April 22, 2022

Mark 10: 17-22 (NIV)

As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. . . . “You know the commandments . . .” “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go sell everything you have and give to the poor . . . then come follow me.” At this, the man’s face fell. He went away sad because he had great wealth.

If you’re trying to prove your heart is in the right place, it isn’t.*

We aren’t given much information about this man who has waylaid Jesus. Besides not providing us with his name, Mark doesn’t even tell us he was young; we learn that from Matthew and Luke. But besides his personal data, there are other things I would like to know about him:

· Did he believe that Jesus was who he said he was? 

· What did he really want from Jesus? Was he truly seeking answers or did he just want a pat on the back for his years of being a law-abiding citizen?

This story has always left me wondering, too: if he had kept all the commandments, wouldn’t he already qualify for eternal life? Why was he even asking?

What we do learn from Mark is that Jesus looked at the man and loved him. He knew him, he knew his motives, and he knew if he was really as good as he said he was. With this in mind, we can make some fairly safe assumptions about him. First: If he kept the commandments but wasn’t willing to do what Jesus asked, his obedience was like that of the Pharisees. His heart wasn’t engaged. Second: His focus was on what he should do. He thought eternal life was something he could earn or deserve.* When Jesus’ answer didn’t meet his expectations, Mark says that the man went away sad; and as someone else has observed: “Jesus didn’t chase him down and hound him; he let him go.”*

We can find plenty of personal applications in this story, some of which are: 1) Jesus looks at us and loves us even though he also knows us – and our true motives; 2) we can’t earn our salvation; 3) when Jesus offers us salvation, it is up to us to accept it – he won’t force himself on us.

Don’t walk away from Jesus. He might not ask you to give up your wealth but he will ask you to give up something. If you aren’t willing to surrender the things that keep you from him, you will walk away sad and he will let you go.

Since we are rebels, God makes one offer of peace. . . We can take it or leave it, but we can never change it.*

“All religions of the world except Christianity use the works of men to secure salvation.”*