The story read as our Scripture Reading this morning is commonly referred to as the story of the Rich Young Ruler. The reason it is called by that title has to do with the fact that it is told in different ways by the first three Gospels of the New Testament. In all three Gospels we are told that this man who came to Jesus was rich. But only in Matthew 19:20 are we told that he was young, and only in Luke 18:18 are we told that he was a ruler. We put it all together and have a memorable title for a memorable story––the story of the Rich Young Ruler.

Let me begin by revealing that I do not intend to cover every item which the story contains. In particular, there is much of significance that can be said about Jesus’ comments concerning the term "good," but I will not address that aspect of the story. To any who want to study those comments, I think a good place to start is with John Nolland’s commentary on Luke in the Word Biblical Commentary series (Luke 9:21-18:34, pages 885-86).

But my purpose this morning is to focus upon the question the young man asked and the message we can receive from the answer Jesus’ gave. So look again at that question. The young man asks, "what must I do to inherit eternal life." My suspicion is that many assume automatically that he is merely asking what he needed to do to go to heaven after the dead are raised. But I doubt that. Why? Look at the story. In all three accounts Jesus responds to the man’s question by directing the ruler’s attention to several commandments from the Old Testament. In Matthew’s account, Jesus lists five of the Ten Commandments plus the commandment found in Leviticus 19:18 which says, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." In Mark’s account, Jesus lists four of the Ten Commandments plus a commandment against fraud which is very similar to the ninth of the Ten Commandments which says, "Do not steal." In Luke’s account, Jesus simply lists five of the Ten Commandments. That variety among the accounts suggests to me that the point of Jesus’ list here is to direct the rich young ruler’s attention to commandments which were central to the will of God. In other words, Jesus is simply asking the man if he followed the revealed will of the God of Israel.

Now if all the rich young ruler was interested in knowing was that he was going to heaven after the resurrection of the dead, it seems to me that, after hearing Jesus’ words, he would have said, "Hey, I do all of those things. Thanks Jesus, now I feel confident and can go home feeling at peace with God." Now the rich young ruler does say, "Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth." But he does not appear to feel satisfied, because he shows no indication of being ready to leave Jesus. This causes me to believe that Donald A. Hagner is correct in his commentary on Matthew when he says of the young man’s question that he asked it due to "[s]ensing a lack in his life" (Matthew 14-28, pages 556-57).

You see, the phrase "eternal life" in the New Testament does not just refer to the life received after the resurrection of the dead. "Eternal life" also refers to that life which comes to God’s people even before the resurrection of the dead. The word "eternal" refers to something that is of the age to come, and God gives to God’s people a life that partakes of the quality of the life that is to come. Eternal life then is that life which has as its origin the age in which God will cause justice and righteousness to reign. This eternal life comes into the present from the future––God’s future. And God’s love grants God’s people the gift of partaking of that life here and now.

I believe the rich young ruler came to Jesus because he knew something was missing from his life. I believe he came to Jesus because he wanted to know why his quality of life was not what he knew it should have been. I do not believe that the rich young ruler’s question was primarily a question about his salvation at the end of time. I think, instead, that the rich young ruler’s question concerned his life of salvation in the present age.

If I am right, think about what we are seeing here. The rich young ruler is a very religious person. He has followed the laws given by God since his youth. And he is sensitive enough and honest enough to acknowledge openly to Jesus that something is missing in his life in spite of his obedience to God’s commandments. A religious person hungry for God––that is the person we meet in this story.

Are we that person too? Are we also persons who believe in God and do good religious stuff because of our faith, and yet still have to admit that the power of the life of the age to come is only a future hope for us? Do we have little joy in it now?

The rich young ruler did the right thing. He asked Jesus what was wrong. Jesus like a good doctor went for the more common cause first. The more common cause for not having eternal life is that a person is simply not obeying God by basing her or his life on the revealed will of God. But the rich young ruler was religious, pious, devout; the rich young ruler followed God’s laws. So Jesus, again like a good doctor, looked more deeply; and Mark’s account makes clear that what he saw produced within Jesus a quite profound reaction. Mark 10:21 says, "Jesus, looking at him, loved him."

I know that Jesus loves everyone. I know Jesus lived and died for everyone. But the text here goes out of its way to reveal clearly Jesus’ love for this particular man. I think it does that because it wants us to know that this was not a man whose heart was callused and ugly due to wickedness and evil. What Jesus saw when he looked upon this man produced love within the heart of our Savior.

But what Jesus saw not only produced love. What Jesus saw also generated some radically painful words which grew out of His love. Jesus saw what the real problem was, and he addressed it by saying, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me."

Jesus spotted the reason that the rich young ruler had religion but did not have the eternal life that true religion is to give. Jesus saw that the reason was the young man’s wealth. The young man felt not the power and the joy and the life that comes from relationship with God because the young man had too much stuff in his heart.

