17 And He said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18 Then he said to Him, “Which ones?” Matthew 19:17–18
“Which ones?”
Implied in The Ten Commandments, to me is, you can’t pick and choose. Even then, there’s that trivial matter of loving the Lord your God with all your might and heart.
If this young man were alive today he’d be checking out a YouTube on the three easy steps to eternal life.
Finally, the embodiment of God stands before him and he’s trying to get an angle on eternity. We do this when we stumble upon an expert in something. “Hey, Doc, what do you think about that new diet?” You’re thinking a quick recipe for success. He or she says, “it’s not about the carbs, but having the strength to push away from the table.”
Ouch! Jesus saw what was woefully lacking in this young man’s life in his “quest” for eternal life; a love for God.
He didn’t provide a list of commandments to “well to do” tax collector Matthew, just a simple invitation to follow him. He did. The “rich young ruler” didn’t.
Sad.
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