The Rich Young Ruler
A rich young ruler in Israel came to Christ asking Him how to obtain eternal life. And though he received from the Lord a clear answer he did not, as far as we can tell, follow the Master’s advice. He went away sorrowing because of his great wealth with which he was not willing to part, Luke 18:23. He became an example of how great riches can be a reason why people err from the way of salvation. Many people in our time would rather keep their wealth than come to Christ for salvation. The mammon of unrighteousness becomes their idol in preference to the true God. The Lord saw how very sorrowful that man was, and since He knows what is in man, John 2:25, He perceived how his wealth stood between him and eternal life. The Saviour said, ‘How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!’ Luke 18:24. He likened it to the passage of a camel, the largest common animal, through the eye of the needle, v. 25. To the Jewish mind at the time being rich was a sign of God’s ...