the word \u201csaved\u201d also does not refer to receiving eternal life or going to heaven when we die<\/a>, then the passage retains its message. Jesus is talking about being delivered and rescued from the problems that wealth brings, so that His followers can experience the rule and reign of God in their life now.<\/p>\nThe surrounding context makes it clear that Jesus and the disciples are talking about discipleship and eternal reward rather than justification and receiving eternal life (Mark 10:28-30; Luke 18:28-29).<\/p>\n
What Jesus Might Say to Us Today<\/h2>\n In modern, Western culture, while some people see wealth as a sign of God\u2019s blessing on a person who is fully obedient to Him, this is not a widely held view. If Jesus were physically walking the earth today, I can imagine a scenario in which a well-known, young pastor comes to Jesus and says, \u201cGood teacher, what must I do to experience God\u2019s life?\u201d The young pastor only asks this because he thinks he is already experiencing God\u2019s life, and believes Jesus will praise Him for his great success at such a young age.<\/p>\n
Instead, Jesus says, \u201cWell, what is it that you teach from your pulpit and write about in your books?\u201d<\/p>\n
The young pastor would respond, \u201cPeople must attend church regularly, tithe 10% of their income, read the Bible and pray every day, and not be given to alcohol or drugs. They should also be a good witness at their job by wearing Christian t-shirts, a cross-shaped necklace, and never laugh at crude jokes. Instead, they must hand out Gospel tracts and invite people to church.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jesus would respond, \u201cOkay. Go do all of that then.\u201d<\/p>\n
To which the young man would proudly boast, \u201cI\u2019ve done all this since I was a kid.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell done!\u201d Jesus would say. \u201cOnly one thing is left. Resign as pastor. Stop selling books. Quit preaching. Throw out all your gospel tracts and Christian clothes. Stop tithing to the church. Put your Bible on a shelf for a while, and go have a beer at the local pub. Then come follow Me and we\u2019ll see what\u2019s next.\u201d But the young pastor would go away, thinking that Jesus was a false teacher, for the young man had it all figured out.<\/p>\n
In this text, Jesus is showing that there is no such thing as an outward manifestation of inward righteousness. However, if we want to truly experience the life of God in us, and all the riches and blessings that entails, we can stop following religion and instead follow Jesus into a life of discipleship. While Jesus always leads in surprising directions, but also leads us toward a true life with God.<\/p>\n
Matthew 19:16-24 therefore, is not about how to receive eternal life, but about how to get rid of the things in our life that we rely on as evidence that we are \u201cgood\u201d Christians, and instead just follow Jesus wherever He leads. What things do you look to for proof that God loves and accepts you? That you are doing a \u201cgood job\u201d for Jesus? Get rid of such things, and then come to Jesus empty-handed, saying, \u201cWherever You lead, I\u2019ll follow.\u201d<\/p>\n
When you do this, Jesus will lead you into a full experience of the kingdom of God.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Money! Money! Money! It’s the money episode! In this podcast study, I talk about cryptocurrency, a reader email about tithing, and the story of the Rich Young Ruler in Matthew 19:16-24. We see that Jesus was NOT telling the young man that he had to give up all his money in order to go to heaven. The story is about something else entirely.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":49379,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2234,2297,2245,2230,2296],"tags":[1246,1350,1836,3224,3223,2788,3222,2978,1327,1538],"class_list":{"0":"post-53319","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-redeeming-church","8":"category-redeeming-god","9":"category-redeeming-life","10":"category-redeeming-scripture","11":"category-z","12":"tag-eternal-life","13":"tag-kingdom-of-god","14":"tag-kingdom-of-heaven","15":"tag-luke-1818-30","16":"tag-mark-1017-31","17":"tag-matthew-1916-21","18":"tag-matthew-1916-24","19":"tag-rich-young-ruler","20":"tag-salvation","21":"tag-tithing","22":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\n
The Rich Young Ruler and You (Matthew 19:16-24)<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n