I’ve been stuck in a story the past few days. It’s the story of the rich young ruler in the Gospel of Mark coming to Jesus and asking Him a question.
Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”
So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but One, That is, God. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’”
And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.”
Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”
But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, because he had great possessions. (Mark 10:17-22)
Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him.” Those words are jumping off the page at me, and I have been intrigued, awed, bewildered, amazed, shaken, undone, and probably left with more questions than I have answers for. I’ve read this story many times over the course of my life, and never paid much attention to those two words: Loved him.
Why did Mark include that in the story? Because that is the story. For years I made it a story about riches, giving, hundredfold return, etc. It’s a love story. And that’s why it is wrecking me. Jesus looked past the fine clothing and all the possessions the man owned and looked into his soul and saw a man asking a sincere, heartfelt question – “What must I do that I may inherit eternal life?” Before we look into this, I’m going to ask you to take off your traditional American evangelical glasses for a moment.
Eternal life. Most of us have been trained to think of this as going to heaven. Going to heaven happens when I die. What about right now? The word “life” as it is used here comes from the Greek word zoe. It means the absolute fullness of life. It’s the same word used when Jesus told us He came to give us life more abundantly (John 10:10). Eternal life begins the moment you say yes to Jesus.
I imagine this man had gone to other rabbis asking the same question, “What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” He probably got this answer from them: “Observe and keep the Law, then you will have eternal life.” He was already doing this. Wasn’t that enough? I have a suspicion that he had heard or even seen with his own eyes that there was something very different about this particular rabbi named Jesus. His message was so foreign to the life this rich man was accustomed to living.
Jesus was in essence saying, “You have everything you want. You know all about keeping the rules. However, there is one thing you need. Sell everything you have, give it to the poor. Let Me be your source. Follow Me.” The man was sad when he heard it and walked away.
I love the way The Message Bible tells the rest of this story:
Looking at His disciples, Jesus said, “Do you have any idea how difficult it is for people who ‘have it all’ to enter God’s kingdom?” The disciples couldn’t believe what they were hearing, but Jesus kept on: “You can’t imagine how difficult. I’d say it’s easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for the rich to get into God’s kingdom.”
That set the disciples back on their heels. “Then who has any chance at all?” they asked. Jesus was blunt: “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you let God do it.”
Peter tried another angle: ‘We left everything and followed you.”
Jesus said, “Mark my words, no one who sacrifices house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, land – whatever – because of me and the Message will lose out. They’ll get it all back, but multiplied many times in homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and land – but also in troubles. And then the bonus of eternal life! This is once again the Great Reversal: Many who are first will end up last, and the last first.” (Mark 10:23-31)
There is a supernatural joy found in living life with an open hand. It is a hand that is always open to receive from God’s good hand and having received, keeps it open to give.
Back to those words that jump off the page. “And Jesus, looking at him, loved him.”
These words are making me wonder… was there a time later when this rich man took to heart what Jesus had told him and proceeded to do it? I’d like to believe that there was. Why am I so hopeful for this man? Because Jesus loved him.
I leave you to think on this.
From one He loves,
Kevin