Matthew 19:18, commentary and pictures

Jesus answered the rich young man's question about which commands must be kept to gain eternal life by naming duties to other people — doing no murder, committing no adultery, stealing nothing, and bearing no false witness — and adding honor to father and mother with love to one's neighbor as oneself. Those named duties belong to the second table of the moral law given at Sinai governing love to one's neighbor, while the first four commandments governing supreme love to God were left unmentioned in the list. His answer lays down that entering into life comes by keeping God's commandments in perfect obedience and harmony with Him. The ruler claimed he had kept all those duties from his youth, but his supreme love of his great possessions showed he loved earthly treasure better than God and did not love his neighbor as himself, so he failed both the first duties to God and the last duties to men that he professed to keep. Jesus therefore pressed him beyond outward keeping to entire surrender — sell what he had, give to the poor, lay up treasure in heaven, and follow Him — for the law is kept only when unselfish love to God and man through Christ dwelling within crowds out love of riches.

Words and Setting

The verse is Jesus' answer to the young man's question, Which commandments must be kept to enter into life and inherit eternal life, naming no murder, no adultery, no stealing, and no bearing false witness. The list is part of His direction to keep the commandments in order to enter into life, given to one who asked what good thing to do to gain eternal life. Strict obedience to the letter of the duty He points to brings eternal life.

His answer continues in the following verse with honoring father and mother and with loving one's neighbor as oneself. Joined together, the prohibitions against murder, adultery, stealing, and false witness with honoring parents and loving neighbor as self are what He names to keep in order to enter into life. These commandments alone did not resolve the young man's lack, for Jesus further called him to give his possessions to the poor and follow Him.

The commands named are from the moral law given at Sinai and belong to the second table governing duty to other people. They are five of the last six commandments, with the second great commandment on which the last six hang added to them, and their principle is summed up as love for one's neighbor. Keeping them therefore entails unselfish, wholehearted love shown in caring for people in peril and need.

The first four commandments containing duty to God and requiring supreme love for God are left unmentioned in the list. Jesus quoted five of the last six with the second great commandment on which the last six hang, while the command to sell what he had and give to the poor touched the young man's possessions and pointed out his idol.

The setting is the inquiry of a rich young ruler in Israel about what to do for eternal life and how to receive it. He recognized Christ as a teacher by whom he was willing to be taught, having observed His compassion for the poor and ignorant and having been touched by His meekness and lowliness of heart. He had high motives but was not perfect in understanding, thought highly of his own righteousness and supposed he had kept the commandments from his youth, yet felt he lacked something and deceived himself. Jesus knew where he failed and tested his sincerity and motives and how he regarded Him, touching the plague spot of his life in his great possessions.

Entering Life by Obedience

To enter into life and to gain eternal life requires keeping God's commandments, even the Father's commandments. The direction was given to one who asked what good thing to do to inherit eternal life, and in answer to his question which commandments must be kept the prohibitions against killing, adultery, stealing, and lying by false witness were named. The answer continues with honoring father and mother and with loving one's neighbor as oneself. Those commandments by themselves did not resolve the young man's lack, for Jesus further called him to give his possessions to the poor and to follow Him.

Strict obedience to the letter of duty under God's requirements brings eternal life. The commands named are from the moral law given at Sinai and belong to the second table of the Decalogue, rather than being a ceremonial precept, and Jesus then sums them up in the command to love one's neighbor as oneself. The law's full demand is perfect obedience and harmony with God, as required in Eden and still required under the covenant of grace.

God's law is a rule of conduct for everyone who would enter His kingdom. Jesus' words to the ruler were the terms by which he could develop a Christian character, and obeying them was his only hope of salvation. That obedience is more than outward, legal compliance, for it must shape the life and appear in the character. The ruler's position and possessions were drawing his affections from God, and keeping anything back from God would weaken moral strength, because cherished worldly things could take over the heart. His refusal to give Christ all he had shows that a person may turn away from Christ rather than accept the conditions of discipleship.

Obedience that secures eternal life means searching the Scriptures to discharge duty aright and perfecting a Christian character like Christ the perfect Pattern. It means being channels of true light who cannot keep it to themselves but seek others and set light on a candlestick rather than under a bushel. It means laying up treasures in heaven and faithfully presenting entrusted sacred truths and talents until the Master comes to reckon with His servants, and in this way eternal life is secured.

