On Being the Rich Guy

On Sunday, I preached on the story of the rich young man who asked Jesus, "What good deed must I do to have eternal life?" As I read and prayed through these verses, the thought kept going through my mind: "I am the rich guy."

This guy is beaten up often in sermons because he's rich, but that's really not the problem. Sure he's rich and he likes being rich but that's not the entire reason that he doesn't receive what he's looking for. Truth be told, we like beating him up because he's unwilling to give up his money. Makes me wonder if, maybe part of the reason for that is because we are envious and it makes us feel better about ourselves. See, none of us thinks we're the rich guy, even though every person in the audience on Sunday was more wealthy than 98% of the rest of the world. But I am the rich guy.

Here is a man who is well-known for his upright, principled life. Even the disciples were shocked when this guy went on his way, basically saying to Jesus, "If that guy can't be saved, who can?" Here's a guy who says he kept every single command and Jesus (who did in fact, keep every single command!) doesn't argue with him. This is a good guy.

And that's where his question becomes exactly what so many North American Christians' biggest issue, "What good deed must I do to be saved?" (emphasis mine) We spend so much time focusing on our lifestyle and on doing good stuff that we miss out on what Jesus is saying to this guy. We think that the things we do for God will somehow tip his scales in our favor and so we busy ourselves with doing good deeds. But Jesus said two things to this guy in his final response: (1) let go of the very thing in which you find your security; and (2) follow me instead.

We find our security in all sorts of different areas. Maybe our jobs, or our families, or our friendship circles, or our education/degree, or our accomplishments, or even our church and religious acts. For this guy, it just happened to be his abundant wealth, but we all are less than willing to let go of certain things to which we hold dear. The other thing that Jesus told this man (which curiously gets overshadowed by his 'give to the poor' comment) was to follow him. To experience the fullness of life that Jesus promises and which he brings, we simply follow him. Do what he did and be what he was.

When we abandon everything to follow him, then we're not so rich anymore. Although, Jesus wraps up this encounter in telling his disciples the following paradox: "And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last and the last first." So, I guess, when we abandon everything to follow him, then we're richer!