Just One Thing...

 Ever feel like you forgot something important? You don't remember what. But there's this nagging feeling. Every year, as soon as his family drove off on vacation, Wilma would say, "Fred, we've got to go back home. I think I left the iron turned on. I don't want a fire." Each year, Fred turned back. Wilma would check the iron. It was always off. This continued several years in a row. Finally, one year, Wilma told Fred to turn around. He didn't say a word. He pulled the car over to the shoulder. He got out, opened the trunk, & handed her the iron. Like Wilma, an outstanding young man has a nagging feeling. He's forgotten something crucial. Even before his bar mitzvah, coming of age, he'd set his heart on heaven & started keeping the law. All of it. And he'd done it! In only a few years, he'd gotten rich & powerful. At a young age, no less! He still doesn't want to miss out on heaven. And he can't ignore the thought that he's missed something. Then he heard about Jesus. Let's turn to Mk 10:17-31. 17aJesus was on his way to Jerusalem. A man ran up to Him & fell on his knees. Lk 18:18 says he's a ruler. (Synagogue? Sanhedrin?) Falling on his knees? That's just showy. 17b"Good teacher," he said. Teacher? Not Rabbi? He thinks he's Jesus' equal! But calling Jesus good? That's over-the-top flattery. Other Jews think being Abraham's descendant is a ticket to heaven. Keep the law, & it's guaranteed. But this young man has that nagging feeling. What has he missed? He asks, 17c"What must I do to inherit eternal life?" Why does he think he can do anything? The law. Specifically, Dt 6:25. 25Obey the law & it's your righteousness. Being righteous guarantees heaven. But he has this nagging feeling he's missed something. So here he is. Standing in front of the One who CAN guarantee eternal life! The problem is, he doesn't recognize Jesus as the One! So, Jesus tries to help him see. 18a"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. Jesus stops this young man. Maybe the 1st time in his life! 18b"No one is good-except God alone. To Jews, only God is good. Never people. Jesus doesn't disagree that He's good. Jesus wants him to think about what he said. What's the implication? If Jesus is good, Who is He? There's a long pause. When Jesus continues, he'll answer the young man's question. 19aYou know the 10 commandments. The young ruler did. (So do we.) He'd set his heart on keeping them. He thought keeping them guaranteed heaven. See a problem? No one can keep them! He's a spiritual baby. So, Jesus skips the 1st 4 commandments (love God). He starts with how we treat each other. 19bNo murder. No. 6. Check. 19cNo adultery. No. 7. Check. 19dDon't steal. No. 8. Check. 19eDon't give false testimony. Don't lie. No. 9. Check. 19fDon't defraud. Hmmm... No. 10 is don't covet, not defraud. 19gHonor your father & mother." No 5. Check. <10 Commandments.> Why did Jesus skip No. 10-Don't covet? We'll get to that. As Jesus lists each commandment, the young man gets more & more excited! Jesus is giving him the reassurance he wants. So he thinks! 20a"Teacher..." He still sees Jesus as an equal. 20bHe declares confidently, "All these I've kept since I was a boy." The Mishnah (oral tradition) says, "At 5yo, one should study the Scriptures. At 10yo, the Mishnah. At 13yo, the commandments..." After his bar mitzvah, he's a man & has to observe Torah's commandments. But this young man started before his bar mitzvah! He may be spiritually immature. But by any worldly standard, he's an outstanding young man! Jesus thinks so, too. 21aJesus looked at him & loved him. He looked into the young man's soul. Jesus loves his earnest pursuit of holiness. What's the problem? 21b"Just one thing you lack. Remember the commandment Jesus skipped? 'No coveting.' This is where we see his spiritual immaturity. Look at Php 3:4b-6. Paul, too, once thought his obedience to the law was flawless. Now, look at Ro 7:7b-11. The rest of the law, Paul kept flawlessly. But coveting? He was slain. Coveting is a heart attitude. That it's last? They all lead toward heart attitudes! <10 Commandments> His feeling that he missed something? The Holy Spirit. Whispering to him. And Jesus has the antidote. 