“What Must I Do?”
Matthew 19:16-26
Great Questions Series: 7/25/10
Introduction: What do you treasure in life? There are many things to choose from. Maybe you have a nice house that you love. Maybe you enjoy your car. Maybe you love to take trips. It could be your health, or your family, or your friends. For some people it is money: either they have a lot and they love what they can do with it, or they don’t have enough and they are always seeking to get more. In Matthew 6:21 Jesus tells us: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Jesus is straight with us when He tells us that whatever we treasure, there our heart will be; that is what will dictate how we spend our time, our money, our energy, our passion.
The challenge is that our treasure can actually keep us from having a deep relationship with God. How is this? To have a deep relationship with someone, you need to spend time with them; you have to spend time talking, and sharing, and becoming comfortable with each other. In this time you build trust and caring. Through this time you give your heart over to the other person. It is no different with God: with God we must build trust, and caring, and give our heart to Him! And if we don’t treasure our relationship with God the most, we won’t put our time and energy into it.
I. What Must I Do? (Matthew 19:16-20, 5:4-10, 17; Heb. 11:6; Jn. 14:6)
a. The man- In our story today we see a man coming to Jesus. He
thinks of Jesus as a teacher; as one who can impart wisdom, but not necessarily God in the flesh; not the Messiah. He knows Jesus to be a spiritual teacher, because he asks Jesus about attaining eternal life. But he is confused, because he asks Jesus what “good deed” he must do to inherit eternal life. This man thinks that it is by his efforts that will gain him entrance into heaven. He believes that if he works hard and is a good person, then that will gain him eternal life. He believes that he can do “good deeds” that please God, and this will be enough.
If you remember from last week, we learned that it isn’t about doing enough good deeds, but about having faith. Hebrews 11:6 tells us, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Throughout Jesus’ time here on earth, one of His biggest challenges was getting people to understand that heaven wasn’t gained by sweat and blood, but by the giving of the heart.
Back to the man: the man was also rich; in some translations he is called the “rich young ruler.” In Matthew we are told that he was young. In Luke we are told that he is a ruler. So through these facts, we gain a little understanding of this man who is coming to Jesus. This man is trying to gain understanding of religion. Maybe the teachings of the day weren’t satisfying him, and Jesus, as this new “hip” teacher can shed some new light into his dilemma; his seeking for eternal life.
This man seems to be seeking happiness, satisfaction with life. Which could lead us to think that even though he is rich, and even though he has power as a ruler, these things are not satisfying him. He wonders if there is more: perhaps the “road to God would be the ticket,” he wonders. It seems that he might even think that he can “earn” his way into heaven with his money and position.
And isn’t this the place we fall all too often. How many stories do we see of people trying to be good, and thinking that this is what gets them to heaven. I have had so many conversations with people who tell me: “I believe that I am a good person, and that is what is important to get me to heaven.” People really believe this. They believe they can live a good enough life that will earn them a place in heaven.
My question then is: Who determines what is good? Who determines how many “points” you have to earn by doing good to get to heaven? Where is the barometer for “goodness?” As we learned last week, your good deeds alone won’t be pleasing to God if they are not accompanied by faith.
If our being good was all that it took, then why did Jesus have to go to the cross? If it is about being good, then why do we need forgiveness? You see, the logic gets all fuzzy, and doesn’t make sense. There is no absolute. There is no specific plan to follow. Somehow we want to earn our way to heaven, but without a guide.
If getting to heaven is about “good deeds,” about our works, then why did Jesus give a long discourse that we know as The Beatitudes? The Beatitudes tell us in Matthew 5:4-10, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. 10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”/ Jesus here isn’t talking about the powerful and the rich, but the meek, the merciful, and the peacemakers…
b. The desire- Yet, the rich young ruler’s desire seems to be
somewhat genuine, from how it seems that he is living his life; trying to follow God. We know this because Jesus tells the man that he needs to follow the command-ments. He responds saying that he has done this. Jesus is really playing a game with the man, because Jesus knows that the way to heaven is not through the command-ments, but through Him. Jesus made this clear in His teaching when He said in Matthew 5:17, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” And again in John 14:6 when He said: “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus, here in Matthew 19, is leading the rich young ruler to the climax of His teaching. Will the rich young ruler be able to carry forth what Jesus tells him? Will he have the desire to do what is called upon him to do?
