The Rich Young Ruler - Mark 10:17-31
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The rich young man/ruler
Welcome everyone to Genesis, we are so glad you could join us this weekend, Labor Day weekend at that. For most of us this is a long holiday weekend and it also marks the close of summer.
It also brings a close to our summer series “Summer of Stories:
you could say that we are closing the book on our summer series. (EMPHASIS - DAD JOKE)
But before I get to our story today we know what the end of summer means for many of the parents, as well as what it means for the younger crowd who are making their way back to the classrooms. – back to school time.
And that got me thinking about the number of questions that will be asked this year in the classroom.
So I did what everyone does, and I asked Google.
Here’s what I found
According to Warren Berger, author of “A Beautiful Question”
Some studies show 4-year-olds ask as many as 200 to 300 questions a day. He also says kids ask an average of 40,000 questions between the ages of 2 and 5. Berger also found that over the next couple of years, as kids go to school, the number of questions they ask actually declines.
So apparently once we begin to go to school we ask less questions.
As for adults they are a different story, I found that the average adult only asks between 6-30 questions a day,
My guess would be that a doctor, lawyer and police officer would be the ones asking the most.
and finally, I had to ask Google, so how many questions on an average day on Google?
Which was a staggering 8.5 billion a day
But the stat that intrigued me the most was the one about adults only asking 6-30 questions a day, which seemed mindblowing to me.
So I had to ask myself, how many questions was I asking?
Yes, I literally asked myself a question.
which also made ask myself, if I am only asking 6-30 questions a day, what am I asking, and am I asking the right questions?
And that is what we are going to look at in todays story:
ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS!
Turn with me to
Mark 10:17-31
This is the story of the RICH YOUNG MAN
READ ENTIRE SECTION
Thanks be to God for His Word
Throughout the summer, Michael has reminded us how the parables will generate a reaction and that they speak to the condition of our heart. And this story today, is no different
Something very dramatic happens to the young man in this story. He went away from Jesus sad.
And while studying this text, one of the commentaries that I read, mentioned that this is the only account in the gospels when someone left the presence of Jesus “sad”
which for me made me ask what I think are the right questions: (EMPHASIS)
Why?
What happened?
As we look at this lets see if we can put our finger on what happened to this man that caused him to go away sad.
to do this we are going to have to ask some additional questions along the way.
But to get the right answers, we are going to have to ask the right questions
then we can respond to what we learn
Lets look first at the context of our story, Jesus is on his final journey to Jerusalem, heading for the cross. And he has been teaching his disciples, and preparing them for his death. his popularity was at its all-time high, and he was constantly being swarmed wherever he went.
And this is where we meet the Rich Young Man, you can find this story in 3 of the Gospels, Matthew, here in Mark and also in Luke. And the great thing is we can find additional information in each one. Each author addresses a different group in their writings, which is why we get additional information from each writer.
Mark and Matthew tell us that he is:
· Rich
· Young
· And a Man
Luke adds an additional layer:
· Ruler
But we also get some more info from the opening lines in MARK
· V.17 – eager, “he ran”
· V.17 – respectful “he knelt” called him good teacher
Smart
Concerned about eternal life
He runs to Jesus and says “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life”
There it is - the million dollar question. black and white, clear as crystal.
here I am before the good teacher, if I only had one question to ask this is it!!!!
On the surface, everything points to him asking the right question! He is asking about life in the kingdom, eternal life with Jesus, and he sounds sincere in the way he asks.
I believe that he was concerned about eternal life.
So why does he go away disheartened, or sad?
does(EMPHASIS) he ask the right question?
to find out we need look no further than Jesus’ response.
and he answers with -
. (PAUSE)
his own question
try that in your next conversation with your spouse.
So when we talk about asking the right questions,
what we should be doing is looking at this story and asking ourselves,
who is the one asking the right questions?
The young man’s question is sincere and certainly seems like a legitimate question, but deep down it’s based on the law or works
Look at Jesus’s reply
V.18 “why do you call me good?” No one is good except God.
He doesn’t even address his question, but he immediately begins the process of revealing the man's heart.
In the context of when this takes place, most people typically didn’t call each other “GOOD”, ---- especially the religious leaders, that was usually only reserved for God,
in todays culture. We call everybody good.
Back then they knew that it was only God who was good. Good had a much deeper meaning.
So either this man believes Jesus to be God - by calling him good
or he believes that this teacher has found the answer to the very question he asks about eternal life,
and he thinks by calling him good that he will share his knowledge with him.
Basically, he is trying to establish a moral level of “goodness”
“Jesus you seem like a good person, I too am good, so share with me your wisdom on how to inherit eternal life.”
BUT — Jesus quickly calls him out on this,
and points back to God — “why call me good, only God is good.”
in other words,, do you think I am God?
