Can you Possibly Understand What you Read?

Abstract

In terms of genre, the story of the rich young man 
is regarded as the story of a failed vocation. The 
focus of the story is, therefore, on the immediate, 
total and final renunciation of wealth, which becomes the condition for following Jesus and thus 
for participating in eternal life, not only in this 
specific case but also in general. This approach 
leads to an unresolved tension in the explanation. 
A review of the history of interpretation shows 
that Jesus’ statement is intolerable to people of 
any age. It is, therefore, more appropriate to 
regard the text as a teaching discourse (Lehrgespräch). In this case, the story of the rich man is 
an isolated case of man’s inability to pay the price 
that the divine will demands of him for eternal 
life. In the teaching of the disciples (Jüngerbelehrung), Jesus explains that this way is closed to 
man: it is impossible to be saved by one’s own 
effort, but all things are possible for God. In light 
of this, we must separate the harsh command to 
the young man from the idea of discipleship. An 
immediate, total and final renunciation of wealth 
is not necessary for following Jesus. It is a necessary condition for the acquisition of heavenly 
treasures. But if the young man has renounced 
everything, then in principle, the opportunity 
to follow Jesus is open to him. The story of the 
rich young man does not set an unattainable requirement for the condition of discipleship. The 
last passage of the pericope shows that eternal life 
can only be attained by following Jesus, and Jesus demands no more than that this following be 
possible in the situation of life.