Story: There is a story of a new captain who jumped from the cockpit, fully dressed, and sprinted through the water. A former lifeguard, he kept his eyes on his victim as he headed straight for the boat owners who were swimming between their anchored sportfisher and the beach. “I think he thinks you're drowning,” the husband said to his wife. They had been splashing each other and she had screamed but now they were just standing, neck-deep on the sand bar. She looked at her husband and said: “We're fine, what is he doing?” The husband waved his arms and yelled at the captain that they were fine, but the captain kept swimming hard. ”Move!” he barked at them, as he sprinted between the stunned owners. Directly behind them, not ten feet away, their nine-year-old daughter was drowning. Safely above the surface in the arms of the captain, she burst into tears, “Daddy!”
The truth is, that when someone is drowning they aren’t yelling or waving their arms, because when they come up above the water they have just enough time to get a breath of air before they go back down. We mistakenly think that there is much fanfare when someone is drowning, but usually it is much more subtle. Except in rare circumstances, drowning people are physiologically unable to call out for help.
Some other signs of someone who is drowning is:
· Eyes glassy and empty, unable to focus
· Not using legs – Vertical
· Trying to swim in a particular direction but not making headway
Spiritually speaking, people who are drowning have glassy eyes and aren’t focusing on Jesus. They are not using their legs to go where they need to go. They might be moving in a direction, but they are not making any headway. Jesus understood that the rich young ruler was drowning in his life of money, and position, and power. The man didn’t know. The man’s friends didn’t know it. But even though it was subtle, Jesus knew it.
II. Giving Away- (Matthew 19:21-26)
a. Jesus’ terms- If you were being saved from drowning, you would
not try and negotiate with them: “Please lifeguard, let me look like I’m swimming so I won’t be embarrassed.” OR, “When we get close to the shore, let me walk the rest of the way.” NO, the lifeguard grabs you, puts you in the float, and drags you to the shore! Here we see that Jesus is not negotiating with the man, but rather giving the man the terms: Jesus’ terms.
The man was really treading water, and looking like he was alright, but he wasn’t. This encounter discloses the true place where the man is, and helps the man, and us, understand how our treasures can get in the way of salvation; or at least get in the way of our relationship with God.
After the rich young ruler tells Jesus that he has kept all the commands, Jesus then says to him in verse 21: “…"If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” In answer to the man’s question, “What must I do?”, Jesus tells the man the true answer; it is more than following the commands, which we can fool ourselves into thinking that we have done.
It’s like the woman who is praying, and she says: “Lord, I've been really good so far today. I haven't been angry, fueding, nor fighting with anyone. I haven't gossiped, backbited or lied. I haven't even been envious of my neighbor, nor coveteous in any way. Lord, I haven't been rude, ungrateful, high-minded, impatient, unkind, intolerable, uncooperative, nor impossible to get along with. And I know that my husband will appreciate that I haven't been crabby, demanding, unrealistic or nagging toward him at all today. Now Lord....dear Lord...I'm about to get out of bed......so...... I REALLY could use your help the rest of this day. AMEN
The man thinks that he is perfect; that he has perfectly kept the law. But Jesus tells him that if he really wants to be perfect, if he really wants to be able to follow Jesus on this earth and then onto heaven, he needs to get rid of all his possessions. Why? Because they are what the man treasures, and we know that the 10 commandments tell us that God is a jealous God who wants us to have no other gods besides Him!!
b. The man’s decision- The man is now faced with a decision. He has
asked the question “What must I do?” and now he has received an answer: “Go and sell all of your possessions, and then follow Jesus.” He is understanding here that it is not about keeping the laws in a legal sense, but a spiritual sense. He is being taught that it is about his attitude towards others, and learning how to share and give. He is learning that he is a selfish person who is hoarding his “things.”
