By way of intro, please go read this blog by Seth Barnes, CEO of AIM.
Mark 10:17 – 23 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. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'”
“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, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”
With Bible stories like the one above, I usually put myself outside the story. I don’t put myself in the place of the rich young man. I’m usually either standing there, watching and listening, or I’m one of the disciples that Jesus is trying to teach. Of course, if it’s a heroic character, I’m there. I’m Samson, David, Samuel, Jonathan, Paul, etc., but only when they’re doing what they’re supposed to be doing.
With this story, it’s easy to say, “I’m not rich, young, or a ruler, therefore the story doesn’t apply to me.”
About ten years ago, Carla and I were talking with her grandma about how much we didn’t have (translation; we were telling her how poor we were.) A bit of advice; never try to tell “poor me” stories to someone who was married when she was twelve, lived through the Depression on the top floor of a houseboat on the Mississippi, and has lost children and a husband. Grandma very quietly said, “You’re not poor, you don’t lack for anything.” Instant conviction.
I don’t lack for anything. If there is anything I need, I buy it. (We’ll talk about credit/debt v. real money on another day.) Because of God’s tremendous blessings, most of the people I know fit into this category. Can you imagine needing something: shoes, clothes, food, shelter, etc. and not being able to get it – ever? As with some of you, there was a time in my life where these things were not as easy to come by, but they were still accessible.
Back to me and the rich young ruler. If I stood in front of Jesus and said, “What do I have to do to get eternal life?” and Jesus said, “Sell everything you have and give the money to the poor, then come follow me,” I’m not sure what I would do. Would I start to cry and then walk away because I love my stuff? Would I say, “What, no way!” Would I say, “But God gave me all this stuff to bless me.” Would I just sit there and say nothing, thereby choosing my stuff?
I think we have enough instances of people explaining how we/they are NOT the rich young ruler. I’m really scared that I AM the rich young ruler and that God is asking me to give up everything for him but I’m walking away because I don’t want to let go of my stuff.
