THE TOUGH SAYINGS OF JESUS
"YOU HAVE TO GIVE UP EVERYTHING"
Mark 10: 20-26 July 11, 2010
INTRODUCTION:
Leo Tolstoy once wrote a story about a successful peasant farmer who was not satisfied with his lot. He wanted more of everything. One day he received a fantastic offer. For 1000 rubles, he could buy all the land he could walk around in one day. The only catch to the deal was that he had to be back at starting point by sundown. Early the next morning he started out walking at a fast pace. By midday he was very tired, but he kept going, covering more and more ground. Well into the afternoon he realized that his greed had taken him far from the starting point. He quickened his pace and as the sun began to sink low in the sky, he began to run, knowing that if he did not make it back by sundown the opportunity to become an even bigger landholder would be lost. As the sun began to sink below the horizon he came within sight of the finish line. Gasping for breath, his heart pounding, he called upon every bit of strength left in his body and staggered across the line just before the sun disappeared. He immediately collapsed, blood streaming from his mouth. In a few minutes he was dead.
He gained acres and acres of property but it cost him his life. How much of anything does a man need to be happy? How big a house? How many cars? How many toys? How much stuff?
Most of us have thought…."If only" If only I had more money…if only I got this position…If only this person would love me…
The world says "If you have more you'll be happy" If, you have more you've got it made" "If you have more you'll be content".
We're fed a bunch of lies…and far too many of us believe them so we push and shove to get more.
We try to finagle the numbers to make it happen and deep within we have this feeling that whatever we have is not enough.
We continuously live life with the feeling we lack something…we're missing a piece to the puzzle…we never reach a place where we feel satisfied or content.
1.
Over the next few weeks we're going to examine some of the toughest sayings of Jesus. They are sayings that didn't just amaze the average Joe in the crowd, but astonished his disciples when he spoke them. Maybe you think you know Jesus pretty well--the Savior who was kind, gentle and loving…but when we dig deeper into scripture we'll discover "the Lamb of God" was also "The Lion of Juda" and where are some of his teachings that often leave us modern day followers with more questions than answers. Sometimes "Aslan" roared and his words carried a powerful bite. Like today.
"Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the Kingdom of God"
"But his disciples were astonished at his words."
All this begins with a question about eternal life…
I WHAT MUST I DO TO INHERIT ETERNAL LIFE?
Read Mark 10: 17-20
If you think about it Jesus finds himself in an evangelistic, dreams come true situation.
Jesus hasn't had to host a medical clinic or buy this guy a Starbucks Vente' Café Machiaotta.
This guy comes running to Him, assumes a position of submission to Jesus authority by kneeling down and he opens the spiritual discussion door about as wide as any "seeker" can.
Seldom to you get that kind of opening
[I played basketball at Johnson and we ere "The preachers" after a game one Friday we stopped at McDonald's to spend the hugh $5 per diem we allotted for dinner…we are still in our uniforms and sweats…I walked to the counter to order….and a younger lady with 2 small children looked at me and said "Preacher" What is that…I responded It's a basketball team…ordered got my food, sat down and then the Holy Spirit said "your and idiot"…almost his exact words…I give you an opportunity like that and you tell this young "man…It's a basketball team"]
Some would think…Jesus must have been licking his chops…this young man was primed and ready. All Jesus had to do was tell him about God's plan… get his disciples to baptize him…and his food to go!
But it seems Jesus wasn't just trolling for converts…He was fishing deep for real disciples…Jesus response is baffling. He seems to make it harder rather than easier for this guy.
2.
And this guy wasn't part of the normal crowd that surrounded Jesus. Jesus drew a crowd everywhere he went…He as a miracle worker, a multitude feeder, a compassionate teacher…the majority of the crowd that pressed in on Jesus were the desperate, the poor, the sick, the sinners.
And here comes this guy running to Jesus. Its not real dignified to run in a toga, but he's desperate to find Jesus and some answers He's rich, He's young, He's powerful…and he's already humbled himself in front of Jesus and the crowd of common people….."Good Teacher….
"What Do I need to do to have eternal life?"
This word "Good" the young man uses isn't a word used lightly…it means intrinsically good. In fact in the Jewish culture the word was only applied to God himself. Only God was intrinsically good. Clearly this young man had come some conclusion about who Jesus was.
And second, you would not ask this question in this posture of just anyone.. this man is genuinely seeking some spiritual answers.
