(March 25, 2025) Dr Richard Winter reflects, encourages and challenges…

Remember the response to that 1956 Cole Porter number Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? sung by Frank Sinatra in High Society— ‘I don’t…’

In 1998 a new British TV game show had Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? as its title and if you were a contestant, you’d probably be thinking ‘I do!’

On each episode only one contestant could play. Some questions were crazy and if you weren’t sure of the answers, you could make a ‘lifeline call’ to a friend for help. And you might win… if you contacted the right person, asked the right question, got the right answer and gave the right response.

Now if you had phoned me to help you become a millionaire, I’d be telling you I’m not a good choice! I’m fiscally a conservative, not a millionaire, not smart financially in making money.

My point here is that even though you might ask the right question, if you’re asking the wrong person you wouldn’t get the right answer and be able to respond correctly!

1. Everyone’s Questions
Now there are some questions that people will ask at some stage of their lives and may need some assistance in getting them answered. For example—
(i) Why am I here?
(ii) What am I to do here?
(iii) Where will I go when I die?

Do you have the answers for these questions? And do your answers have applicability to all humanity?

Let’s consider the last one from the Mark 10:17-22 aspect… the incident about a young man who asked the right question of the right person regarding eternal life, got the right answer— but couldn’t  handle it! Matthew 19:16-22 and Luke 18:18-23 also record this story and in adding their accounts to Mark’s we know this person as the rich young ruler.

The background is that Jesus had been teaching and healing people on the other side of the Jordan river, had corrected some Pharisees who tried to trap Him (Mark 10:2 GNB), blessed some little children and was about to move on when He was approached by this young man who asked an important question of Jesus.

2. Young Man’s Question
Verse 17 tells that he ‘… ran up to Him and fell on his knees before Him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”’

Did you note what had just happened? This young man didn’t walk up to Jesus… he ran! Obviously his need for an answer was urgent, uppermost in his mind! Neither did he stand demandingly before Him… he immediately knelt, honouring Jesus! And he wasn’t enquiring about money… he was very rich and would have had power and influence with others.

As regarding his question about obtaining eternal life… well, that’s a very good question indeed, a most important one! In connection with what I emphasised above regarding asking questions, here’s three of mine about this young ruler’s query—

• Was it asked of the right person?
• What would be done with the answer?
• Would the result be obedience to that leads to eternal life?

3. Unexpected Question Answer
Jesus’ answer—  was not what he expected, causing him to go away sad and sorrowful (v22NKJV). Sad is stugnazo, rendered gloomy, overcast with clouds; sorrowful is lupeo, distressed, grieved, under a heaviness.

Now normally we read of Jesus blessing and encouraging people whenever He taught great truths (Matthew 7:28–29). But not so with this young man! What had happened? In simple terms Jesus was honouring His heavenly Father and teaching a lesson about theology (the study of God) and discipleship (Mark 10:23-31). Reality is this: Everyone, when they really ‘meet’ Jesus, will be challenged to change their theology and heart desires (Did that happen to you when you met Jesus?).

Jesus had immediately made a profound revelation about Himself— and God! Let me put it this way: ‘You’re calling me good? But only God is good for no evil can exist in Him. Are you calling me God? Well, ipso facto, if this is the case you’ve come to the right person to ask what you must do to inherit eternal life. Well, do note that eternal life is only given by God… He must always be honoured!’

Dear readers, that answer is critical to every one of us. The question ‘What must I do to inherit eternal life?’ is applicable to everyone today in this crazy, troubled world! I indicated above that this young man probably had influence on others… have you shared Jesus and this question with others?

For that matter, have you yourself actually asked that question? Or are you just a ‘cultural Christian’ who wrongly thinks ‘Well, everyone in western countries are Christians… aren’t they?’

4. The Needed Question!
Did you know that all of the world’s religions can be categorised as a ‘do or done religion’ eg:

• ‘I’m saved for eternity by what I do.’
• ‘I’m saved for eternity by what someone else has done enabling me to inherit eternal life.’

Christianity is a ‘done religion’ regarding eternal life! But it’s not something that you achieve— it’s something you receive as a gift based on belief. Next month we’ll be celebrating our Saviour’s free gift of salvation and assurance of eternal life… and recalling John 3:16: ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.’

Back to that young man who needed to change his thinking— the right question was not ‘What must I do?’ but ‘What and who must I believe?’ And the answer would involve a change of heart about life. Instead His response to Jesus’ challenge about six of the Ten Commandments was ‘All these I have kept since I was a boy’(Mark 10:20).

So, Jesus does some heart interrogating (which He will do to you and me to help us understand what we really believe about God. Mark records that Jesus looked at the young man and loved him (v21a). Now that’s a life positive! And obedience to the commandments is commendable— but Jesus points out what can be a life negative.

5. Question’s Unusual ‘Lifeline’
‘One thing you lack,’ He said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth’(v21b-22).

