Shall I then be supposed to mean that the refusal of the young man was of necessity final?–that he was therefore lost?–that because he declined to enter into life, the door of life was closed against him?
Verily, I have not so learned Christ! And that the lesson was not lost, I see in this: that he went away sorrowful.
Was such sorrow, in the mind of an earnest youth, likely to grow less, or to grow more? Was all he had gone through in the way of obedience to be of no good to him? Could the nature of one who had kept the commandments be so slight that, after having sought and talked with Jesus, held communion with Him who is the Life, he would care less about eternal life than before?!
Many, alas! have looked upon His face, yet have never seen Him, and have turned back; some have kept company with Him for years, and denied Him; but their weakness is not the measure of the patience or the resources of God!
Perhaps this youth was never one of the Lord’s so long as He was on the earth; but perhaps when he saw that the Master Himself cared nothing for the wealth He had told him to cast away, that, instead of ascending the throne of His fathers, He let the people do with him what they would, and left the world the poor man He had lived in it, by its meanest door–perhaps then the youth became one of those who sold all they had, and came and laid the money at the apostles’ feet.
In the meantime he had that in his soul which made it heavy: by the gravity of his riches the world held him, and would not let him rise. He counted his weight his strength, and it was his weakness. Moneyless in God’s upper air he would have had power indeed. Money is the power of this world–a power for defeat and failure to him who holds it–a weakness to be overcome ere a man can be strong; yet many decent people fancy it a power of the world to come! It is indeed a little power, as food and drink, as bodily strength, as the winds and the waves are powers; but it is no mighty thing for the redemption of men; yea, to the redemption of those who have it, it is the saddest obstruction. To make this youth capable of eternal life, clearly–and the more clearly that he went away sorrowful–the first thing was to make a poor man of him!
He would doubtless have gladly devoted his wealth to the service of the Master, yea, and gone with Him, as a rich man, to spend it for Him. But part with it to free him for His service? That he could not–yet!
So, I’ll just pick up as if today was the next day…