The Poor Who Didn't Want to Be Rich - Mark 10:17-22

Intro.

Most of the personal encounters Jesus had while on earth ended well. More often than not, people who encountered Jesus were healed, saved, and eternally changed. However, not every encounter ended so well! In our text for today, we are introduced to a man who had a personal encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ that ended tragically badly.

I would like us to look at this today, because I fear there are many people in our churches who are in the same condition as this man was. They want to be saved and even feel that they are saved, but they have no understanding of what true biblical salvation is.

In this passage, the Lord Jesus tells us what it takes to be saved. I don't know where your relationship with the Lord is this morning, but I know that if you're not saved, you need to be, and you're going to hear how you can be saved today. I ask that you let the Lord speak to your heart this morning, and if He speaks to you, by faith go to Him.

Let's look at an encounter with the Master that didn't end so well.

Mark 10:17–22 (NIV84)

The Rich Young Man

17 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?”

18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 19 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.’”

20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

21 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.”

22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

I. The Man - Who was this man?

This meeting is mentioned by Matthew (Matt. 19: 16-22), Luke (Luke 18: 18-23) and Mark. All three of the Gospel writers add details about the man who came to be known as the Rich Young Ruler. For the sake of our study, let's get to know him a little better.

He was rich (Mt. 19:22; Mk. 10:22; Lu. 18:23).

He was young (Mt. 19:20).

He was a ruler (Lu. 18:18).

He was a rare young man among the people of his day. This is seen in two facts.

1. He was hard-working, responsible, dependable— traits so often lacking in youth. He had already been placed into a position of leadership.

2. He was eagerly seeking eternal life—a spiritual matter often rejected or simply ignored by young people.

The dominant theme of the young man’s experience is his sincerity, his desperate search for eternal life. Jesus takes the man’s desperation and shocks the world. Desperation, sincerity, eagerness, and seeking eternal life are not enough. To inherit eternal life takes much more than just being desperate to possess it.

II. His Confusion about eternal life.

Fact 1: seeking Christ is not enough to receive eternal life (v. 17).

A rich young man sought Jesus—sought Him with a sense of urgency and desperation seldom seen.

1. The man was eager, ever so eager: he was running to Jesus.

2. The man was humble: he cast himself to the ground, kneeling before Jesus, showing extreme reverence. He esteemed Jesus ever so highly. He bowed the knee to Him.

3. The man was respectful: he addressed Jesus as “Good Master,” which was the proper and courteous address to a revered Rabbi or Teacher.

4. The man was concerned about his spiritual welfare. He asked what he should do to inherit eternal life.

The young man demonstrated how we should seek eternal life. He did exactly what we should do when we wish anything: seek it. We are to seek eternal life as the rich young ruler did. But in seeking, there is something critical. We must go to the right source.

This is exactly what the rich young man did: (a) he approached Jesus, the Source of eternal life; and (b) he asked, confessing his need.

Note two things about the young man’s seeking eternal life.

1. He believed that eternal life existed, that there was such a thing as eternal life. He believed there was life in another world, and he was sincere and eager/fervent (perhaps desperate) to receive it. He “came running and kneeled” before Jesus.

2. He did a rare thing. He openly confessed his eager concern for eternal life. Few of the rich would ever confess an open concern as he did, and few of the young would ever consider it important enough at their young stage of life. He lacked and had need, and he knew it and openly confessed it. He was seeking for inner peace and a sense of completeness and fulfillment and satisfaction.

Fact 2: to praise Jesus is not enough to receive eternal life - Mark 10:18 (NIV84)

18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.

The young man had praised and honored Jesus as much as a person could. He had eagerly sought and reverenced Jesus, not only kneeling before Him but also casting himself into the dust of the ground before Jesus.

He addressed Jesus with as high a title as a man could address a revered teacher. He could not praise Jesus more. But note: the man’s praise and honor of Jesus were not enough.

He called Jesus “Good Teacher,” He was acknowledging that Jesus was an honorable person to be highly regarded. But he conceived Jesus to be only a highly regarded teacher.

