Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 19:21

"Jesus said unto him, If thou wouldest be perfect, go, sell that which thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me." — Matthew 19:21 (ASV)

Jesus said to him... — St. Mark (Mark 10:21) adds the striking and interesting words, “Jesus beholding him” (better, perhaps, gazing on him), “loved him.” There was something in the young seeker after holiness that drew to him, in a measure altogether exceptional, the affection of the Great Teacher. The same word is used for him that is used for the “disciple whom Jesus loved,” and (here the coincidence takes its place in the chain of evidence for the view suggested above) for Lazarus, Martha, and Mary (John 11:5). There was a fervor, a longing for a higher life, and a personal trust that made him a not unworthy object of the love of Jesus. Therefore, Jesus would not spare the discipline the questioner needed—the test that, being who he was, was required for the completeness of his life.

If you wish to be perfect — Mark and Luke report the words, “One thing you lack,” reminding us forcibly of the words, “One thing is needful,” from Luke 10:42 (see the note on Matthew 19:16).

Go and sell what you have — It would be a complete mistake to see this as an obligation binding on all seekers of eternal life. It is not even what has been called a “counsel of perfection”—a rule that lays down an indispensable condition for all who aim for the higher forms and powers of that life.

It was strictly a remedy for the specific evil that hindered the young ruler’s progress toward perfection, applicable to others only insofar as their cases are similar. It would be foolish to deny that there have been, and still are, many such similar types of character. Therefore, insofar as anyone is conscious of being under the power of wealth and its temptations, he is called to some act that asserts his victory over those temptations, in the spirit, if not in the letter, of the command given here.

But we must remember, it is the spirit, not the letter, that is binding. At that time, distribution to the poor was almost the only form of charity. A wider range of action is presented by the organization of modern Christian societies, where the same sacrifice can be made in ways more productive of true and permanent good: for example, founding schools or hospitals, building churches, or supporting home and foreign missions.

Treasure in heaven — The parallel with the Sermon on the Mount should not be forgotten (Matthew 5:20). The “treasure” is the “eternal life” that the young ruler was seeking: the memory of good deeds, a character that is formed and perfected, and the vision of God's presence.

Come and follow me — Here again, Mark adds words that are pregnant with meaning: “Take up your cross, and follow Me.” The seeker could not have understood all their significance at that time. For the Teacher, that cross was now coming nearer day by day, and He saw that each true disciple must be prepared to follow Him on that path of suffering, which was also the path of glory. “Via crucis, via lucis.”