He seems to have done all the right things. Kept all the right rules maybe deep down his wondering "Is there more to pleasing God than keeping rules? Is there something deeper than the law? What am I missing?"
And at first response Jesus does tell him to keep the law….but then he goes deeper. He says there's one more thing.
II GIVE UP EVERYTHING AND FOLLOW ME.
And the disciples freak out. Not once, but twice it says "they are amazed at His words….astonished at this"
Why are they astonished…probably for the same reasons we'd be…think about the people this worlds envies…turn on any entertainment T.V. channel, check out an episode of lifestyles of the rich and famous or "cribs"…just like us the disciples would have believed "Bill Gates is blessed...Donald Trump is blessed, Cameron Diaz is blessed.
To the first century Jew if people were wealthy, if they were healthy, if they had many children, possessed power they were blessed.
3.
On the other hand if they were sick, or poor, or struggling then God was cursing them because of their behavior.
When we understand that, we can see why the disciples would be so astonished at the words of Jesus--He was telling this man to rid himself of the very things that in his culture, evidenced God's blessing in his life.
It would have made much more sense to lst century ears for Jesus to say, "Blessed are the rich, blessed are the healthy, blessed are the comfortable.
Jesus flipped the idea upside down…in a culture that defined blessing in turns of material stuff he said, "Bless are the poor, blessed are those who morn, blessed are the hungry and thirsty. Give away all you have.
Perhaps these words make us uncomfortable with the requirement the Lord placed and the rich young ruler as the disciples because we still have the tendency to look at God with a works/rewards kind of attitude…If we live right he gives us more stuff…and more of what we want…and if we don't he punishes us. Therefore if we have been given more and more stuff, then we know we have been living rightly.
{I know this feeling…both from within my own heart and from others who think about God like this… you must have done something wrong (well yes…let me think of the several thousand) If you'd been a better parent, a better father, a better Christian than God would have blessed you and this never would have happened…and within many of our souls we think the same thing.]
It astonishes us when we learn that’s not how God thinks, or operates How do we rationalize these words from Jesus in Matt 5:45.
"He causes his Son to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
If we're not careful we'll miss the hidden key in this scripture…the most important truth.
III JESUS LOVED HIM BEFORE HE DID ANYTHING.
"Then looking at him, Jesus loved him and said to him, You lack one thing, Go sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heave. then come, follow me." (MK10:21)
Jesus looked at the man and loved him. He loved him in his desperation…He loved him before he did anything…Jesus loved the man before he refused the command to do more. His love wasn't dependent or what this man did.
4.
The legalist in us reverses the order. Do what I tell you, and then I'll love you. We like to put love at the end instead of at the beginning… and when we do that we end up bitter and frustrated over what we have to give up in our Christian lives.
We live our lives in a dutiful effort trying to earn God's love and be worthy of his blessings.
And we miss the most essential truth that Jesus teaches in regards to entering His Kingdom.
You have to die to live…you must become nothing to be something...you must lose yourself to be found.
If the rich young ruler sold everything.....he would no longer be rich…no longer be a ruler…no money…no prestige---just himself.
This man knew how people defined him and probably how he defined himself…Jesus wanted more…He wanted to get to the man's core. Only by stripping away those things that marked his identity could he find himself the way Jesus wanted.
The question of identity can really only be answered in a moment of crisis...It can really only be answered when something attached to your core is taken out of your control: Health, achievements, career, family life---who are you when those things are altered or threatened?
Who would be the Rich young ruler be if he sold his possessions? He would have nothing external left to offer---no money, no works, no prestige---just himself.
Actually this is what Jesus wants from all of us -- to be nobodies. Nobodies cannot come to God offering their contributions. Nobodies cannot tell God who they are. Nobodies have no claim on their lives. Nobodies do not rely on trivial marks of identity. Their significance comes from something deeper…they find them meaning in life and identity in following Jesus.
The for Rich Young .Ruler that proved impossible. He could not embrace an existence where he became a nobody. He could not stomach the crisis of nothingness, so he missed the blessing of Jesus being his identity instead of his riches, his job, and his title.
He could not unclasp his hand from Gold and because of that Jesus could not show him true wealth. And maybe Jesus says the same to you.
"Go Sell your self-righteousness"
"Go Sell your power and control"
"Go Sell your popularity"
"Go Sell your comfort:
"Come and Follow me….for I love you"
