THE RICH YOUNG RULER - A STUDY IN HUMILITY.

If you have been in Christian circles for a while, you have probably heard this episode in the life of Jesus as an example of someone who didn't make it to heaven.  I've had a problem with that interpretation, and, after considering factors that no one else presents, I now have a different view.

Luke 18:18 - 30 Legacy Standard Bible

And a ruler questioned Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good?  No one is good except God alone.  You know the commandments, ‘Do not commit adultery,  Do not murder, Do not steal,  Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’ "

And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.”

And when Jesus heard this, He said to him, “One thing you still lack: sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven. And come, follow Me.”

But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich.  And Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!  For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

And those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?”

But He said, “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.”

And Peter said, “Behold, we have left all that is our own and followed You.”

And He said to them, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more at this time and in the age to come, eternal life.”

I recommend you also read the other accounts in Matt. 19: 16 - 30 and Mark 10:13 -16.  They contain valuable information that I will mention in this article.

Mark's record said the young ruler knelt before Jesus.  That is an act of submission and humility.  How many of us started our relationship with Jesus that way?  (Those crickets are getting loud, aren't they?)

The deeper meaning of the initial exchange between Jesus and the young man is something we often miss, because we don't consider the cultural context.  Jesus and the man were Jews.  They thought, talked, and acted like Jews.

The young man called Jesus good.  Jesus replied that only God was good.  Was Jesus correcting him, or was He implying something?

Deuteronomy 6:4 - 5 LSB

“Hear, O Israel! Yahweh is our God, Yahweh is one!  You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might."

These two verses are central to the Jewish faith.  They are to the Jews what John 3:16 is to Christians.  The Jews call them the Shema, from the Hebrew word for "hear."

That statement that "Yahweh is one," not only means not only one being, but the only One Being!  Jesus was asking the rich young ruler, "By calling Me good, are you calling me God?  Are you recognizing my divinity?"

Well, did he?  Did he recognize Jesus as God?  Did he really humble himself?

I believe he did.

Why do I think he did?  Geography, and chronology.  In other words, where and when this took place says a lot about this event.

 Map of Judea Province

I confess,  I like to look at maps, even Bible maps.  Not too often do preachers or teachers refer to maps or terrain or locations but some do like to organize, promote, and conduct tours of the Holy Land.  I wish more people paid attention to the the layout of the area.  They don't have be as nerdy about maps as I am.  I just want people to know and understand truth.

In the map I linked above, locate the region of Galilee towards the top.  Now picture a line starting on the east (right) side of the Sea of Galilee going south (down) to just above the north end of the Dead Sea.  Now imagine the line going west (left) across the Jordan River to to Jericho.  Continue the line to Jerusalem.

That is the route that Galilean Jews would take to Jerusalem.  They went that way to avoid passing through Samaria.

This matters because Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem...for the very last time!  He met the young ruler before He crossed the Jordan.  We know this because in the next two events we see Jesus at Jericho, then He enters Jerusalem.

Back to the story.  We know Jesus tells the young man to keep the commandments.  He says BTDT, however they said that in first century Aramaic, but still no tee-shirt.  Jesus says more and the man leaves.

This is where the typical assumption is made, that the guy failed to make heaven because he LEFT.

But, what was the first thing Jesus said?  In the other accounts, the very first thing Jesus said was "go."  So, when he left, was he intending to do what Jesus said?

I believe he was.  Why do I think that?  Because of HOW he left.

Again, Matthew and Mark add information.  M&M (now I got you thinking about candy, don't I) say the man went away grieving.  Why does that matter?

Grief isn't just sorrow, it is sorrow felt at a loss.  Let me illustrate...

Let's say you are driving down a busy street or highway, and you approach a traffic accident.  You pass by, and you can see signs that someone has been injured.  You feel sorry for them.

Now imagine that you recognize a car that was in that accident.  Close to that car is a coroner's vehicle, and responders are loading a body into it.  You realize you know the deceased, and you start to grieve.

Back to the story again.  Why would someone grieve over property he intended to keep?

Another argument made for the traditional interpretation is that the rich young ruler is not mentioned again in the New Testament.  Well, we need to consider the time factor again, along with some cultural background.

The man had a lot to sell, and that included land.  He most likely held an appointed position in the government.  They usually gave official posts only to landowners.  That was a common custom throughout history until the last couple of centuries.  We have no idea how much time he would need to sell everything, then give the money to the poor, then come back to follow Jesus.

This encounter probably happened 2 or 3 days before the Triumphant Entry.

As the man left, Jesus compares the entry of the rich into the Kingdom of God to the passing of a camel through a needle's eye.  I'm not going to rehash that statement.  All it means is that getting the rich to have a relationship with God will be very difficult.  The major moral problem for rich people is not greed, but pride.  Pride in what they own, what they have accomplished, what they can do with their wealth.

Jesus didn't say it was impossible, just extremely difficult.  Difficult enough to require God's grace.  Another way to say it is, true repentance requires humbling yourself as you recognize not only God's immense power, but His vast love and grace.

