A Youth’s Call to Surrender:
The story of the religious rich young ruler (Matthew 19:16-22; Mark 10:17-22; Luke 18:18-23) serves as a poignant reminder of the cost of discipleship and the dangers of prioritizing wealth and leadership over a personal relationship with God.
A Missed Opportunity for Discipleship
This young man, a ruler of a synagogue, came to Jesus asking how he might inherit eternal life. Jesus, in His love and wisdom, revealed to him the one thing that hindered his heart: the lust for money. Jesus said to him, “Go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me” (Mark 10:21).
In that moment, Jesus was not merely offering a solution to the man’s attachment to wealth. He was extending an invitation to discipleship—a personal, transformative relationship with Him. Jesus also created an opportunity for the young man to resign from the unfruitful leadership position he held, which had likely contributed to his hypocrisy. Despite his outward religiosity, this ruler lacked the eternal life he sought.
A Tragic Refusal to Surrender
The rich young ruler had been captured by God early in his life, while still in his youth. But instead of surrendering to the call of discipleship, he clung to his riches and leadership position. Blinded by his attachment to material wealth and the prestige of his role, he walked away sorrowfully, choosing the temporal over the eternal. His refusal illustrates the danger of valuing possessions and titles above a relationship with God.
Regrettably, many churches today, seeing his wealth, youth, and religiosity, would welcome him as a member without addressing his spiritual emptiness. Instead of guiding him to surrender his riches and confront his heart’s bondage to greed, they might focus on his financial contributions, failing to discern his deeper need for transformation due to spiritual blindness.
The Cost of Discipleship
Jesus’ call to the rich young ruler highlights an essential truth for all believers: discipleship requires surrender. It is not about adding God to our existing life of comfort and self-sufficiency; it is about yielding everything—our possessions, ambitions, and positions—to follow Him wholeheartedly. Jesus Himself said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23).
Lessons from the Rich Young Ruler
- Eternal Life Is Found in Christ Alone: The young ruler sought eternal life through good deeds, but Jesus pointed him to Himself as the true source of life. Eternal life is not earned but received through a surrendered relationship with Christ.
- Leadership Without Discipleship Is Hollow: Leadership roles, no matter how religious or prestigious, cannot substitute for a personal relationship with God. The young ruler’s position as a synagogue leader gave him outward respectability but left him spiritually empty.
- Surrender Unlocks True Treasure: Jesus offered the young man treasure in heaven, far surpassing the riches he held tightly. Yet, he could not see beyond his earthly wealth to the eternal reward Jesus promised.
A Call to Respond
The story of the rich young ruler is a call to surrender. It challenges us to examine our own lives: what are we holding onto that hinders us from fully following Jesus? Are we clinging to possessions, titles, or positions that prevent us from entering into a deeper discipleship relationship with Him?
Jesus lovingly invites each of us to “come, follow Me.” It is a call to lay down our self-will, worldly attachments, and reliance on temporal achievements, and to embrace the life of discipleship that leads to eternal treasure. Let us not walk away sorrowfully like the young ruler but instead respond with faith and surrender, trusting that in Christ, we find all that we truly need.
Prayer
Lord, may we never miss Your invitation to discipleship because of the lure of riches or worldly attachments. Help us to recognize the privilege of following You and to surrender wholeheartedly at every opportunity. Amen.
