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Matthew 19:20 "The young man said to him 'All these I have observed, what do I still lack?'"

 

The young man asking what will earn him eternal life is going to go away sorrowful at Jesus' answer. Having professed that he is observing all the commandments, he will be told that if he wants to be perfect, he should sell everything he has, give to the poor, and follow Jesus. (Matthew 19:21)

 

I wonder if the young man asked this question of Jesus in sincerity or for validation. Did he think he was on the right track, following all the rules, not aware of any missteps, but still felt something was lacking? Did he listen to Jesus and sense He could give him the answer to what he was missing? Or was he somewhat complacent, thinking he had life fairly figured out? He was blessed with material possessions and was observing all the commandments, perhaps he was looking for Jesus to say "You're good, keep doing what you're doing."

 

Either way, the young man was surprised and saddened by Jesus' answer. (Matthew 19:22) The things he owned, the things that made his life comfortable, the things that most of us would consider blessings from a God who loves us, were keeping him from perfection. He was too attached to them, he could not picture his life without them, so he could not fully follow Jesus while clinging to them.

 

This question of "what do I lack" is a very brave one, one we should ask Jesus when we are in the right frame of mind. We really should want to know what we lack, eternal happiness is on the line after all. We also should be ready to hear the very thing that we least want to hear in answer. The things we think we can't live without, especially the things that we take for granted as our "necessities", can actually be getting in the way of a perfect relationship with God. Do we not know that He loves us? Do we not believe He will care for us?

 

Put everything on the table, absolutely everything. He gave it all to you, offer it back to Him with gratitude, and ask Him to take away anything that is inhibiting your perfection and to give you anything you need to achieve perfection, even if that is suffering. Tell Him you would happily give up everything to follow Him more closely, and mean it, then let Him tell you what you truly lack. And instead of going away sorrowful, rejoice that God loves us enough to tell us how to have a perfect relationship with Him.