He did not consider Jesus to be the divine Son of God. He conceived Jesus to be but a mere man, not God. He thought Jesus was a man who had achieved unusual moral goodness and by such had become a good Master, one capable of teaching the great truths of God and life.

Jesus had to correct this gross error. He attempted to correct it by simply saying, “Why are you calling me good? There is none good, but one, that is, God.” He was saying to the young man, “God alone is good. No man is good, not in comparison to God, not good enough to ever stand before God in righteousness.

If I am but a mere man, a good teacher, then I am not ‘good’ and do not have the words to eternal life. But if I am God, then you can address me as ‘good,’ and I do have the words to eternal life.”

Note two things.

1. Jesus told the young man how to enter life, that is, how to receive eternal life. Therefore, Jesus was claiming to be God.

2. Jesus was correcting the young man. He was speaking these words forcefully: “Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is God.” Jesus would not have the young man thinking of Him only as a man, no matter how preeminent a teacher the young man thought Him to be. He is God, God’s very own Son; and He is to be known and called the Son of God. Therefore, Jesus tried to lead the young man to acknowledge and honor Him as God. It was the only way the young man could ever receive eternal life.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (Jn. 3:16).

“Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life” (Jn. 6:68).

“I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins” (Jn. 8:24).

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him” (Jn. 14:6–7).

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Ac. 4:12).

“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time” (1 Ti. 2:5–6).

Fact # 3 about eternal life is this: to be religious is not enough to receive eternal life.

Note a crucial point: the young man had asked, “What good thing shall I do?” He had a religion of works, not of faith.

He thought man himself could secure eternal life by being good.

He felt that if he could just keep some great rule or law and live a moral, clean life, then God would accept him.

He believed that his acts of morality and good works just piled up a balance sheet and made him acceptable to God.

This was the man’s second major error. Again Jesus had to correct the man; He had to strike right at the root of the problem. The man was failing to love his neighbor as himself, and Jesus knew it (this will be brought out later).

So Jesus told the young man very simply, “You know the commandments”; and He proceeded to quote five of the ten commandments, the five laws of respectability that had to do with his duty toward his neighbor (Ex. 20:12–16).

The man made the phenomenal claim that he had kept all five of the commandments that Jesus quoted.

He, of course, had not kept them perfectly, not in God’s eyes, not in the spirit in which God intended them to be kept.

He was not generous enough with others, not giving and helping like he should. Jesus was now ready to show him and lead him to do this.

In summary, here is what Jesus had said to the rich young ruler: keep the commandments dealing with your neighbor—the ones especially needed by rulers and the rich—the ones so often misunderstood and neglected by rulers and the rich.

But the rich young ruler misunderstood God’s law: he had a tragic sense of self-righteousness.

1. He thought some commandments were more important than others.

2. He thought man could keep God’s law and build up a balance sheet with God, securing God’s acceptance.

Thought 1. “What shall I do” to inherit eternal life? It is not the good thing that I do nor is it all the good things that I do that give me eternal life.

Mt. 5:20 “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Mt. 7:22–23 “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”

Ga. 2:16 “know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.”

Ep. 2:8–9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”

2 Ti. 1:9 “who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,”

Tit. 3:4–5 “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,”

Fact # 4 about eternal life: to be loved by Jesus is not enough to receive eternal life

Note the exact words, “21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him.”

Jesus’ eyes penetrated into the man’s innermost being and sensed a deep, deep longing and earnestness.

The man’s longing and ache for eternal life touched Jesus deeply. Jesus was drawn to the man and loved him in a very, very special sense.

But note the crucial point: the love of Jesus for a man’s soul—even the very, very special love of Jesus for a man—was not enough to save the man. The man still lacked one thing.

Thought 1. The love of Christ is great, and it is touching and encouraging. But it is not enough. The Lord’s love cannot save us, not by itself, not against our will, not if we refuse to surrender all—all we are and all we have.

Matthew 23:37 ““O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.”

Prov.1:24 “But since you rejected me when I called and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand,”

Ezek.18:31-32 “Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!”

