Mark 10:17-31
He was any parents’ dream match for their daughter.
- He was rich…he was successful…he was intelligent…he was religious…he was moral.
- What more could you ask for?
- He was respectful…he knew when to speak…when to keep silent.
- Anyone would have been glad to have him as a husband for his or her daughter.
- Yet this man…full of promise and used to being in the good graces of those around him…
- Came to Jesus happy and left sad.
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
He was the only man in the gospels who spoke with Jesus…
- And when the conversation was over…
- Left sorrowful and disheartened.
This man referred to as the “rich young ruler” from the composite picture of him from Matthew…Mark and Luke…
- Came to Jesus asking what he must do to inherit eternal life.
- He came with various assumptions.
His first assumption was that something was missing in his life.
- Looking at his very successful life he realized that there had to be more.
- Perhaps he saw people with far less stuff than he had…
- And yet they seemed more content than he was.
- Happier…more joy filled.
It is as if he had hit the lottery big.
- Promising him great happiness.
- But stories abound of those who indeed hit it big.
- Only to lose it all and be far less happy than before.
- This man…for all his wealth… realized there was something lacking in his life.
His second assumption was that Jesus had the answer he was looking for.
- “Good teacher…what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
- While Jesus said “good” was an attribute only for God…
- He did answer the man’s question.
But the man came to Jesus that day with some mistaken assumptions too.
- “What must I do?”
- Living a prosperous life…this man apparently had discovered a formula for success.
- The gospels do not tell us how he became rich.
- But we can speculate from the formulas that lead to riches today:
- “Buy low…sell high.”
- “Work harder than everyone else.”
- “See a need and fill it.”
Whatever his formula was…it worked for him.
- So…it was only natural that he would apply this same formula to his spiritual life.
- Jesus had an answer for this assumption:
- “It’s not what you do…
- But what I do.”
Another mistaken assumption was that he would get credit for what he had already done.
- He came to Jesus with impeccable credentials.
- He looked at the Ten Commandments…
- Well…those from the second half of the list anyway…
- And said that he had already accomplished them.
- He had learned the commandments and had kept them all since he was a boy.
A third mistaken assumption this man brought to Jesus was that God is pleased by good people who do not do anything wrong.
- Who keep their name off the front page of the newspaper.
- Who pay their taxes.
- Who are decent neighbors.
This assumption lives as strong as ever today.
- If you ask someone walking down the street:
- “If there is a heaven…why do you think you will go there?”
- Their answer will be:
- “Well…I’m a pretty good person…
- I mean…it’s not like I’m going out and robbing or killing people.
- So…yeah…I think I’m going to heaven.”
At first glance…Jesus’ response to this man seems to be right on target.
- The man asked what he must do…
- And Jesus told him:
- “Go…sell everything you have and give it to the poor…”
The command by Jesus to go and sell everything was guided by Jesus’ love for him.
- “Jesus…looking at him…loved him.”
What Jesus was asking of the man was that he remember the first two Commandments.
- You shall have no other gods before me.
- You shall have no idols.
Jesus was not telling him what to do.
- He was telling him that he had too many gods!
- The way to enter the kingdom of God…
- And to inherit eternal life…
- Is to have no other gods before God.
- Jesus rightly identified the man’s god.
The rich young man’s brief encounter with Jesus quickly revealed his god:
- “He went away sad…because he had great wealth.”
In a world where the goal for many is to live well and behave morally…
- As this young man did…
- It’s easy to say:
- “I’m doing okay by myself.
- I’ve got enough stuff to see me through.
- I know there’s something missing…
- But just don’t ask me to give up what I’ve got.”
When the disciples asked Jesus:
- “Who then can be saved?”
- Jesus told them this could only happen with God.
- When the disciples said they had already given up everything…
- Jesus reminded them that whatever they had given up or left behind…
- Paled in comparison to what they would gain in the age to come.
Like the rich young ruler…we are challenged by Jesus too.
- Not to do more…
- But to bein the presence of the risen Christ.
- By following him and trusting in him alone.
- By gladly surrendering our whole self to him.
- And living by faith and joy?
- Now this is something to sing about!