He was any parents’ dream match for their daughter. He was rich, he was successful, he was intelligent, he was religious and he was moral. What more could you ask for? He was respectful, and he knew when to speak and when to keep silent. Anyone would have been glad to have him as a husband for his or her daughter.

            Yet this man, so full of promise and so used to being in the good graces of those around him, came to Jesus happy and left sad. Apart from the religious leaders of the day, he is perhaps the only man in the gospels who spoke with Jesus and, when the conversation was over, left sorrowful and disheartened. Why did Jesus speak to him as he did? Why didn’t Jesus recognize the fine example of a man standing before him and congratulate him on his successful life?

            The answer to that question gets to the very heart of the gospel and the kingdom of God.

Assumptions

            This man, usually referred to as the “rich young ruler” from the composite picture of him from Matthew, Mark and Luke,¹ came to Jesus asking what he must do to inherit eternal life. He came with several mistaken assumptions. Interestingly, he also came with two very correct assumptions.

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