That Which Matters Most

This morning I am meditating on Mark 10:17-27 NIV:

[17] "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?”

[18] “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good---except God alone. [19] You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’ ”

[20] “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

[21] 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.”

[22] At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

[23] Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”

[24] The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! [25] It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

[26] The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”

[27] Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

This story is such a poignant reminder of what is really valuable. There was one thing that the rich man lacked, and that was a relationship with Jesus, for that was the invitation Jesus gave him in verse 21, to come and follow Him. I think these verses are often interpreted as a command for us to be poor, or to sell everything if we want to follow Jesus, but I think that is not the main message.

First and foremost, Jesus loved the man, and invited him to come and be his disciple. To do that he would need to leave everything behind, and as a man of great wealth, he had much he had to manage, which likely required daily interaction. Jesus didn't command him to give away everything, but to sell everything, in other words divest yourself of your responsibilities so you can follow me. The command to give to the poor could have been accomplished through his normal income, and was also probably something the man had not done. Although the statements are related, one doesn't lead to the other as requirement.

In Luke's version of this story (Luke 18:18-30) he calls the man "a certain ruler". The Greek word he used was Archon, whose definition is: a ruler, commander, chief, or leader. In other words this man was one of the magistrates, or leaders of a community, and his wealth was very likely related to this position. Jesus was inviting him to leave his role and responsibilities, to be His disciple, similar to what James and John, Peter and Andrew did (Matt 4:18-22) when they were issued the invitation. This wasn't an ordinary invitation, but apparently an invitation to become one of Jesus' close group of disciples, for those are the only invitations we see Jesus making throughout all scripture.

In our lives, all of us are invited to become followers of Jesus, but most of us are not asked to abandon our lives and follow Jesus, but rather to embrace Him in, and throughout our daily lives. There are those who ARE issued an invitation to completely change their lives, abandoning their former pursuits to live their lives totally in the Lord's service, but in my experience those invitations are more rare, and certainly do not apply to everyone with wealth. The key invitation is to have a relationship with Jesus.

Indeed it is difficult to follow the Lord when the cares of this world, the responsibilities and demands squeeze our time and energy. Jesus described this in His parable about the sower and the seed - Matthew 13:22 "The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful." People so encumbered have difficulty bearing fruit, or as Jesus said, even entering the Kingdom. As Jesus rightfully points out, the issue is the deceit of possessions and wealth providing everything they need. These will not lead to fulfillment, happiness or have any eternal significance.

He is inviting us to open our eyes to both the relational and eternal perspectives of His invitation, and join Him. Relationship with Him is the most valuable thing we can pursue. Let's pursue that which matters most.