"Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"
This man apparently did most things directed by the Old Testament - specifically from Exodus 20. Do not have any other Gods, no idols, do not say his name in vain, honor the sabbath, honor your father and mother, do not murder, commit adultery, do not steal, lie, or envy. I think what Jesus was getting at in this passage was this - get away from legalism and run after the love of God. A lot of us Christians live this life thinking that if they don't commit the sins listed above they can go to heaven. Their acts and deeds could be faithful to what the law has commanded, but the state of the heart is what dictates entry into the kingdom of Heaven. Now this rich man, the one thing he couldn't give up was money. He was loaded. Doing things out of love would allow him to fulfill what he already had been doing, but moreover it would have allowed him to give to the poor all his possessions. Now I do not know if Jesus literally meant for the rich man to give everything he owned. I believe Jesus was pointing out the fact that the rich man was living legalistically. He did these things not out of love. I wonder now what Jesus would ask of me. Would he ask me to give up pharmacy school? Give up my car. Give up my girlfriend. Give up my family. Give up my life. Would I be able to do it? I don't know. A part of me says I need these things too much. I know I need to be there, to give anything and everything, not for the sake of heaven, but for the sake of love for God.
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