All three of the synoptic Gospels tell the story of one who came to Jesus, asking what he needed to do to inherit eternal life. When we consider these three accounts together, we get a complete picture of what kind of person this was.

Matthew tells us he was a “young man” (19:20). In all three accounts we are told he was quite wealthy (Matt. 19:22; Mark 10:22), and was even “exceedingly rich” (Luke 18:23). And Luke makes it clear he was also one who occupied some kind of high position, referring to him as a “ruler” (Luke 18:18). He was also evidently in good health, for when he came to Jesus he did not ask for healing, as so many others did. Instead, he wanted to ask him about something very different: eternal life.

Indeed, he appears to have been a very moral and humble young man, one who was not made proud by his wealth or high position. Instead, unlike so many of the Jewish leaders, he recognized Jesus as a true teacher of God’s Word, a man who could help him find the way of eternal life. And that is what he was seeking, for in all three accounts he tells Jesus, in a very sincere way, that he had kept the commandments of God since his youth, but he still felt his lack before God (Matt. 19:20, Mark 10:20; Luke 18:21). He surely was a spiritual seeker!

And yet, despite all we can learn about him from the Bible, there is one thing we don’t know about this rich young ruler: while his story is recorded three different Gospels, not one of them tells us his name.

So we need to ask, Why doesn’t the Bible, when it reveals so much about him, give us that information?

The answer is very simple: because it doesn’t matter.

Here was one who had everything the world could offer: youth and good health, material riches, a high position, and even a good character as a seeker of God. Nonetheless, while so many of those who knew him may have admired his life and even aspired to be like him, in reality, his life was completely meaningless. Like so many others throughout the centuries, he simply lived for a while on the earth and then vanished away from it, accomplishing nothing of eternal value during his time among the living.

And so, there is just no need for the Bible to tell us who he was.

The reason, of course, is that when the test came, he clung to his riches, instead of following Christ. As many have pointed out, his case shows us that whenever someone turns away from Jesus, they must go away “sorrowing” (Matt. 19:22, Mark 10:22, Luke 18:23).

His story also reminds me of something Brother Titus Chu once said, that when it comes to following the Lord, it is not a matter of our desire, but of our decisions. (See the Note, “Desire, or Decisions?”)

The world, under the hand of “the god of this age” (2 Cor. 4:4), is so deceitful! It often seems so attractive, and promises us so much; but, while we may partake of some earthly blessings during our pilgrimage here, we also suffer so much from that fallen system. And even if we are able to obtain all the world has to offer, in the end we will find, just as the rich young ruler did, that there simply is no real value there.

His story is, in reality, a warning to us. So many today, even without realizing it, have also turned away from Jesus for the sake of their riches, and so are living lives without lasting value or meaning, just as he did. How true this is, especially in this country, which can make such a worldly living seem so attractive!

The problem is not that they are evil—he certainly was not—but that they have been deceived into living for the temporary blessings of this age, rather than living for Christ, and in so doing miss the real meaning of their human life.

This, of course, is all on the negative side. The good news is, there is another way we may take, which has a very different result. And that is what we shall consider in Part Two of this series.

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— 17 June 2026 —