Is there something in our way? Is there something we have allowed to come between us and the God of eternity? Have we ever drawn fully and intimately into relationship with God? Can we without reservation sing to God,

I just want to be where you are
Dwelling daily in Your presence;

I don’t want to worship from afar,
Draw me near to where You are.

I want to be where You are,
Dwelling in Your presence
Feasting at Your table,
Surrounded by Your glory;

In Your presence
that’s where I always want to be,

I just want to be,
I just want to be with You.

("I Want to Be Where You Are," words by Don Moen, copyright 1989 by Integrity’s Hosanna! Music).

To sing the words of that song without reservation is to do something the rich young ruler does not do. The rich young ruler was too attached to the very things that kept him from the eternal life he desired. He could not let go. He could not get the stuff out of his heart. As result, he went away sad, still feeling the emptiness. He now knew what the problem was, but he refused to adequately address it.

Our worship assembly has been designed to reach out to any who struggle with an obstacle like the one the rich young ruler faced. And we want everyone here to leave with an increased desire to deepen their relationship with God. Let’s get the obstacles out of the way. Let’s live eternal life; let’s live the abundant life that Jesus came to give; let’s live knowing the joy and the wonder of God. Let’s not just be religious. Let’s be in relationship with the God who made all that is and who sent Jesus so that we might experience the glory of the very life of God.

As many of you know, my wife Margaret and I, along with David and Emily Ratcliff, went to Hawaii last month to celebrate our twenty-fifth wedding anniversaries. On the Monday that we were there, David and I went fishing on a boat out in the Pacific Ocean. We had a great time catching tuna and watching one person on the boat catch a twenty pound mahi mahi and another one catch an almost thirty pound Hawaiian favorite called an ono. We did not have much lunch, so when we got back to the boat launch and received our portions of tuna and mahi mahi we decided to go straight back to our rent house and grill the mahi mahi for an early supper. We also decided that later we would go to the Princeville Hotel and have supper and watch the sunset.

Our plans worked to perfection. The mahi mahi supper was delicious, and the dessert and the sunset were wonderful.

As it grew dark, we decided to stay at the hotel for awhile longer to listen to a piano player and a female singer perform. They were very good. They sang many requests from those listening. One man requested that they sing one of their favorite Hawaiian songs. The piano player, who also sang, and the female vocalist conferred. After a brief discussion, the piano player, a sixty year old man named Kimo Garner, said, ‘I want to sing my favorite Hawaiian song. It was written in the 1920’s by a blind composer whom I knew personally. We will sing it first in Hawaiian and then in English.’

For this song the performers reversed roles; the piano player was the primary vocalist while the vocalist sang harmony and only for certain portions of the song. I had enjoyed all of their songs, but this one was different and much more powerful than the others. Even though I could not understand the Hawaiian language with which the song began, I knew that this was a spiritual song of some sort. I felt myself being profoundly moved. I feared that I was being caught up in a song to some Hawaiian deity. Then the English began, and this is what the four of us rejoiced to hear,

Let me walk through Paradise with you Lord,
Take my hand and lead me there.

All my earthly treasures,
I will gladly give;

Teach me how to love
and how to share.

Greed and lust and vanity were mine, Lord;
Till I found your love divine.

Now on my knees, I pray I’ll find a way;
Let me walk through Paradise with You.

Oh, my Lord, my Savior,
lead me on to Paradise.

Let me follow in Your footsteps;
Let me walk through Paradise with You.

David and I were able to buy a CD of Kimo Garner’s which contained that song, and from the printed insert we read these words from the artist, "I especially dedicate this to almighty God and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." But I learned something even more important from the printed document inside the CD case; I learned that the song that had so moved us was written in light of the story of Jesus and the Rich Young Ruler.

I realized that the song was a reflection on the Rich Young Ruler story. The composer, a man named John K. Alameida, was imagining that the rich young ruler did not stay sad. He was imagining that the rich young ruler came to his senses and realized that he could turn away from the separating stuff and focus his heart exclusively on God. He was putting words of passionate return into the mouth of the rich young ruler; and, in so doing, the writer of this song provides us with words as we seek to move deeper into the heart of our God––as we seek to live the eternal life God so desires to give.

I want to read the English of this song again, but this time I want to pray these words. As soon as the prayer is ended Adam will lead us in two songs that will help us move deeper into the heart of our God, deeper into relationship with God. Let’s pray:

Let me walk through Paradise with you Lord,
Take my hand and lead me there.

All my earthly treasures,
I will gladly give;

Teach me how to love
and how to share.

Greed and lust and vanity were mine, Lord;
Till I found your love divine.

Now on my knees, I pray I’ll find a way;
Let me walk through Paradise with You.

Oh, my Lord, my Savior,
lead me on to Paradise.

Let me follow in Your footsteps;
Let me walk through Paradise with You.

Lord God, we pray this prayer in Jesus’ Name. Amen.