Old Testament Salvation and The Rich Young Ruler – Part 8

(This is the final post in this series.  I am somewhat torn because there is so much more we could appreciate about it.   I may offer additional information in the future, but in the interest of completing the article and moving on to the article on Ezekiel 18, I leave you with these final thoughts.)

(Mark 10:22)  And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.

Two things we should note about the Lord’s response:

1. He used the Law as it was meant to be used: to point out sin.  The Law is like a mirror.  The mirror doesn’t clean off dirt.  It shows the dirt.  In this case, the fact that he was unwilling to help the poor demonstrated his disobedience to the command to love his neighbor.  Love is the operative motive in the Kingdom.  This man was shown by the Lord that he missed the mark and was nowhere near obtaining eternal life.  Some tend to think this man was very close to inheriting eternal life.  The reality is, his guilt in one point of the Law indicated he failed in all of it.  He was not nearly the righteous man he thought he was.
2. He hit the man right where his heart was: in his wallet.  Jesus didn’t need to address the additional four commandments pertaining to man’s relationship with God.  It was already apparent that wealth was this man’s god.  In Mark he went away “grieved” while in Matthew he was “sorrowful.”  Luke gives even more information on the intensity of this man’s sadness where we see he was “very sorrowful.”  He realized at this point he wasn’t as righteous as he thought he was.  He came to Jesus thinking he “had what it took” and left realizing he couldn’t “measure up.”

This is one of the saddest encounters in the gospels.  It was one of the only times someone went away from Jesus worse than when he came.  His love for wealth was stronger than his love for God.  The faith he so desperately needed to put in the Lord was misplaced in his own wealth.  Misplaced faith was a consistent problem in Israel.  The Pharisees loved their religion and the Rich Young Ruler loved his wealth.  The price of placing faith in the Messiah was too great for this man.  He believed he had too much to lose.

It should be obvious by this point what the Lord was doing in his conversation with the Rich Young Ruler.  He wasn’t telling this man that the only thing left to “do” to inherit eternal life was follow the commandments.  Rather, the Lord was using the commandment to reveal the real heart condition of this man.  Every person in every dispensation must come to a place where they recognize their real need.  Every person must come to a place where they believe they are what God says they are:  a lost sinner.  Only then can anyone be in a position to believe Who God is – the Provider of eternal life.

A little while later in Mark 10, we see a striking contrast to the Lord’s encounter with the Rich Young Ruler.  Compare this encounter with the Rich Young Ruler with blind Bartimaeus in Mark 10:46-52.

Rich Young Ruler	Blind Bartimaeus
Regarded Jesus as a “Good Master” – Mark 10:17	Regarded Jesus as “Lord” – Matthew 20:30
He had great possessions – Mark 10:22	He was a beggar – Mark 10:46
He could see but didn’t recognize who Jesus was (Good Master) – Mark 10:17	He was blind but recognized the true identity of Jesus (thou Son of David) – Mark 10:47-48
A rich man unwilling to give up his possessions – Matthew 19:22	A poor man willing to give up everything he had – Mark 10:50
A man who believed he was righteous – Mark 10:20	A man who believed he needed mercy – Mark 10:47-48
Went away from Jesus still blind to eternal life – Mark 10:22	Received his sight and followed Jesus – Mark 10:52
Left Jesus sad – Mark 10:22	Followed Jesus glorifying God- Luke 18:43
Jesus had compassion – Mark 10:21	Jesus had compassion – Matthew 20:34
Did not have faith – wanted to “do”	An example of faith – not asked to give up anything

We see two pictures of Israel in these two men.  The Rich Young Ruler is a picture of the state of those who were ruling Israel at that time.  They trusted in their religion and their wealth more than they were willing to trust in the Lord.  Blind Bartimaeus believed Jesus was the Messiah and was willing to give up trusting in anything he owned.  He was at the end of himself.  He was a picture of the little flock who inherited the Kingdom of Heaven.

One man shows how a works-based mind thinks about eternal life.  One shows us how faith operates.  One shows us the unwillingness of Israel’s rulers.  One shows us the heart of the true disciple during the earthly ministry of Christ.

Those who interpret this encounter as the Lord’s endorsement of an Old Testament soul salvation that includes works miss the point entirely.  God’s integrity in His being is unchanged in every dispensation.  While the message changes over time, faith is always the approach.  The Holiness of God demands we have a higher view of His nature and character than man’s performance could possible commend.  The Righteousness of God demands our acceptance by Him is only on the basis of His righteousness.  The Justice of God demands those who stand righteous before Him are present on the basis of His provision.

Praise the Lord for His eternal life paid for on the cross and provided to those who choose to believe His message in time past, the present and the age to come!