Love as Law's Demand

The first four commandments call for supreme love to God with all heart and soul and mind and strength, while the last six call for loving one's neighbor as oneself. The answer to "Which?" names five of that last six, with the second great commandment on which those six hang added to them. The first four, containing duty to God, are left unnamed, yet the command to sell and give to the poor touches possessions and exposes the idol; supreme love of riches makes it impossible to love God with heart and soul and mind, sets the heart on treasure swallowed up in earthly possessions loved better than God and better than heavenly treasure, and shuts the eyes to the wants of fellow men so that the neighbor is not loved as self. Obedience therefore requires heart and soul and strength, not mere knowledge or profession, and life is bound to obedience joined with loving God with the whole heart.

The spirit and life of these commandments is true love for God and man, and the lover of self is a transgressor of the law. Outward observance is not keeping them; one who loves possessions more than God and God's service and other people fails to love God supremely and the neighbor as self, even while claiming to have kept them. Cherishing an idol in the soul, having the world as god, and living in love of self and worldly gain leaves a person destitute of that love, out of harmony with the principles of heaven, and lacking what qualifies for entrance into the kingdom. Obedience must therefore shape the life and appear in the character rather than remain mere outward legal compliance.

Keeping these duties to others thus entails unselfish, wholehearted love that cares for people in peril and need, warns and labors for them, and does not reject or discourage those who err. It requires holding goods as entrusted and using them for the good of others rather than holding what is entrusted more dearly than the Giver. Withholding help from the poor and refusing to share and bless others proves failure to love the neighbor as self and failure to keep the commandments in their true spirit, whatever outward claim of obedience from youth is made. Even the poor must use what they have to bless others and cannot disregard their claims while obeying God, for knowing the commandments is not enough when riches are loved more than God and neighbor.

Seen in the light of the commandments and obeyed in spirit and truth, the law exposes and slays the sinful nature and leads to laying hold of eternal life. Outwardly good conduct does not mean sinlessness apart from that searching light. The obedience required must enter the life and be expressed in the character, as the rule of conduct for all who would enter the kingdom. That entails self-surrender and giving up whatever would corrupt the whole person, since nothing short of obedience is acceptable.

Ruler's Failure Exposed

The ruler answered with confidence that he had kept all those named from his youth up, counting himself an honest and perfect applicant who understood the service owed to God, yet he deceived himself and did not discern the lack and failure of his own heart. His claim did not expose what was wrong within, for Jesus knew where he failed and by a further test brought that failure to light. When called to sell, give, and follow, his attachment to wealth was revealed and his sorrowful departure proved he had not kept the commandments as he supposed.

Jesus touched the plague spot of his life by laying His finger on his great possessions, which stood in the way of gaining eternal life. His supreme love of riches was his idol; his heart was set upon his treasure and swallowed up in earthly possessions loved better than God and better than heavenly treasure. He wanted heavenly treasure yet also wanted the temporal advantages of his riches, and to exchange earthly treasure that is seen for heavenly treasure that is unseen seemed too great a risk.

That love made it impossible for him to love God with all heart, soul, mind and strength, showing he was not a true lover of God and was not ready to follow his Master in self-denial. It shut his eyes to the wants of his fellow men, so he did not love his neighbor as himself, held the goods entrusted to him more dearly than the Giver, failed to use them for the good of others, and withheld help from the poor. Outward integrity therefore did not fulfill the law's demand, which requires supreme love to God and love for neighbor with the whole person, including the heart and the faithful use of what is entrusted. In this he failed both tables, falling short of the first four commandments containing duty to God and also of the last six he claimed to keep.

Told to part with his treasures to follow Christ and give to the poor, he loved his possessions more than eternal life and more than heavenly treasure. He refused the offer of eternal life, being unwilling to make the sacrifice and to lift the cross of self-denial. He went away sorrowful rather than sacrifice his property when the cause of God called for it, choosing earthly treasure over Heaven and letting the world receive his worship.

Call to Full Surrender

Naming murder, adultery, theft, false witness, honor to parents and love to neighbor did not by itself cure what the young man lacked, for keeping those commandments still left his heart untested. Jesus therefore pressed further and told him to sell what he had, give to the poor and suffering, lay up treasure in heaven, and come follow Him. That added word touched the plague spot of his life, his great possessions, and exposed that he was not ready to follow his Master in self-denial. His claim to have kept all from his youth was thus shown to be self-deception, because attachment to wealth proved he had not kept them as he supposed.

