Hearing the cost of discipleship...
Illustration
Hearing the cost of discipleship, the rich young ruler walked away sadly. He kept his
money, but lost much more. He lost the opportunity to have a close, personal relationship
with the greatest person that ever lived. He lost being part of the greatest adventure of all
time. He lost not just getting but seeing the answer to his question. He could have seen
Jesus raised from the dead. Who knows? He chose his comfortable, conventional life
over the cost of discipleship. He loved money more than Christ. He wouldn't travel light.
The rich young ruler reminds us of the woman found embalmed under the ashes of the ancient city of Pompeii, Italy. She ran for the city gate after Mount Vesuvius erupted. She might have made it, too; except she looked back. She was found, centuries later, with her face turned back and her hand reaching back for a bag of pearls she had dropped. Death caught her because she chose wealth over life. The rich young ruler died to life, too.
The rich young ruler reminds us of the woman found embalmed under the ashes of the ancient city of Pompeii, Italy. She ran for the city gate after Mount Vesuvius erupted. She might have made it, too; except she looked back. She was found, centuries later, with her face turned back and her hand reaching back for a bag of pearls she had dropped. Death caught her because she chose wealth over life. The rich young ruler died to life, too.
