Why did Jesus tell the rich man, in Matthew 19:16, to sell everything?

(Matthew 19:16–30)

I set out to write this blog on this passage, but couldn’t get past that opening question. I became curious to know what a first-century Jew would have believed about “eternal life.”

Most of us who grew up in the church have heard that phrase countless times. John 3:16 was probably the first verse we memorized—one that nearly everyone, Christian or not, can quote.

The Lullaby Effect

The “lullaby effect” refers to how familiar phrases and ideas can lose their impact over time. Like a lullaby that soothes a baby to sleep, something we’ve heard repeatedly can lull our minds into complacency. We stop questioning. We stop engaging. We stop really hearing.

So, let’s wake ourselves up a bit—and look again at what “eternal life” would have meant to the people who first heard Jesus say it.

What the Hebrew Bible Says (and Doesn’t Say)

If you search for “eternal life” in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), you won’t find much. A search on Bible Hub brings up only two references for “eternal life” and three for “everlasting life.” The clearest of these is Daniel 12:2, which speaks of resurrection:

“Many who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life...”

The primary Hebrew word for eternal is עוֹלָם (olam).

🧾 Word: עוֹלָם (olam)Pronunciation: oh-LAHM Meaning:

• Long duration, antiquity, or futurity

• Everlasting, perpetual, eternal

• Sometimes simply “a very long time” or “age”

Examples:

• Genesis 21:33 — “And Abraham planted a tamarisk tree... and called there on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God.” (El Olam)

• Psalm 90:2 — “From everlasting to everlasting, you are God.”

• Daniel 12:2 — “Many who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life...” (le-ḥayyei ‘olam)

From Olam to Olam Ha-Ba — The “World to Come”

Originally, olam may have meant “a hidden” or “indefinite time”—either in the distant past or far future. Over time, especially in later Jewish writings, it came to mean eternity in the way we use it today—life beyond time, or olam ha-ba (“the world to come”).

• Old Testament: The focus is on living faithfully now, with only glimpses of resurrection hope (Daniel 12, Psalm 16).

• Second Temple Judaism: The olam ha-ba—the world to come—becomes central: resurrection, reward, and God’s reign.

• Rabbinic Judaism: Olam ha-ba refers to the age of ultimate reward. Some rabbis taught that the righteous, upon death, enter Gan Eden (the Garden of Eden)—a spiritual paradise.

So, for Jews in Jesus’ day, “eternal life” wasn’t just about “going to heaven.” It meant participating in the age to come—when God would make all things right.

What the Rich Young Ruler Was Really Asking

The rich ruler probably believed “eternal life” meant being part of God’s future kingdom—when He would:

• Raise the dead (Daniel 12:2),

• Judge the righteous and the wicked,

• Restore justice to Israel, and

• Reign in peace and holiness.

So his question wasn’t really, “How do I go to heaven when I die?” It was more like, “How can I be sure I’ll be counted among the righteous when God restores the world?”

Jesus’ Surprising Response

At first, Jesus seems to agree with this understanding. He tells the man to keep the commandments—then lists six:

Five come directly from the Ten Commandments. The sixth—“love your neighbor as yourself”—sums up this list.

But notice which five Jesus leaves out:

1. No other gods before Me

2. No idols

3. Do not take the Lord’s name in vain

4. Remember the Sabbath

5. Do not covet

When the man hears this, and as a Jew, perhaps expecting a full set of seven to complete the list, he asks:

And Jesus answers:

The Real Issue: What Do You Worship?

Jesus exposes what the man truly worships. If…

1. Money is your god,

2. Money is your idol,

3. Money keeps you from honoring God’s name,

4. Money drives you to never rest,

5. Money is what you covet—

Then what should you do?

Jesus’ answer is clear: Let go of it.