The Rich Young Ruler (Attachment)
Internal Struggle
Attachment
The rich young ruler came to Jesus running, knelt before him, and asked what he needed to do to inherit eternal life. He had kept the commandments from childhood. He was earnest, religious, and genuinely interested in the answer. Jesus looked at him and loved him. Then Jesus told him the one thing he lacked, and the man walked away sad because he had great wealth. He had everything except the willingness to let go of the thing that had become his real foundation.
What Happened?
A young man ran up to Jesus, knelt before him, and asked what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus listed the commandments. The man said he had kept all of them since childhood. Jesus looked at him, loved him, and told him one thing was missing: he should sell everything he had, give it to the poor, and follow him. The man’s face fell and he went away grieving because he had great wealth. Jesus turned to his disciples and said it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. The disciples were astonished. Jesus told them that with God all things are possible. Peter pointed out that they had left everything to follow him, and Jesus told them that no one who had left home or family or fields for his sake would fail to receive much more in return (Mark 10:17-31).
How Did Attachment Affect the Rich Young Ruler?
- He had constructed a religious identity around the commandments that was genuine but incomplete
- His wealth was not just a possession but a foundation, something he was building his security and identity on
- He came with the right question and the right posture and still walked away from the right answer
- The one thing Jesus identified was not random, it was the specific thing his life was most organized around
- His sadness was real, which suggests he understood exactly what was being asked and what it would cost
- He is the only person in the Gospels who walked away from a direct invitation from Jesus and is recorded as going without argument or confrontation
The Tragedy
The rich young ruler’s tragedy is that he almost made it. He had the right question, the right approach, the right religious history, and a direct encounter with Jesus who specifically loved him. The text is clear that Jesus looked at him and loved him before giving the instruction (Mark 10:21). He was not told to do something impossible. He was told to do something costly. And he chose the cost of keeping what he had over the cost of letting it go. He walked away sad, which means he knew what he was giving up. He just decided it was worth more than what he was walking away from.
The Pattern That Led to Destruction
- Built a life of religious faithfulness around a foundation of financial security
- Came sincerely seeking something more and received a direct answer
- Recognized what the answer would cost and chose to keep what he had
- Left the encounter sad rather than transformed
- Is remembered not for the commandments he kept but for the one thing he would not release
Practical Steps for Facing Attachment
- Ask what the one thing is that you would not give up if God asked you to, that is almost certainly the thing worth examining most closely
- Notice the difference between enjoying something and being organized around it
- Do not confuse religious faithfulness with full surrender, you can keep all the rules and still have something that is more foundational than God
- Be honest about whether your sadness at a particular instruction is grief over the cost or a decision that the cost is too high
- Ask whether the thing you are holding onto is giving you what you think it is giving you
- Practice releasing smaller things so you have the capacity to release larger ones
- Come to Jesus running and stay for the answer, even when the answer is harder than you expected