Jesus wants the man to be free of this hold that his possessions have over him. And Jesus wants us to know that our possessions can have a hold over us. A couple of years ago I preached a sermon where I talked about a pastor who gave his church what he called “The Kingdom Assignment.” Because of this sermon, I was given the opportunity to receive from this pastor and his wife $1000.00 to give away to people in our congregation. I gave it to 10 people, who used it in wonderful ways:
· The children’s ministry multiplied the money from $100 to $300 and gave it away to the children at the Rescue Mission.
· Someone else had some friends donate money to them and they bought Bibles for the women at His Nesting Place.
· Another person had others donate to them and they used the money to buy Christmas gifts and food for a family who couldn’t afford to do anything special for Christmas.
· The money was also used to do our first youth VBS last year and to fund our outreach programs to the WomenShelter of Long Beach!
But there was a follow-up program for this church who did the Kingdom Assignment. They simply called it The Kingdom Assignment 2. This second assignment was a challenge to the people to sell something worth $100, and then to give the proceeds to the poor. This book here is the story about what happened.
In this book there are stories of:
· One of the most amazing garage sales for the poor in Southern California history.
· A beloved Beanie Baby collection of 150 furry animals sold for the poor.
· A couple who led their neighbors to collect three tons of food for the hungry.
· A Surf Magazine art director who gave up great wealth for treasure he could never lose.
But most importantly, when we follow this idea of The Kingdom Assignment 2, or even more specifically the idea of what Jesus is teaching the rich young ruler, then we will be led down a path towards having a significant relationship with God!
c. Impossible for man- The rich young ruler had to make a decision:
his possessions, or God. That is what it really came down to. And when the man walked away from Jesus, his decision had been made: he chose his possessions. At this point the disciples were dumfounded, because they knew what a hard decision it was for the man. Jesus sensing this in them, responded in verses 23-24: “Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Jesus knew the pull that possessions can have over us. They can really rule our lives.
Verse 25 then says: “25When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, ‘Who then can be saved?’” You see here that the disciples as well understand the power possessions can have over us. And yet the disciples in essence lived up to this challenge when Jesus called out to them to “follow me,” and they immediately left everything and followed Jesus. By following Jesus the way that they were, they had given up their possessions, and made Jesus the most important relationship in their lives.
Jesus, always the teacher, responds in verse 26: “26Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’” Jesus is telling us that there are powers in this world that are great, and that if we are going to truly follow Jesus, then we must get rid of anything that has power over us, and the only to get rid of these things is with the power of God. That is because anything that has power over us, will control us, and lead us to do many things that are not pleasing to God. Even more, they take away our focus from our relationship with God. To have the right relationship, we need to put things into our lives that lead us on the right path: a healthy prayer life; regular Bible study by ourselves and with others; people in our lives who encourage us and lift us up and lead us into a deeper relationship with God.
When I was a teen, I would often times go to my mom and play a game I called Let’s Make A Deal. The way this game would work would be me coming to my mom, and saying: “Okay, mom, a friend just called and wants to go to the movies with me. I know I don’t have any money, and that I haven’t done my chores yet, BUT, if I do more chores and get done in time, could I have some money to go with my friend?” My mom would almost always say “yes.”
This passage in essence is the rich young ruler trying to play Let’s Make A Deal with Jesus. He believed that with his position, power, and money, he could influence the situation to his favor and win a place in heaven.
Conclusion: The great truth of this story is how it helps us to understand the true meaning of eternal life. Eternal life really starts here on earth, after we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. When this happens, we are changed in who we are, and how we desire to live. Life becomes first and foremost about loving God, and living in the way God would live: being loving and unselfish, and giving ourselves to others.
The essence of eternal life is not living by the commandments, but by having a sacrificial generosity. What if Jesus challenged you to go and sell your possessions? Could you do it? Honestly, I’m not sure I could. What if we chose to sell something worth $100 for the purpose of giving it to the needy? Could you do that? That I do want to challenge myself with. I’m not sure what I’m going to do yet, but when I do I’ll let you know. And if you choose to accept that challenge, let me know how it turns out!
Most importantly, don’t let your possessions, or even any other relationship, keep you from living in the way that God would have you to live, and/or keep you from deepening your relationship with God each day. Amen.
