2 Corinthians 8:9
Matthew 19:16-22
A young man approached Jesus. Good teacher he said, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life? As I ponder this response I think about what Jesus knew. Jesus knew this man. He knew he had followed the commandments, but he also knew what he valued in his heart. Jesus knew intimately what if felt and looked like to give up everything. I can't help but think Jesus looked inwardly a little introspectively as he thought about what the young man was about to ask. He may have thought about the entire course his people had taken since creation. He may have reflected briefly on the sacrifice He required by law at atonement for sin. He may have thought how He revealed to Moses that He desired love and mercy even greater than sacrifice. Jesus may have sat patiently waiting for this rich young ruler to ask his question so that He could reveal what He himself had done. Jesus was rich in every way before coming to earth. He was united with God the Father and the Spirit. In a way he was like the rich young ruler, comfortable and perfect, but there was a burden. A burden of love that humans seemed not to understand. The burden was for those dying still separated from Him. He became poor for the sake of this burden. He gave up the richness of His Perfect Godhood, to become human. To live among us. To bind himself to the yoke of time. To feel hunger and need to eat. To feel pain and endure. To become human. It seems a bit like an ironic test, Jesus' words to this man. If the young man truly believed he was good then he must understand that the thing that made Jesus good was his having done the very same he asked the rich young ruler to do. The fact that Jesus was there talking to this man proved his goodness. It proved He had already given up himself. All he asked of the young man was that he prove not where his sacrifice lie but instead where his love was.
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