No Other Rivals

Balconies and Basements

There is a personality assessment that is called Strength Finders. I found that when I did it about 10 years ago that it was pretty accurate at describing my personality. The survey breaks personalities down into what it calls “Balcony” or characteristics that are seen as good, and “Basement” or characteristics that are seen as bad.

For example, let’s look at someone who is “Deliberative”

Deliberative

Balcony:          good judgment, identifies risk, makes solid decisions, can plan for the unexpected

Basement:       standoffish, aloof, cautious, slow, introverted, afraid to act

Or, let’s look at someone who is “Analytical” (this is one of mine)

Analytical

Balcony:          Well thought out, logical, deep, thorough, comfortable with numbers, figures, and charts, smart

Basement:       rude, short, tough, never satisfied with the answer, too many questions

We all have good qualities when we operate in our balconies, but we have some bad qualities when we operate in our basements. Personality tests like this help to identify characteristics that are helpful and others that are not.

Sometimes we have things that are so well hidden that it takes the Spirit of God to point it out. Touching those spots are often painful but necessary if we are going to allow God to “winnow” our lives to produce healthy grains. Let’s see Jesus in action as He identifies an area in the rich young ruler’s life.

The Rich Young Ruler

An interaction between Jesus and an influential young man is recorded in both the Gospels of Mathew and Mark. In Mark’s account…

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. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall 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.

This is an interesting conversation because there is more going on beneath the surface. We see “balconies” in this young man’s character, but Jesus exposes a couple of “basement” issues as well.

Before Jesus confronts him, He loves him. Jesus never exposes us to shame us. He exposes us to free us.

Now, here is the thing. We all have balconies and basements. I believe that God wants us to operate in our gifts and talents and personalities. But when we allow selfish desires into our lives we end up in the basement and it robs us from what God wants to see in our lives. So, let’s take a deeper look at what is going on here and then see how we can learn from it.

Surveying the Rich Young Ruler

We don’t know much about this guy. It is the first and last time that he is seen in the Gospels. So, what we can learn is all taken from this brief encounter.

The Young Ruler Stands on His Balcony

There are some admirable things about this guy.

Mark 10:17 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?”

I think we would agree that he seems to be a good guy. He references Jesus as a “good teacher” and wants to “inherit eternal life”. Those are good. We also find out that he believed in obeying the Torah, following the commandments. We see that in response to Jesus reminding him of some of the commandments.

On the surface I think that the conversation seems weird. Afterall, the guy seems like a good guy, the kind of guy that we would want for a neighbor. But, maybe, we are not seeing what is going on beneath the surface. Maybe, what we are calling “balcony” attributes are really “basement” attributes.

Jesus Exposes the Young Ruler’s Basement

Basement Issue #1- The Source of Goodness

The thing that bothered me about this interaction is that the statement that triggers (not in a negative way) Jesus is the man’s description of Jesus as ‘good’.

Mark 10:18 NIV

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

Did you ever have the feeling of relief in school that you weren’t called on first? As a ‘G’ I usually had time to ready myself! (Glad I wasn’t an Akers). The ruler called Jesus ‘good’ and gets called out on it. And…to top it off, Jesus is God! So, what is happening?

What is really happening is that Jesus is revealing some things in the man’s heart that were down in his basement. ‘Goodness’ rests in God alone. Man cannot achieve it’…which is what Jesus points out.

The Life Application Bible explains:

Jesus did not at first address the man’s question, but instead challenged him to think about God. Goodness is not measured by one’s works; in fact, no one is good but God alone. Jesus wanted the man to turn his attention from himself and from Jesus (who he thought was merely a “good teacher”) and think about God’s absolute goodness. If he truly did so, he would conclude that he could do nothing to inherit eternal life.[1]

 So, Basement Issue #1 – the man had a misunderstanding of where goodness comes from.

Basement Issue #2 – He Loved Obedience More than the One He Was Obeying

Jesus lists the last six of the 10 Commandments:

Mark 10:19–20 NIV

You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’” “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

In his mind, he had done the ‘right things’.  He “believed that he had not broken any commandments; now he wanted Jesus to guarantee his eternal life. Such is the condition of one who tries to attain eternal life or a relationship with God by his or her own merit.”[2]

In the commandments that Jesus listed, He did not include:

            #1 – I am the Lord your God

            #2 – You shall have not other gods before me

            #3 – You shall not swear falsely nor take God’s name in vain

            #4 – Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.

