Carrying the Cross – The rich young ruler

Matt 19:16-22
Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”
So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
He said to Him, “Which ones?”
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 your mother,’and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”
The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?”
Jesus 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.”
But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.


1. The Rich Young Ruler
- The young man was probably a magistrate or a justice of peace holding authority to make important judgments
- The capability of the man is probably beyond his years, that is why Scripture describe him as ‘Young Rich Ruler’ not just as a just ‘rich ruler’
- He has good knowledge of the Holy Scriptures and seems to be conscientious about obeying them
- Acknowledges the authority of Christ by addressing Him as Good Teacher or Good Master, thus putting himself under the tutorship of One greater, perhaps even recognizing that Jesus authority is from Heaven as did Nicodemus

2. Misplaced importance
- He is obviously not a Sadducee in believing there is eternal life
- Also he knows of the greater blessing of a heavenly life. How much of us would have the desire like this man to look forward to eternal life, not merely concern for the current. He does have a good sense to believe for the eternal, especially being young in age
- Jesus answered him kindly and ensures that before He answers the quest for eternal life with the certainty the answer is from God Himself. Therefore finalizing the truth that Jesus’ answer is not of some human philosophy but instead carries the eternal worth of Heaven
- ‘Keep the commandments’: Obedience inevitably leads to eternal life as did Jesus submitting His will to the Father at the garden of Gethsemane. Because obedience to the Word of God shows our love for Jesus (John 14:15, 14:6)
- For also we have had the gospel preached, as well as them. But the Word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. For we who have believed do enter into the rest, as He said, "I have sworn in My wrath that they should not enter into My rest;" although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
(Heb 4:2-3)
The obedience to the Word comes with faith to believe thus entering into rest
- However the man didn’t believe the whole council of God to obey all thereof. The danger of believing in what we want to believe will not lead us into rest (the man only obeyed the doing of the 10 commandments) forsaking the BEING which is our love for God and being loved by Him.
- ‘If you want to be perfect, go, …’ this means that the inheritance of eternal is on our ball court. It’s the matter of how much we want eternal life. Matt 6:19-21

3. Taking up the cross
Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
(Mar 10:21)

- What then is our initiative but to take up the cross?
- Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
(Mat 16:24)
- The cross is our own cross, not crosses, meaning it’s ours to bear. None referring to bearing each other’s cross. The commandment to carry the cross is given out of love, not anger nor punishment, it is because He wants us to bear that and from that bring us to the place for reward with the treasures of Heaven
- What then is our cross (the reproach we are to bear for our pilgrimage of discipleship)? Matt 5:10-12. What then is the evidence of our life – righteousness!
- And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us.
(Deu 6:25)
- The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness: according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
(2Sa 22:21)
- Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee hungry, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
(Mat 25:44-46)
- God has called us to Righteousness as He did with Abraham and all the men and women of faith in the Bible. It is because we are ambassadors of Christ (2 Cor 5:20) that our representation will be true to the God Whom we believe
- The church will suffer because of the issue of Righteousness, for the where God’s righteousness is, there is the revealing of the Light of God which then reveals sin
- Taking the cross is not about reduction of things, for things will eventually loose its value. But really
He must increase, but I must decrease.
(Joh 3:30). Meaning that the greatness of Christ increasing in our life is becoming a ‘must’ not an option thus our intrinsic value becomes more Christ-like than having the form or shape of our character. Ourselves then become diminished and Christ becomes pre-eminent is our character, behavior, thought pattern, value, etc. It is an all encompassing transfiguration that takes place from the time we are saved. It’s called the process of sanctification. If it’s just the mere reduction of things, than Christians would loose out to the religious who have given themselves to poverty and reproach (bald, barefoot…)

4. Before taking up the cross
Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
(Exo 20:3-7)
- Taking up the cross preceeded following Jesus. Thus begins with the first 3 Commandments to love, honor and putting God 1st.
- God becomes the utmost in our whole life

5. Salvation is the impossible
Matt 19
21 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 . 22 But when the young man heard that saying , he went away sorrowful : for he had great possessions . 23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples , Verily I say unto you , That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven . 24 And again I say unto you , It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle , than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God . 25 When his disciples heard [it], they were exceedingly amazed , saying , Who then can be saved ?

- How then we begin?
But Jesus beheld [them], and said unto them , With men this is impossible ; but with God all things are possible .

Placing our life into our impossiblity means to give up and allow this to be a miracle of God, never by our works. Therefore salvation and subsequently following Christ. The denying of self is to be poor in Spirit, not the literal but in the frame of mind to surrender totally - that begins the following of Christ to inherit His Kingdom!

- Not denying ourselves is than to deny the miracle of God saving us unto a new life.


6. Our new life

Rom 6:
3 Know ye not , that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death ? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death : that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father , even so we also should walk in newness of life.

- Our justification : And since He was "made sin" and "a curse for us" (2Co 5:21; Ga 5:13), "bearing our sins in His own body on the tree," and "rising again for our justification" (Ro 4:25; 1Pe 2:24), our whole sinful case and condition, thus taken up into His Person, has been brought to an end in His death. Whoso, then, has been baptized into Christ's death has formally surrendered the whole state and life of sin, as in Christ a dead thing. He has sealed himself to be not only "the righteousness of God in Him," but "a new creature"; and as he cannot be in Christ to the one effect and not to the other, for they are one thing, he has bidden farewell, by baptism into Christ's death, to his entire connection with sin.
- Into His death: It is not, "By baptism we are buried with Him into death," which makes no sense at all; but, "By baptism with Him into death we are buried with Him"; in other words, "By the same baptism which publicly enters us into His death, we are made partakers of His burial also".
- Rising to glory: that like as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father--that is, by such a forth-putting of the Father's power as was the effulgence of His whole glory. even so we also--as risen to a new life with Him. should walk in newness of life--But what is that "newness?" - Life of holiness, that's where our glory lies.

Rom 6:
21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things [is] death. 22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.

2 Cor 5:17
Therefore if any man [be] in Christ , [he is] a new creature : old things are passed away ; behold , all things are become new .

Because a new life is a ‘creation’, it is therefore an act of God. Similarly salvation is not of us.