“And when He [Jesus] was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to Him, and asked Him, Good Master, what shall I do (at this point Jesus told him)...And he answered and said unto him...Master, all these have I observed from my youth...Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest…” (and it is here Jesus tells him what is missing in his commitment)~ Matt. 19:16-21; Mk. 10:17-23; Lk. 18:18-24
Taking the three Gospel accounts of this one recorded incident, we see this young man seeking spiritual truth came to the right person, the right way, and received the right answer; but went away the wrong way. This individual, who seemed to have it all together, was found wanting. Jesus told him, “Yet lackest thou one thing.”
Only one thing stood between him and His God. Just one thing keeping him from a life more abundant. The tragedy of all tragedies, not unlike ourselves, was that he deemed his one thing to be more important and above God’s “one thing.”
I wonder, what is our one thing that’s keeping us from God’s best in our lives? No matter how much Christ loved this young man, He could not make him the recipient of of this great blessing of life, for the one thing between them, that one singular thing he was holding in his bosom so tightly.
God is not interested so much in what we have given Him; He has that. His concern is that one thing we’re holding back. It is not the outstretched arm with all the things in an opened-hand He desires, but that one thing in a tightly clenched fist, behind our backs, He wants!
If our story teaches us anything, it teaches us, it’s possible to do everything right and have them all undone because of one thing done wrong. This, as in the young man’s life, only leads us to grief.
But the most heart breaking of the whole event is found in Marks account, “And Jesus beholding him, loved him.”