A PHARISEE, A PUBLICAN, CHILDREN, AND A RICH YOUNG RULER

What do these have in common?  First of all we find them in Luke 18:9 - 30. These verses all have a common theme: humility.

This article will deal with the first three, as the last one will require a post of its own.

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican

And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood and was praying these things to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’  But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his chest, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other, for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Luke 18:9 - 14. Legacy Standard Bible

Who were these men?

If you haven't heard, the Pharisees were a sect within Judaism that put an emphasis on keeping the law of Moses.  This emphasis goes back to when the Jews returned from the Babylonian Exile.

Before the Exile, the Jews saw themselves as God's people; living in God's land; their capital, Jerusalem, was God's city; and within that city was God's house, the Temple.  They saw the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, and the Exhile as God's judgment on them for not keeping the law.

Tax collectors were called pupblicans under the Roman Empire, but they were not on the government payroll.  They were contractors.  They would pay the tax for a given jurisdiction, a city or a district, and then recover that plus a little bit extra from the people.  They got to keep that extra for their pay.

The Roman government would specify how much that extra was.  But, the tax collectors would tell the people a larger amount than what the government specified.

That was fraud, but the people couldn't do much about it.  The tax collectors would be granted Roman citizenship, and so they had the backing of the Roman Army.

Most of the tax collectors in the province of Judea were Jews.  The taxes they collected financed the government operations in the region, from the army to building projects, including pagan temples.  The other Jews didn't like seeing their money go to pagan temples, so they saw the tax collectors as traitors to God and His people

What did these men have in common, besides being Jews?

They most likely were rich.  The Pharisees made a show of their religion, and people supported them for it, having been deceived into believing these "holy men" deserved to receive money.  The publican took his by force of law.

Rich people like to spend money on nice things.  The best food, housing, clothes, furniture and furnishings.  Also entertainment, including the proverbial wine, women, and song.

What was the major difference between these men?

Pride, humility, and how they saw God.

The Pharisee saw God as a God of Judgment.  When he looked into the Old Testament, he saw God acting in judgment, from the Garden of Eden, to the Babylonian Exile.  When he looked at himself, he thought he was safe from judgment not just because he kept the law, but because his "devotion" to God went beyond the law and even the Jewish traditions.  When he "prayed" he didn't talk TO God, he talked AT God.  That is, he assumed God would hear him because of his righteousness.  Self-righteousness is spiritual or religious pride.

The tax collector knew God was a God of Judgment, but he also saw God as a God of Mercy.  When he looked into the Old Testament, he saw God acting in mercy every time he saw Him acting in judgment.

His view of God caused him to humble himself, and ask God for mercy.  And he received mercy!

I see these two men in the Temple.  The Pharisee is standing up, ramrod straight, nose up in the air, and speaking in a loud voice, not because he wants God to hear him, but so he would impress the people.

The tax collector is probably leaning up against one of the pillars at the edge of the Temple.  His eyes are bleary, his head is pounding from a hangover, and his stomach is doingsomersaults, back flips, cartwheels, and pirouettes all at the same time.  He knows he can't  deny what he has done, or what he is.  But he also knows God will hear him! That is why he cried out for mercy.

What about the children?

In verses 15 through 17, Jesus rebukes His disciples for preventing people form bringing their children to Him.  He goes on to use children as an example of humility.  Notice, the children did not come on their own.  Their parents brought them.  The parents wanted blessings for their children, and so the children submitted to their parents first.  Jesus implies that as children in humility submit to loving parents, so we must humble ourselves to God as our loving 

Father to be part of His Kingdom.

Most false religions, doctrines, and practices have a false view of God.  A true view of God leads to humility.

THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND CULTS

I keep hearing about how cult leaders use the phrase, "The Kingdom of God" to manipulate people.  They often claim that what the cult is doing is for the Kingdom.

When someone questions a leader's doctrine or directives, or they indicate a desire or plan to leave, the leader's response often points towards the questioner "leaving the Kingdom!"  This is nothing more a fear tactic of destructive, high-control groups to manipulate followers into remaining in the cult, so they can be exploited.  These cult leaders crave control, and many of the cults active today seek control, not just religiously, but economically and politically as well.

Obviously, these people are misusing the Kingdom of God for their own gain.  They do this because they misunderstand the Kingdom.

The best definition of a kingdom I have ever come across is this: a kingdom is a realm where the king's will is law.

So, since then, unless I forget for a while, whenever I read or hear someone mention the Kingdom, I think of the will of God.

Of course, the will of man presented under the guise of the Kingdom is not the will of God.

How can we know what our King's will is?

First, we have the Bible.  The Bible is God's written Word.  His Word expresses His will, just as your word expresses your will, unless you are lying.  God doesn't lie.  Ever.

But His Word does contain the lies of men and Satan, so we can see what those are.

Knowing the Will of God is not just a matter of reading the Bible.  Romans 12: 2 says we are to have our minds renewed so we "may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." NASB95

We must let the Bible change us as we read it.  My first pastor, a Baptist, once said, "It doesn't matter how many times you have been through the Bible; what matters is how much the Bible has been through you."  As you read, let the Bible speak to you about your thoughts, attitudes, actions, patterns of behavior, but also see what it says about who you are and who God is.

