8.18 Jesus used the law to bring the rich young ruler to the end of himself

Today we tell of the story of a man who chose to be justified under the law. He was very confident he had surpassed it. But unfortunately, the law was not given to justify anyone. It was given to point out their failures (Rom 3:20).

Jesus shows us how skillfully He used the Ten Commandments to bring the rich young ruler to the end of himself (Matt 19:16-26). The irony is that the man chose to walk under the law instead of embracing the Savior who was in front of him. Instead of saying “I believe in you,” he asked Jesus, “What good things shall I DO that I may have eternal life?” He boasted that he kept all the commandments from his youth. Most of us would be impressed by this fine young man. Jesus wasn’t - because of his lack of faith in Him.

Instead of praising him for the good effort, Jesus used the First Commandment to show where he failed. Jesus asked him to sell all he had, give it to the poor and then follow Him. As the man loved money more than he loved God, he left sorrowful and unjustified. The man was not even conscious of this failure but the law searched it out and disqualified him.

Jesus seemed to be very harsh on this man who appeared to have been a very moral and godly man. Surely he did better than the tax-collectors and the prostitutes. Why did Jesus not praise him for the great effort? This is in sharp contrast to the acceptance that Jesus showed to the tax-collectors and prostitutes.

We must remember that Jesus came for the sinner, not for the self-righteous. The greatest hindrance to Jesus today is the sense of self-righteousness that comes through keeping the law. When a person comes before God based on his performance of the law, he will not receive commendation - only condemnation. The law was meant to show the sinner the way to Jesus.

When Jesus was hung on the cross, there were two other criminals on His right and left (Luke 23:39-43). One of them believed in Jesus and went to paradise.

When you compare this criminal to the rich young ruler, who would you think is more righteous? Who do you think deserved to be justified? The majority of traditional Christians would say that the rich young ruler who kept the commandments from his youth is more righteous.

But he who kept the law was not justified. The condemned criminal went away justified without doing one good deed. Why? Because Jesus paid for his sins and he believed in Jesus. The criminal was qualified by the grace of Jesus while the rich young ruler was disqualified by the law.

Some of us may feel indignant at the perceived “injustice”. But before anyone complains to God with a self-righteous attitude, let us be reminded that the criminal represents all of us. It is really about His grace and mercy that delivered us all.