Desire and the Rich Young Ruler

Author: Doug Ward

All three synoptic gospels record an encounter between Jesus and a rich man seeking the way to eternal life. Since
Matthew (19:!" describes the man as young and #uke (1$:1$" identifies him as a ruler% he is commonly known as &the
rich young ruler.&
Jesus initially directs the man to se'eral commandments of (od:
)*ou know the commandments: +,o not murder% ,o not commit adultery% ,o not steal% ,o not bear false witness% ,o not
defraud% -onor your father and mother../ (Mark 1!:19% 0S1"
2his listing includes fi'e of the ten commandments% along with &do not defraud.& 2o e3plain the presence of do not defraud
in the list% commentators fre4uently obser'e that this is one way to state the commandment forbidding the co'eting of
another5s possessions% &2he command 6do not defraud5 between the references to the 7inth and 8ifth 9ommandments is
substituted for the 2enth 9ommandment% 6*ou shall not co'et.5 8raud is a concrete e3ample of co'etousness and a
special temptation of the rich.& :1;
<ther sources concur that by Jesus5 time% the sin of defrauding another was associated with the commandment against
co'eting. 2he association was based partly on #e' 19:1=: &,o not defraud your neighbor or rob him. ,o not hold back the
wages of a hired man o'ernight.& Since 'erses 11 and 1 of #e' 19 deal% respecti'ely% with the commandments against
theft and false witness% a link was made between the ne3t 'erse ('. 1=" and the ne3t commandment in the ,ecalogue. :;
9ertainly all the sins described in #e' 19:1= are concrete ways to act upon a desire for something that rightfully belongs to
another.
>ut if Jesus was thinking of &do not defraud& as an e3ample of &do not co'et your neighbor5s possessions&% why didn5t he
?ust state the more familiar prohibition against co'eting instead@ 9ould it be that the Messiah.s words% 'iewed in the
conte3t of an ongoing discussion in the Second 2emple Aeriod% present us with an e'en deeper understanding of his
intent in Mark 1!:19B@ 2his article presents a brief sur'ey of what the -ebrew Scriptures% intertestamental and early
rabbinic literature ha'e to say about co'etousness and desire% in order to shed additional light on this familiar story. :=;
Appropriate and Inappropriate Desires
2he tenth commandmentCor% in some traditions% the ninth and tenthCstates% )*ou shall not co'et your neighbor.s houseD
you shall not co'et your neighbor.s wife% or his male ser'ant% or his female ser'ant% or his o3% or his donkey% or anything
that is your neighbor.s/ (03od !:1E". Fhat is forbidden here is not desire itself% but desire for the possessions of another.
Starting in the (arden of 0den% the -ebrew Scriptures teach that we ha'e been gi'en many good things to en?oy% and we
should en?oy them sub?ect to guidelines that (od has put in place ((en :1GB1E". 7ote for e3ample the festi'al tithe
commandment in ,eut 1H:BE% which says in part%
&and spend the money for whate'er you desireCo3en or sheep or wine or strong drink% whate'er your appetite cra'es I&
('. G% 0S1".
2he phrase &whate'er you desire& lea'es the worshiper a lot of leeway% but it is meant to be read in light of the rest of the
2orah. 8or instance% earlier in ,eut 1H we find restrictions on the 'arieties of meat that may be eaten.
2he -ebrew Scriptures identify some 'aluable entities that are especially worth desiring. 2hese include the ?udgments of
(od (As 19:9B1!"% (od5s &name and renown& (Jsa G:$B9"% and the temple (0Kek H:1G% 1". <n the other hand% a number
of passages show the conse4uences of co'eting what is not ours. 2hink of the e3amples of Achan (Joshua E"% ,a'id and
>athsheba ( Sam 11B1"% and Ahab with 7aboth5s 'ineyard (J Lings 1". 2he book of Aro'erbs repeatedly warns against
falling into the trap of illicit desire (Aro' MBG% e.g.".
2he prophets caution that in e3ile% Jsrael would lose many precious and desirable things% including the temple and its
'essels along with the land ( 9hron =G:1!%19D #am 1:E%1!D -osea 9:G%1GD1=:1MD Nech E:1H" -ere we see that (od% for the
longBterm spiritual benefit of his people% may sometimes depri'e them of things that can be rightfully desired under
ordinary circumstances.
Dangerous Desires
9ontinued reflection on both the positi'e and negati'e aspects of desire is present in the Apocrypha. :H; <n the positi'e
side% Sirach 1H:1H says that we should en?oy the desirable things that (od has gi'en us: &,o not depri'e yourself of a
day5s en?oymentD do not let your share of desired good pass by you.& Fisdom of Solomon G mentions some especially
desirable things: &2he beginning of wisdom is the most sincere desire for instructionI/ . ('.G"D and &... the desire for
wisdom leads to a kingdom& ('. !".
<n the negati'e side% there is increasing emphasis on the dangers of desires in general and the need to keep them under
control. Sirach M: cautions% &,o not follow your inclination and strength in pursuing the desires of your heart.& Sirach
1$:=! adds% &,o not follow your base desires% but restrain your appetites.& Jn =:MBG% >en Sirach prays% &... remo'e e'il
desire from meD #et neither gluttony nor lust o'ercome me% and do not gi'e me o'er to shameless passion.&
2he book of H Maccabees stresses the importance of selfBcontrol and asserts that the power of reason can be brought to
bear to con4uer lusts (H Macc :H". Jf (od had not made humans capable of ruling their desires and emotions% this book
argues% he would not ha'e instituted the commandment against co'eting (''. MBG". 2he author praises Joseph for resisting
the ad'ances of Aotiphar5s wife by &mental effort& ('. ".
