A Good Man Is Hard to Find

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“And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me’” (Mark 10:21).

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

The story starts on a hopeful note. A breathless young man catches up to Jesus as our Savior sets out on His journey to Jerusalem for what would come to be known as Holy Week. He kneels before Jesus and asks: “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“Why do you call Me Good?” Jesus asks. “No one is good except God alone.” Does the man realize Jesus is God in human flesh? Possibly. Note the man’s posture as he comes before Jesus. He kneels—a sign of reverence and respect, but also desperation, as the two words that form the Greek indicate. In Mark 1:40, it is the leper who approaches Jesus like this. In Matthew 17:14, it is the father of a demon-possessed boy. This man is unlike the scribes and Pharisees. He comes not to test Jesus, to trap Him in His words, but earnestly seeks the truth.

The man is looking for eternal life. He senses that Jesus has unique insight into how it can be obtained. Unlike Jesus’ disciples, who have been jockeying for places of greatness in Christ’s kingdom, he is after what we all need, and what Jesus promises to provide. This is a good thing! The idea that there is something he can “do” to receive this inheritance is misguided, to be sure. But it is not like he is seeking wealth, influence, or temporary pleasure. He is looking for the exact thing that Jesus has come to bring.

Evidently, the man has already achieved some prominence and has a bright future. He seems to be serious about following God’s commands. While we know nothing about how closely he has kept and guarded these things from his youth, his response seems unlikely if he has been dismissive. It seems he is serious about his life of obedience and is equally serious about his request to Jesus for assurance.

Jesus points the man to several of the Ten Commandments he must do, but only those confined to the Second Table of the Law. When the man asserts his righteousness about these laws, our Lord moves His focus to the man’s possessions, asking him to sell all and give to the poor, which is, in effect, a refocusing on the First Table of the Law about having no other gods (a favorite emphasis of Martin Luther in his understanding of the commandments.)

Now, I say that whatever you set your heart on and put your trust in is truly your god… Therefore, I repeat that the chief explanation of this point is that to “have a god” is to have something in which the heart entirely trusts.[i]

Luther also writes:

Many a person thinks that he has God and everything in abundance when he has money and possessions. He trusts in them and boasts about them with such firmness and assurance as to care for no one. Such a person has a god by the name of “Mammon” (i.e., money and possessions; [Matthew 6:24]), on which he sets all his heart. This is the most common idol on earth.[ii]

Jesus goes after this man’s idol. Included in Jesus’ command to sell all he has and give it to the poor in order to have treasure in heaven is an implicit inquiry into who the man’s “god”/highest good is. The fact that the man soon goes away sorrowful shows that he has taken Jesus’ words as sheer demands—which they are—humanly impossible demands. Jesus has driven him to despair with the Law.

As these details suggest, the man has a lot going for him. This is what makes the end so heartbreaking. He seems so close to a life of faith but ends up walking away in great sorrow instead.

Now, let’s look at how Jesus has responded to this man.

Jesus listens to him.

Jesus looks at him.

Jesus loves him.

Jesus listens to the man’s request. He listens to the man’s bold claims. He listens to the man’s silence in verse 22. And after listening, He does not laugh. Instead, Jesus responds to him with truth in love. He takes the man at his word and then shows him how impossible it is for a sinful human being to keep God’s commandments perfectly. This is not to rub the man’s nose in his failure but to call him to repentance. The challenge for the man is to stop counting his good works and see the enormous demands a holy God can make. Then, his hope for eternal life will go from Law to Gospel, from his deeds to the saving actions of God.

Jesus looks at him. It is like a coach looking at a player who overestimates his ability or a teacher looking at a student who has not yet learned how much he does not know. It is a gentle, compassionate look, yet firm and unwilling to compromise.

Jesus loves him. He loves the man enough to tell him the truth. And what is the truth in this man’s life? He is in the grip of things he holds too tightly. It is not the possessions themselves that are the problem. It is that his acquiring has become his prison. Jesus invites him to walk out of those prison doors and leave his captors behind. “Come, follow Me.”

Only Mark tells of Jesus’ love for this man. Furthermore, this is the only time in Mark where Jesus is said to love a single individual. Jesus does not speak harshly or out of anger but compassionately. He seeks to strip away the man’s self-deception about keeping the Law while opening the door to a genuine relationship with Himself and eternal life. Though Jesus knows the young man’s coming rejection, he truly loves him and invites him: “Come, follow Me.”

“Come, follow Me,” Jesus says to you with the same patience, compassion, and love with which He treated this man.

Jesus listens to you. He listens to your eager petitions, naïve claims, and sad moments of silence. He promises to take your prayers seriously and take them to the Father. He would have listened to the man if he had asked Jesus for help escaping his possessions. He would have listened to his cries of repentance. He would have listened if the man had said, “I believe; help me loosen my grip on my possessions!”

He will listen to such cries from His people today as well. “Lord, I believe, help me out of the deadly snare of pornography.” “Break the chains of my addiction.” “Help me control my acid tongue so prone to gossip and backbiting.” “Take away the anger and hatred and fill me with Your love and forgiveness.” “Turn my longing from the things of this world to You and the eternal treasures You have stored up for me.”

Jesus looks at you. Like He looks at all people under His care, He looks into your heart. He sees your hangups. He considers the temptations that keep you from following Him. He sees your shortcomings, sin, and self-inflation. He does not turn His eyes away from you.

Jesus loves you. He loves you enough to tell you the truth. The truth is that you have many captors. The things you hold so tightly often have you in their grips. But the One who invited the man in our text to walk away from his captor has burst open the chains that bind you to yours. In love, He calls you to abandon your fear, love, and trust in anything besides Him. Not only has He invited you to break free from your captors, but He has burst open that grave to lead the way. Jesus’ love, which led Him through death and the grave to resurrection life, is your hope for the life to come and the possibility for your faithful following now.

As we reflect on the encounter between Jesus and the rich young man, we are reminded of the profound truth that Jesus sees, listens to, and loves us deeply. Just as He looks at the young man with compassion, He looks at each of us, knowing our struggles, weaknesses, and what ensnares us. The young man’s story serves as a mirror for our own lives, challenging us to examine what we hold dear and consider whether those attachments may hinder our relationship with Christ. Jesus’ invitation to “come, follow Me” is not merely a call to abandon our possessions but to embrace a life of faith, trust, and dependence on Him.

In our daily lives, we are often confronted with various “captors” who vie for our attention and affection, whether material possessions, unhealthy relationships, or personal struggles. Jesus invites us to break free from these shackles and find true freedom in Him. His love empowers us to let go of the things that bind us, encouraging us to seek a deeper relationship with Him above all else. Just as the rich young man had the opportunity to transform his life through Christ, we, too, are offered the chance to pursue a life of purpose, service, and joy in our Christian walk.

Let us take to heart Jesus’ compassionate call to follow Him, knowing that in doing so, we receive eternal life, the strength to overcome our challenges, and the grace to live out our vocations in love and service to others. May we respond to His invitation with open hearts, willing to leave behind what holds us back, and embrace the abundant life He offers, trusting that His love will guide and sustain us every step of the way. Amen.

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[i] Paul Timothy McCain, ed., Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2005), 359.

[ii] Paul Timothy McCain, ed., Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2005), 359.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.