The call beyond the letter shows that love expressed in self-sacrifice and care for the poor is the test of character. Commandment-keeping was proved by whether he would sell, give to the suffering poor, and follow Christ, with Christ as the life within the soul. Knowing the commandments is not enough when love of riches outweighs love for God and neighbor, and turning away when the way to life requires sacrificing wealth reveals that failure. Following that way may require giving up earthly wealth in order to become rich in good works, using even what little one has to bless others rather than disregarding their claims.

Jesus demands of all who would be His followers an entire surrender of all they have and all they are. Keeping anything back weakens moral strength, because cherished position, possessions and worldly things draw affections from God and can take over the heart and corrupt the whole person. Nothing short of obedience and self-surrender is acceptable for discipleship, and whatever would corrupt must be given up. That demand is no more than He Himself gave, when He left riches and glory and honor, laid aside royal robes and humbled Himself to take man's nature, that through His poverty and humiliation men might be made rich, so followers should willingly give all and suffer humiliation and reproach for His sake.

Obedience becomes possible when truth set home by the Spirit crowds out the love of riches and love of Jesus replaces it. Then possessions are no longer held as one's own but as the Lord's, faithfully used as a steward to bless the needy and advance God's cause, and love to God and fellow men predominates over love of wealth. Joined to Christ's divine power human effort can obey, for Christ dwelling as life within the soul demonstrates that the law can be kept, while attempts to produce righteousness apart from Him fail. What the ruler lacked was a humble, contrite heart that recognized the supreme love owed to God and relied on Christ's perfection to cover deficiency, for outward observance alone did not supply heart devotion and Christian goodness.

Refusing that sacrifice leaves earthly goods exposed, for they may soon be swept away by the overflowing scourge and then it will be too late to use them to lay up treasure in heaven. Sacrifice for God's work, by contrast, lays up enduring treasure in heaven. The young man's sorrow when the cause of God called for his property shows the cost of valuing earthly property above service to God and unwillingness to cut loose and distribute. The same sorrow appears when professed believers hold property instead of giving means to speed messengers to feed hungry sheep dying for want of present truth and to carry the gospel to those in need.

Warning for Today

The young man's experience pictures the condition of many Sabbath-keepers and of a large class who, when duty in keeping the Sabbath and other duty is pointed out and brought to bear, see a cross to lift and go away sorrowful because they are not willing to lift it in self-denial. He supposed he had kept the commandments from his youth up yet deceived himself, for Jesus knew where he failed and touched the plague spot of his life in his great possessions which stood in the way of loving God with the whole heart. In refusing to follow his Master in self-denial he showed his weakness and that he was not a true lover of God, and earthly treasures holding the heart explain why so few obey God.

Christ still tests many by the law in the same way the rich young ruler was tested, and God's law must be written in mind and heart to be prepared for the coming of the Lord. When tested and tried many like the ruler will refuse to deny self, take up the cross and follow Christ, and refusal to obey when the test comes proves the heart unregenerate whatever the outward propriety of conduct or profession of belief in the truth. The law must be brought home to the conscience to show the exceeding sinfulness of sin, and a man must die to self, for until self is crucified he cannot know what spiritual holiness is.

Knowing and professing the commandments against murder, adultery, stealing and false witness is not enough, because their spirit and life is true love for God and man and the lover of self is a transgressor of the law. If the heart is ruled by earthly riches, position and possessions drawing affections from God, and if a person loves riches more than God and neighbor and will not give up wealth to help others and secure treasure in heaven, willingness to keep the commandments does not mean readiness to follow Jesus. Cherishing an idol in the soul with the world as god and living in love of self and worldly gain leaves a person out of harmony with heaven and destitute of everything that qualifies for entrance into the kingdom, for keeping anything back from God weakens moral strength as cherished worldly things take over the heart, and riches tempt people to overstep God's law and choose their own way instead of surrendering heart, soul and strength wholly to God. Even a poor person must use what he has to bless others and cannot disregard their claims while obeying God.

The same sorrow shows itself when professed believers hold on to property instead of giving the necessary means to speed the messengers to feed hungry sheep dying for want of saving, present truth and to carry the gospel to those in need. When the cause of God called for his property the young man with great possessions was sorrowful and unwilling to cut loose from it and distribute it, showing the conflict between holding earthly wealth and sacrificing it to help those in need. Very soon the overflowing scourge will pass over and sweep such possessions away, and then it will be too late to sacrifice earthly goods and lay up treasure in heaven.

In this encounter Jesus presented the condition of discipleship, and Judas was displeased with that condition because he thought the ruler's wealth and influence could help Christ's cause. The man who wants everlasting life but is unwilling to give up earthly possessions stands contrasted with Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son, showing the cost of following God.