One day, not long after Jesus had blessed the little children brought to Him, there came to Him a rich young ruler, who said, "Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?"
"And He said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but One, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
"He saith unto Him, Which?
"Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder. Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness. Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
"The young man saith unto Him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
"Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
"But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions."
The difficulty of sacrifice.
This simple little story reveals to us the truth. The rich young ruler was essentially a good young man. From his youth up he had striven to observe the law of Moses. He had committed no gross offense; he was guilty of no heinous sin; as he understood the law, he loved his neighbor as himself. But the more perfect law of the Gospel, which Jesus taught, called for sacrifice. The things the young man had done had been easy. He had refrained from evil, because he loved not evil. But when he was bidden to part with his wealth, and to give it to others more needy than he, the center of his affection was touched. For he loved his riches. It was not the riches, then, that stood between him and eternal life. It was the love of those riches. The thing he loved he could with difficulty give up.
The conclusion of Jesus.