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Gospel: Matthew 19: 16-22
A young man approached Jesus and said,
“Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?”
He answered him, “Why do you ask me about the good?
There is only One who is good.
If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
He asked him, “Which ones?”
And Jesus replied, “You shall not kill;
you shall not commit adultery;
you shall not steal;
you shall not bear false witness;
honor your father and your mother;
and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
The young man said to him,
“All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?”
Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go,
sell what you have and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me.”
When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad,
for he had many possessions.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Jesus looks upon the rich young man…and “loves” him.
The Lord must’ve delighted in his zeal for religion, and in his effort to be, “perfect as his heavenly Father is perfect.”
But notice what happens when Jesus “loves” him:
He peers into the young man’s heart, inviting him into even deeper holiness. “You are lacking in one thing,” he says. “Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor…then come and follow me.”
The man walks away sad, “for he had many possessions.” Though he was a pious man, the Lord occupied second – not first – place in his heart, a constant challenge for any believer.
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When Jesus gazes upon us, he “loves” us just the same. He sees our zeal for God and all of the good works we do to serve him in our neighbor.
But he also sees those things that impede our spiritual growth. That’s what love does by its very nature; it seeks to remove things that block further intimacy between two souls.
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What impedes my own spiritual growth or keeps me from growing in intimacy with Jesus?
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At times, our prayer life becomes rote or dry. Perhaps we compartmentalize our life, allowing faith to influence some – but not all – of our decisions. Maybe there’s a particular person, memory, or habit that keeps drawing us away from the Lord.
Maybe we don’t always give God enough of our talent, trust, or time.
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Ultimately, the rich young man walked away from Jesus out of fear; he feared that following Jesus would not be enough; he feared leaving the security of his possessions behind, as if they could satisfy him more than Jesus.
We know that isn’t true. The Lord is more than enough. May we do whatever we must to keep the Lord where he belongs – in first, at the very center of our lives.
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Image credits: (1) John Kenny The Relationship Guy (2) Regular Pastor (3) Behance