Think about what must have gone through the rich young ruler’s mind that so flabbergasted him: ‘Ouch! That hurts, Jesus! I don’t like being told I’m lacking. Isn’t it good enough that I don’t steal, lie, murder, don’t commit adultery, honour my parent and not defraud? But… give away my everything?’

Now understand the background here… Jesus was indicating that keeping the commandments was the expected actions of a righteous person, but He had a question that would reveal the young man’s greatest affection and what motivated his life— ‘Will you give all your money to the poor?’

From asking about the six last commandments Jesus now turns to the first one— ‘You shall have no other God’s before me’ (Exodus 20:3). And the downcast young ruler’s initially strong emotion about gaining eternal life quickly become emotions of—

• Crestfallen face.
• Sadness, personal gloom, frustration.
• Sorrow as he walks away from Jesus, no longer running.
• Nonacceptance of what he’d been told to do.
• Wrong reaction about the one thing he lacked (hustereo… to fall short).

A few minutes previously he had run up to Jesus manifesting his earnestness and expectation.He had asked the right question— and got the right answer! But now he has left Jesus, gone. Why? Jesus knows hearts and thoughts (eg John 2:24NLT) and had pointed out that the young ruler worshipped money before God.

6. God First Question
Yes, he obeyed the commandments about people but there was a problem with the first commandment about God! Money, wealth, and their luxury were obviously loved and worshipped before loving God first. And Jesus, who knows all things, had put His finger on that problem: God was obviously not number one in this young man’s life!

And so Jesus asked him to settle this issue of putting God first. We should take note that Jesus will do this with us to have us reveal our hearts and our theology. In saying ‘Sell all you have and give it to the poor then follow me’ Jesus was really emphasising ‘Don’t think that your personal wealth will get you into heaven. Put God first, follow me and you’ll have eternal life.’

Yes, he had come to the right person, asked the right question, received the right answer… and then his personal identity was revealed.

Now, Jesus was not condemning money or wealth! But the love of money is a problem with many! The accumulation of wealth, or even just the pursuit of wealth, can derail anyone to think we have achieved it by our own wisdom and investment skills and God gets placed on the sidelines of life. (1Timothy 6:10 warns ‘For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs’).

Mark 10:22Mge says that the young man ‘…  walked off with a heavy heart. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and not about to let go.’ If you had been one of the disciples listening to Jesus and the young man, you’d probably been concerned too and thinking ‘Do we have to give everything we own to the poor? Is Jesus giving a universal teaching on wealth?’

Jesus turned to them and said, ‘How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!’ adding ^‘It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God’ (v23-24). They were astounded… and you can image their thoughts, such as ‘Okay Jesus, then who can be saved?’

How comforting His next words must have been: ‘With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God’ (v27NASB). Message is straight to the point: ‘Jesus was blunt: “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you let God do it.”’

What Jesus was endeavouring to get across to His disciples was that if anyone wants to have eternal life they must get rid of anything materialistic, any self-works, that they consider to be their source of security! That salvation and eternal life isn’t earned but something one receives when we put God in the first position of influence in our life.

Ephesians 2:8-10 confirms this: ‘For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith— and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.’ Link this with John 3:16 above and know that  with God all things are possible including salvation and eternal life.

Jesus loved that young man, loved His disciples and loves us too! The way this world thinks is reversed, believing that position, rank and self-importance will influence God when it comes to eternal life. The rich young ruler was asked to imagine life without wealth and that God be all sufficient for him… but alas he couldn’t.

7. Challenging Last Question
I have one more question if you don’t know Jesus, or have misunderstandings here: Is  God all sufficient for you? Do place Him first, accept Jesus as Saviour and eternal life is yours!

To finish this article… think about this: The above is a story without an ending—

• We don’t know what happened to that young man.
• Did he ever process what was asked of him?
• Maybe he came back at a later time, wiser and willing.

Jesus gave Him a revelation of Himself and of God, leading him to the point of having to decide what was going to be of uppermost importance in his life. This rich young ruler is the forerunner of the many people who heard the gospel early in their lives, but decided not to pay the price to make Jesus Lord of all, but lived for themselves.

Although He loved him, Jesus couldn’t make a decision for him, just as no one can make a decision for us. So Jesus  had no other choice but to let him walk away. If that young man turned away sad, how do you think Jesus felt?

The young ruler had come to the same point everyone must come to in their relationship with God: When God is revealed to us, what is our response?

Personally I do hope that young man did return to God, discovering Paul’s hope for all of us: ‘… that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus’ (Philippians1:6).

This may seem an unusual icon to finish with… but I ask this: Who wants to be a millionaire without God, thinking that you already have everything?

My Sinatra response is… ‘I don’t!’

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Dr Richard Winter pastors The Connection Church, Huntington Beach, California. Link: OnlinerConnect@gmail.com  
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