The Rich Young Ruler: The One Thing He Lacked

The story of the rich young ruler is one of the most poignant encounters in the Gospels — a promising young man who came eagerly to Jesus and walked away sorrowful. It's a searching story about what we hold on to, and what holds us. Here's the account and its meaning.

An eager question

A rich young ruler ran to Jesus with a great question: 'what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?' He was sincere, moral, and earnest — he claimed to have kept the commandments from his youth. He seemed to have everything going for him: youth, wealth, position, and religious devotion. If anyone was close to the kingdom, surely it was him.

'One thing thou lackest'

Jesus, loving him, put his finger on the one thing standing in the way: 'One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor... and come, take up the cross, and follow me.' It wasn't that wealth itself was evil, but that this man's wealth had become his true master — the thing he trusted and treasured above God.

He walked away sad

The young man's response is heartbreaking: 'he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.' He wanted eternal life, but not enough to let go of what he loved more. His riches, which seemed like his great advantage, turned out to be the very thing that held him back. He couldn't open his hands.

What holds us

The story isn't ultimately about money; it's about whatever holds first place in our hearts. Jesus lovingly asks each of us to let go of the thing we trust more than him — for one person it's wealth, for another it's control, comfort, relationships, or reputation. The question the story presses is: what am I holding on to so tightly that I couldn't give it up to follow Jesus?

With God, all things are possible

Jesus went on to say how hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom, and when the disciples asked who then could be saved, he gave a hopeful answer: 'With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.' Even the grip of what holds us can be broken by God. Salvation is ultimately his work, and no heart is beyond his reach.

The rich young ruler shows us that we can be moral, sincere, and religious, and still hold something back from God. Jesus lovingly asks us to release whatever we treasure above him — and the sorrow of the story is a man who couldn't. But it ends in hope: what's impossible for us is possible with God. The question is whether we'll open our hands, and follow him.