Context No. 2590 of 4322 · Matthew

Matthew 19:18-22: in context

18He said to him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder.’ ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ‘You shall not steal.’ ‘You shall not offer false testimony.’ 19‘Honor your father and your mother.’ And, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” 20The young man said to him, “All these things I have observed from my youth. What do I still lack?” 21Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he was one who had great possessions.

A rich young man asks Jesus what he must do to have eternal life, and when Jesus lists the commandments, he can say honestly that he has kept them all from his youth. What do I still lack? he asks. Jesus, looking at him, names the one thing: go, sell what you have, give to the poor, and come follow me. And the man, who had many possessions, goes away sad.

He had kept the rules and still walked away grieved, because Jesus put a finger on the one thing that had a grip on him. It was not that wealth is evil, but that his wealth owned him; asked to let it go and follow, he could not. That is the searching part of the story. We can be blameless by the checklist and still have one thing we are quietly clutching, one attachment we would sooner walk away sad than surrender. Jesus loved him enough to name it, because the one thing we cannot give up is usually the very thing that has taken God's place.

What is the one thing I am clutching that I would walk away sad rather than surrender in order to follow Christ?

Sources

Matthew 19:21: If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.
Matthew 19:22: But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he was one who had great possessions.
Matthew 6:21: for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.