I said yesterday that something is missing from Matthew 19:16-30

Let’s recap the story. A young man who is very wealthy comes to Jesus to find out what he can do to get eternal life. Jesus says to obey the commandments. The man asks which ones. Jesus lists six: don’t murder, commit adultery, steal, or perjure;  honor your parents, and love your neighbor. The man says he does them all. Jesus says he has to give away everything to the poor and then to come and follow Jesus. The man walks away.

Look at that list of commandments. The first five are randomly from what are known as the 10 commandments. The sixth is from Leviticus 19:18. All of them relate to relating to people. What could possibly be missing?

The answer is in Matthew 22:34-40 and in Matthew 25:31-26.

In Matthew 22 , when Jesus is asked what the most important commandment is, he will pick one of these, the sixth, as his SECOND choice. The first will be to love God completely.

It isn’t in this passage.

Then, in Matthew 25, Jesus says that what you do for the sick and hungry and thirsty and imprisoned and strangers, you do for him.

That expression of love isn’t in the actions of this man.

Jesus invites the man to give up doing anything and bringing anything and just follow him. In Mark’s account, we read that Jesus looked at him and loved him. What Jesus is doing is inviting this man to love God with everything, to become a follower rather than an earner or a pleaser or a criteria meeter.

I suppose the story talks about the danger of wealth. But at the heart of it, more than money or anything else, is a simple question from Jesus:

“Will you follow me? Will you love me?”