This narrative is derived from the parable of the Rich Young Man found in the Gospels of Mark, Matthew, and Luke.
As I was getting ready to leave, a man rushed up to me, kneeled down, and asked, “Good teacher, you are basically good and morally perfect; what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
I asked him,
“Why do you think I am good? God is the only one who is fundamentally good. However, if you want to have eternal life, you must obey the commands of the law.”
“Which ones?” the man sought to know.
You know these commandments: “Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not testify falsely, do not defraud, do not tell lies about others, respect your father and mother, and love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.”
He answered, “I have carefully kept all these commandments since I was a child. What else do I need?”
I felt a lot of respect and compassion for him when I looked at him.
I told him, “If you want to be perfect, sell everything you own. Give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven.
Then come and follow Me by becoming My disciple, having faith in Me, and taking the same path I take.”
But what I said made the man sad, and he left crying because he valued his property and possessions more than his relationship with God. He didn’t want to do what I asked.
As I looked around, I told my disciples, “It will be very hard for rich people who cling to their wealth and status as safety to enter the kingdom of God!”
They were shocked and confused by what I had said.
But I said to them again,
“Children, how difficult it is for those who place their hope and confidence in riches to enter the kingdom of God!
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.”
They were completely and utterly astonished and asked me,
“Then who can be saved?”
Looking at them, I said,
“With people, it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”
Peter began saying to me,
“Look, we have given up everything and followed You, becoming Your disciples and accepting You as Teacher and Lord. What will we have?”
So I said to them,
“When the time of the new world comes, the Son of Man will sit on his great and glorious throne. And I can promise that you who followed me will sit on twelve thrones, and you will judge the twelve tribes of Israel. Everyone who has left houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children, or farms to follow me will get a hundred times more than they left.
And they will have eternal life.
And many who are last now will be first in the future.”
Amen
The Parable of the Rich Young Man
The story emphasizes that eternal life cannot be earned through wealth or strict adherence to commandments alone but requires a deeper commitment to following Jesus and placing trust in God. The rich young man’s sorrowful departure underscores the difficulty many face in letting go of material possessions to fully embrace a spiritual path.
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