Jesus and the Rich Young Man: Lessons on Eternal Life
This paper examines the biblical story of the rich young man in Matthew 19:16-22, in which a wealthy individual asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. The paper analyzes Jesus' response — that true eternal life requires not only moral conduct toward others but also a godly relationship with God — and draws connections to contemporary life. It explores how the rich man's attachment to wealth functioned as idolatry, explains how Jesus' teachings remain relevant today, and outlines the key spiritual principles Christians must follow to pursue eternal life and ultimate happiness.
- The Story of the Rich Young Man: Biblical narrative of Matthew 19:16-22 summarized
- What Jesus' Response Means Today: Modern relevance of Jesus' teaching on eternal life
- Wealth, Idolatry, and the First Commandment: Wealth as idol and failure to honor God
- A Recipe for Eternal Life: Five principles for pursuing eternal life today
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper grounds its theological argument directly in a specific biblical passage (Matthew 19:16-22), keeping the analysis focused and textually anchored.
- It draws a clear distinction between being "moral" (relating well to others) and being "godly" (honoring God), giving the argument a logical two-part structure.
- The contemporary application section effectively bridges the ancient text and modern life, making abstract theological ideas relatable to present-day readers.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates textual interpretation applied to ethical argument: it reads a biblical narrative closely, identifies the theological principle embedded in Jesus' response, and then extrapolates that principle into a practical, numbered framework for modern Christian living. This move — from scripture to doctrine to application — is the foundational method in theological and religious studies writing.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens by summarizing the biblical narrative, then interprets its theological significance (the distinction between moral and godly living), applies that significance to the modern world, and closes with a synthesis — a five-point recipe for pursuing eternal life drawn from Jesus' teachings. The Works Cited section follows standard citation practice for the sources used.
The Story of the Rich Young Man
A story is told in Matthew 19:16–22 of a rich young man who approached Jesus seeking to find out what he would have to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus answers that in order to inherit eternal life, one must be a good neighbor — which means keeping the commandments that govern how people relate to one another (Sizer para. 2). The young man is quick to point out that he had kept all of these since childhood. Jesus then asks him to give his entire wealth to the poor, after which he would be accorded treasure in heaven. On hearing this, the young man turns away and goes home, sad (Sizer para. 2).
What Jesus' Response Means Today
What does Jesus' response mean for us today? Jesus attempts to demonstrate that in order to inherit eternal life, individuals must live not only moral lives but also godly lives. They must relate well with others and with God. The rich man acknowledges that he had kept the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth commandments — all of which govern how Christians ought to relate to one another. However, he had conspicuously failed to keep the First Commandment, which bars the faithful from having gods other than the Almighty and from making or worshipping idols of any kind.
In this case, the rich man's wealth was his idol — he considered it more important than serving God. As such, he could not inherit the Kingdom of God because, even though he was moral and believed he had a perfect relationship with his fellow men, he did not have a perfect relationship with God, and therefore was not truly godly.
Works Cited
Sizer, Stephen. "Christianity Explored: What Must I Do to Inherit Eternal Life?" Stephen Sizer, 2011. Web. 2 February 2015. http://www.stephensizer.com/2011/12/christianity-explored-what-must-i-do-to-inherit-eternal-life/
Voice of Jesus. "The Key Question: Eternal Life." Voice of Jesus, n.d. Web. 2 February 2015. http://www.voiceofjesus.org/pjb2chapter4.html
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