Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

“If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Matthew 19:16, 21

If I understand this man’s question, he, to his credit, knew that no matter how wealthy he may be, (Jesus knew he had great wealth, even though he was rather young) he could not earn or buy eternal life.  He believed that he needed a currency of good deeds, or whatever, with which he could purchase eternal life, somewhat like ordinary money works.   The question he asked Jesus indicated that he was serious about obtaining eternal life and he was prepared to do “one good thing” to obtain it.  He hoped Jesus could help him by pointing to that one good thing that he could do that would settle the matter for him for eternity.

Jesus reminded him that no “good thing” the fellow could do could purchase eternity. As I see it, the many world religions were and still are based on that assumption – that eternal life must be earned.  This man believed that.  His question was how he could obtain that precious spiritual currency to purchase it.

Imagine the heavy cloud that descended on him when Jesus said, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”  That is not what the fellow wanted to hear!  A heavy sadness came over him.  In a moment, he realized that all he had, and he had plenty, could not buy two minutes of eternity and he realized that he did not do the religious “one good thing” either.

All of us who are saved by grace know the moment when we realized that we could not earn eternal life!  That changed everything. No human currency can buy anything from God.

I find myself pondering this life-giving grace.  I need it as much now, when I am 88, as ever.