Text: Mark 10:17-31, Title: The One Thing Lacked, Date/Place: NRBC, 3/9/08, PM
A. Opening illustration: Talk about the “one thing” in the movie City Slickers, “The call to follow Jesus does not constitute an additional obligation in life, but rather judges, replaces, and subordinates all obligations and allegiances to the One who says, ‘Follow Me.’”
B. Background to passage: Jesus is still ministering through Perea and heading toward Jerusalem, when while heading down the road, and rich young ruler of the synagogue pushed his way through the crowds and asked him the question that every believer dreams of, right? Kinda, but Jesus uses this question to teach a very dangerous lesson, not only to the crowds, but to his own disciples.
C. Main thought: in the text we will see the central tenet of the gospel and salvation as well as one of the greatest hindrances to it in our lives.
A. The Wrong Question (v. 17)
1. This rich young ruler of the synagogue comes running (a shameful thing) and kneels at the feet of Jesus, and asks a sensible question based on his upbringing and understanding. He addressed Jesus as “good teacher” commending himself as also being “good.” Of course, it was almost blasphemy to address a human as good. There is a precedent for this kind of question in Jewish literature, but the answer given in such a case was another list of things to do. But what makes this question the wrong one is that it assumes that something can be done to secure eternal life. The implication is that we can merit or earn salvation.
2. John 6:28, Eph 2:8-9,
3. Illustration: story about the marine having to be carried to the extraction point,
4. Sometimes because of our reputation as Baptists, unbelievers think that the way that you get to heaven is by doing things. There are certain things that you don’t do that are bad—murder, adultery, drinking, homosexuality, etc. And so the way to get to heaven is to avoid those things. Oh, and there are some thing that we imply to others that they must do—go to church, pray, be baptized. And these things will help you earn a spot in the Kingdom. Grace is a hard thing to comprehend as humans, but you must do your diligence in letting people know that their acceptance into the kingdom is not based on how they act. Don’t confuse this with the fact that truly converted people will act differently, but not because they are earning for themselves a place. It is not about doing, but about being.
B. Truth in Love (v. 18-22)
1. One writer wrote that Jesus would have probably failed evangelism at many mainstream bible colleges and seminaries with this response. Because he first insulted him about his address as “good teacher.” Then he proceeded to give him a list of commands to keep. Probably trying to reveal his sin, but the young man claimed to have kept them all from his youth (the time at which Jews were held accountable to the community to keep the law). And by the way, the Jews spoke often, and seriously about people keeping all the commands. And note that the text states that Jesus unconditionally loved him. But even granting this spiritual report card as legit, which it probably wasn’t, Jesus still said that he lacked one thing—to follow Jesus with radical commitment, total trust, and reckless abandonment. The core of Christianity is absolute love, devotion, and loyalty toward Jesus. Anything less is not authentic Christianity. It wasn’t necessarily the money, although money is indicated as a serious threat to people surrendering all to Jesus. Jesus doesn’t require us to sell all that we have materially, but Jesus does require that we be willing to. That He is the number one love and loyalty in your life.
2. Philip 3:6, Luke 9:57-62, 14:26-27, 33
3. Illustration: “Our mushier love for someone like this would have demanded far less—only 10 percent maybe. We would have offered him correct things to do: write congress, boycott this, join that organization, and contribute to this cause. In the end our approach would have left him with a fatal disease, but we would have felt more comfortable about it and called it love.”
4. You would thing that Jesus would need to go back to school after losing this convert. It is a loving thing to confront people with the truth about their need for salvation. It is more important to get the right content of the gospel than to get all the converts. Jesus does not negotiate. We must not get hung up on numbers of salvations, baptisms, etc, nor should we soften the message to bring more in. My warning to you personally is this: is there anything that supplants Jesus as your first loyalty. This is a deadly serious warning. If you love your spouse, your job, your car, your house, Monday Night Football, money, deer hunting, sex, soccer, college, friends, your kids, your games, your anything more than Jesus, you can’t make it to heaven. Do these things occupy first place?
