Awhile back I quoted Francis Turretin:

When Christ enjoins upon the young man the duty of following him (Mt. 19:23), he does not give a counsel, but a command to all in common because no one can have a hope of salvation unless he follows Christ (2 Pet. 2:21), although from a particular cause it is peculiarly adapted to him. (Institutes of Elenctic Theology, Vol 2, p. 32; 11.4.11)

via Mark Horne » Blog Archive » 2 Mistakes in the Law/Gospel Interpretation.

Turretin may be right, but I think most people read this and preach on the Rich Young Ruler as though the reason Jesus told him to sell everything was because of a peculiar sin he was unable to disentangle himself from.  This sin may have been covetousness, since Jesus didn’t mention that in his list of commandments.

Maybe.

But I wonder about it.  Joseph of Arimathea was a secret disciple, according to John 19, and there is no indication John is being sarcastic.  Jesus had disciples who supported him in various ways, including, in Joseph’s case, a man “inside” the Sanhedrin.  Lazarus, Mary, and Martha provided a way station for Jesus’ traveling campaign (I can’t possibly refer to it as his traveling “ministry” because that word is way too anemic in today’s speech).

So maybe it was “peculiarly adapted” to the ruler’s “particular cause” not due to his personal sin issues but because of his gifts.  Maybe Jesus simply wanted him not as a supporter or backer but as one of his disciples.  (Remember, Jesus sent out seventy at one point, there were more disciples than just the eleven).

Maybe it would have been him rather than Matthias who was selected to replace Judas (see Acts 1).  Or, maybe he repented of his decision and came back and his name was Matthias.

It just seems possible to me that looking for some sin as the reason for Jesus’ demand may be the wrong direction to go.  The text makes a point of saying that Jesus “loved him,” which is not said of anyone else that I can remember.  Perhaps the implication is that Jesus wanted him in his entourage.

And maybe it is important to remember that not everyone today in the Church has the same calling.  Maybe you children are called to marry and have children and produce a great deal of wealth.  And maybe their called to do something totally removed from that in another country or in the darker parts of this country–something you would never wish on any of your children but which they are called to by Jesus because he loves them.

So the lesson here would be to not stand in their way.