The Rich Young Man

In the Bible, there is a story of a wealthy young man that
came and asked Jesus a very important question. “And,
behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, 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. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions” (Matthew 19:16-21).
Did the young man really keep the ten commandments? What is the relationship between keeping the commandments and giving to the poor?
We must look deeper into the meaning of the ten commandments. The first four commandments regard our duty to God, and the last six summarize our duty towards man. Jesus says, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:37-40).
When Jesus said to the young man, “Sell that thou hast and give to the poor,” the man would not comply. Here is were the young man broke the commandments. He had made riches his idol. When his possessions were foremost, he could not possibly love God with all his heart, soul, and mind. The love of riches and the love of Jesus cannot dwell in the same heart. He had broken the first four commandments. The young man’s love of riches had crowded out any compassion towards his neighbor, and therefore, he also broke the last six commandments. God designs that riches should be used properly to help the needy and to advance the work of God.
Sadly, many today would rather gain riches on earth rather than riches in heaven, just like the young man in the story. Let us not make the same mistake. When our eyes are open to the needs of those around us, and we put God first in our lives, we are keeping the commandments. The Bible says, “And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life” (Matthew 19:29). For those who sacrifice for God, the Lord promises to bless us a hundredfold in this life and to give us eternal life. I think the sacrifice is well worth it!
Ly Lan Nguyen
Reference: Testimonies for the Church , Vol. 1, pp. 170-178.