SCRIPTURE
Matthew 19:16-22
And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 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.” 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, Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” 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.” When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
LANGUAGE
Vs 16 good deed - ἀγαθός agathos; a primary word; “good” (in any sense, often as noun): — benefit, good(-s, things), well. Good, good thing, that which is good, the thing which is good, well, benefit, of good constitution or nature; useful, salutary; good, pleasant, agreeable, joyful, happy; excellent, distinguished; upright, honourable
COMMENT
First, a comment about something I read in a commentary once. What if this unidentified young man in the story was someday to become the apostle Paul? It does make for an interesting thought while trying to understand this story.
So many interesting details are embedded in this story, but I want to focus on what I see as the main idea. I see the main idea as Jesus teaching true repentance. I see that idea in a lot of what Jesus teaches, starting with the Sermon on the Mount. What we seem to have here is a young man who is "perfect" in his observance of the law, and yet perhaps sees that that still might not be enough to secure his place in heaven for eternity. He is correct, but Jesus, knowing his understanding of religion, needs to guide him to a different way of thinking. The question the man asks is, "What good thing must I do to have eternal life?" I presume his thinking is that their is some tangible act that he can perform that will tip the scales of balance assuredly in his favor. Wouldn't we all want that? But rather than give him a direct answer, Jesus focuses on the phrase, "good deed." Another way to think about this, and perhaps with better understanding of what the man was truly asking is, "What distinguished act can I perform that will set me apart in the eyes of God (and therefore others as well) that will assure my salvation?" Jesus needs to address this idea of "good." Since even our righteous acts are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6), Jesus makes it clear that only God is good in this sense. Then He goes on to say, "If you would enter life, keep the commandments."
What? Jesus advice here is to follow the law, to do the very thing this young man already believes? Understand, that Jesus is still trying to convince this man that this path is still a vain one. The man responds, asking Jesus, "Which ones?" Seems as though the young man understands the difficulty, if not the impossibility of keeping them all, so in effect he seems to be saying, "Which ones do I really have to keep, because no one could keep them all." So Jesus plays along, and gives him so to follow. Great, the man must be thinking, I am good here and have kept all these. But surely there is still something missing, so he asks his final question, "What do I still lack?" The answer Jesus gives is mind-blowing, not just for this man, but for about everyone who has heard it since. "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." What? Everything? That's too much, I can't... and he walks away in sorrow, because he had a lot of possessions.
Where was Jesus leading this man? I believe that He was leading him to an understanding that the law was not enough. That no matter what this man did, he would not appear perfect before God. But since this is also recorded in Scripture, what is He saying to us? Must I sell the house and car, take out the retirement plans and distribute them to the poor? I have heard some say, "Well, you just have to be willing to do that." Really? And I suppose I just have to be willing to pick up my cross and carry it? I think that line of reasoning just seeks to do the very thing the young man in the story is trying to do, justify our behavior, justify a lack of true perfection and obedience.
The truth of the matter is that no one can meet this level of perfection. I believe this is the truth that Jesus is trying to convey here. Notice Jesus does not just say give it all away, He also says "come, follow me." That is where the needs get met. That is where perfection is given. That is what I believe is the true main idea of this story, repentance. Not just the turning away from sin, but the turning to Jesus. You can't give away everything and live. For is you follow that logic to the extreme, you could not ever eat or even drink again. For if someone gave you some food or drink, you would be obligated to give that to someone else before meeting your own needs. But in repentance, we turn from what we have and depend on Jesus to provide. Maybe then we sell that house, or at least downsize so that others may be taken care of too. Or we trade for a cheaper car, or eat Ramen noodles instead of caviar and lobster. We take on a mind that is transformed, and it is no longer about us, it is about Jesus. In other words, we repent.
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