Matthew 19:16-26
Great Questions Series: 7/25/10
Introduction: What do you treasure in life? There are many things to choose from. Maybe you have a nice house that you love. Maybe you enjoy your car. Maybe you love to take trips. It could be your health, or your family, or your friends. For some people it is money: either they have a lot and they love what they can do with it, or they don’t have enough and they are always seeking to get more. In Matthew 6:21 Jesus tells us: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Jesus is straight with us when He tells us that whatever we treasure, there our heart will be; that is what will dictate how we spend our time, our money, our energy, our passion.
The challenge is that our treasure can actually keep us from having a deep relationship with God. How is this? To have a deep relationship with someone, you need to spend time with them; you have to spend time talking, and sharing, and becoming comfortable with each other. In this time you build trust and caring. Through this time you give your heart over to the other person. It is no different with God: with God we must build trust, and caring, and give our heart to Him! And if we don’t treasure our relationship with God the most, we won’t put our time and energy into it.
I. What Must I Do? (Matthew 19:16-20, 5:4-10, 17; Heb. 11:6; Jn. 14:6)
a. The man- In our story today we see a man coming to Jesus. He
thinks of Jesus as a teacher; as one who can impart wisdom, but not necessarily God in the flesh; not the Messiah. He knows Jesus to be a spiritual teacher, because he asks Jesus about attaining eternal life. But he is confused, because he asks Jesus what “good deed” he must do to inherit eternal life. This man thinks that it is by his efforts that will gain him entrance into heaven. He believes that if he works hard and is a good person, then that will gain him eternal life. He believes that he can do “good deeds” that please God, and this will be enough.
If you remember from last week, we learned that it isn’t about doing enough good deeds, but about having faith. Hebrews 11:6 tells us, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Throughout Jesus’ time here on earth, one of His biggest challenges was getting people to understand that heaven wasn’t gained by sweat and blood, but by the giving of the heart.
Back to the man: the man was also rich; in some translations he is called the “rich young ruler.” In Matthew we are told that he was young. In Luke we are told that he is a ruler. So through these facts, we gain a little understanding of this man who is coming to Jesus. This man is trying to gain understanding of religion. Maybe the teachings of the day weren’t satisfying him, and Jesus, as this new “hip” teacher can shed some new light into his dilemma; his seeking for eternal life.
This man seems to be seeking happiness, satisfaction with life. Which could lead us to think that even though he is rich, and even though he has power as a ruler, these things are not satisfying him. He wonders if there is more: perhaps the “road to God would be the ticket,” he wonders. It seems that he might even think that he can “earn” his way into heaven with his money and position.
And isn’t this the place we fall all too often. How many stories do we see of people trying to be good, and thinking that this is what gets them to heaven. I have had so many conversations with people who tell me: “I believe that I am a good person, and that is what is important to get me to heaven.” People really believe this. They believe they can live a good enough life that will earn them a place in heaven.
My question then is: Who determines what is good? Who determines how many “points” you have to earn by doing good to get to heaven? Where is the barometer for “goodness?” As we learned last week, your good deeds alone won’t be pleasing to God if they are not accompanied by faith.
If our being good was all that it took, then why did Jesus have to go to the cross? If it is about being good, then why do we need forgiveness? You see, the logic gets all fuzzy, and doesn’t make sense. There is no absolute. There is no specific plan to follow. Somehow we want to earn our way to heaven, but without a guide.
If getting to heaven is about “good deeds,” about our works, then why did Jesus give a long discourse that we know as The Beatitudes? The Beatitudes tell us in Matthew 5:4-10, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. 10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”/ Jesus here isn’t talking about the powerful and the rich, but the meek, the merciful, and the peacemakers…
b. The desire- Yet, the rich young ruler’s desire seems to be
somewhat genuine, from how it seems that he is living his life; trying to follow God. We know this because Jesus tells the man that he needs to follow the command-ments. He responds saying that he has done this. Jesus is really playing a game with the man, because Jesus knows that the way to heaven is not through the command-ments, but through Him. Jesus made this clear in His teaching when He said in Matthew 5:17, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” And again in John 14:6 when He said: “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus, here in Matthew 19, is leading the rich young ruler to the climax of His teaching. Will the rich young ruler be able to carry forth what Jesus tells him? Will he have the desire to do what is called upon him to do?
