Following Jesus (11)
Scott Bayles, pastor
Scripture: Mark 10:17-27
Blooming Grove Christian Church: 3/12/2017
As many of you already know, we’ve spent the last several weeks mapping the footprints of Jesus all the way through the Gospel of Mark in an attempt to magnify Jesus in our minds and follow him more closely in our own spiritual journey.
Most recently, in Mark 9, we followed Jesus up a high mountain where three of his most devoted disciples witnessed a majestic change as heaven’s light radiated from Jesus’s face and clothes, a mysterious conversation between Jesus and two centuries-dead Old Testament figures, and a magnificent cloud through which came the glory and voice of God.
When Jesus and his followers came down the mountain, they returned to their typical itinerary. Jesus casts a demon out of a young boy. The apostles get into an argument over which of them is the greatest (sounds like my kids). John tries to stop another believer from casting out demons in Jesus’ name because the fellow didn’t belong to their group. Jesus corrects him, reminding John, “Anyone who is not against us, is for us!”
Mark 10 opens with the Pharisees again questioning Jesus, this time about divorce. “Should a man be allowed to divorce his wife for any cause?” they asked. You see, at the time a heated debated raged between two rabbinical parties over how to interpret Deuteronomy 24:1-4 (an Old Testament passage about divorce). A prominent teacher named Rabbi Hillel interpreted the passage to allow divorce for any reason at all. He even went so far as to say that if a woman burnt her husband’s toast, he could divorce her. His teaching, because the culture had a very low view of women, was very popular among the Jews of Jesus’ day. Another well-known teacher, named Rabbi Shammai, spoke out against the Hillelite school of thought and taught that the only cause for divorce mentioned in the passage is sexual immorality. The Pharisees hoped to trap Jesus into choosing an unpopular opinion on an already divisive issue. Jesus however, reminded the Pharisees (and us) that God only allowed divorce because of the hardness of our hearts and rather than arguing over how to end our marriages, we ought to be looking for ways to mend our marriages.
Shortly after this encounter, Jesus is asked a significantly more sincere question by a rich, young man hoping to get to heaven. If you have a Bible or app on your phone, please open it to Mark 10:17-27. Like many of the stories we’ve studied in this series, the story of the rich young ruler rings familiar to many of us. It’s a story full of hope and heartbreak. I’d like to examine the story in three segments beginning with the introduction of a curious candidate.
• A CURIOUS CANDIDATE
As far as potential followers go, this guy has a lot going for him. Here’s how Mark introduces him: “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?’” (Mark 10:17 NLT).
I like this guy already, don’t you? He seems like a great candidate for the Christian life. Matthew tells us that he was young. He’s clearly energetic and enthusiastic as he runs up to Jesus. Luke adds that he was a religious leader, which means he’s a man of influence in the community who could help lead even more people to Jesus. He’s spiritually seeking—I mean he’s asking the right question (what must I do to inherit eternal life?) and he’s asking the right person. And notice how he approaches Jesus. He immediately kneels before him, demonstrating reverence and humility. And he calls Jesus “Good Teacher,” a sign of respect. And in addition to all these good qualities, as we discover in the following verses, he’s rich! Imagine how all that wealth could help fund Jesus’ ministry and the work the apostles.
I’m reminded of a man who called a local church one day and asked if he could speak to the Head Hog at the Trough. The secretary said, “Who?” The man replied, “I want to speak to the Head Hog at the Trough!” The secretary responded, “Sir, if you mean our pastor, you will have to treat him with more respect—and ask for ‘The Reverend’ or ‘The Pastor.’ But certainly you cannot refer to him as the Head Hog at the Trough!” At this, the man came back, “Oh, I see. Well, I have $10,000 I was thinking of giving to your Building Fund.” Immediately, the secretary replies, “Please hold, I think the Big Pig just walked in the door.”
This rich young ruler is the kind of guy every pastor wants in their church, isn’t he? If Jesus is taking applications for potential disciples, this guy’s resume ought to be at the top of the pile. But Jesus doesn’t respond the way we might expect.
First, he quibbles over the young man’s choice of words, saying, “Why do you call me good? No one is good—except God alone” (Mark 10:18 NIV). Rather than simply accept the compliment, Jesus wanted this young man to really think about what it means to be good. And we’ll see why in just a moment.
Jesus continues, “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’” (Mark 10:19 NLT). Rather than inviting the young man to be saved by grace through faith, Jesus recites the Ten Commandments—which seems odd until we here the young man’s answer: “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young” (Mark 10:20 NLT).
I can almost see the disappointment on Jesus’ face as he hears the young man’s reply. You see, as Paul explains in detail in the Book of Romans, God didn’t give the Ten Commandment or the Law of Moses to save us, but to convict us of sin. As Paul puts it, “In fact, it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, ‘You must not covet.’” (Romans 7:7 NLT). In other words, the commandments of God are meant to reveal our need for forgiveness.
How many of you can look at the Ten Commandments and say, “I’ve never stolen anything—not even a pen or a paperclip. I’ve never cheated before—not even on a spelling test.”?? Anyone who says they’ve never lied just did. And anyone who says they’ve always honored their parents must have forgotten what it’s like to be a teenager. When Jesus began listing the Ten Commandments, the honest answer would have been, “Lord, I’ve failed again and again to keep all these commands.”
When the rich young man claimed to have kept all of God’s commands since his youth, it revealed his inability to admit failure. He couldn’t see himself as a sinner. He saw himself as a “good person” who lives a “good life,” which is why Jesus started off by questioning his use of the word good.
