Buying Off God?

Matthew 19:21-27 KJV

Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.

And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?

But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?

The disciples had done what the rich young ruler would not; they had forsaken all to follow Jesus. The ruler was typical of so many who claim some form of worldly success; he wanted to buy eternal life off in some way. 

• He wanted to do some good thing (though he wouldn't admit his failure in doing good things) or
• He wanted buy it off with some piece of his wealth

He was not afraid to do and give more, he just couldn't bring himself to give all. 

Churches are filled with people just like this who will gladly give a piece of their time and even a huge portion of their money, but they are willing to be followers of Christ. Their agenda is too full to give that away to the Lord. 

The apostles recognized that they had followed the Lord and Jesus readily admitted their substantial reward in heaven.