Encounters with Jesus (4)
Notes
Transcript
Encounters with Jesus
Will You Leave Everything and Follow Jesus?
Mark 10:17–27 (ESV)
17 And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’ ” 20 And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” 21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 23 And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”
Jesus tells us something new about wealth and something new about moral goodness.
It is not enough to be a good, moral person.
When possessions gain control, they must be completely discarded.
Introduction
Jesus was continuing His journey toward Jerusalem. Our Savior is engaging the disciples in teaching about true discipleship and His forthcoming crucifixion and resurrection.
They are struggling students who can’t grasp what He is saying.
Jesus has just told them that those who enter the kingdom of God must be like a little child (10:13–16).
Mark 10:13–16 (ESV)
13 And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 15 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” 16 And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them. Mark 10:13-16
what was Jesus laying out for his disciples?
All must come to Jesus with nothing, in total dependence on Him. No one can earn the kingdom.
The requirement is the same for all: simple, childlike reliance on Jesus. It is that easy.
It is in the context of this teaching that one who is the opposite of a helpless child approaches Jesus.[1]
Go to the Right Person
Mark 10:17 (ESV)
17 And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
A man ran up to Jesus. The man had great wealth (“many possessions”). Luke 18:18 calls him a ruler. Matthew 19:22 says he is young. Thus we call him “the rich young ruler.”
He was a man of power, affluence, and influence.
This rich young man is both wealthy materially and wealthy morally. He’s not only rich, but he’s also extremely decent and moral and upright, a man of exquisite moral character.
Jesus sends him away rejected.
It’s not so much a rap sheet that keeps you out of heaven but perhaps the lack of one.
This man then calls Jesus good.
“Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” This was an astounding tribute indicating the impression Jesus had made on him.
“Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.”
Mark 10:18 (ESV)
18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.
Only God is good in the absolute sense of the word. Jesus’ response in verse 18 bears this out.
Jesus does not disavow His deity.
That would have contradicted His explicit claims elsewhere (e.g., John 5:17–18; 8:24, 58; 10:30–33). Its purpose was to rebuke this man’s inadequate understanding of the word good and redefine it in relation to God.
The rich young ruler was no doubt a “good man” by the standards of his day.
He saw in Jesus another good man whose insight into spiritual matters could perhaps solve some lingering questions that plagued his soul.
Jesus will force him to look to God for any hope of genuine goodness and eternal life.
Furthermore, Jesus implicitly confronted the young ruler with his evaluation of Jesus.
Mark (Interpretive Insights)
By his address the man believes that he himself is one “good man” addressing another.
Jesus wants him to realize that no one focuses on his or her own “goodness” in being right with God. Salvation comes only from God, who alone is good. Jesus is telling the man that he must focus on God, not on himself.
“And [Jesus would say] I am going into a poverty deeper than anyone has ever known.… I am giving it all away. Why? For you. Now, [get ready, I am going to ask] you [to] give away everything to follow me. If I gave away my ‘big all’ to get you, can you give away your ‘little all’ to follow me? I won’t ask you to do anything I haven’t already done. I’m the ultimate Rich Young Ruler who has given away the ultimate wealth to get you. Now, you need to give away yours to get me” (Keller, King’s Cross, 136). Jesus is the right person.[4]
Ask the Right Questions
(Mark 10:17)
How do I get eternal life?
His question, though by no means a bad one,
implies he believes eternal life is something you work for.
The rich young ruler was awed by Jesus, and he had an extremely important question to ask Him.
This question is one of
the most significant in the whole Bible and for all humanity: How do I get eternal life?
Get the Right Answers
(Mark 10:19–20)
Mark 10:19–20 (ESV)
19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’ ” 20 And he said to him,
“Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.”
He basically comes and says, “I’ve done everything, but is there anything I’m missing? Is there anything I’ve left out? I’m not sure I have eternal life.”
He’s not sure. People like him are never sure
. “I’ve tried my best and I’m not sure. What do I have to do in order to find eternal life?”
He expected Jesus to talk intellectually about certain theology. “Ah, my young man, the problem is that theologically you don’t understand this.”
Maybe he thought he was going to talk about morality or good deeds. “Here’s one thing you have to do.”