Story: There is a story of a new captain who jumped from the cockpit, fully dressed, and sprinted through the water. A former lifeguard, he kept his eyes on his victim as he headed straight for the boat owners who were swimming between their anchored sportfisher and the beach. “I think he thinks you're drowning,” the husband said to his wife. They had been splashing each other and she had screamed but now they were just standing, neck-deep on the sand bar. She looked at her husband and said: “We're fine, what is he doing?” The husband waved his arms and yelled at the captain that they were fine, but the captain kept swimming hard. ”Move!” he barked at them, as he sprinted between the stunned owners. Directly behind them, not ten feet away, their nine-year-old daughter was drowning. Safely above the surface in the arms of the captain, she burst into tears, “Daddy!”
The truth is, that when someone is drowning they aren’t yelling or waving their arms, because when they come up above the water they have just enough time to get a breath of air before they go back down. We mistakenly think that there is much fanfare when someone is drowning, but usually it is much more subtle. Except in rare circumstances, drowning people are physiologically unable to call out for help.
Some other signs of someone who is drowning is:
· Eyes glassy and empty, unable to focus
· Not using legs – Vertical
· Trying to swim in a particular direction but not making headway
Spiritually speaking, people who are drowning have glassy eyes and aren’t focusing on Jesus. They are not using their legs to go where they need to go. They might be moving in a direction, but they are not making any headway. Jesus understood that the rich young ruler was drowning in his life of money, and position, and power. The man didn’t know. The man’s friends didn’t know it. But even though it was subtle, Jesus knew it.
II. Giving Away- (Matthew 19:21-26)
a. Jesus’ terms- If you were being saved from drowning, you would
not try and negotiate with them: “Please lifeguard, let me look like I’m swimming so I won’t be embarrassed.” OR, “When we get close to the shore, let me walk the rest of the way.” NO, the lifeguard grabs you, puts you in the float, and drags you to the shore! Here we see that Jesus is not negotiating with the man, but rather giving the man the terms: Jesus’ terms.
The man was really treading water, and looking like he was alright, but he wasn’t. This encounter discloses the true place where the man is, and helps the man, and us, understand how our treasures can get in the way of salvation; or at least get in the way of our relationship with God.
After the rich young ruler tells Jesus that he has kept all the commands, Jesus then says to him in verse 21: “…"If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” In answer to the man’s question, “What must I do?”, Jesus tells the man the true answer; it is more than following the commands, which we can fool ourselves into thinking that we have done.
It’s like the woman who is praying, and she says: “Lord, I've been really good so far today. I haven't been angry, fueding, nor fighting with anyone. I haven't gossiped, backbited or lied. I haven't even been envious of my neighbor, nor coveteous in any way. Lord, I haven't been rude, ungrateful, high-minded, impatient, unkind, intolerable, uncooperative, nor impossible to get along with. And I know that my husband will appreciate that I haven't been crabby, demanding, unrealistic or nagging toward him at all today. Now Lord....dear Lord...I'm about to get out of bed......so...... I REALLY could use your help the rest of this day. AMEN
The man thinks that he is perfect; that he has perfectly kept the law. But Jesus tells him that if he really wants to be perfect, if he really wants to be able to follow Jesus on this earth and then onto heaven, he needs to get rid of all his possessions. Why? Because they are what the man treasures, and we know that the 10 commandments tell us that God is a jealous God who wants us to have no other gods besides Him!!
b. The man’s decision- The man is now faced with a decision. He has
asked the question “What must I do?” and now he has received an answer: “Go and sell all of your possessions, and then follow Jesus.” He is understanding here that it is not about keeping the laws in a legal sense, but a spiritual sense. He is being taught that it is about his attitude towards others, and learning how to share and give. He is learning that he is a selfish person who is hoarding his “things.”
