I have a dear friend that has always been a very successful businessman. We worked together on a number of projects and he was always the best of the best. But life for him was just a game; it was all about living the best life possible. I will always remember the bumper sticker he had on his Porsche Turbo …
He Who Dies With The Most Toys Wins.
I got to thinking about that this past week and the Lord took me to a very familiar story; the rich young ruler. Now I’ve been there many times and have resolved in my mind the intent of the message, but this time He showed me something new to think about. He asked me, Tom, where do you draw the line?
I have to admit that I have been thinking about that a great deal and I’m not sure I have the answer. Be that as it may, He asked me to pass the question along. Let’s see if we can find ourselves in the story that is shared by Matthew, Mark and Luke; we’ll use Mark’s account.
Mk 10: 17 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?
By today’s standards this young man had learned his lessons well. He knew that you get what you want by “running” toward the goal, ahead of pack. He came with a proactive attitude. Isn’t that what every book on getting ahead tells us to do? And he certainly came with the right attitude: Good Master, what shall I do? You’ve got the answers and if you will just tell me what to do, I’ll do it.
I find it interesting that Jesus picks up on where this man is and approaches the entire conversation from that vantage point. He has been raised under the Mosaic Law and for him it’s all about working to attain eternal life. He wants to know what he needs to “do”; what virtue has he not yet attained that may keep him from gaining eternal life. So that is where Jesus goes; He meets him where he is.
18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God
First, Jesus states clearly that if the young man wants to call Him good then he is acknowledging that Jesus is God. The word for good that He uses comes from kalos; which means virtuous. I guess that pretty well takes the cults off the table that say Jesus was just a “good” teacher. Either Jesus is who He claims to be or we can just pack it all in. He gives no option to sit on the fence. And the world is full of fence sitters that think their “good works” will get them into heaven. How many times have we heard someone say, well I haven’t murdered anyone or robbed any banks.
Next, since this young man is approaching eternal life from the standard he lives by – the Mosaic Law – Jesus immediately calls his attention to it. But notice that Jesus isn’t teaching salvation by works here. His point is just the opposite – the law’s only job is to bring sin to knowledge. If one were to keep all the commandments without breaking one, then he would have fulfilled the obligation. But that is impossible as the young man it about to find out.
19 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.
Just as an aside here, did you notice that Jesus moved adultery above murder and stealing? It speaks directly to the person who bases their salvation on “not being as bad as the other guy.” While adultery in the world today is considered to be acceptable behavior, to God – sin is sin.
Now back to our rich young ruler. Since he is standing on the ground of the law then his whole life is about “doing”; legalism. It’s interesting that the commandments Jesus relates are those on the second tablet, which concern mans’ relationship to man. Also note that Jesus does not state the 10th commandment; thou shalt not covet. That one he reserves for a bit later. We should also note that in Matthew’s account he notes that Jesus adds the “second most important commandment … thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself (Mt 10:19). And that’s where the young man missed it.
20 And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.
He truly believes that he has fulfilled all the law. His only concern is that there may be some virtue he is missing. And Jesus put his finger right on what he was missing. With all his wealth he was neglecting “his neighbor.”
In realty, and its true today, conformance to the law is just a mask for a sinful heart. Why are there so many cults out there that have this “works” mentality? Because to accept the one and only path to salvation is to relinquish control to Jesus on some issue they don’t want to let go of … that’s where I draw the line! We see Jesus’ answer to that in many places like here in Matthew:
Matt 5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Nothing short of the works of “perfection” will suffice. Paul had a lifelong struggle with it and he was a Pharisee of Pharisees, and James hit the nail right on the head:
Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
Jas 2:10-11 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. 11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.
Jesus’ response was to hit upon the one commandment that the young man failed to keep – Thou shalt not covet.
21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
Now we all know the rest of the story and there are many things we can learn from the discourse between Jesus and His disciples. And we know that many have taken these scriptures to mean that the rich cannot enter heaven. But that is not what Jesus was teaching. How about Abraham, David, Solomon, Nicodemus, Zaccheus, or Joseph of Arimathea? No, it’s not about being rich … and that’s the message (challenge) for us.
The young man’s problem was not that he possessed riches. It was the fact that his riches “possessed him.” Jesus called him on it and in effect said, practice what you preach. Dietrich Bonheoffer put it in perspective when he said: Only he who obeys truly believes, and only he who believes truly obeys.
I was challenged this week to take a look at what I am holding back. Is there a place in my life where I am saying “that’s where I draw the line?” What is keeping me from totally dying to myself (picking up my cross) and following Jesus?
If you read on in the story, Peter throws up his hands in frustration when Jesus says how hard it is for a rich man to enter heaven (verse 28):
28 Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.
They were all taught that riches were a sign of God’s blessing and here was Jesus teaching something altogether different. But in Peter’s defense, he was only reacting out of his flesh. Remember, at that point none of them had the Holy Spirit. That would not come until the Day of Pentecost (Acts). He was, as verse 26 states: astounded; overwhelmed. Jesus just tossed out everything he was ever taught. But for us, as believers in Jesus Christ with the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, it’s a different ballgame.
The challenge for us is not to approach our relationship with Jesus in a legalistic, performance based manner like this rich young ruler. That is the world’s approach to everything, is it not? If you aren’t first you haven’t arrived yet. As my friend would judge it … I don’t have enough toys yet.
All of us have things for which we have drawn the line. Oh, maybe it’s subconscious but we draw the line just the same. As Jesus did for the young man He wants to do for us. He wants to show us what it is that is keeping us from having a deep and complete relationship with Him. For those who have never made that commitment to Him it is barring them from eternal life. For those of us that have submitted to His Lordship it’s falling short of His best for us.
We can’t stand pat and say we have it all. There is so much more to Him than we can ever imagine. As the Texas oilman said, if you know how rich you are, you aren’t very rich. And we are rich beyond measure because we don’t know how rich we are as God’s adopted sons and daughters; joint heirs with Jesus to all that God has given Him – everything. If we draw the line and turn away as the young man did, then we have effectively limited ourselves. Remember, God doesn’t challenge us to change something in our life and then give us a pass if we won’t change. He stops right there and waits until we deal with it … until we erase that line we’ve drawn. I often have referred to it as His “cul-de-sac” ministry; He keeps us going around in the same place, facing the same issue until we deal with it. Then it’s on to the next challenge. He loves us too much to leave us where we are and too much to force us to change. So He keeps on bringing up the same subject until it’s dealt with … trust me here, I have extensive experience in His cul-de-sacs.
Like the young man, we have a choice. For some their line in the sand will keep them from accepting His offer of salvation by grace through faith and the result will be an eternity without Him. For others, that line will keep them from enjoying the full richness of a relationship with Him.
Do we want our reward down here or do we want to save it for the day we see him face to face? Do we want to hoard the “gift(s) He has given us or use them in His service; how and where He wants? In the end, many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first (verse 31). We may be rich (gifted) and first today, but we won’t be taking our wealth and position with us. What rewards we get down here are all we are going to receive. What you do with it all today will directly affect your eternal reward.
Col 3:23-24 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; 24. Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.
Matt 16:27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
Rev 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
Our salvation is not by works but by grace through faith. However, our rewards are through our works. James made that pretty clear in his challenge to us:
Jas 2:18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
Our faith should be evident in the works we do. The young ruler hoarded his gift (riches) and at the end of the day, whatever reward he received here on earth was all he was going to get.
We all need to guard well what the Lord has blessed us with and use it in His service. For me … I want to be first where it counts and that means I am going to have to erase a few lines that I have drawn in my life. How about you?