“What must I do?” All religions of the world can be categorized under “do” or “done.” I am saved by what I do or by what another has done.
Christianity is a done religion/relationship.
Eternal life is not achieved; it is received as a gift (John 1:12) based on what Jesus has done for us (John 3:16).
So the young ruler must have both a change of theology and a change of heart if he is to inherit eternal life.[5]
He gives his résumé, and it’s a wonderful thing. But Jesus comes back and completely defies especially the modern understanding of who is saved.[6]
Jesus completely destroys that right here. Here’s a perfectly good person.
He’s rejected. He’s thrown away. He’s sent away. Why?
Jesus says, “Do you know what your fundamental problem is? You do not understand the dangers of goodness.”
This is how we have to conclude.
Being rich materially is spiritually dangerous but this is even worse. Don’t you see how the teachings of Christ go right against everything you’ve ever heard?
There is nothing more spiritually dangerous than to be morally impeccable.
When this young man comes, he says, “Teacher, I’ve done all of these things, but what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Do you know why?
Anyone who has tried their very best to be as decent and as moral and as good and as religious as possible always feels there’s something missing.
Some of you have been like that.Some of you have been a goody two-shoes all of your life. You’ve been very moral. You’ve been very decent. Yet you do not know whether you have eternal life. That’s the way it always is.
Moral and decent people always sense there’s something missing. So he comes to Jesus and says,
“ I don’t know really what’s missing.
What else must I do? What have I left out?”
Here’s what Jesus does.
We always come to Jesus this way in the beginning.
We expect Jesus to add something to our lives, just to give us that little push over the hump.
We expect him to … You know, we’re not too bad. We just need that missing part.
Christianity is never a matter of addition.
Christianity is an explosive. Christianity comes in and
completely destroys what you have and
gives you a whole new philosophy,
a whole new approach, everything.
Jesus completely contradicts his whole approach. [7]
Then, looking at him, Jesus loved him” (v. 21).
Mark 10:21 (ESV)
21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him,
“You lack one thing:
go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven;
and come, follow me.”
There was a sincerity and earnestness about this young man that moved the heart of our Lord. His divine heart of love reached out because this man made in His image was so very near to the kingdom.
Jesus then said, “You lack one thing: Go, sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me” (v. 21).
Jesus comes after the young man and challenges him.
He does two things, basically, to enable him to see how he could get free from the idolatry of money.
All of us have to learn from it.
You shall have no other God's before me.
He doesn’t just say, “Give away all your money.”
He says, “Give away all your money and follow me,” which is his way of saying,
“I want you to see that if you have me you have everything you need.” [8]
Not only do you have to snip that psychological umbilical cord and change your attitude toward wealth, but
Secondly, Jesus says that the way to change your attitude about wealth is to become radically generous.
Maybe he thought he was going to talk about morality or good deeds. “
Here’s one thing you have to do.”
Instead, Jesus starts talking to him about money.
The reason Jesus talks to him about money is because he’s a wonderful counselor.
Jesus always gets personal, and
Jesus always tends to look into your heart and find the unvarnished truth about you and show you the oozing wound that is always at the center of your soul.
What is Jesus saying?
There is no place in the Bible … no place anywhere else … that we are commanded to go into voluntary poverty, to give away everything.
Jesus is not pointing … He doesn’t quote a Scripture, does he? He doesn’t say, “As it says in the law, ‘Give away everything to the poor.’ ”
It doesn’t say that anywhere. Instead, what is he doing?
He’s after this man because it’s his attitude toward wealth that is the controlling besetting idol in his life.
What Jesus is saying is the trouble with this man is not his money as such.
When he talks to Zacchaeus he tells him to give away half of his money to the poor to pay off his debts. Other times, when he talks to Nicodemus, who was also very wealthy, he doesn’t bring up money at all.
So it can’t be it’s the money as such.
Rather, it’s the man’s attitude toward his money.
What he says to him is, “Money itself is not a bad thing, but it has become your trust.
It has become the thing that makes you feel like you have a place in the world.
It has become your defining factor. It defines you.
It’s what makes you who you are. It has become your identity.
We have to get rid of it, or you and I can’t do business. [9]
What do you think money is?
