What must I do?

Why did the rich young ruler find it difficult to enter the kingdom of God? This rich young ruler, being a Jewish leader, could appreciate the fact that he was under a higher heavenly authority, and wanted assurance that he was on the right side of it. Hence his question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” This question is, however, contradictory. Does one need to do anything in order to inherit? Inheritance, by its very definition, is a gift or legacy to be received, not earned. The question should rather be rephrased, “What must I be to inherit eternal life?” And because of the word ‘inherit’, the answer would be “You must be a legatee, someone to whom a legacy is due.” It may also be noted that the terms ‘kingdom of Heaven’, ‘kingdom of God’, ‘eternal life’ and ‘salvation’ are all interchangeable [Matthew 19:23-25, Mark 10:24, Luke 18:25], so the question could also be reworded as “What must I be to inherit God’s kingdom?” We will explore the answers to these questions in this write-up.

In response to the young ruler’s claim that he has kept all the commandments, our Lord asked him to sell all that he has and to give it to the poor. This directive may appear harsh, but not if we read it in its proper context. For the first and only time in the gospel of Mark, Jesus addresses the disciples as children [10:24], as if to remind them that they must become like children if they are to enter the kingdom of God [10:15]. Children have little concept of the value of money. However, adults do, because they know that money can acquire many things, including power and authority. Adults, who are independent by virtue of their wealth, are asked to relinquish their wealth-based independence and take on a childlike dependence.

Further, those who are ruled by money cannot be ruled by God. When our Lord said that “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God,” he is making a crucial point – salvation is the divine work of God, not the work of man. The disciples, who were not rich, understood the implication of this ‘camel-needle’ hyperbole and were worried about their own salvation when they asked, “Who then can be saved?”

When the ruler asked Jesus “What must I do?” and asserted “all these I have kept since I was a boy,” he assumed that he could attain eternal life by doing something. Since he wanted to do something to attain salvation, Jesus obliged him by telling him to “sell all that you have and give it to the poor.” However, the rich young ruler fell short of the one thing Jesus asked of him. Entering the kingdom of God does not depend on what one does; it requires full submission of oneself to God’s rule so that God reigns over every aspect of one’s life.

This full submission to God’s rule may seem draconian or offensive to the unregenerate mind. But to the elect, full submission does not even begin to commensurate with God giving his one and only begotten Son. We can only but echo with Simon Peter when he answered, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life and we have believed and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God.” [John 6:68-69]

May our meditation this Lent of 2021 be ever deeper as we look back in time to His journey to the cross and to look forward to the resurrection to come!