Missed It By That Much
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In 1924 Liberty magazine sent out 100 letters to people selected at random throughout the U.S., enclosing $1 bill, saying it was an adjustment of an error which the addressed had complained of—which really did not exist. Of the 100 recipients, 27 returned the dollar, saying it was a mistake.
Then in 1971, Liberty again conducted the same test. But now only 13 returned the money!
Blessed Lord, You have caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning. Grant that we may so hear them, read, mark, learn, and take them to heart that, by the patience and comfort of Your holy Word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life. … through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Forty-seven years later, a significantly different result. Of course, the initial reaction in 1924 was nothing to brag about - 27% of the people were recognized the error and responded appropriately, but to have that drop to 13? How do we account for this? It wasn’t the value of the money; if anything, in 47 years the value of a Dollar had dropped significantly. It seems that the value of honesty had dropped as well.
In our current, post-modern world, I suspect that 47 more years would see another radical change, fueled by the difference in our understanding of truth. In 1971, the phrase, “living out my truth” would have provoked a negative response because the idea of truth being subjective and relative would have been rejected as contrary to reality. in 2018, that phrase is common and accepted because truth is not understood as something that exists apart from us, rather it is constructed by us.
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.”
We enter this narrative as Jesus and the 12 are heading to Jerusalem, the place where Jesus knows that He must be crucified. He has already announced this as a settled conclusion, to which Peter initially responded in protest and was rebuked, and now the 12 silently ponder what will come to pass. In the midst of this, “a man” according to Mark and Matthew, literally, runs up to Jesus to ask this deep theological question: “What should I do to be saved?” Or was it “what should I do?”
Either way, Jesus, after a quick dig at the man’s use of the word “good” in addressing Him, points in the direction of the Commandments: “you have seen/perceived/known the Commandments...”
It was not a question. Jesus presents, interestingly, all of the Commandments that require us to interact with one another, and none of the ones that pertain to our relationship with God. In Matthew’s version, Jesus does so, pointedly, in response to the ruler’s question, “which ones?”
Up to this point, we see this man as one of us, just another sinner coming to be blessed by His Savior. He’s just an ordinary guy, just like you. But then this man, this man with no name, this ordinary guy unless you read Luke’s version that identifies him as a ruler, says something that is either an amazing statement about his integrity or a complete lack of humility.
20 And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.”
Is he telling the truth? Does he not know that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God?” Who does he think he is, this man who claims to have been so good? You know that Jesus is going to set him straight now!
But that isn’t what the Bible says, is it?
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.”
I can only conclude from this that this man was telling the truth - somehow, he has, indeed, kept the commandments! What’s more, he has done so during the time when it is the most difficult, since being a young man, that time of raging hormones, identity crises, and above all, the need to establish one’s independence. Jesus does not correct this man’s statement - He accepts it!
There are people who, at least in terms of gross violations, manage to obey God’s Laws. You know who they are, you called them “goody two-shoes,” or something like that. These are the people who would not lie even though they knew that they could get away with it. These are the people who would turn in a bag of found money.
For many of us, our evangelism plan has nothing to say in response to such a statement.We can’t guilt him in, we can’t scare him in with thoughts of the lake of fire that is reserved for those who sinned against God. Not Jesus though. You see, Jesus knows you. He even knows the you that you don’t know. The One whom you can’t, because it is the hidden man of the heart, the heart that Jeremiah calls “deceitful above all and desperately wicked.” That’s the man that cannot be reached by self-help programs, or feel-good affirmations. That’s the man that can only be dealt with by God, sending His Word that heals by giving us a new heart through the Word and the Water.
It’s a Word that heals as deeply as it cuts. It’s a Word that exposes the hidden nerves to the light of His love. That’s a deep kind of love, the kind that only the Lord can offer. It’s the kind of love that challenges you in your complacency, and calls you to walk away from everything that gives you your identity, in exchange for being identified with the Crucified One. He calls to all of us, “come and take up your cross. You’ve done everything else. You’ve been moral, you’ve been religious and moral. Now come and walk with Me. Come and be My disciple.”
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