And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
1. What He Had
A) He Had Great Aspirations - “..what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
A life beyond Sheol
B) He Had Keen Discernment
He recognized in Jesus something far above the ordinary.
He had faith Jesus knew the answer to his very important question
C) He Had Courage
1. He was a ruler of the Jews.
2. At this time, the rulers had taken stand against Jesus.
3. For him to come and kneel took courage.
D) He Was Humble
1. He knelt before Jesus.
2. Rulers did not kneel before peasants, and Jesus was considered a peasant
E) He a Good Record Towards His Fellow Man
Mark 10:19–20 ESV
You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’ ” And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.”
1. When Jesus repeated the commandments in the second table of the law.
a. These deal with my relationship to man.
b. The first four deal with relationship to God.
2. He could answer "all these have I kept."
What He Did Not Have
A) Completeness
Mark 10:21–22 ESV
And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
B) Eternal Life
1. He was not "born again."
2. You can be a very good person and not be saved.
Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8:26-ff), Cornelius (Acts 10:2), Lydia (Acts 16:14), Apollos (Acts 18), Disciples of John the Baptist (Acts 19)
1. Significant that Jesus did not quote first four commandments.
“You shall have no other gods besides me” (Exodus 20)
