But he was saddened by that word and went away sorrowful, because he had great possessions.
This saying is heart-wrenching, because the man was standing before Christ and yet he went away sorrowful. His sorrow shows that he had understood the seriousness of the Lord’s demand, but he did not want to be freed from the bondage of wealth. Great possessions were not a sin in themselves; they become sin when a person regards them as his absolute property, rather than as a good that belongs to God and has been entrusted to him. In that case a person becomes “rich” not only in possessions, but in the attachment of his heart, because he places his security in wealth. But if a person knows that everything belongs to God, then he is not the master of wealth, but God’s steward, who must handle what he has in the way the Lord desires. Yet for this man, wealth had become the master of his heart. He wanted eternal life, but not at the price of losing his wealth. This episode reveals how a person can be near to the kingdom, be beloved in Christ’s eyes as someone morally serious, yet go away because he does not want to leave his idol. Going away sad is a sign of an unfortunate choice: he kept his possessions and lost the joy that is only with Christ.