The more money you have, the more of the world you control. The more things you possess, the more you have to take care of. Money is something that has to be taken care of.
We were originally built for that.[10]
Money should be our dignity,
but under the influence of sin it becomes our definition.
What’s the difference?
Only one of degree. Money is a fine thing. Money gives us a sense of dignity. We’re able to cultivate. We’re able to own. We’re able to take care of things with money. Have you noticed that? You can take care of things with money, and you can’t take care of things if you don’t have any money.
The more things you have to take care of and the more things you have to manage, the more you sense that human dignity coming.
The Bible says that under the influence of sin, dignity turns into idolatry and money becomes an idol. Money becomes a god.
How do you know whether that has happened to you?
Now in this man’s life, obviously Jesus goes right to the center and says,
“Money is the idol. It’s the controlling thing. Unless we break its grip on you, I can’t deal with you.”
But in all of us, even if it’s not the controlling idol, to some degree or another it’s cursed by sin.[11]
There is a biblical test. In the Bible, in the Old Testament and throughout, there is a rule of thumb given to us to tell whether or not we’re generous in God’s eyes.
The rule of thumb is the tithe. The Bible says the normal biblical standard for what a generous person is is that you give away 10 percent of your income.
You give it to people who need it. You give it to the poor. You give it to the church. You give it to charity. Ten percent. The Bible says that’s a biblical standard.
If you can’t tithe, it means either you’re too spend-thrifty or you’re too miserly and money has too much control over you.
If you can’t tithe it’s because you’re living beyond, you’re spending too much money on your lifestyle, or else you have plenty of money and you’re just too tight with it.
If you can’t tithe, if the idea of giving away 10 percent appalls you, money has more control over you than it ought to have.
Somebody says, “That’s unfair. I know people who really are just living week to week.
How can they tithe?” I know there are seasons.
I know there are times in which you can’t tithe, because the Bible also says, “Owe no man anything,” and if you have a bill to pay you pay the bill.
You have to work yourself out of a certain tight squeeze so you get into the place where you can be more generous.
But please don’t think what I’m saying is unfair to the poor, or to the hardworking working-class person.
All statistics show that the less money you have, the more you give away.
All statistics show that the less money you have, the greater percentage goes to charity. [12]
The call to discipleship is a call to radical trust and commitment to Jesus. Jesus challenges all of us to put away anything that is an obstacle to our following Him.
You cannot love your wealth supremely and love Jesus supremely.
You cannot love God and money
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
[13]
Give the Right Response
(Mark 10:22)
Mark 10:22 (ESV)
22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
Verse 22 records
There is a tragic end to their encounter—“disheartened.” A cloud of gloom and sorrow moved in. “He went away grieving.” Why? “Because he had many possessions.”
His gold would remain his god. Jesus’ difficult demand was met with a “no.” He got the right answer to his question. He just did not give the right response.
James Edwards insight-fully notes, “A person who leads an exemplary life—who even endears himself to the Son of God—can still be an idolater” (Edwards, Mark, 313).[14]
One Thing Can Cost You Salvation
(Mark 10:23–25)
Mark 10:23–25 (ESV)
23 And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!”
24 And the disciples were amazed at his words.
But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”
Why are they amazed?
Because Jesus has given them an example that is impossible. The reason the apostles are so totally astonished is because Jesus is telling them that the more money you have, the more spiritual dangers there are for you.
That cuts right against what the common understanding of wealth was in that day, and I’d like to show you, to some degree, a common understanding of what it is today.[15]
In Judaism at the time, your wealth was an indication of God’s favor. If you were prospering financially it meant God must like you because you’re a good and upright person.
If you were not prospering financially, if instead you were in the throes of financial distress or you were becoming impoverished, at the time the idea simply was,
“Well obviously you’re not living right[16]
The one thing the Bible is constant about is wealth is a more spiritually dangerous position to be in than poverty.
It’s more spiritually dangerous.
Only God Can Provide You Salvation
(Mark 10:26–27)
Mark 10:26–27 (ESV)
26 And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “
With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”
The Twelve were “even more astonished.” They asked, “Then who can be saved?”
