The case of the Rich Young Ruler stands as a tragic example of misplaced faith and wrong values. This zealous candidate for new life forfeited a wonderful opportunity for first-hand discipleship with the King of kings.
While this passage is usually used to exhort people to complete commitment, it requires careful interpretation to clarify the nature salvation by grace while retaining the intended warnings about the deceitfulness of material wealth. Why did Jesus answer this eager prospect the way He did? What lessons does this episode have for believers today?
Before exploring that story, let’s consider some important categories of New Testament discipleship that are useful to accurately discern the dynamics of this historic encounter. (These may overlap, but their distinction is important in this case.)
An inductive study reveals three categories of discipleship.
1. Initial Discipleship
Most of the time the New Testament uses the term “disciple” as a designation of born again Christians:
“Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith” (Acts 6:7).
“And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 13:52).
Discipleship corresponds to the New Testament Greek term “didaktos,” meaning “instructed one.” The usual term for “disciple” is “mathetes”—a learner, pupil. Everyone who is spiritually reborn is saved by grace through faith (John 3:16,18; Eph. 2:8,9). Every person who has entered into a saving relationship to the Lord Jesus is automatically His disciple. We are “enrolled” in the school of spiritual growth. Our secular cultural has taught us a wrong worldview…”But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:…” (Eph. 4:20,21).
By virtue of Christ being the supreme Teacher, all who are in Him are learners of Him. This is epitomized in His gracious invitation: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” And all redeemed ones are called upon to fulfill the Great Commission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…”(Matt.11:28-30).[1]
A vital sign of true discipleship is spiritual growth. This requires ongoing learning and obedience. We may need this admonition to go beyond initial discipleship::
“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Heb. 5:12-14).
2. Ideal Discipleship
Christ calls God’s redeemed ones us to fully recognize His authority and wisdom as Teacher. Although salvation is a free gift (Eph. 2:8,9), ideal Discipleship is costly:
“Whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it—lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish… ” (Luke 14:27-29).
The Lord Jesus has a special claim on His people; God’s kingdom deserves nothing less than wholehearted commitment. Vivid Scriptures describe this high calling. Christ even declared, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26). In this context “hate” is a Hebrew idiom meaning “to love less than.”[2] The parallel wording in Matthew 10:27 indicates that the meaning is to love the Lord supremely, above all other relationships. Believers confess to falling short of this quality of love, even though such ideal devotion is deserved by God and enabled by the Holy Spirit.
Christ repeatedly summoned people to ideal discipleship: “Then He [Jesus] said to them all, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me'” (Luke 9:23). Then He gave this warning: ” … No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62; cf. Luke 9:57-61).[3] As a plowman grasps the plow, so the disciple should commit him/herself fully to the Lord. As the plowman aims ahead at a point of reference to cut a straight furrow, so the disciple should stay focused on the priorities of his/her spiritual calling.
3. Special Discipleship
During the public ministry of Jesus some were personally invited to accompany Him for first hand learning and training. The most obvious example of special discipleship was the twelve apostles (Luke 6:12-16) and, secondarily, the seventy (Luke 10:1).The Greek term, “martus,” means “witness” (Acts 1:22) and designates such eye witnesses of Christ. Many of these privileged ones died for their faith, hence the later meaning of the English transliteration “martyr.” To some extent, those who could go to see Christ’s miracles and listen directly to His teaching enjoyed this immediate relationship (Luke 9:10-17).
The apostles had such amazing discipleship privileges! Jesus explained the meaning of His parables to them and confided, “Blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it” (Matt. 13:16,17).
Being a foundational apostle was limited to those who were with Jesus during His earthly ministry (Eph. 2:20; 3:5; 2 Peter 3:2). It is not available to believers today, since Christ is exalted in heaven and “we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7).
In this study I will describe initial discipleship (designating all true believers) as disciples, ideal discipleship as Disciples (capital “D), and special discipleship (such as the apostles and eye witnesses of Christ) as DISCIPLES.
In part two of this study, we will examine the encounter of the rich young ruler (Matt. 19:16-22) in light of these discipleship categories.
Have you received Christ as Savior, Lord, and Teacher? (John 1;12,13). Will you respond to His truth with your whole heart?
Part 1 of 4
[1] “Disciple” is used as a title of believers in texts such as Matthew 10:42; 27:57; Acts 9:10,26,36; 16:1; 21:16. “Teacher” is repeatedly used of Christ (Matt 23:8,10; 26:18) as is the transliteration of the Hebrew term, “Rabbi” (Mark 9:5;11:21; John 1:38).
[2] Hate as “to love less” occurs in verses such as Matthew 10:37; Genesis 29:31; Malachi 1:2; John 12:25.
[3] In Luke 9:62, “fit” is the translation of “euthetos” —”well placed, useful.”
Distinguishing ideal discipleship from initial discipleship should not imply that ideal discipleship is optional. Rather, it is distinct from salvation, just as the goals of the marriage relationship are distinct from the wedding.
Copyright 2007, 2026 by John Woodward. Permission is granted to reprint this article for non commercial use. Biblical quotations are from the NKJV, copyright by Thomas Nelson.