This story is sad, but is so beautiful because Jesus always lays out the truth for us. He could have easily been like, "it doesn't matter, you would not choose me anyways"! but instead, he was there with open arms saying exactly what this young man needed to do.
I wanted to contrast this story with the story of the jailer in Acts 16:25-34. Essentially what happened is Paul and Silas were in jail and an earthquake broke open all the doors and their chains were off as well. The jailer thought everyone escaped but they were all there still! During this time, if you lost prisoners, you'd be killed so he was about to kill himself when Paul cries out and tells him that they are all here! The jailer was in shock and was trembling with fear...he was probably confused because any reasonable person would flee from the jail once unshackled and doors wide open! And then, the beautiful question comes, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" And they say, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household". The jailer and his family believed and got baptized!
Some people will look at the story of the young rich man and be like, "Oh, he had it all wrong because there is nothing we can do to earn salvation". Yes, that is true, but the jailer asked the same question...he asked what must he do. In the end, I agree with the general point people are getting at when they said he had it all wrong. The young rich man's heart was not in the right place. He wanted to inherit eternal life, he did not want Jesus. He essentially just wanted to expand his riches by having riches now and later. And Jesus knew this and attacked his heart when he asked the young man to give up all his possessions and follow him. In contrast, the jailer's heart was in the right place. He reached the point of brokenness and realized that he needed saving. He realized that these people are different and wanted to be a part of it! Instead of telling him to give up all his possessions, they say, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." This sounds a little bit more appealing than, "go, sell all that you have" doesn't it? All you have to do is believe! But, (correct me if I'm wrong) Christians were being severely persecuted at the time. Living as a Christian or even having that label back then could mean stoning, death, and just general suffering and I'm sure this jailer knew that. When you think about it, it was probably just as appealing as "go, sell all that you have!" Both statements require uttermost faith and trust in God and not in ourselves! John 3:30 says, "He must increase, but I must decrease" and that is what is happening here! The jailer understood this, but the young rich man did not. In both cases, the men wanted to know what to do to be saved. In both, they were shown the way, but in the end, one did not realize the eternal value of believing in Jesus whereas the other one did.
For those who are reading this, I wanted to encourage you to hold fast to your salvation because it is the greatest gift ever! It is the reason Jesus came to this earth...he came to die for us so that we could receive salvation freely if we just believed in Him! If you do not have this gift, I pray that you will not be like the young rich man, but be willing to give up temporary pleasures of this world for eternal glory and treasures with Jesus.
Father, thank you for your son. I am a sinner yet you love me. I pray for everyone who is reading this, that you would continually work in their hearts. Remind them of why you came, and what your purpose was. You literally came to die for us. You took on our sin so that we could be made righteous. It's so beautiful and we deserve nothing of it! Thank you for your grace and for your mercy. I pray that we would take this gift you have given us with thanksgiving. I pray that you would continue to deepen our relationship with you daily and that we would continue to have a desire for you more and more. Soften our hearts of stone that we may be perceptive to your Spirit working and teaching us new things. I pray that we may glorify you in all that we do, in Jesus' name, Amen.
