OF CONCERN TO JESUS: HIS DISCIPLES’ PERSPECTIVE ON WHAT IT MEANS TO FOLLOW HIM
A brief glance at the Lazarus story: Yes! Sometime after Jesus raised him from the dead - “for God’s glory that God’s Son may be glorified - Lazarus died again, and his body was buried, as with anyone who dies.
At the moment of Lazarus’ death: His soul left his body and went to be with God his Father, as do the souls of all God’s children.
When Jesus died on the cross: His soul left His body which later that afternoon was buried. On the third day: At the very moment Jesus was raised from the dead, His body and soul were reunited.
Yes! “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye”: Our Lord’s body and soul became the “glorified body” that appeared numerous times prior to His Ascension. Now . . . Having established the fact of resurrection:
What about your future resurrection and mine (should we die before Christ returns)? The fact that our bodies will be raised and reunited with our souls is guaranteed by Jesus - for all who believe in and follow Him. A Fantastic Future awaits us!
Keep in mind though: Raising Lazarus from the dead brought resurrection into the present - symbolizing that which occurs when in this life we “die to sin” and are “raised to walk in newness of life”- a transformation depicted by Baptism.
Why are we reflecting on these two resurrection stories as we begin our study of the “Rich Ruler”? To help put what it means to follow Christ into proper perspective – the fact that eternal life begins in the here and now as we surrender our all to Christ our Lord - to enjoy our newness of life in the present – but with our sights set on our glorious reunion in the future in that place Jesus has prepared for us. Only in Christ can this be!
A wealthy young man whose story, by the way, was told not only by Matthew . . . but also by Mark and Luke – a repetition which shows its significance - was on a quest of the kind carried on by many folks – to find what was missing in his life.
Lazarus and his sisters found that “missing element” in Jesus. Abundant life - experienced by this family in Bethany due to their trust in and loyalty to Jesus the Messiah – is exactly what the wealthy young man was searching for!
As with Martha (who asked Jesus about something she had in mind, but was given an answer from the mind of Jesus that opened up a whole new concept of what it means to follow Him) this inquirer (the ruler) experienced his moment of truth – Matthew 19:16-26 . . .
Notice how this man’s idea of “doing good” to earn eternal life is eliminated by Jesus at the outset: “God is good. He wants His children to be and do good. However, if securing your way into heaven depends on good deeds, there is no way by which imperfect human beings can measure up to God’s perfect goodness.”
“If you want to be perfect”, Jesus said to him, “go sell your belongings and give to the poor - and you will have treasure - in heaven - then come, follow me.”
Keeping the commandments is a good thing. Mature Christians, though, do so because they have surrendered their all to Jesus - not as a means to gain favor –“for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21) It’s a matter of the heart! We love God . . . We love God’s Son . . . We love God’s Word . . . By love we are compelled . . . !
Did you notice that, when Jesus quoted the second set of commandments, He omitted the tenth - Thou shalt not covet.” Coveting was one thing preventing the ruler from surrendering his all. He had a “god” in his life - obsession with possessions.
Remember the first commandment - there is to be only one God in the life of a child of God. Jesus goes straight to the heart of the matter and examines the young man’s willingness. God knows hearts! This particular individual failed the test!
No, Jesus did not command all financially wealthy Christians to take a vow of poverty to be a follower of Jesus. Many financially wealthy persons pass the test!
Joseph of Arimathea, for example, was wealthy but was not told to sell his belongings; he was not obsessed by possessions. Rather, he used what he had to serve God, not the least act of service being his burial of Jesus’ body in his personal family tomb.
Our Lord does not challenge our ownership and use of possessions unless the love of money rather than our love of God consumes us, and selfish accumulation of possessions becomes our master.
Mark says that Jesus looked at the young man and loved him. So, our Lord’s invitation to him was as sincere as His invitation to one of us. It is your well-being, and mine - NOT how well off we are - that is our Lord’s concern.
Yes! To truly follow Jesus is to make Him master of our motives and methods as well as our means! Each of us decides whom we will serve . . . what we will do . . . how we will go about serving God by serving others.
In the case of the rich young man, the question: “Shall it be a lifestyle of coveting and compiling material wealth for the sake of prestige and power, or, shall it be a new life in Christ - loving and serving Him whom to know and serve is life eternal?” In the case of any of us, the choice is ours individually. Sad but true, some do as did the wealthy young man who went away feeling sad because he was not willing to surrender his all to Jesus as Lord.
“Sell everything you own” is often presented as a “Hard Saying of Jesus” . . . to me, it’s really about an impossibility: It is impossible not only for a rich man but for anyone to earn God’s gift of eternal life! To make His point vivid and to make sure His disciples remembered this lesson, Jesus used hyperbole (exaggeration) - but with a bit of humor.
Talking about a “camel going through the eye of a needle” no doubt got some chuckles, if not loud laughter. What a ridiculous thing to imagine! The largest animal in Israel trying to go through the tiniest manmade opening known to Israelites! An impossibility!
“Then who can be saved?” they asked then, and people ask now. Jesus responded:
“With God, all things are possible!” Folks: Perhaps you, like me, have thought - if God saved me, and He did, God can save anyone who calls on the name of the Lord, comes to Him in repentance, believes in and receives His Son as personal Savior and Lord! Even we who are rich (a bit of humor!) In a very real sense:
Senior adults are “rich”. As Americans, our retirement income plus benefits make us richer than 96% of the world’s population! Some retirees are richer than 99%. Yes, some of us, like the Rich Young Ruler, might even be in the so-called 1% - none of which precludes anyone of us from being saved.
The Point: There is hope for everyone because of the fact that God is good and desires good for all who love Him!
Just understand: It is impossible to earn salvation on the basis of using wealth for good, or, for that matter, on the basis of any other good thing that we do . . .
It’s good to use that with which God has blessed us - responsibly and morally - but to try to get into heaven on the basis of good works whether rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief, doctor, lawyer or some kind of chief - is not going to happen.
The ruler came to the right source for receiving God’s gift of eternal life . . . at the right time . . . in the right attitude . . . seeking the right thing!
Why did he walk away? You might say that, in the ruler’s covetous mind - way of thinking – possible financial losses outweighed possible gains, not to mention his loss of control if he were to turn his life over to Jesus Christ as his Lord.
Had he not heard Jesus’ argument based on logic? “What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world but lose his soul?” Probably he had heard it . . . but pride preceded, persisted, therefore precluded, a right response. Selfishly, he was not willing to risk the potential “cost of discipleship” - even if it meant losing his “chance” for eternal life with God.
In contrast to the mistake made by the rich ruler, neither the thief on the cross nor the Philippian jailer (just two of many examples) was willing to take a chance on losing the greatest offer ever made to them – God’s gift of eternal life for all who accept Christ as Savior and Lord.
Simple request: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”
Straight answer: “Today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:42)
Simple request: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
Straight answer: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31)
Do not stumble over the simplicity of receiving God’s offer of salvation:
Simple plea: “Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner.” Clarification: “Do you believe?”
Response: I believe Jesus is God’s Son and our Savior. I accept Him as my Savior.
Clarification: “Will you follow Him?” Response: “ I will follow Him as my Lord.”
Our Lord’s answer: “You are forgiven . . . follow me . . . eternal life is yours.”
Only trust Him … He will save you … Come then, and on to glory go! Amen.
