“Follow Me” Ain’t So Easy

18 August 2025  Matthew 19:16-22  

“What do I still lack?” Matthew 19:20

The story of the Rich Young Man is odd on a number of levels, for the things it says, and for the things it leaves out.

For one thing, when the Rich Young Man asked which commandments he should follow to receive eternal life, Jesus mentioned only half the Ten Commandments, and He left out all the ones that specifically mention God: “You shall have no other gods before Me,” “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain,” “Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy.” Jesus even left out the commandments against coveting: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife,” “You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods” – an odd omission considering that the Young Man was also Rich. Why did Jesus leave out all the commandments that mention God, and all the commandments that mention wealth when He was talking to a Rich Young Man?

Then there was the matter of the Rich Young Man giving away all that he had to be perfect and gain heaven. The New Testament speaks with more than one voice on the whole matter of possessions. Jesus’ ministry was financed in large part by a small group of women of means (Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Susanna, see Luke 8:1-3). Jesus relied on people of means to keep His group together. The early Church did, too – Barnabas sold a plot of land he owned to help finance the Apostles in Jerusalem (Acts 4:36-37). The Apostles relied on people of means to keep the Church going. The successors of the Apostles still do. The Church has always needed people to make money so the Church could do its work. In fact, in the whole New Testament, it was only the Rich Young Man who was ever specifically told that salvation was a matter of giving away all he had to follow Jesus. Why just him?

The things the story says, and the things it leaves out, certainly make it kind of strange.

But then there are the things the story says that we leave out, things we skip right over.

Like this one: the Rich Young Man was pious and wealthy; some might say he had it all, and yet he was burdened by the suspicion that he was still missing something. He sought out Jesus to find out what it might be: “What do I still lack?” (Matthew 19:20). Why do we skip over that part?

The Rich Young Man’s problem was not so much that he wanted his wealth, but that he didn’t want Jesus. He was hoping maybe what he needed was one of the 613 commandments (the total number of mitzvotmentioned in the Old Testament) that he had perhaps overlooked. But it was far bigger than that. He thought he could pick up the tab for his life himself, but “Follow Me” was more than he expected to pay, and he flinched.

The problem that we all face is that we are beggars before God, without any hope at all except in God’s mercy. The temptation we all face is to say, “Well, it isn’t really as bad as all that. I’m a basically good person. I don’t hurt anyone. I don’t fool around. I make some donations. I recycle.” But even as we say stuff like that, in those places where we think no one is watching we’re pretty sure it sounds like evasion, like we’re trying very hard not to say the quiet thing out loud.

Maybe Jesus left out the commandments that mention God specifically because He wanted the Rich Young Man to see that that was what he was leaving out. And maybe Jesus asked the Rich Young Man to give away all his possessions because He was inviting him to be a disciple – “Follow Me” is what Jesus said only when He was inviting disciples. And maybe we don’t ask, “What do I still lack?” because we’re afraid the answer might be something bigger than we think, bigger than we want, something like, “Follow Me.”

“What do I still lack?” is the question we tend to skip over because “Follow Me” is too much answer. At least the Rich Young Man asked. Have you?