Mark 10:17-27
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?" And Jesus
said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You
know the commandments: `Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do
not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.'" And
he said to him, "Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth." And
Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing;
go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in
heaven; and come, follow me." At that saying his countenance fell, and he
went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions. And Jesus looked around and
said to his disciples, "How hard it will be for those who have riches to
enter the kingdom of God!" And the disciples were amazed at his words. But
Jesus said to them again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom
of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a
rich man to enter the kingdom of God." And they were exceedingly
astonished, and said to him, "Then who can be saved?" Jesus looked at
them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for all
things are possible with God."
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What gives hope and
satisfaction to our desire for happiness and security? A young man who had the
best the world could offer – wealth and security – came to Jesus because he
lacked one thing. He wanted the kind of lasting peace and happiness which money
could not buy him. The answer he got, however, was not what he was looking for.
He protested that he kept all the commandments; but Jesus spoke to the trouble
in his heart. One thing kept him from giving himself whole-heartedly to God.
While he lacked nothing in material goods, he was nonetheless possessive of
what he had. He placed his hope and security in what he possessed. So when
Jesus challenged him to make God his one true possession and treasure, he
became dismayed. Why did he go away from Jesus with sadness rather than with
joy? His treasure and his hope for happiness were misplaced. Jesus challenged
the young man because his heart was possessive. He was afraid to give to others
for fear that he would lose what he had gained. He sought happiness and
security in what he possessed rather than in who he could love and serve and
give himself in undivided devotion.
Why does Jesus tell
his disciples to "sell all" for the treasure of his kingdom? Treasure
has a special connection to the heart, the place of desire and longing, the
place of will and focus. The thing we most set our heart on is our highest
treasure. The Lord himself is the greatest treasure we can have. Giving up
everything else to have the Lord as our treasure is not sorrowful, but the
greatest joy. We could see Jesus' parable about the treasure hidden in a field in selling
all that we have could mean many different things – letting go of attachments,
friendships, influences, jobs, entertainments, styles of life – really anything
that might stand in the way of our loving God first and foremost in our lives
and giving him the best we can with our time, resources, gifts, and service.
Those who are
generous towards God and towards their neighbor find that they cannot outgive
God in his generosity towards us. God blesses us with the priceless treasures
of his kingdom – freedom from fear and the griping power of sin, selfishness
and pride which block his love and grace in our lives; freedom from loneliness,
isolation and rejection which keep his children from living together in love,
peace, and unity; and freedom from hopelessness, despair, and disillusionment
which blind our vision of God's power to heal every hurt, bind every wound, and
remove every blemish which mar the image of God within us. God offers us
treasure which money cannot buy. He alone can truly satisfy the deepest longing
and desires of our heart. Are you willing to part with anything that might keep
you from seeking true joy with Jesus?
Why does Jesus issue
such a strong warning to the rich (as well as to the rest of us who desire to
be rich)? Was he really against wealth? We know that Jesus was not opposed to
wealth per se, nor was he opposed to the wealthy. He had many friends who were
well-to-do, including some notorious tax collectors! One even became an apostle!
Jesus' warning reiterated the teaching of the Old Testament wisdom: Better
is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is perverse in his
ways. Do not wear yourself out to get rich; be wise enough to desist.
Jesus seems to say that it is nearly impossible for the rich to live as
citizens of God's kingdom. The camel was regarded as the largest animal in
Palestine. The "eye of the needle" could be interpreted quite
literally or it could figuratively describe the narrow and low gate of the city
walls which was used by travelers when the larger public gate was locked after
dark. A normal sized man had to "lower" himself to enter that gate. A
camel would literally have to knell and crawl through it. Why is Jesus so
cautious about wealth? Wealth can make us falsely independent. The church
at Laodicea was warned about their attitude towards wealth and a false sense of
security: "For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing."
Wealth can also lead us into hurtful desires and selfishness. Look at the
lesson Jesus gave about the rich man and his sons who refused to aid the poor
man Lazarus. They also neglected to serve God. The scriptures give us a
paradox: we lose what we keep and we gain what we give away. Generosity will be
amply repaid, both in this life and in eternity. Jesus offers us an
incomparable treasure which no money can buy and no thief can steal. The thing
we most set our heart on is our highest treasure. Material wealth will shackle
us to this earth unless we guard our hearts and set our treasure on God and his
everlasting kingdom. Where is your treasure?
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"Lord Jesus, you
have captured our hearts and opened to us the treasures of heaven. May you
always be my treasure and delight and may nothing else keep me from giving you
my all."
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