The three saddest words in the New Testament are found in Mark 10:22. They were spoken by the man called “the Rich Young Ruler.” This young man, standing in the presence of Jesus Christ, holding his destiny in his own hands, having the power to say “yes” or “no” to the gift of eternal life, turned his back on the wooing and winsome Christ and refused to follow Him. The Scripture says simply: “HE WENT AWAY.”
The story of the Rich Young Ruler is one of the most disappointing to be found in the entire New Testament. This is true because very likely no one who came into contact with Jesus during His earthly ministry was richer in possibilities. No story began more hopefully than his. Therefore, it is all the more sad when we see his bright morning turn into the gloom of night. How disappointing!
Look at the tremendous assets the Rich Young Ruler brought to his interview with Jesus. He was very wealthy, which probably meant he exercised power and influence. But wealth, if consecrated to God, is an instrument of much good. He had two other assets: he is described as a ruler and as being young. Most of his life was ahead of him. In spite of his assets, he was restless and discontented – not because of what he had, but because of what he did not have.
Dissatisfaction with your circumstances often leads to meaningful change. For example, in the 1960’s two Marines on the way back from a weekend visit with their families in Tennessee listened to a sermon by Dr. Billy Graham on the radio. An hour or so later they heard the same sermon on another radio station. At the end of hearing the sermon the second time they were traveling through Warsaw, N.C. Dr. Graham’s sermon had convicted them. They stopped at a telephone booth, looked in the phone book for the name of a minister, saw my name, and called for me to come where they were. I sat in the front seat of their car, opened my Bible, and witnessed to them. Both of them accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior.
Like those two Marines, the Rich Young Ruler had a tremendous void in his life. He came to the only One who could fill that void. He was a man of courage. He had kept the 10 Commandments from his youth up. He was reverent and morally clean. But he did not have a personal faith relationship with God. He had numerous good qualities – but he was empty on the inside! He was religious – but he was lost!
Jesus said to him: “Go and sell all that you have, and give what it brings to the poor. Then come and follow me.” He was not saying: “In order to follow Me you must become penniless.” What He was saying is this: “If owning material things is the most important thing in your life, your priorities need to be changed.” Jesus could read this young man’s heart. He knew what was most important in his life.
If Jesus could read the Rich Young Ruler’s heart, don’t you think He can also read your heart? If you are not a Christian He knows what stands in your way of becoming one. It could be a trifle, or something very worthwhile and valuable, or perhaps some sin that has a grip on your life. Whatever it is that stands in your way, if it keeps you from saying “yes” to Christ, then it could well cause you to miss out on heaven.
The Rich Young Ruler wanted to follow Jesus. He really did! But he didn’t want to follow Him strongly enough to pay the price of putting Him first in his life. If you are not a Christian I urge you to not make the same tragic decision he made. Why do I say this? It takes the three saddest words in the New Testament to describe the mistake he made. He could have had eternal life — but “HE WENT AWAY!”
The Paper Pulpit 
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