Rich Young Ruler Pt.3 Beware Of Money - Mark 10:17-27 Series

Introduction: Greed

When Zacchaeus voluntarily offers to give up half of his possessions and to restore fourfold whatever he may have gained by fraud, Jesus said, “Today salvation has come to this house” (Luke 19:8–9). You can tell someone has caught a glimpse of the treasure in the field—treasure in heaven—when they have a fundamental change in how they view the value of earthly treasure.

Greed is a huge theme in Scripture. The tenth commandment forbids it, and the NT teaches that it’s the same as the first commandment.

It is a devastating, deadly evil. Jesus gave these chilling warnings about it repeatedly. And yet, in 25 years of pastoring, I can’t think of a single time someone came in and asked for counseling because they were greedy. People come in all the time: “I committed this sin, I did this, I did that. Help me learn self control. Help me overcome anger.” But no one comes in and says, “I’m a walking violation of the 10th commandment. Help me overcome greed.”

We Are Rich

The passage isn’t over when the man walks away because Jesus wants to debrief his disciples and warn them, and us, about ending up like that guy. He wants us to understand that the rich guy wasn’t some rare outlier. He represents the vast majority of people, and the threat that destroyed him could destroy us.

Make no mistake—when Jesus talks about the rich in this passage, that’s us. Every person in this room, by the standards of those people in that time, by the standards of most people who have ever lived, by the standards of most people in the world today, we are fabulously wealthy. We live in luxury beyond what most people in the world could even imagine. The access we have to food, and shelter and clothes is unprecedented in human history. The #1 health problem for “poor” people in the United States is obesity. I doubt that’s ever happened in human history. So all that to say, when Jesus says, “rich,” that’s us. And it’s a real threat to our faith because our wealth increases our pride and self-sufficiency—not only in reference to material things but in spiritual things as well.

Wealth Increases Pride

At first glance it seems like there are two separate issues in this passage. First, he lacks baby faith because he’s trying to use the law to make himself a good person. Then he lacks baby faith because he’s more in love with his money than he is with God. Those are two separate issues, but they’re connected. The same pride is behind both problems. This man was the opposite of a baby. He had earthly greatness. Because he had so much money, that money pushed him into a mentality of earthly greatness. And that’s why his heart wouldn’t let him let go of the money and follow Jesus. And it’s also why he used the law for self-justification, because humble repentance and placing yourself under God’s law is incompatible with human greatness. The more money you have, the less you feel dependent on God, the more self-sufficient you feel, and the less baby-like you become.

Money is a Negative, not Neutral

Everyone knows money is a tool, and like any tool, it can be used for good or for evil. But that’s not to say money is neutral. In this passage we see that money and possessions are not only not and an advantage for entering the kingdom, but they are an obstacle. They make you far less likely to enter.

1 Timothy 6:8 If we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

If you didn’t know what the first part of that passage said, and all you did was read the result—there is some threat out there, and the result is that you will fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. You’ll wander from the faith and pierce yourself with many griefs. Would you take that seriously? Would you say, “Wow! What is that threat that causes all that? I need to steer clear of that at all costs!”? People are panicked about the Coronavirus. But this threat is far more contagious, far more widespread, and far more deadly than any virus.

If it’s getting a grip on your soul, get rid of it as fast as you can. The moment you start loving it is the moment you start destroying your relationship with God. It’s like an adulterous relationship—cut it off. Remember Jesus said if your hand or foot or eye causes you turn away, cut it off—gouge it out? Do your literal eyes and feet and hands actually cause your heart to turn away? But your money might if your heart gets wrapped around it. And once your heart wraps around something, giving it up feels a whole lot like gouging out your own eye. It really does feel like you’re losing a part of your very self when you give up a cherished idol. If your money is going to start taking up some of the room in your heart that belongs to Christ, dump it.