I also recommend a practice called assimilating the Word.  You pick a book in the Bible and read it 10, 20, 30, times or more before moving on to another book.  This allows you to see the entire context of a verse that you probably have never heard quoted in context before.  Not only that, you will start to see that one context will be nested within larger context, and that whole book itself is a context that fits into the entire context of the Bible.

We have one other way to find God's will - prayer.  Fortunately, we all have access to our King!  Hebrews 4, James 1: 5 - 8.

DOOMSDAY URGENCY OF CULTS

A common feature of many of the abusive and dangerous cults is a belief in some sort of doomsday event or period.  The leaders of these cults use these beliefs to create a sense of urgency in their followers, to pressure them to prepare for the event.  This added artificial pressure often leads to stress, and can also produce depression based on a sense of failure to meet expectations.  Sometimes a cult will destroy itself, sometimes the leader engages in abusive behavior, and sometimes the abusive and destructive behavior gets directed outward.

Here is a list of doomsday teachers that founded groups or movements that are known to have become abusive or destructive:

Joseph Smith - Latter Day Saints (Mormons)

Ellen G. White - Seventh Day Adventist

Charles Taze Russell - Jehovah Witnesses

John Alexander Dowie - Divine Healing

Charles Fox Parham - Pentecostalism

Roy E. Davis - Ku Klux Klan

Wesley Swift - Christian Identity

William Branham - Latter Rain Healing Revivals

Jim Jones - People's Temple

David Koresh - Branch Davidians, offshoot of SDA

Marshall Applewhite - Heaven's Gate

This is not a complete list.  It does not include all the offshoots of the more widespread groups, smaller groups that affected only a handful of people, and groups outside the US.

Now, major faiths such as Christianity, Judaism, and Islam do have doomsday-like beliefs, but the major emphasis of those faiths in not on the apocalyptic doctrines.  If you belong to a group that focuses on end-times, destruction, plagues, catastrophes, and such, look for other signs that it might be a cult.

COLOSSAE AND GNOSTICISM

Paul had never been to Colssae, so why did he write a letter to the disciples there?  From his comments at the end of the letter, several people who were with him when he wrote it very likely knew the Colossians, as well as the disciples at Laodecia and Heirapolis.  Apparently, they must have told Paul something that caused him to write.

The Colossian Heresy

A doctrine had spread through the assembly that Paul saw as dangerous to the faith of the disciples.  For years, scholars thought it was Gnosticism, but it didn't have all the essential elements of Gnosticism, so they now call it the  Colossian Heresy.

To sum up the Colossian Heresy, it was the belief that one could grow closer to God by learning the secret knowledge of the spiritual world contained in the teachings of religious leaders other than Jesus.

In this heresy, they saw that between God and man there existed beings that emanated from God, and the role of these beings was to help us learn this secret knowledge.  Those beings included lesser gods, angels, and other spirits.  Some of these emanations took on human form, and these included prophets, gurus, and other mystics.

I think you can already see one red flag right there.  This heresy says that Jesus is not enough, that we can elevate ourselves by adding on to Jesus.

This approach further diminishes Jesus by saying that He was one of those emanations that took on human form, He never had a flesh and blood body, He only appeared to be born, grow up, die, and resurrect.

Also, this heresy spoke about the "fullness," that is, all the emanations and all the mysteries (hidden knowledge), and having the fullness leads to oneness with God.  Paul knew he needed to answer this right away.  He does so in the first two chapters.  Notice how often he uses the word or the concept of fullness, and he refers to the body and blood of Jesus.

How did this start, and how did it become Gnosticism?

Okay, here we have to go way back in the history of Colossae to see how geography contributed to the development of the heresy.

Colossae sits in the Meander River valley, along one of the major east-west trade routes between Asia and Europe.  At one time, it was a major stop on that route because of the cold springs located there.  By the birth of Christ, the trade route shifted to nearby Laodicea.  But Colossae did not shrink too much from the loss of traffic.  It became a resort city instead.  People went there for recreational and remedial reasons.

As people travel, they not only carry with them luggage, they carry their religions, beliefs, and ideas.  People from the Far East and Europe spending time at Colossae would discuss those beliefs and ideas with each other. Some would go away with blended beliefs.  I'm sure the locals joined in on those discussions and so they too combined beliefs.

The Colossians took the framework of the Greek mystery religions, and combined them with Eastern mystic beliefs to create the Colossian Heresy.

By the early Second Century, the heresy was refined into Gnosticism.

One of the major differences between Gnosticism and the Colossian Heresy is the addition of the Demiurge.  The Demiurge was an evil and lesser god who created the world, and was the god of the Old Testament.   Neither Jesus or Ultimate Supreme Transcendent God were the creator, for the Gnostics saw them as spirit and good, and therefore unable or unlikely to create evil matter.

Today we see Gnostic influences in the New Thought and New Age movements, and in Spiritualism and some Pentecostal and Charismatic cults.

I am not going to do a complete exposé of Gnostic doctrine and influences here, but I will recommend a deeper study of Colossians plus the Gospel and letters of John, and a closer examination of your beliefs.