The first 4 commandments are directly between us and God. The last six, the ones, Jesus mentioned are for the community.

Basement Issue #2 – he knew God’s commands but he didn’t truly know God’s heart.

Basement Issue #3 – Idolatry

Now Jesus is going to touch a spot in this man’s life that he didn’t want exposed.

Mark 10:21 NIV

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.”

Whether he knew it or not, this young man could not honestly agree with Commandment #1 – I am the Lord your God. “The young man did not love God with his whole heart as he had presumed. In reality, the man’s wealth was his god, his idol.”[3]

Mark 10:22 NIV

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

This man had come hoping for security, for reassurance, that he was doing what was needed to have eternal life. I wonder how the man felt about Jesus after this encounter? Did he give the Rabbi from Nazareth a bad review? How do we feel about the Holy Spirit touching areas in our lives that have become secret places, secret desires, secret idols?

Jesus wasn’t asking every believer to see everything. He was asking this man to remove the rival sitting on God’s throne.

The story ends with one of the saddest verses in the Gospels. The man who came running to Jesus walked away from Jesus. Not because Jesus didn't love him—but because he loved something else more.

That should cause every one of us to stop and ask a difficult question. What am I clinging to?

What Happens When We Refuse to Release Our Idols?

Idols always overpromise and underdeliver.

· Money promises security...but you're never quite secure enough.

· Success promises significance...but someone always succeeds more.

· Approval promises acceptance...but you're exhausted trying to keep everyone happy.

· Comfort promises peace...but eventually comfort becomes your prison.

Whatever sits on God's throne eventually begins to control us. What happens if I do?

When we release our idols...

1. We exchange fear for peace.

The rich young ruler feared losing wealth. Imagine if he had trusted Jesus. He would have discovered what Paul later wrote:

"My God shall supply all your needs."

You don't have to hold onto what God promises to provide.

2. We exchange control for trust.

Idols always demand control. Jesus invites surrender. The irony is this: The more tightly we grip our idols...the more they grip us.

3. We exchange temporary treasure for eternal treasure.

Jesus wasn't taking something from him. He was offering something better. The man saw subtraction. Jesus saw multiplication.

4. We exchange slavery for freedom.

Anything that controls you is already your master. When Christ becomes Lord...nothing else has to be.

Imagine a child learning to swim. The child clings to the side of the pool. Dad stands only three feet away saying, "Let go."

The child thinks, "If I let go, I'll sink."

But the father knows, "If you don't let go, you'll never learn to trust me."

Sometimes Jesus asks us to release what feels safest...because He has something far better waiting.

Health Comes As We Release Our Idols

John the Baptist warned that Jesus would be a winnowing fork. The rich young ruler would certainly agree. But here is what would happen if he released his god of covetousness.

The tragedy of this story isn't that a rich man kept his money. The tragedy is that he walked away from Jesus carrying everything except the one thing he truly needed. He came looking for eternal life. He found eternal life standing in front of him. But he couldn't release what had become his god.

· Maybe your idol isn't money.

· Maybe it's your reputation.

· Maybe it's your comfort.

· Maybe it's your career.

· Maybe it's your bitterness.

· Maybe it's your plans.

· Maybe it's your control.

The Holy Spirit still lovingly walks into our basements. Not to condemn us... but to set us free.

The invitation Jesus gave the rich young ruler is the same invitation He gives us today: "Come, follow Me."

Following Jesus has always required open hands. The tighter we cling to our idols, the farther they pull us from Christ. But when we release what cannot save us, we discover the One who always can.

The winnowing fork of Jesus isn't meant to destroy us. It is meant to remove every rival so that our lives can become fruitful, free, and wholly devoted to Him.

[1]Bruce B. Barton, Mark, Life Application Bible Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1994), 289.

[2]Bruce B. Barton, Mark, Life Application Bible Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1994), 290.

[3]Bruce B. Barton, Mark, Life Application Bible Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1994), 291.