What Jesus does here is masterful,
by asking a rhetorical question he challenges the man to think about why he is calling him,
“Good Teacher”
in other words, is he just a teacher
or he must recognize Jesus’s deity?
Additionally, if only God is good, then he has no choice but to see himself as a sinner, and even more, he has see Jesus as either God,
or a sinner
--like him. – then that means neither he or Jesus is good at all.
As this rattles around in the young mans head, and instead of giving him a chance to answer, Jesus hits him with yet another question.
V.19 You know the commandments:
SLIDE
· Do not murder
· Do not commit adultery
· Do not cheat anyone
· Do not steal
· Do not bear false witness
· Honor your father and mother
Some of you will recognize these as part of the 10 commandments, more specifically the latter half or as some would say “the second tablet”
And now the young man finally gets to respond:
(SLIDE)
“Teacher”
Don’t miss this, its very significant. we tend to glance over this when we read it as part of the conversation, but Mark specifically points out this detail. Which also reveals his answer to Jesus’s first question.
HE DROPPED THE GOOD,
now --- (PAUSE) — its just teacher.
This is a huge detail. It shows us that we are not dealing with an uneducated person. He understood what Jesus asked, and answered how he thought he should based on his background in the OT Law. He sees Jesus as a teacher, and a sinner.
In other words
He doesn’t recognize Jesus as Lord, because if he did,
he would have kept the “Good”
infact, here is what he says.
“Teacher all these I have kept since my youth” - he answers both questions with one answer.
pointing to himself, and his works
Based on what we know of this man, we should believe he has kept the commands,
he is a ruler in the synagogue, of course he would have kept the commands
Our young man initiated the conversation with a question, but now finds himself being the one answering a series of questions,
and as far as he knows -- he has answered correctly.
top of the class for this guy - if you ask me its like studying for a math test when you are going in for an english final - check out those brilliant answers teacher, just put me down for an A+
At this point we would tend to think, that he is anticipating the answer to his initial question.
So Jesus gives him one in V21
(SLIDE)
V.21 “and Jesus, looking at him –and LOVED HIM, and said you lack one thing, sell all that you have, give it to the poor, and come follow me”
And this is his response: V22
(SLIDE)
V.22 “disheartened he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions”
there it is, he asked the right questions, but left disheartened.
this should prompt us to ask the question:
How and why does Jesus do this?
The HOW is something like this:
Think of it of it like going to the dentist, and after the cleaning the doctor comes in to check your teeth, and when you went in there was no issues with your teeth. but then he takes the little mirror and goes all through your mouth just kind of looking around then he takes one of those giant medieval looking hooks and touches a tooth in just the right spot that makes you want to jump out of the chair. then he says yup that’s the one. He knows exactly where the soft spot is, what to look for, and precisely where to touch that causes you to react or wince.
Likewise, Jesus knows where to look and exactly where to touch that causes us to react or wince.
We all know that feeling, it makes our whole body tense up, and we grab the arms of the dentist chair, with nowhere to go.
when the young man comes to Jesus, he comes looking for validation, unaware of his bad tooth.
how do I keep all my stuff and have eternal life?
And its Jesus who ASKS HIM THE RIGHT QUESTION
but WHY:
Why does Jesus do this?
One of my profs used to say all the time, “It’s in the text, just look at the text”
(Props to pastor Diddy)
(SLIDE)
BECAUSE HE LOVES
repeat
BECAUSE HE LOVES
Look at v.21 again
V.21 “and Jesus, looking at him – LOVED HIM
He loved him, I am going to let that sink in for a moment.
“and Jesus, looking at him – LOVED HIM
The young man was looking for the kingdom and he was so close that he could have touched it, but he goes away sad.
and what is so clear to Jesus, the young man is completely blind to.
Pastor Alistar Begg says that “this is a story of someone scarcely touched by the gospel”
Someone so close to the gospel, but unaffected by it. or someone who attends church but is never changed by the message of Jesus.
Jesus reaches out and finds the cavity and touches it, and in doing so He reveals the young man's true love, and he is unchanged.
he looked to validate himself,
and solely based on his resume, young, rich, ruler, smart, religious, he is qualified for a lot, but not the kingdom
and while reading this text he reminded me a lot of another guy we meet in Acts named Paul.
but their stories end dramatically different.
WHY?
They both claim to have kept the commandments, both rich, smart, religious, qualified.
But look what the Apostle Paul writes in
Phil 3:4-8
“though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ”
but our young man goes away sad!
And Paul shows us that the true wealth is Jesus
this isn’t a story about wealth and giving it all away to follow Jesus.
this is a story about the heart.
its a story about law VS gospel
works VS Cross
the young ruler began the story by establishing his self righteousness with GOOD TEACHER
he then confirmed it with the commandments
Here you go good teacher, here is all my accomplishments
Wealthy
Religious
Ruler
Look at all I have done
surely if God is good, then I qualify for eternal life.
