The Rich Young Man and Repentance

"As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'
"Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a youth."
Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give it to the poor, and you have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
At this, the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

Mark 10:17-22


This passage in Mark's Gospel contains a very peculiar interaction between Jesus and the rich young man. It provides us with an excellent depiction of exactly how not to connect with God. Specifically, the character of the rich young man is an inverse example of the true nature of repentance.

Repentance in its simple definition means to 'change one's mind' or to 'turn away from something'. In a Christian sense, I think we (or atleast me) immediately think of repentance as turning from outward sin. This is true. However, in turning from sin, it is important to realize the importance of turning from our own goodness and wholly clinging to Christ's. Therefore, I think repentance includes both the confessing and turning from our outward sinfulness (acts of the flesh), but also turning from trusting ourselves and our own accomplishments as the grounds for our acceptance/justification and instead, trusting in Christ and his accomplishments.

The rich young man's initial question "what must I do to inherit eternal life", shows his complete misunderstanding of the Gospel. He is trusting in something he can 'do' in order to earn God's favor. The question in itself seems silly. An inheritance is something you receive. It is something given to you, so to presume that one can earn it is ridiculous. This question reveals the heart of the rich young man. This interaction shows us that we cannot 'do' anything to merit eternal life, we can only turn to what Christ has done and receive eternal life.

In the back and forth interaction between Jesus and the rich young man, Jesus is trying to show the man both the enormity of his sin, and also the feebleness of his own efforts. Jesus does this by bringing God's unique holiness into the picture. When Jesus answers, "No one is good except God alone," he does this to bring the man to a point of recognition. It's as if Jesus is saying, 'look, God is the only one who is good, he is infinitely and uniquely holy, nothing you 'do' can ever bridge the infinite gulf that exists between you and Him. Stop trusting in your accomplishments, and trust in God. There is no one like him. He is perfect, your obedience does not measure up'. This was a perfect opportunity for the young man to realize the absurdity of his previous question in light of God's holiness and to repent.

Furthermore, true repentance always starts with God's holiness. It's only when we see God for who He really is, that we can begin to see our sin for what it really is. When we see just how vile we are in comparison to God's perfection, it will lead us to repentance. More so, our own obedience and accomplishments will pale in comparison to the awesome reality of God's complete holiness. Take for example the prophet Isaiah. In chapter 6, when he gets a glimpse of God's holiness, his only reaction is, "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have see the King, the LORD of hosts!" (Isaiah 6:5)

The rich young man was unable to repent because he had no revelation of the holiness of God, and as a result, had no idea of the enormity of his sin. Therefore, he had no need for God's grace. He literally thought he was as good as God, as implied by him stating that he had kept all the commandments. However, we know that 'no one is righteous, not one, no one understands, no one seeks God, no one does good' (Romans 3:11-12). Jesus reveals the truth about the man's sinful heart by telling him to sell all he had and give it to the poor. While the young man thought he had kept all the commands, his unwillingness to sell his possessions reveals his failure to keep the very first commandment. The repentant heart is marked by a increasing awareness that there is no one who is righteous, and there is no one who truly seeks God.

Continuing, repentance is not supposed to be a one time thing. Rather, repentance should be a lifestyle. The mark of a maturing Christian should not be that they keep looking 'better' and doing more 'good', rather it will be marked by an increased awareness of sin and an increased awareness at the unworthiness of their own obedience. Both of these lead to increased repentance. They lead us to turn from ourselves, and turn to God.

Lastly, the nature of true repentance is marked by a longing for God's grace and results in an overwhelming joy. As stated before, an increase in the knowledge of God's holiness completely crushes our self-righteousness and convicts us of our own personal wickedness. It brings us to our knees in humility just as it did for Isaiah. However, the true nature of repentance does not end there. As we are made aware of our inability to 'do' something to merit God's favor, we will instead long for God's grace. We will long for Christ's righteousness, not wishing to establish a righteousness of our own, but rather trusting in Christ and the perfect righteousness that only He can provide. God bringing us to a point of brokenness allows him to pour grace and mercy into our lives. Only when we are broken by our sin can God restore us. The Gospel and the grace of God is only good newswhen we recognize our shortcomings. God desires mercy and not sacrifice, and when we repent, we will experience God's amazing grace. We will taste the glories of the Gospel in a fresh new way. God does not leave us in a state of despair. Rather, He restores His children, and richly lavishes His grace upon them. Experiencing God's grace and pardon and knowing our position as beloved children in Him will be marked by peace, rest, and joy unspeakable.

"If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
1 John 1: 8-9