Covetousness in Rabbinic Tradition
Jn rabbinic literature% as in intertestamental sources% the patriarchs (and Joseph in particular" are praised for con4uering
desires and obeying (od5s commandments. After stating that Joseph had kept the ten commandments% #e'iticus Oabbah
:1! says of the patriarchs% &0'en though unto them the 2orah had not yet been gi'en% they fulfilled it of their own accord.
8or this reason the -oly <ne% blessed be -e% lo'ed them with a complete lo'e% and made their name like unto -is own
great name.&
>ut since human desires can lead to so many sins% how can the commandment against co'etousness be carried out@
>ased on ,eut E:M% which connects the co'eting of precious metals with the act of taking them% rabbinic discussion of
this commandment focuses on identifying concrete ways in which people might act upon illicit desires. Jn particular% the
Mishnah (c. !! A.,." connects 03odus :=GB=E and #e' 19:1=B1HD M:=GB=E with co'eting. :M; 2hese are
commandments that prohibit charging interest on a personal loan% taking ad'antage of the poor% or otherwise defrauding
others.
2he Mishnah e3amines a number of specific cases of fraudCe.g.% a person asking to borrow some 4uantity of grain and
offering to pay back that same amount of grain at har'est time. Jf the price of grain goes down at har'est time% the
borrower would be returning less than he borrowed and would thus be defrauding the lender (m. >aba MetKia M:9".
A'oiding any kind of fraudulent transaction is a concrete and measurable way to refrain from co'eting and so fulfill the
tenth commandment.
Jesus' Teaching in Mark 10:19!!
Fith this background in mind it seems reasonable to suggest% along with scholars like >ruckner% that when Jesus lists
se'eral commandments ('. 19"% he says &you shall not defraud& rather than &you shall not co'et& in order to restrict the
initial scope of the discussion to the realm of concrete% measurable ways of carrying out the tenth commandment.
2he man responds to Jesus by saying% &2eacher% J ha'e kept all these since my youth& ('. !". 7otice that Jesus did not
dispute this claim or deny that it was possible for someone to follow these commandments. #ike Joseph% the man must
ha'e had commendable selfBcontrol and strength of character. Mark records that Jesus &lo'ed him%& reminding us of
(od5s lo'e for the faithful patriarchs.
Jesus then gi'es an additional directi'e% in effect e3panding the scope of the tenth commandment well beyond the
e3ternal re4uirement of &you shall not defraud.& -e says to the rich young ruler% &*ou lack one thingD go% sell what you
own% and gi'e the money to the poor% and you will ha'e treasure in hea'enD then come% follow me& ('. 1". 2his is more
than the rich man is prepared to hear. &Fhen he heard this% he was shocked and went away grie'ing% for he had many
possessions& ('. ".
2he young man has earned his wealth by legitimate means and so has e'ery right to en?oy what (od has gi'en him.
-owe'er% the shock and grief he e3periences when asked to surrender his riches indicate that he still has a problem with
desire. Js Jesus% in asking the man to sell his possessions% implying that e'en a desire for one5s own possessions can
become a form of idolatry and thus a kind of illicit desire@ (8or the connection between co'etousness and idolatry% see 9ol
=:M."
Jesus5 teaching in Mark 1!:19B responds to the ways in which Second 2emple Judaism was wrestling with the
challenge of desire. <n the one hand% Jesus acknowledges the great 'alue in efforts to e3ercise selfBcontrol and fulfill the
tenth commandment in concrete ways. <n the other hand% because of the per'asi'e danger of desire% those efforts
ine'itably will fall short.
Jesus% in directing the young man to follow him% is saying that he is a safe and legitimate ob?ect of desire. (Fhile an
attachment to possessions can stand between a person and (od% an attachment to Jesus is the way to follow (od." :G; Jn
this way Jesus places himself in elite company since% as we ha'e seen% the list of desirable things in the -ebrew
Scriptures includes the 2orah% the 2emple% wisdom and the knowledge of (od.
#ooking anew at this interaction between Jesus and the rich young ruler leads to se'eral significant ideas. <ne is the
importance of following the commandments of (od. Jn particular% obedience to commandments like &you shall not
defraud& helps protect the most 'ulnerable members of society. A second is the recognition that we all fall short%
succumbing to illicit desires% and that the solution to the challenges of desire% both appropriate and inappropriate% is found
in Ling Jesus. And third% Jesus is both modeling and offering a new creation life to those who would dare to follow him. Jt
is a lifestyle characteriKed by radical trust and freedom% where disciples can ?oyfully risk e'erything in caring for the needs
of others and ne'er be found wanting. Jn an era of great wealth and temptations% these are penetrating points to ponder.
Footnotes:
:1; Mark% 7ew American 9ommentary% 1olume =% >roadman Aress% 1991% p. 1G.
:; See for e3ample James L. >ruckner% 03odus% 7ew Jnternational >iblical 9ommentary% 1olume % -endrickson
Aublishers% !!$% p. 19.
:=; J am summariKing here the work of biblical scholar James >ruckner in an e3cellent article% &<n the <ne -and ... <n the
<ther -and: 2he 2wofold Meaning of the #aw Against 9o'etousness&% pp. 9EB11$ in 2o -ear and <bey: 0ssays in -onor
of 8rederick 9arlson -olmgren% >radley J. >ergfalk and Aaul 0. Loptak% editors% 9o'enant Aublications% 9hicago% 199E.
:H; 2he Apocrypha% although little known to most Arotestants% is an important body of literature written during Jsrael.s
Second 2emple Aeriod.
:M; 2he Mishnah is the written record of the Jewish &<ral 2orah%& committed to writing around !! A.,.
:G; >ruckner% )<n the <ne -and/.
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