He was a young man, respectful and concerned about the future. Matthew describes him as having great possessions.
When he came to talk with Jesus, he asked Him a single question. He asked, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16 ESV). Jesus gave him a simple answer. He said, “If you would enter life, keep the commandments” (verse 17).
Any Jew would have known that Jesus was referring to the Ten Commandments, the ones given by God to Moses on Mt. Sinai. They valued these commandments, and most Jews tried to live by them.
The young man wanted to know which ones, and Jesus listed them. “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (verses 18 and 19).
The young man assured Jesus that he had kept these commandments since he was a child, and he wanted to know what else he needed to do. Jesus told him to sell all of his possessions and give to the poor and to come follow Him. His reward would be treasure in heaven.
The young man was sad with what Jesus said was required of him, and he went away sad. His riches were more important than doing the one thing that would give him eternal life in heaven.
The thing that is so interesting to me about these verses is that Jesus told the young man to love his neighbor as himself. He obviously loved himself and his possessions, but he couldn’t love his neighbor as he loved himself.
Paul’s message to the Galatians was the same. “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Galatians 5:14).
What is involved in loving your neighbor as yourself? First, we must love ourselves. We can’t fulfill the command unless we have the right kind of love and appreciation for who we are. This is not an arrogant feeling about us, but rather a confidence in our faith and our place in God’s kingdom. Paul told the Romans, “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned” (Romans 12:3).
Second, we must understand who our neighbor is. Luke told of a lawyer that tried to trick Jesus by asking him a question similar to the young ruler. He said, “What shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?’ And he answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.’ And he said to him, ‘You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.’ But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’” (Luke 10:25-29).
Then Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan. Two men, both religious, walked by without offering any assistance to a wounded man. The third man, a Samaritan, stopped to help the man, bandaging his wounds and taking him to a place of safety. Jesus then asked the lawyer, “Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers? He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ And Jesus said to him, You go, and do likewise’” (verse 37).
Loving your neighbor as yourself is showing mercy to those around you. “Let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth” (I John 3:18).
Third, we need to follow Paul’s admonition in Galatians 6:2. He said, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ”. Be sensitive to the things your neighbor is experiencing. “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15).
Fourth, build trust with your neighbor. Paul said, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth” (First Corinthians 13:4-6).
Fifth, put others before yourself. In loving our neighbor, we love God. “And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother” (First John 4:21).
Helen Keller said, “It is wonderful how much time good people spend fighting the devil. If they would only expend the same amount of energy loving their fellowmen, the devil would die in his own tracks of ennui.”
We should take to heart the admonition Jesus gave to the rich young man as well as those given by Paul, Luke, and John. Love your neighbor as yourself.
Sandra Oliver