The Rich Man

The Rich Man (Mark 10:17- 31)

¹⁷ As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

¹⁸ “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. ¹⁹ But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.”
²⁰ “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”
²¹ Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
²² At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
²³ Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!” ²⁴ This amazed them. But Jesus said again, “Dear children, it is very hard to enter the Kingdom of God. ²⁵ In fact, 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 The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked.
²⁷ Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.”
²⁸ Then Peter began to speak up. “We’ve given up everything to follow you,” he said.
²⁹ “Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, ³⁰ will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property—along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life. ³¹ But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then

 We studied this passage in Sunday school this morning. We read it, retold it, and discussed the implications of this passage in our life. We are also challenged to share it with others. I decided I would write about it.

There are a few things that stand out to me in this particular passage. The first being in verse 21 where it talks about how Jesus felt genuine love for the young rich man and the exchange between them.

This young man probably truly believed he was doing everything right. He probably thought Jesus was going to pat him on the back for keeping the commandments. But Jesus looked at him and felt genuine love. What does it mean to have genuine love? Jesus knew that this young man wasn't keeping all of the commandments. His wealth was his idol and it was keeping him from placing his entire value in the kingdom of God. Because Jesus felt genuine love for this young rich man, He spoke the truth. He knew the young man's heart. Sometimes the truth hurts. The truth certainly made this young man sad. I mean, he probably wasn't expecting Jesus to say that. If he had expected it, he might not have asked. 

I do not think the God requires most of us to sell all of our possessions and give away the money to the poor. I do however think that He expects them not to be barriers to our faith walk. 

When we have people in our world that don't know from where their next meal will come and we are planning a weekly menu with our stocked kitchens, there is a problem. A big problem. I don't believe God intended for us to be this way. And believe me when I say that I'm calling myself out just as much as anyone. 

So many people view material wealth as a blessing. Wealth is not a sign that someone's faith is stronger. It does not mean that God loves that person more than you and has shown them favor. 

Then why do we seek it? Why do we cling to it? Do we actually want to obtain wealth so that we can be more generous and help more people? 

Matthew 5:3 [ The Beatitudes ] “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 

God expects us to take care of the poor.  

Is our money in the collection plate enough? Is our once a year donation to a charity helping impoverished countries cutting it? Does purchasing those sparkly Toms really help that child in need? 

Does He want us to do more? How much more?

Proverbs 28:27 Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to poverty will be cursed.

So what does this mean for me and very likely you? Well, I think that the Bible is clear that we should not let money and possessions become our idols and we should give generously. But I think in addition to challenging ourselves to be more generous, we can look at this passage and ask what our own idol is? What is keeping us from seeking God completely? What is keeping us from following Him with all of our heart, mind, and soul. It may surprise you. I am challenged in many ways after dissecting this passage.

Matthew 6:33 
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

I challenge you to evaluate your priorities this week? Are they in check? Is there something that you need to release in order to follow Him completely. 

“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” -Mahatma Gandhi

“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself." - Leo Tolstoy

Ask yourself hard questions this week. Make yourself a little bit uncomfortable. 

-Peace out.