The rich young man famously approaches Jesus and asks, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” The Lord’s reply, which exhorts the young man to keep the commandments, includes two key points, often overlooked.
The careful reader will note that before his further injunction, first, before answering, Jesus looks at the rich young man with love. The relationship between the rich young man and Jesus is something much more than that of a casual questioner. And the Lord’s reply is neither cold nor dismissive.
The graciousness of the Lord, his love and mercy, is revealed in his gaze. The answer to the rich young man’s question is not merely a way of life or a moral law or an injunction to keep. The answer to the rich young man’s question is simply Christ.
John Paul II writes,
To seek eternal life, the Lord reveals, means to seek Christ. To learn to love the Lord and embrace his way of life. To want him and him alone.
Christ is the origin and summit of this scene. He moves the rich young man by his gaze of love. “It is Jesus himself who takes the initiative and calls people to follow him,” says John Paul II. “His call is addressed first to those to whom he entrusts a particular mission, beginning with the Twelve; but it is also clear that every believer is called to be a follower of Christ (cf. Acts 6:1). Following Christ is thus the essential and primordial foundation of Christian morality.”
The master is the chief actor; he extends the invitation to discipleship. He moves his hearers to follow him and extends the possibility of a different way of life.
Second, we should note that we don’t know what happens to the rich young man. At the end of this encounter, he walks away from Jesus sad. But is that the end of the story?
Vatican II teaches,
Apart from Christ, the rest of the life of the rich young man is a mystery.
Did he once again find himself numbered among the followers of Christ? Did he come to hear of Jesus’ death and resurrection? Did he receive the Holy Spirit at Pentecost? Did he speak with the apostles and the Blessed Mother?
The Scriptures remain silent on the matter. Only in Christ is light shed on the rich young man. The same is true of our hearts. Only Christ can render intelligible the mystery of our existence. Only Christ can lead us to our eternal destiny.
