The Rich Young Man
| As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good--except God alone. You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honour your father and mother.' " "Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy." Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. (Mark10:17-22) |
But let's take a step back...
A young man runs up to Jesus...
He could be a fabulous recruit!
He's young, he's rich, he's devoted, he's an example to others.
One would think that Jesus would affirm him and recruit him in a heartbeat.
But He doesn't...
Why? Because this man is trapped.
He's trapped by his possessions.
He doesn't own his possessions, his possessions own him.
Jesus looked at him and loved Him.
And yet He lets him walk away.
If I were Jesus, I would have negotiated: "Ok... If all is too much, let's start with half your possessions."
But Jesus loves him too much to leave him trapped.
He needs to set him free.
It's amazing how He treats everyone uniquely.
Nicodemus had to reboot his belief system - "Be born again"
Simon Peter had to leave his nets.
Zacchaeus needed to make restitution.
Matthew needed a mission.
The rich young ruler needed to be free of his stuff.
There's no one-size-fits-all...
If this young man is in fact Joseph, then we see the wisdom of Jesus at work.
