“What Good Thing?”

“Just then a man came up to Jesus and inquired, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to obtain eternal life? And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.”.”  Matthew 19:16 -17 (ESV).

My Bible titles this passage Matthew 19:16-26, as “The Rich Young Ruler.” If your Bible has section titles, I’m sure it says something similar. At first glance, it appears to be a straightforward and honest question. I mean, after all, hasn’t everyone at one time or another asked this question? “What must I do to be saved from God’s judgment?” I know I did, once I heard that I, along with everyone who has ever lived, have sinned against a holy and just God. I was shaken to the core. I knew that if God were indeed “Just,” He would have to punish me for my sins. I understood that the punishment was to separate me and my sin from Him and His holiness for all of eternity.

So, I asked the question, just as the Philippian Jailer did in Acts 16:30, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Remember what Paul and Silas said? “And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved. '” Amazingly, this is the same answer that Paul gave in his teaching in Romans 10:9-10: “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

This is the New Covenant answer to that very question, isn’t it, “What must I do to be saved?”. The answer is neither you nor I can do anything on our own. We all stand before a holy and just God, guilty of sinning against Him, deserving to be separated from Him for all of eternity. But, instead of those who have believed that Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and rose from the grave, this very Jesus paid the price for my sin, so that I could be declared righteous, fully forgiven for my sin. That I could receive mercy (not receiving the judgment that I deserve) and grace (receiving forgiveness that I don’t deserve). That’s what the New Covenant did: it changed everything.

Now let’s go back to Matthew 19:17 and see what Jesus told this rich young man, “If you would enter life, keep the commandments. Wait a moment, Jesus told this young man that in order for him to have life (everlasting life), he must “keep the commandments.” Why in the world would Jesus say that? Jesus was speaking to Jews who were still living under the Mosaic Law, also known as the Old Covenant. Remember that the vast majority of Jesus’ teachings (around 95%) in the four Gospels were to Jews living under the Mosaic Law.  Jesus did not give a New Covenant answer to this young man’s question.

The New Covenant was not ratified until the blood of Jesus was poured out on the cross. The answer that Jesus gave this man was that he must keep the commandments of the Law.  Jesus, knowing that no one, except Himself, could keep all 613 Laws of the Old Covenant, was trying to explain to the young man and His disciples that keeping the Law could never save anyone; it was impossible. The young man had it all wrong; salvation wasn’t about what the young man had to do, but what Jesus was going to do on the cross.

After showing the young man the folly of his response in verse 20, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?”. Jesus knew that this young man was lying to himself and to Jesus, for no one had ever kept these commandments. Jesus was trying to show him the impossibility of keeping the Law. Finally, Jesus told him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” For the gift of eternal life requires perfection, and only Jesus Himself was able to accomplish that.

Now, look at the question that the disciples asked in verse 25, “Who can be saved?”, and to Jesus’ answer in verse 26, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Jesus was clearly teaching that it was impossible not only for the rich man but for anyone to be saved by their own efforts. It was only possible to be forgiven of their sins by accepting the gift of the promised Messiah, Jesus.

The New Covenant changed everything. No longer are we exposed to the truth that we cannot keep any part of the Law, including the 10 Commandments, to earn eternal life; we can only accept the gift of God’s marvelous grace of eternal life.

Friends, be careful when reading the Gospel accounts of Jesus' teachings, as not everything He taught was intended for New Covenant believers. Many of His teachings were to show the Jews living under the Mosaic Covenant that it was impossible to please God on their own. Be careful that you are not “reading someone else’s mail.”

The New Covenant's answer to the young man’s question is quite different from the Old Covenant's answer. Now it’s all about what Jesus has done for us.

 "Living in Grace is not about what I can do, but about what Jesus has already done!"