--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The real challenge the rich young man…" description: "\"The real challenge the rich young man faced was not just giving up his possessions, but giving up himself. The last command Jesus says (\"Come, follow m..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/082/george-weigel-9372_bills_the-real-challenge-the-rich-young-man-fa_2077049.jpg" --- # The real challenge the rich young man faced was not just… ![“The real challenge the rich young man faced was not just giving up his possessions, but giving up himself. The last command Jesus says ("Come, follow me") is the one that we so often overlook and think that he must have left Jesus simply because he liked his green bills.” quote by George Weigel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/082/george-weigel-9372_bills_the-real-challenge-the-rich-young-man-fa_2077049.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/082/george-weigel-9372_bills_the-real-challenge-the-rich-young-man-fa_2077049.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/082/george-weigel-9372_bills_the-real-challenge-the-rich-young-man-fa_2077049.jpg) > “The real challenge the rich young man faced was not just giving up his possessions, but giving up himself. The last command Jesus says ("Come, follow me") is the one that we so often overlook and think that he must have left Jesus simply because he liked his green bills.” [George Weigel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-weigel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The core difficulty is not merely renouncing material wealth but surrendering one's ego and identity tied to it **In simple terms:** Giving up possessions is easy; giving up self‑importance is harder Key Takeaway Reflect on what part of yourself you cling to beyond money Themes spirituality materialism self‑sacrifice Mood contemplative hopeful Type biblical inspirational When to use this quote - personal finance decisions - career changes - relationship boundaries - spiritual retreats Key Concepts Christian ethics detachment identity Questions to Reflect On - What part of your identity is most tied to material success? - How might letting go of ego open new possibilities? A Different Perspective Renouncing self can feel like loss of purpose or fear of emptiness ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bills/) [Challenge Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenge-rich-4037966/) [Challenges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) [Command](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/command/) [Command Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/command-jesus-4037964/) [Follow me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/follow-me/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Giving up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving-up/) [Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/green/) [Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus/) [Jesus Says](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus-says/) [Lasts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasts/) [Left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left/) [Left Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left-jesus-1070679/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Possession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possession/) [Possessions Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possessions-giving-4037965/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rich/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/) [Young man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-man/) ## Related quotes > [Only the man who follows the command of Jesus single-mindedly, and unresistingly lets his yoke rest upon him, finds his burden easy, and under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/only-the-man-who-follows-the-command-of-jesus-single-mindedly-and/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [I live by the simplest, perhaps facile command that Jesus ever gave, which is to love God with the whole self and the neighbor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-brown-taylor/i-live-by-the-simplest-perhaps-facile-command-that-jesus-ever-gave/) [Barbara Brown Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-brown-taylor/) > [Jesus says, "I want you to follow me so fully, so intensely, so enduringly that all other attachments in your life look weak by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/jesus-says-i-want-you-to-follow-me-so-fully-so-intensely-so/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [Discipleship is not an option. 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