Matthew 19:16

The Rich Young Man

16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

Jesus met this young man where he lived, in the law. The young man agreed with Jesus and said he had kept the law. Then Jesus said something profoundly different. “If you would be perfect!”

Keeping the law does not make one perfect, it only makes us law abiding.

Jesus then exposed the young man’s heart. He had things he felt he could not lose and be content.

Matthew 16:26

For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

What the man asked of Jesus was eternal life based on good deeds. Eternal life is not granted based on good deeds. The young man’s question itself was flawed.

Matthew 23:23

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.

There is the letter of the law and then again the spirit of the law. What are the terms and conditions of the law, to obey both the letter and spirit of the law. What is the spirit of the law?

Romans 8:3  8:4

For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

1 Timothy 6:10

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

Some translations say all evil, some say all sin.The version you read does matter, you cannot love something that cannot love you back.

Disney made a laughing stock of Scrooge McDuck when we would enter his vault and swim in his gold coins. That’s just silly.

Perhaps a better way of looking at it is in the word craving. That is linked to appetite and then we might look at how we spend our money. Some crave attention and they spend their money trying to be noticed. How they do that differs, fast cars, big houses, fancy clothes, and trophies of all sorts. Today’s youth want likes, and views from an unseen mob they don’t even know.

Craving power is also a popular concept. Influence peddlers abound and take on many forms. It is not limited to governments, politicians and media outlets. Those with the most sinister need for power will often keep their pool of victims small to go unnoticed for as long as possible.

Whole industries prey on the weakness of the human condition. How many dietary supplements have we seen lately on the telly? They hire who they consider trustworthy to promote their product in order to increase their sales. Beauty products play to vanity and that is a billion dollar industry.

Limited time offer. Inventory is going fast. Only two per customer. Buy one now and get the second one at half price. Sound familiar?

Let me make you an offer that is free.

Isaiah 55:1

Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

John 6:35

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

It is free to you because Jesus paid for it with His life.