“The young man said to [Jesus], ‘All these [commandments] I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?’ … [And] his disciples were greatly astonished, saying, ‘Who then can be saved?’ But Jesus looked at them and said to them, ‘With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’”

Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

What are we trying to be in life, brethren? What are we trying to accomplish? What od we possess? What do we lack? What does it look like to succeed at being a disciple of Jesus Christ? We know what worldly success looks like. And I want to really emphasize that phrase: “looks like.” We have our rock stars, our film celebrities. I am sure most of us could name a few of the world’s wealthiest individuals: Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos. We can picture these individuals, and we can picture their extravagant lifestyles. They drive fancy cars; they live in luxurious mansions. They eat at the finest dining establishments. They have innumerable “toys”: yachts, ATVs, and the like. They have “collections,” right? Wine collections, guitar collections, art collections, antique furniture and jewelry collections. We can picture it vividly in our minds. They possess so much. This is what success looks like. But you know, success really is a highly subjective term. We are able to say objectively that these individuals are wealthy, wealthier than you and I. But are they successful? Would they define themselves as successful? Are they satisfied? And if they are both successful and satisfied, then… why more? Does the affluent man ever stop seeking greater affluence? Does the satiated man seek further satiation? It’s a conflict of concepts, right? You can’t be both satiated and hungry. If anything, it would be a sign of something deeply aberrant physiologically. “I’m stuffed, but I just can’t stop eating.”

Worldly success and spiritual success are very different things, brethren. We know that. I believe every single one of us would subscribe to the truth of that statement: worldly success and spiritual success are very different things. Worldly wealth and spiritual wealth are very different things. So why do we struggle so much with the application? When we’re poor—intentionally or not—we tell ourselves, “This is the way. The is what God has intended. In my poverty, in my financial hardship, in my meager living: I am following Christ.” And then we get a little bit of affluence, we acquire a few things, and we say, “Well, I mean, I’ve always needed these things. I’ve just never before had the means to acquire them. God doesn’t desire me to live in abject poverty. I also deserve to live a little.” From there, it can become a very, very slippery slope.

“He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity,” [writes the Teacher in Ecclesiastes] (Eccl 5:10).

[Elsewhere, in Proverbs:] “Do not toil to acquire wealth,” [says Solomon.] “Be discerning enough to desist. When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven” (Prov 23:4).

It is in our human nature to worship, brethren. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt 6:21). What we treasure, we love. And what we love, we have the tendency to worship. While having much, we may behave well enough. We may be wealthy and ethical. But will we be godly? So long as there is that one thing which keeps us from godly discipleship; so long as there is that one thing which keeps us from loving God with all our heart, and all our soul, and with all our might (cf. Deut 6:5), we cannot be godly; we cannot be righteous. We cannot truly fulfill the law of Christ.

In today’s Gospel Reading, we meet a man who is perfectly lawful.

“Now behold, one came and said to Him, ‘Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?’ So [Jesus] said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.’ He said to Him, ‘Which ones?’ Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ The young man said to Him, ‘All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?’” (Matt 19:16-20).

First, it is important to note, brethren, that Jesus maintains a consistency here with what he has said elsewhere regarding spiritual perfection and the fulfillment of the moral law: “For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and the Pharisees, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matt 5:20). Antinomianism has always been a temptation for Christians. Discipleship to Christ still necessitates moral obedience to Christ. If we love Christ, then we ought not to kill; we ought not to steal; we ought not to commit adultery. If we do these things, can Christ forgive us? Yes! But…

“What then shall we say?” [asks the Apostle in his Epistle to the Romans.] “Shall we continue in sin, that grace may about? God forbid! How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore, we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Rom 6:1-4).

Baptism, even Holy Baptism, is no guarantee of the inheritance of eternal life. Newness of life in Christ must be holistic. The newness of our lives in Christ begins in the here and now. Christ did not come “to abolish the Law or the Prophets; … but to fulfill them” (Matt 5:17).

Secondly, we must acknowledge the most crucial question raised in this passage, in this rich man’s dialogue with Jesus: “All these commandments I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” (Matt 19:20, emphasis mine). “What do I still lack?” What are we trying to be in life, brethren? What are we trying to accomplish? What do we possess? What do we lack? What does it look like to succeed at being a disciple of Jesus Christ? You know, Jesus answers the rich man’s question in a rather indirect way, or rather, a subversive way. In response to the man’s question, “What do I lack?” Jesus does not say something in the affirmative, not really. “What do I lack?” “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have… and follow me.” What is Jesus getting at? What does this man lack? He doesn’t lack anything. In fact, he has too much. He is too not lacking. He has too much abundance. And this lack of not lacking is what is spiritually inhibiting him.

Is wealth wrong, brethren? Is the possession of things wrong? Is owning a business wrong? Is making enough income to pay a mortgage, and support a family, and even occasionally go out to eat wrong? No, of course not. Scripture says far, far too much about the benefits of wealth, and wealth as a consequence of industry and ingenuity. “A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich” (Prov 10:4). Proverbs are not absolutes. But I am sure we would all agree, someone needs to have some wealth; someone needs to possess the assets. Someone needs to employ us. Someone needs to pay to keep the temple’s lights on. Wealth is not evil. But the love of wealth is evil. Wealth is not evil, but the hoarding of wealth, to the detriment of a brother or sister; hoarding wealth because one’s own worth is tied to the possession of things… this is evil.

“What do I lack? What do I lack?” “Enter through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it” (Matt 7:13-14). What are we trying to be in life, brethren? What are we trying to accomplish? Brethren, the gate to the kingdom of God is wide open. The offer of salvation through Christ stands. We are in no way inhibited. We are in no way prevented. “What do I lack [for salvation]?” we ask. Brethren, we lack nothing. It is not the “lacking of something” which inhibits us. Rather, it is those things we have chained to ourselves which prevent us from entering through the narrow gate: ego, pride, selfishness, envy, ambition, the love of money, the love of glory, the love of praise, self-aggrandizement, pleasure, comfort, leisure, stuff. Stuff. Stuff. Things. Things. Things. Did you hear what the Apostle said in today’s Epistle Reading, brethren?

“Brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you… For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures…” (1 Cor 15:1-4).

What is necessary to inherit eternal life, brethren? Faith in Christ, and a life lived in accordance with such a faith. The traditional hallmarks of success: fame, fortune, praise, adoration, wealth? Not necessary.

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42).

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you” (Matt 6:33; italics mine).

Through the prayers of our holy fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen.

Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!