Fact # 5 about eternal life: Giving everything is the one thing lacking, the one thing that causes so many to lose eternal

Mark 10:21-22 “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.”

With love and compassion Jesus answers this young man's question.

Regardless of his sins and his spiritual shallowness...

Jesus tells this young man how to be saved. This is the message we all need to hear today. Jesus tells him to do two things.

1. “Sell everything you own, give the money to the poor” - Jesus is not saying that salvation is achieved by giving away our material goods. He is simply putting his finger on the root of this man's problem.

He loved his money more than he wanted God in his life.

Jesus is saying, "If you want salvation, you can't put your trust in anything else but me!"

By the way this is still the message of the Gospel today!

While many are preaching an "easy belief", without repentance and without abandoning sin.

Jesus says, "If you are not willing to turn your back on everything you have for my sake, you cannot inherit eternal life!"

Matt. 6:24 ““No one can serve two masters. 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 both God and Money.”

Luke 9:23 “Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

That sounds harsh, and it is, but it is the message of the Gospel. Nothing else will save us!

2. Follow Me - Here's the crux of the matter! This young man has been living after power, prestige, position and possessions. Jesus says, "You turn your back on all that and follow me, that's how you receive eternal life!" That's the Gospel call. God says, "Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth;" Isa. 45:22.

The requirements of the Gospel are clear. You must repent of your sins and embrace the Savior by faith. That, and that alone, will save your soul, Rom. 10:9! (Rom. 10:13; John 6:37).

We are commissioned to tell the truth about the matter. If you think you can have Jesus in one hand and the world in the other, then you are dead wrong. If that's what you have. Them you DON'T have salvation, you only have a religion, and you need to be saved!

Our duty to this generation is not to make the Gospel easier to swallow, it is to tell the world the truth. I still believe that when God calls the sinner to himself, and speaks to the heart showing the sinner his condition, he listens, repents and turns from his sins!

III. His Decision

(Ill. Here is the saddest part of the whole NT. This young man makes his decision and it was a tragic decision. He didn't want to be poor. Let's read what he did.)

Mark 10:22 NIV84

At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

A. He made an Earthly Decision-He chose His wealth over Jesus! He loved his money (lust- his sin...) more than he wanted to be saved.

(Application: Even today Jesus allows us to make the same choice that this young man made. It's not always money, it can be pleasure, it can be a relationship, it can be some sin, etc. If you really want it, He will let you have it. But ask yourself this question: “Is this really worth more than my soul?” Friend, nothing is worth more than your soul, Mark 8:36-37 “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul? Or, what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”

B. He made an Eternal Decision – “his face fell and went away sad”

(Illustration: maybe he is the only one who came to Jesus' feet and left sad...) One day, this man's youth went away. He retired from his prestigious position at the synagogue. Finally, the problems that come with age caught up with him, infirmities. And not even his vast wealth could prolong the inevitable, he died. When that day came, he discovered that his religion, his moral lifestyle were not enough to give him eternal life. When he died, he went to hell, lost forever, because he chose to stay with sin rather than follow the Savior.

Friends, what you do with Jesus in this life will determine what He will do with you in the Hereafter!

Mark 8:38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Conclusion: (all standing)

In verse 21, Jesus summed up this young man's dilemma with these words: "One thing he lacks."...This man had everything but the most important thing. He had everything, but he lacked Jesus!

Does this describe you? You have a degree... money... Position... Youth.... Beauty.... Health.... Titles... Or anything else you can name it, but do you have Jesus?

Friend, if you don't have it, you don't have to leave here without Him. Today is the day He is passing! Jesus is calling! Speaking to the hearts! Don't let your meeting with him become the most tragic day of your life.

Don't leave this place without Jesus, without you being sure that you inherited eternal life! Come to the altar and talk to Jesus now!

Some of you need to come to the altar because there's a fight in your heart...

Prayer:

(Final comment)

This rich man didn't want to be poor.... did you know that God never asks you to do something that He hasn't already done? ...

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” (2Cor.8:9)

Jesus wanted to be poor so that you could be truly rich!