The Rich Young Man's Sad Choice

One day, a young man came running up to Jesus. He was very rich and very important - he was a ruler! But even with all his money and power, he felt like something was missing in his life. He kneeled down in front of Jesus and asked, 'Good Teacher, what good thing should I do to have eternal life?' This young man really wanted to know how to get to heaven!

Jesus asked him an interesting question: 'Why do you call me good? Only God is truly good.' Then Jesus said, 'If you want eternal life, keep God's commandments.' The young man asked, 'Which ones?' So Jesus listed some of the Ten Commandments: 'Don't murder, don't commit adultery, don't steal, don't lie, honor your parents, and love your neighbor as yourself.' These were all about being kind and honest with other people.

The young man answered with confidence, 'I've kept all of these commands since I was a little boy! What else do I need to do?' He really thought he had been perfect! He still felt like something was missing, though. The Bible tells us that Jesus looked at him with love. Jesus cared about this young man and wanted to help him understand something very important about his heart.

Jesus said, 'If you want to be perfect, go sell everything you own, give the money to poor people, and then come follow Me. You'll have treasure in heaven!' Suddenly, the young man's face fell. He became very sad. He loved his money and possessions so much that he couldn't imagine giving them up, even for Jesus! Even for eternal life! So he walked away very, very sad because he had so many things and couldn't let them go.

After the young man left, Jesus told His disciples, 'It's very hard for rich people to enter God's kingdom. It's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a tiny sewing needle than for a rich person to enter heaven!' The disciples were shocked! 'Then who can be saved?' they asked. Jesus looked at them and said something wonderful: 'With people, this is impossible. But with God, all things are possible!' This story teaches us that nothing should be more important to us than Jesus - not money, not toys, not anything! When we love Jesus most, we find the true treasure that lasts forever.