can follow Jesus, but you can’t do both.

It’s the same way with us today. We all have obstacles in our lives that keep us from following Jesus. And we all know what those obstacles are. And so, when Jesus comes along and says, “Follow me,” you have a choice to make. Which will it be? Will you choose whatever it is that is keeping you from following Jesus, or will you choose to follow Christ?

Jesus said in Matthew 16: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” (Matthew 16:24-25) So, that’s the first thing we learn from this final section. You must give up everything to follow Jesus.

   B. You receive far more from Jesus than you give up for Jesus (28-30)

But here’s the best part. You receive far more from Jesus than you give up for Jesus. Look at verses 28-30:

Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.” (Matthew 19:28-30)

Peter stuck his foot in his mouth and asked Jesus, “What do we get?” Amazingly, instead of rebuking him, Jesus answers him with grace. He basically says, “Oh Peter, you can’t believe what you will get! It goes so far beyond what you can ask or imagine, so far beyond anything that you have given up for me. Peter, when this world is over and the new world begins, and the Son of Man is sitting on his throne in glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

Now it is unclear whether Jesus means the twelve disciples will sit on thrones and judge those who rejected Jesus as Messiah or whether they are representative of all believers who will reign with Christ one day.

But either way Jesus goes on and extends his promise of reward to all believers who have sacrificed for Christ. Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for Jesus’ sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.

Aah, eternal life. That’s what the rich young man wanted. That’s what this is all about. The rich young man wanted eternal life, but he wasn’t willing to follow Jesus to get it. So, he lost out on the ultimate reward. And all that money he was unwilling to part with? If he had followed Jesus, he would have received a hundred times as much, and he would have received eternal life.

But as Jesus says at the end of this section, “Many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.” This was one of Jesus’ favorite sayings. Everything gets reversed when it comes to Jesus. In the context of our passage: the little children who had nothing are welcomed by Jesus, while the rich man who had everything walks away. The disciples leave everything for Jesus, and they sit on thrones with Jesus. Those who sacrifice for Christ receive a hundred times as much in return.

Yes, you must give up everything to follow Jesus. But you receive far more from Jesus than you give up for Jesus. And most important of all, when you follow Jesus, you will inherit eternal life.

CONCLUSION: Here’s the bottom line. We cannot save ourselves, because we are not good, and we are not God. Only God is good, and only God can save. If you obey the commandments you will live, but none of us obey the commandments. There is no good thing you can do to be saved. You can only believe in Jesus and receive the free gift of salvation.

Here’s the thing. If you truly believe in Jesus, you will want to follow him. And if you truly want to follow him, you will be willing to leave everything behind. You must give up everything to follow Jesus, including giving up trusting in your own good works to be saved.

Whether you are rich or poor, it’s hard to give up everything for Jesus. Because no matter how much or how little you have, when you give up everything, what do you have left? Nothing! But you always receive far more from Jesus than you give up for Jesus. Jesus says when you follow him you will receive a hundred times what you leave behind and you will inherit eternal life.

So, it all comes down to this. Do you believe Jesus? Do you believe he died on the cross for your sins? Do you believe him when he says you will be better off following him than holding onto whatever it is you are holding on to? Do you believe Jesus? Will you follow him today?

© Ray Fowler

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