What do I Still Lack?

Matthew 19:20 - The young man said to him, "I have kept all these. What do I still lack?"

Give him credit, he knows he's not there, it's not enough to just perform the commandments without opening one's heart. Perhaps this question helps us answer our previous question of why he is asking - he knows that there is something missing.

He states he has kept all the commandments. However, as I have said, there is a difference between adhering to the letter of the commandments and their spirit. I one is not working toward flourishing of all life, one is not fulfilling the 5th commandment. Without that second piece, there will be no love. It is easy not to kill other human beings. It is not so easy to think through all our actions to ensure they do not harm or kill the spirit. We must open our hearts to how our actions affect others. So often we fool ourselves into thinking that there can be salvation without this broadening of our 'love horizons.'

This young man lacks love. He lacks concern for the poor, the orphan, the widow, and the prisoner. Jesus prescribes a cure, an action to take, but it is the young man's mind and heart that need opening.
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