Luke 18:18-27

Luke 18:18-27 A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good — except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’” “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said. When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, 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.” Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus replied, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.”

This man in this account was not only wealthy in property and money, he was also spiritually wealthy. He kept the commandments because he revered God: All these I have kept since I was a boy. However, Jesus said, You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. This is something the rich man could not do. He loved God, but he could not give up his wealth, his identity and position in the community, to follow Jesus. He readily obeyed the commandments, but he could not sacrifice his wealthy lifestyle for the Lord. How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God. On the other hand, the poor can more readily give up what little they possess to follow Jesus. The poor have little to lose and much to gain by following him.

Throughout the ages, many Christians have zealously followed Jesus by obeying the commandments and by giving up their wealth. Many of them have taken an oath of poverty, relying on God to take care of them by emulating the apostles' lifestyle: we have left all we had to follow you. Today, some religious communities view a lifestyle of poverty as ideal, exceptionally pleasing to God. Sometimes Christians who want to find favor with God try to fulfill the above scripture by not only following the Bible and its commandments, but also by living a life totally committed to God including giving up their personal wealth to the poor. Is this good? Yes and no. Jesus said, No one is good — except God alone. No one is completely like God regardless of commitment or lifestyle. Humans fall far short of God's perfection, and outside of Christ, all imperfection will be judged harshly. NOTHING IN ALL CREATION IS HIDDEN FROM GOD'S SIGHT. EVERYTHING IS UNCOVERED AND LAID BARE BEFORE THE EYES OF HIM TO WHOM WE MUST GIVE ACCOUNT. (Hebrews 4:13) Yes, it is good to commit to God wholeheartedly, but this does not cause us to be righteous or good. We are only good through Jesus Christ our Lord and his sacrifice for sin.

Some cults keep track of the good works people do within their community. They keep track so they can establish a hierarchy of leadership and honor. Those who do more good works are rewarded with more authority and praise within the group. Those who do less fulfill lesser roles. Of course, the wealthy and gifted can contribute much to any organization; therefore, these cults consider them more holy and important than those who contribute less. Even though she gave her all, the widow who gave two very small copper coins would not be considered important in those groups. But this is not God's plan of salvation; we are important and worthy only through Jesus Christ.

Jesus says, no man is good; no man can pass God's righteous test of perfection. Regardless of how many commandments we follow or how much money we give to the poor, we will be found wanting in God's presence if we think we can buy our way into the Father's kingdom. Entering into the presence of God depends on God's work, not ours. Jesus said, What is impossible with men is possible with God. Through Jesus Christ, God makes us acceptable and rich in good works, for Jesus our Savior is THE GOOD WORK, THE PERFECT WORK. As his ambassadors, his instruments of glory, there are signs following our lives, but He receives the glory. In God's salvation plan, He wants to use us whether we are rich or poor in the world's sight. Jesus was buried in the tomb of a generous rich man. In Acts, Peter ministers to Cornelius, a centurion, a pious rich man. He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. (Acts 10:2) God uses rich and poor because He does not look at our wealth but our hearts and whether we are willing to let the Holy Spirit lead us as we serve God. The rich man did not have to go away sad; he could have said, "Yes, I will follow you. I will be your servant and do whatever you say." This is true of us today: with gladness and joy we should listen to and obey the Spirit's still small voice.