And Jesus points him back to the first command, the one he missed
Because its not about being good, its not about accomplishments, its about Jesus,
Have no other gods besides me
or as Jesus commanded later in
Mark 12
love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength.
You see, the young man saw the command to sell everything as another deed, something he had to do to “EARN” eternal life, and he wasn’t willing to do that, because his wealth was his identity.
And Jesus puts his finger on the one thing that the young ruler loved the most, and said “sell it, all of it, then come follow me”
and just like when the dentist touches that sore, decaying toothin us, he winced and went away sad.
Jesus was revealing this mans true self. He loved his money, that was his god, and Jesus says its me or your money, it can’t be both.
and he winced and went away sad.
So what is the application for us.
growing up I played all kids of sports, baseball, basketball, golf, football, and track. I played on some really good teams, as well as some really bad teams. I never got a trophy for coming in last place, or even second. But as my kids grew up, there was this time when everyone got a trophy, just for participating, but the one thing it did was create a belief that I don’t have to understand loss, just as long as I gave enough effort, my works will get me a trophy.
I have plenty of Christian and non christian friends and even family who believe that because they do good things, God will reward them.
I am sorry to tell you, That’s not the gospel
its the young man saying, look at my achievements, surely I will be rewarded. - with eternal life
Jesus isn’t looking for a resume, he is looking for the broken, the lost and the needy.
this is the message Mark starts his gospel with
Mark 1:4 (John the Baptist)
John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
Shorter summary - REPENT AND BELIEVE
Jesus points to the young man’s heart and says
- repent and believe.
Earlier I mentioned the Apostle Paul, and there is a dramatic difference between our 2 men.
Paul says:
everything I have ever had or accomplished is rubbish, and if any of you are familiar with the Greek language, rubbish is a very polite translation of the word Paul uses.
and the big difference is this:
Paul saw Jesus as good, and himself as a sinner.
the young man saw a teacher and went away sad
Paul repented and believed,
the young man kept his wealth
Now I have to take a pause here for a moment, because I would love nothing more than to tell you that I have lived my life as a christian just like Paul, that I have counted everything as loss, compared to Knowing Christ. But I can’t, because I have had to sit in the dentist chair on many occasions, and wince as Jesus points and touches a decayed tooth that in all honesty needed to be pulled, so that I can count it as loss, so that now I willingly sit in the chair, because I need a constant reminder of who I am, and Who Christ is.
Even thou the young man has departed, this isn’t the end of our story, because Jesus addresses the man’s question for his disciples.
Jesus says to his disciples in V. 23-27
(SLIDE)
“Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God!
This time its not a question, its a statement. He says it twice once in v.23 and again in 24, and as a rule if Jesus says something more than once in the same story, it means pay attention.
V25 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.
Lets address the 500lb camel in the room,
to be clear: the illustration Jesus uses here is exactly as it appears:
A camel - one of the largest animals they would have been able to physically picture
and
The eye of a needle
quick translation — impossible - absolutely, undeniably - not going to happen,
for not just a rich person, but anyone, to save themselves.
I actually had a couple people volunteer to dress up as a camel and I was going to hold up a needle as a way of illustration, but unfortunately no one wanted to be the back half of the camel.
the disciples would have that imagery in their minds — just like most of you are doing right now.
not someone dressed as a camel but of an actual camel, and a needle. I know I am picturing it too, but stay with me on this.
Jesus is saying, no works or by law can you earn eternal life. it is only by the grace of God that you receive the gift of eternal life.
Paul says in Ephesians 2:8–9
(SLIDE)
ESV
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
think of the young man when he boasts— all these i have kept
We cannot validate our salvation through works, we can only repent and believe, and that is how God’s grace gives us eternal life.
eternal life doesn’t begin at our physical death, it begins when we respond to the gospel,
when we respond to Jesus pointing to the one thing that we think is better than life with Him
Jesus says in V. 29-30 (SLIDE)
Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.
this is not health, wealth and prosperity gospel, this is what eternal life with Christ is about. Putting Jesus above everything
and everything means everything.
it means before our:
Money
Houses
Spouse
children
work
eternal life in the kingdom with Jesus demands absolute surrender, reliance, and belief in who Jesus is.
John 3:16
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
and that is what Jesus tells the young man –
repent and believe
repent and believe
but he went away sad because he missed Jesus, and loved his wealth
I will close with this.
last week our good friend Tiery elegantly said in French, that I will not try to repeat
but translated:
“It is God who works in the hearts of people”
So let me ask you what I hope is the right questions:
What tooth is Jesus touching right now that is causing you to wince? and will you miss the kingdom go away sad?
you don’t have to. - you can repent and believe