Encounters with Jesus Series: The Rich Young Man
Matthew 19: 16-22
ICE BREAKER
People often say, in a flush of hyperbole, that they would “just die” without something or other. What is the thing you would just “die” without? In other words, what are/would you be least willing to give up?
Ask your group to consider this and try and explore (even) further than chocolate!
Read Matthew 19: 16-22
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
This passage has equivalents in Mark 10: 17-31 and Luke 18: 18-30
In all the encounters we look at in this series, this is unusual insomuch as the supplicant goes away empty handed. It has all the ingredients of a life-changing encounter, and yet the man involved emerged unchanged and his life remained as it was before. This contrast makes this a particularly challenging and interesting passage to discuss.
The man the story describes is young, rich and, on a self-assessed basis, law-abiding. He approached Jesus and asked what good deed he must do to inherit eternal life. Various commentaries offer views on whether this man came to Jesus with a conceited heart or whether he was genuinely searching but couldn’t deal with Jesus’ request. We can guess but cannot genuinely know. But we can put ourselves in the shoes of the rich man and imagine where our own motivations might lie – which may be revealing!
Jesus points out that only One is good, and then explains that keeping the commandments will lead to life. This is of course true (see Leviticus 18:5). Perfect obedience to the law would lead to life. The problem is that none of us have, or can hope to perfectly, obey all the commandments.
On hearing the answer, the young man pushed further, asking ‘which ones?’, no doubt still hoping that the answer will justify him. Jesus lists 5 on the 10 Old Testament laws and added a new one “love your neighbour as yourself”. When the man said he had kept all of these, Jesus instructed him to give his possessions to the poor and follow him. He chose not to and walked away “sad”.
This story could be repeated for any of us. None of us have or can keep the whole law, and so the very question of what good deed we can do to have eternal life leads us to a dead end. Yet as we read on and the disciples see how hard it is for someone with wealth to enter the kingdom, Jesus explains that whilst it may be impossible for man, all things are possible for God.
We may not be able to keep the law perfectly and so earn eternal life, but God can still make a way.
QUESTIONS
Q1. Money features a lot in Jesus’ teaching, as in today’s passage, as a picture of spiritual riches (Matt 13:44) or warning of its influence (Matt 6: 19-21). Why do you think this might be so?
Q2. Look at the commandments which Jesus picked out to mention to the man in response to his questioning. What do they have in common and why might he have picked them?
Q3. Why might Jesus have chosen to suggest that the man can make himself “perfect” if he sells his possessions and give to the poor in exchange for treasure in heaven and to follow him? (Maybe refer to v. 22). Could the man really be made perfect just by his human actions?
Q4. Had the man sold his possessions and given to the poor and followed Jesus, in what ways might he have benefitted (see v 21)? Consider immediate and long-term benefits.
Read on to Matt 19 v 23-26
Q5. We can’t escape from it – this passage is about money and, as you will have discussed, kingdom priorities. What message about grace does Jesus communicate to his disciples (see v 26)? Look also at Romans 3 v 21-26.
Q6. Thinking back to the icebreaker, how do you feel a conversation with Jesus around your “must have” thing would go? How does it affect how you see your relationship with Jesus?
PRAYER
It would be good to pray for those suffering financial hardship at the current time and the people and agencies (government and charitable) which are seeking to help them.
That God would challenge and guide us in our own understanding and attitude to possessions and money and whether he is leading us to make changes in the way we regard these things.