His answer to their question is one of the great theological affirmations in the Bible: “With men it is impossible, but not with God, because all things are possible with God.”
Salvation is something man cannot accomplish. Left to himself, he will never make it into God’s kingdom and inherit eternal life. Salvation is, has always been, and will always be a divine accomplishment through the perfect atonement and sacrificial death of God’s Son. Done, not do!
With men, entering God’s kingdom and receiving eternal life is impossible, and no one will be saved. With God all things are possible, and anyone can be saved!
If you desire for Christ to be your Savior, you have to replace what you have been looking to as a savior.
We all have something. What’s yours?
That is an excellent “life question” to consider.[17]
Conclusion
The message to the rich young man is “I have to be your true treasure.”
My life poured out must be your true treasure, because I’ve done it all for you.
I have to be your goodness.
I have to be your righteousness.
I have to be your wealth before God, or else I cannot deal with you.”
Jesus doesn’t add a thing. He destroys the entire philosophical framework … emotional, psychological, and religious … that this young man has, and he builds it from the ground up.
The gospel never comes in and adds; only destroys what you have and starts you all over.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
That’s the reason why Nicodemus comes in and says, “Good teacher, I have a few theological questions,” and Jesus says, “You must be born again. You have to start all over. You have to make me your Lord and Savior. It’s the only way. You’re flawed. Your morality and goodness are not enough.”
John 3:3 (ESV)
3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Has this happened to you? Here is Jesus. Here’s what I want to know.
Has he ever really dealt with you?
Have you really ever dealt with him?
Let me put it this way.
Has he ever offended you and sent you away sorrowing? Has he ever shown you what’s wrong with you?
Has he ever made tremendous claims?
Have you ever been confronted with the real Christ of the Bible who says, “You’re such a wicked sinner I had to die for you, and your goodness and morality are not enough?”
Have you been confronted with the Jesus who looks at you and says, “In the center of your life you’re in bondage; you’re enslaved by the things that give you your identity; you have to have me or you’re lost?”[18]
[1]Akin, D. L. (2014). Exalting jesus in mark (D. L. Akin, D. Platt, & T. Merida, Eds.; Mk 10:17–22). Holman Reference.
[2]MacArthur, J. (2015). Mark 9–16 (p. 78). Moody Publishers.
[3]Akin, D. L. (2014). Exalting jesus in mark (D. L. Akin, D. Platt, & T. Merida, Eds.; Mk 10:18–21). Holman Reference.
[4]Akin, D. L. (2014). Exalting jesus in mark (D. L. Akin, D. Platt, & T. Merida, Eds.; Mk 10:17). Holman Reference.
[5]Akin, D. L. (2014). Exalting jesus in mark (D. L. Akin, D. Platt, & T. Merida, Eds.; Mk 10:17). Holman Reference.
[6]Keller, T. J. (2013). The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive. Redeemer Presbyterian Church.
[7]Keller, T. J. (2013). The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive. Redeemer Presbyterian Church.
[8]Keller, T. J. (2013). The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive. Redeemer Presbyterian Church.
[9]Keller, T. J. (2013). The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive. Redeemer Presbyterian Church.
[10]Keller, T. J. (2013). The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive. Redeemer Presbyterian Church.
[11]Keller, T. J. (2013). The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive. Redeemer Presbyterian Church.
[12]Keller, T. J. (2013). The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive. Redeemer Presbyterian Church.
[13]Akin, D. L. (2014). Exalting jesus in mark (D. L. Akin, D. Platt, & T. Merida, Eds.; Mk 10:18–21). Holman Reference.
[14]Akin, D. L. (2014). Exalting jesus in mark (D. L. Akin, D. Platt, & T. Merida, Eds.; Mk 10:22). Holman Reference.
[15]Keller, T. J. (2013). The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive. Redeemer Presbyterian Church.
[16]Keller, T. J. (2013). The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive. Redeemer Presbyterian Church.
[17]Akin, D. L. (2014). Exalting jesus in mark (D. L. Akin, D. Platt, & T. Merida, Eds.; Mk 10:26–27). Holman Reference.
[18]Keller, T. J. (2013). The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive. Redeemer Presbyterian Church.