From the New Jerusalem Bible.
Matthew 19: 16. And now a man came to him and asked, "Master, what good deed must I do to possess eternal life?"
17. Jesus said to him, "Why do you ask me about what is good? There is one alone who is good. But if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments."
18. He said, "Which ones?" Jesus replied, "These: You shall not kill. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false witness.
19. Honour your father and your mother. You shall love your neighbour as yourself."
20. The young man said to him, "I have kept all these. What more do I need to do?"
21. Jesus said, "If you wish to be perfect, go and sell your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me."
22. But when the young man heard these words he went away sad, for he was a man of great wealth.
:) Peace and kindness,:)
Fred

I'm not sure why jesus told this man that, but no, it would be too hard for me, because I have a family, and I have been close to homeless before, and I realise the difficulty in living without a home. But the second part is what I would do, following jesus.

Although the Bible has many general statements, many others are addressed to individuals "where they are at".

This man had a strong streak of self-righteousness binding him up. Jesus tried to free him from that kind of righteousness so he could receive the righteousness which comes from God through faith:

Rom 10:1-4
10:1 Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2 For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. 3 Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. 4 Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
NIV

When the man claimed to have kept the Law of Moses, Jesus showed him how lacking he was in loving his neighbor as himself and so was NOT fulfilling the Law perfectly.

Excellent answers so far.
They are honest and well thought out.
Jesus was talking to THAT man about his situation in life.
We must apply those thoughts to us as it fits us and our situation, faith and calling.
Peace and kindness,
Fred

Quote:

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Originally Posted by arcura

From the New Jerusalem Bible.
Matthew 19: 16. And now a man came to him and asked, "Master, what good deed must I do to possess eternal life?"
17. Jesus said to him, "Why do you ask me about what is good? There is one alone who is good. But if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments."
18. He said, "Which ones?" Jesus replied, "These: You shall not kill. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false witness.
19. Honour your father and your mother. You shall love your neighbour as yourself."
20. The young man said to him, "I have kept all these. What more do I need to do?"
21. Jesus said, "If you wish to be perfect, go and sell your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me."
22. But when the young man heard these words he went away sad, for he was a man of great wealth.
:) Peace and kindness,:)
Fred

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Matthew 22:37
Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’
Jesus was telling the man that he had other loves that he placed above his love for Jesus.

I do too. He is challenging me to lay them down and search for Him and love only Him with all my heart. I don't think he actually wanted the man to physically sell everything, but to give up ownership in his heart of those things.

It is hard when He asks for me to let go, but "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."