21cGo, sell everything you have & give to the poor. He's externally righteous in every other way. But he covets money. And he's rich. Money is an idol. Get rid of it. Immediately, we wonder. Is Jesus' command for all of us? Many through the ages thought so. Some still do. Or was it just for this young man? The OT holds up Abraham, Job, & Boaz as godly rich men. And the NT holds up Joseph of Arimathea as a godly rich man. So, is Jesus urging his people to seek poverty? Many have said so. But let me ask. Does poverty deliver the poor from loving money? No! As George McDonald said, "It isn't the rich man only who" is a slave to money. "They too are slaves who, having no money are unhappy for the lack of it." When Jesus speaks into a life, it's tailored to the person's need. The young man's need? Divest. And if this young man does what Jesus says? If he divests to invest his wealth in those who have none? Jesus says, 21dYou'll have treasure in heaven. All the good that we do in obedience to Jesus will be rewarded. But that isn't even the greatest reward He has in mind for this young man. 21eThen come, follow me." Jesus wants him as a disciple! He's invited only 12 men to follow Him. This is huge! Jesus knows one of his disciples will betray him. Does he want this young man as a replacement? Or does Jesus have in mind Paul's mission to the Gentiles? Whatever the case, calling a 13th disciple is huge. Will he accept? Will he sell it all & come follow? 22aThe man's face fell. He just can't go that far. 22bHe went away sad, because he had great wealth. Just this once in the gospels, someone walks away from Jesus without a blessing. Unhealed. Sins unforgiven. Unsaved. 23Jesus slowly looked around at his disciples. "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!" Not impossible. But hard. 24aThe disciples were amazed. They think wealth is a blessing! So does everyone else. (Us too?) Not so. To Jesus, it's a handicap. Hard to overcome. 24bHe said again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the KoG! Hard for anyone. No one can obey the law. Especially the wealthy. 25It's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the KoG." That's impossible. Not without a Savior. 26The disciples were even more amazed. They kept asking each other, "Who then can be saved?" To them (us?), wealth was a sign of God's favor & salvation. If not, what can save us? 27Jesus looked at them & said, "With man it's impossible. Not with God. All things are possible with God." (Any exceptions? All is possible! He can save even me & you.) Give it all away. The disciples think for a long moment. Suddenly, they realize: they did! 28Peter speaks up. "We left everything to follow you!" 29"I tell you the truth..." Listen up! "No one who's left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me & the gospel... (Notice Jesus doesn't include spouses. What God has joined...) No one who's left everything & everyone 30awill fail to receive 100x as much in this present age. 30b(What'll they receive? Homes-churches, & every home in the church family. New family in Christ-30bbrothers, sisters, mothers, & children. Some will receive 30cfields, other ways of earning a living. But with all they receive, they'll receive persecutions. 1st the suffering, then the glory.) So 30din the age to come, they'll inherit eternal life. Many think they're already in. The reality? 31Many who are 1st will be last, & the last 1st." Here's the problem. We can't see like Jesus sees. We're like the cross-eyed schoolteacher who was fired because she couldn't keep her pupils straight. Spiritually, we can't see straight. We need eyes of our hearts opened. And we need the only corrective lens that'll let us see clearly: the Holy Spirit. In truth, it's impossible for a rich person to enter heaven. Same for a poor person. It's impossible for any of us, alone. Not without Jesus. Only in Jesus will God give us heaven (salvation). Does anyone or anything fight with Jesus for control of our hearts & lives? If so, guess will Jesus say when we ask, "How I be saved?" He'll look into our souls. He'll love us. And He'll say, "Just one thing you lack. Give it up. Then come. Follow me." Just One Thing - Mark 10:17-31 Page 1 of 1