C. The Right Question (v. 23-27)
1. After the man went away sorrowful, Jesus was abundantly clear about riches and getting to heaven. This was hard for the Jews to believe, for they understood wealth as a sign of God’s acceptance and favor. It is absolutely impossible for the largest animal in Israel to fit through the smallest opening. The disciples reaction is exactly what yours is—shock, confusion, exasperation. And in their desperation they actually get the right question—who then can be saved? And this is where Jesus wants people to be spiritually—absolutely convinced of the inability of human beings to get to heaven on their own. Only then can they cast themselves at the mercy of the One and Only Redeemer. And then Jesus says that with God all things are possible. Jesus attributes wonder that anyone gets saved to the infinite mercy of an impossibility working God. God mercifully saves those cast themselves completely on his mercy for acceptance. Jesus says sell all that you have and trust me to take care of you and serve the Kingdom, and the disciples say, who can be saved, and Jesus says “exactly!”
2. Jonah 2:9, Rom 9:11, 2 Tim 1:9, Tit 3:5,
3. Illustration: “Even those who know in their heads that money does not by happiness or heaven still wish in their hearts that they had more.” I read that in the last 50 years average household income has doubled even with inflation and all that stuff, but the amount of people who are truly happy is staying constant.
4. Notice that he directs his comments to the disciples, denoting that they are in danger of being led astray by trusting in riches. We must guard ourselves in our country against this particular hindrance, because we are richer than 90% of the world. We see it a lot when financial concerns hinder ministry, or when a will is read after a death. It is in stories like this where we see Lordship salvation and Justification by faith coming together. No, there is nothing that we can do to earn salvation, we must trust in him to save us. But when that salvation genuinely takes place we will have Jesus as our chief priority. And thus Jesus gets all the glory for our salvation, and we are not a trophy of our own volition, but a trophy of God’s mercy and transforming power.
D. Benefits in Sacrifice (v. 28-31)
1. Peter’s response seems like it is a question that is filled with hope, something to the effect of, what about us? And Jesus at least indirectly affirms their abandonment of things to follow Him. And then He gives a final teaching related. He says that nobody that leaves family, possessions, hobbies, etc, for Jesus’ sake is getting a bad deal. Jesus affirms the rewards in this life are 100x what we give up. And that eternal life even if by itself would be enough, for it is beyond comprehension.
2. John 10:10, Rom 8:18, 1 Cor 2:9,
3. Illustration: you have heard the cliché about “the pay is not great, but the retirement is out of this world.” Or you may have heard preachers make the point about “if Jesus never did another thing for us, what he has done would be enough” Hudson Taylor took it, because at the end of his fifty years of missionary labor in China he said, "I never made a sacrifice."
4. Wealth, other people, and things have the tendencies to take our eyes off and cloud our minds to the point that we don’t realize what is truly important. And Jesus tells us that it is far more valuable to live for the kingdom for us, not only for God. Know that no sacrifice you make will ever be in vain, if you make it for Jesus and the Kingdom. Your reward will come back to you, maybe not as you think, but it will come 100x. An investment like that should be who that we really pour our resources in. So the next time that you give up time at work, sacrifice a ballgame, give away money, volunteer your time, it really is no sacrifice at all, but gain. And our love and loyalty to the Master compels us on, rather than rules and regulations. So, willingly we come and die to self, and live for the one who gave His life that we might live eternally. And your joy will be full.
A. Closing illustration: Missionaries are not heroes who can boast in great sacrifice for God. They are the true Christian Hedonists. They are the ones who know that the battle cry of Christian Hedonism is missions, and have discovered that there is one hundred times more joy and satisfaction in a life devoted to Christ and the gospel than a life devoted to frivolous comforts and pleasures and worldly advancements. As Ralph Winter says at the end of his booklet, "Say Yes to Mission," "Jesus, ’for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame …’ To follow him is your choice. You’re warned! But don’t forget the joy." Or as I. Campbell White said in 1909 when the Layman’s Missionary Movement was at its peak, "Fame, pleasure, riches are but husks and ashes in contrast with the boundless and abiding joy of working with God for the fulfillment of his eternal plans."
