I'm having a hard time imagining looking God in the face and asking, "Which of those rules did I need to keep?" There's only one answer to that, right? And then the next thing I'm supposed to say is, "Oh, I was supposed to keep ALL of them? But there were so many!" That'd be the extent of that conversation...
It's a pretty bold thing for the young man to say that he's kept all the commandments. I certainly will be claiming no such thing. But by doing so, he's making the claim that he doesn't need anything. He's been able to satisfy everything required of him by his own strength. And if you need nothing, where does God fit into the picture?
Jesus is trying to teach him compassion. Jesus is trying to introduce lack into his life, so that he'll see how much he needs. As he goes away sad, he's clearly devastated by the thought.
One helpful practice for all of us is to recognize how much we need. One option is to do that through giving away everything you own. I certainly wouldn't stop you, although Jesus doesn't tell everyone to do that. Jesus interacts with lots of people, rich, poor, and in-between, and this one is the only one to whom Jesus gives this command. But we're wise to think about what we need -- all of our stuff, all of our success and material resources, can keep our eyes and our hearts from realizing that we have deep, deep needs. These are needs that only God can fill, and our sin prevents us from meeting them on our own. Jesus wants you to see this, because only then will you come to Jesus with an awareness of your need, and you'll discover that God longs to fill that need through a free gift of grace.
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