Luke 18:22 - The Rich Young Man: Perfect or Problem?

Luke 18:22 - The Rich Young Man: Perfect or Problem?

Luke 18:22 (TEV)  When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "There 
is still one more thing you need to do.  Sell all you have and give 
the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; then come 
and follow me."  

A wealthy man came to Jesus, concerned about whether he was on 
the right path. He was wealthy, and, according to him anyway, he had 
managed to keep every law required of him. So Jesus got right to the 
heart of the matter by telling him to get rid of his wealth. This 
zeroed in on a fact that the man couldn't see for himself - that his 
unwillingness to give up his wealth showed that he wasn't even keeping the 
first of the Ten Commandments, to not let anything be more important 
than his relationship with God. 
Jesus doesn't ask you to sell everything you own, but he does 
ask you to get rid of anything in your life that adversely affects 
your relationship with God. Consider where you focus your time and 
energy. The focus of your life establishes your priorities. Jesus says 
to make him your priority. When you do, you won't need to fret 
about whether you're doing enough. Instead, you'll be doing just what 
he calls you to do. [The One Year Bible for New Believers re Luke 
18:18-25] 

This man's wealth made his life comfortable and gave him power 
and prestige. When Jesus told him to sell everything he owned, Jesus 
was touching the very basis of his security and identity. The man 
did not understand that he would be even more secure if he followed 
Jesus than he was with all his wealth. Jesus does not ask all 
believers to sell everything they have, although this may be his will for 
some. He does ask us all, however, to get rid of anything that has 
become more important than God. [Life Application SB] 

Wise are the words of the martyr Jim Elliot who said, "He is no 
fool, who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose."  
What is the Lord requiring of you?  Do you need to heed His words 
from this passage?  For this man, there didn't seem to be a middle 
ground, no compromise.  The Lord still permits no compromises today. 
Anything more precious to you than God must be given away immediately. If 
you will it, God will give you the strength to do it, and come into 
a right relationship with Him! [In His Time; Walk With Wisdom] 

So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that 
he hath, he cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:33 (KJV)