Jesus wants the man to be free of this hold that his possessions have over him. And Jesus wants us to know that our possessions can have a hold over us. A couple of years ago I preached a sermon where I talked about a pastor who gave his church what he called “The Kingdom Assignment.” Because of this sermon, I was given the opportunity to receive from this pastor and his wife $1000.00 to give away to people in our congregation. I gave it to 10 people, who used it in wonderful ways:
· The children’s ministry multiplied the money from $100 to $300 and gave it away to the children at the Rescue Mission.
· Someone else had some friends donate money to them and they bought Bibles for the women at His Nesting Place.
· Another person had others donate to them and they used the money to buy Christmas gifts and food for a family who couldn’t afford to do anything special for Christmas.
· The money was also used to do our first youth VBS last year and to fund our outreach programs to the WomenShelter of Long Beach!
But there was a follow-up program for this church who did the Kingdom Assignment. They simply called it The Kingdom Assignment 2. This second assignment was a challenge to the people to sell something worth $100, and then to give the proceeds to the poor. This book here is the story about what happened.
In this book there are stories of:
· One of the most amazing garage sales for the poor in Southern California history.
· A beloved Beanie Baby collection of 150 furry animals sold for the poor.
· A couple who led their neighbors to collect three tons of food for the hungry.
· A Surf Magazine art director who gave up great wealth for treasure he could never lose.
But most importantly, when we follow this idea of The Kingdom Assignment 2, or even more specifically the idea of what Jesus is teaching the rich young ruler, then we will be led down a path towards having a significant relationship with God!
c. Impossible for man- The rich young ruler had to make a decision:
his possessions, or God. That is what it really came down to. And when the man walked away from Jesus, his decision had been made: he chose his possessions. At this point the disciples were dumfounded, because they knew what a hard decision it was for the man. Jesus sensing this in them, responded in verses 23-24: “Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Jesus knew the pull that possessions can have over us. They can really rule our lives.
Verse 25 then says: “25When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, ‘Who then can be saved?’” You see here that the disciples as well understand the power possessions can have over us. And yet the disciples in essence lived up to this challenge when Jesus called out to them to “follow me,” and they immediately left everything and followed Jesus. By following Jesus the way that they were, they had given up their possessions, and made Jesus the most important relationship in their lives.
Jesus, always the teacher, responds in verse 26: “26Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’” Jesus is telling us that there are powers in this world that are great, and that if we are going to truly follow Jesus, then we must get rid of anything that has power over us, and the only to get rid of these things is with the power of God. That is because anything that has power over us, will control us, and lead us to do many things that are not pleasing to God. Even more, they take away our focus from our relationship with God. To have the right relationship, we need to put things into our lives that lead us on the right path: a healthy prayer life; regular Bible study by ourselves and with others; people in our lives who encourage us and lift us up and lead us into a deeper relationship with God.
When I was a teen, I would often times go to my mom and play a game I called Let’s Make A Deal. The way this game would work would be me coming to my mom, and saying: “Okay, mom, a friend just called and wants to go to the movies with me. I know I don’t have any money, and that I haven’t done my chores yet, BUT, if I do more chores and get done in time, could I have some money to go with my friend?” My mom would almost always say “yes.”
This passage in essence is the rich young ruler trying to play Let’s Make A Deal with Jesus. He believed that with his position, power, and money, he could influence the situation to his favor and win a place in heaven.
Conclusion: The great truth of this story is how it helps us to understand the true meaning of eternal life. Eternal life really starts here on earth, after we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. When this happens, we are changed in who we are, and how we desire to live. Life becomes first and foremost about loving God, and living in the way God would live: being loving and unselfish, and giving ourselves to others.
The essence of eternal life is not living by the commandments, but by having a sacrificial generosity. What if Jesus challenged you to go and sell your possessions? Could you do it? Honestly, I’m not sure I could. What if we chose to sell something worth $100 for the purpose of giving it to the needy? Could you do that? That I do want to challenge myself with. I’m not sure what I’m going to do yet, but when I do I’ll let you know. And if you choose to accept that challenge, let me know how it turns out!
Most importantly, don’t let your possessions, or even any other relationship, keep you from living in the way that God would have you to live, and/or keep you from deepening your relationship with God each day. Amen.
posted by Logan's Blog at 4:27 PM
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