The most difficult people to reach with the gospel are relatively “good” people, especially religious “good” people. They go to church. They are outwardly moral. They take pride in their good deeds, just like this rich young ruler. They think, “Sure, I’ve got my faults. Who doesn’t? But, God knows that I’m basically a good person. Criminals and terrorists may deserve hell, but I’m not like they are.” Filled with self-righteousness, this young man was looking for a way to earn his own salvation. And so Jesus devises a challenging condition just for him.
• A CHALLENGING CONDITION
But before we get there, Mark includes a heart-tugging detail in the next verse. He writes. “Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him” (Mark 10:21 NLT). Jesus cared for this young man and he wanted him to receive eternal life, but Jesus knew that he couldn’t be saved until he came face to face with his own sin. So Jesus custom-tailored a command—a condition to following Christ:
“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.” At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. (Mark 10:21-22 NLT).
What a heartbreaking turn of events in a story that starts with so much hope. So many people, when they read this story, ask why. Why did Jesus ask him to sell everything and give away all his money? He never asks anyone else to do that. I think the answer is—it’s the one thing Jesus knew he wouldn’t do.
His money represented his pride of accomplishment and self-effort. He was likely a self-made man. He picked himself up by his own bootstraps. He made his money the same way he intended to get to heaven—on his own. Ironically, this young man who prided himself on keeping the Ten Commandments, failed to keep the very first one: “You must not have any other god but me” (Exodus 20:3 NLT). By trusting more in his money than his Messiah, the man made wealth his god, his idol. If he couldn’t give it up, he would be violating both the first and the greatest command. Only by putting his “treasures in heaven” and following Jesus along the road of selflessness and service to others, could he be assured of his eternal destiny.
The question is—what’s your one thing? His money was the one thing he wouldn’t give up to follow Jesus. Is there something in your life that’s more important to you than following Jesus? If so, you’ve got to ask yourself—is it worth it? Or as Jesus put it, “Is anything worth more than your soul?” (Mark 8:37 NLT). Following the young man’s failure to meet this challenging condition, Jesus then turns to his devoted disciples and draws a confusing conclusion.
• A CONFUSING CONCLUSION
Mark says, Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!” (Mark 10:23 NLT). The disciples are confounded and astounded! The rich have every advantage in this life, how could Jesus say such a thing!? But he repeats himself: “Dear children, it is very hard to enter the Kingdom of God. 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!” (Mark 10:24-25 NLT). Again, the disciples were confused and they aren’t the only ones. For centuries, people have wrestled with Jesus’ words here.
Many have tried to force wooden literalism on Jesus’ words. Some have theorized that there is a narrow gate or passageway in or around Jerusalem called the Eye of the Needle. The passage is so narrow, that a camel carrying a bunch of luggage can’t fit through. In order for the camel to navigate the narrow passage, you’d first have to remove all the baggage. Thus a rich man, whose camel is fully loaded, could never fit through the Eye of the Needle. It’s a compelling story. But that’s all it is. It’s complete fiction. Fantasy. There’s no biblical or historical basis at all for a passageway called the Eye of the Needle.
Others have pointed out that the word translated camel can sometimes refer to a type of rope made of camel’s hair which is thick and coarse and it would be extremely difficult to thread a needle with a rope of camel’s hair. But again, I think they’re missing the point.
I’ve been thinking about this for years and studying it for a while and I think I’ve got this figured out. What Jesus means by “it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God” is that it’s really hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!
Bob Russell tells about a rich man who was determined to take his wealth with him. He told his wife to get all his money together, put it in a sack, and then hang the sack from the rafters in the attic. He said, "When my spirit is caught up to heaven, I’ll grab the sack on my way." Well he eventually died, and the woman raced to the attic, only to find the sack of money still there. Shaking her head, she said, "I knew I should’ve put the sack in the basement."
The truth is—it’s not just hard for a rich person to get to heaven; it’s hard for anyone to get to heaven. When Jesus points out how hard it is for the rich to be saved, his disciples ask, “Then who in the world can be saved?” Then Mark writes: Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.” (Mark 10:27 NLT).
It’s not just hard for the rich to be saved; it’s hard for anyone to be saved. And it’s not just hard; it’s impossible. But thankfully, our God does impossible every day! He’s the God of the impossible!
Shortly after this encounter, Jesus meets another rich young man named Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus seeks Jesus out with the same energy and enthusiasm as the rich young ruler and invites Jesus into his home. Then, without prompting, he offers to give half his wealth to the poor and repay everyone he’s cheated four-fold. Smiling ear to ear, Jesus says, “Salvation has come to this home today… For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost” (Luke 19:9-10 NLT). With God, everything is possible! The gates to the Kingdom of God are not closed to anyone.
Conclusion
We don’t know what became of the rich young ruler. I’d like to think that he got a second chance. Maybe he was there when Peter preached on Pentecost Sunday. Maybe he met Paul during one of his missionary journeys. Maybe Jesus’ words slowly penetrated his heart and cause him to repent. Maybe.
For now, all we know is that he met Jesus, received an invitation to follow him and walked away sad. Let’s not follow in his footsteps.
This morning each of us has a similar opportunity. Jesus’ invitation to the rich young ruler is his invitation to you, to me, to all the world: “Come, follow me.”
But the invitation comes with a condition. We have to confess our sins, our need for a Savior, and we have put Jesus first in our lives. Don’t convince yourself that you’re a good person and you can earn your way into heaven. And if there’s anything in your way—anything that’s more important to you than following Jesus—it’s not worth it. Jesus is worth it!
Invitation
Next week, we’ll continue following Jesus through the Gospel of Mark.
In the meantime, don’t walk away sad. If you haven’t accepted Jesus’ invitation to follow him yet, do it today. I’d love walk you through the process—you can talk to me after church, call me at home, or come forward now as we stand and sing. Let’s sing together.
