Archive Entry #29: June 17, 2004

The story of the rich young ruler’s encounter with Jesus on the question of what the ruler has to do to have eternal life has been my favorite Gospel story for decades.

Several aspects of the story attract my attention:

• The man’s obvious spiritual need
• His willingness to seek more than simple answers
• The increasingly more challenging character of Jesus’ suggested actions
• The ruler’s profound sadness as he rejects Jesus’ final answer.

Today’s archive entry is my retelling of the story.

The column is twenty years old. The Gospel story itself is 2,000 years old. The truth the Gospel story shouts at us is surely eternal.

COMING NEXT: Two days in front of our congregation’s 95th birthday on October 19, a column I wrote back in October 1994 to reflect on and celebrate our 75th birthday. Find it HERE.