Mark 10:17-22
“The Good Teacher's Loving Law”
I was reading something on the internet
the other evening about people who've had encounters with
celebrities. Sometimes they would find them to be rude, sometimes
nice, sometimes just normal people. Oprah didn't leave a tip, but
signed a napkin. Will Wheaton wouldn't talk to fans. Someone saw Ed
Sheerhan and said, “I don't want to bother you” and he said,
“Like you're doing now?”
I wonder if you and I were in the
position of this rich young man who had a brief audience with Jesus –
how might we act? What might we say? Would we gush over him? Call
him “good teacher” or “Lord” or something else? And what
would you ask Jesus if you had that one small chance? His autograph?
Probably not. A Me-n-Jesus selfie? Hope not. Maybe a question for
curiosity or reassurance? Maybe you wouldn't even know what to say.
The rich young man had a burning
question, and it is kind of a strange one when you look at it. “What
must I do to inherit eternal life?” Putting aside for a moment the
whole thing about him calling Jesus “good teacher”, it's a
strange question on its own merits. What must I do to inherit?
Under normal circumstances, in a situation of an earthly inheritance,
there really is nothing to do to gain an inheritance. You simply
wait until your Father dies. You can't change the inheritance –
it's not based on how hard you work, what you do or don't do, or
anything like that. It's the decision of the person giving you their
stuff. At it only happens when that person finally dies.
That's the normal way, anyway. That's
why it was so strange – and really scandalous – for the younger
son in Jesus' famous parable to ask his father for his inheritance –
NOW! It was like an insult, saying, “Dad, I wish you were dead!”.
But even stranger is that the father actually gives it to him!
No, this man is using the word
“inherit” but what he really means is “earn”. He's looking
for a deal, a roadmap, an end-of-the-bargain to hold up and to
receive eternal life by his works. He thinks there is something he
can do – and though he's done a lot – he knows somehow something
is missing. What's that one cherry on the sundae that will seal the
deal, Jesus? What's that one above-and-beyond good work you're
looking for? What must I do? What a question of law. Not “what
can I do to serve my neighbor?” Not “how can I ever repay God's
love to me?” No, just crass do the work, get the paycheck
salvation.
So Jesus humors him, at least for a
bit. For after all, if someone could actually keep the law – well,
that is one way to be saved. So he rehearses the commandments for
him – the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th,
the 4th. Notice these are all from the Second Table of
the Law – which deal with how we treat our neighbor. And without
much thought or reflection, the man nods along and agrees that he's
kept all of these – even from his youth! Quite an achievement! If
it were only true. But like many today, he must have had a checklist
mentality about the commandments, and a very shallow one at that.
Perhaps Jesus was looking for a little
self-reflection here, a little more honesty about what the law really
demands and how the young man really didn't measure up. And Jesus
could have rightly pressed the point on each of these commands and
taken the man to task... really? You've really kept them all? But
Jesus shows the wisdom of a teacher – he knows how to best make his
point.
So rather than argue each point with
the man, rather than get sidetracked or bogged down, Jesus knows just
what to do.
Of the parallel accounts here, in
Matthew, Mark and Luke, only here in Mark do we have this little
comment, that Jesus looked at him and “loved him”. He loved him.
But the way Jesus showed that love here, was by telling him a hard
truth. He told him something the young man didn't want to hear.
Sell all your stuff. It was tough love. And love sometimes is just
that, as any parent can tell you. Love isn't just an emotion, it's
doing what's best for someone else, even if they don't know it, or
can't see it. And sometimes love means the tough word of the law,
even the law that kills. God speaks that law to you, too. But not
to leave you in the law. The love of God speaks that law to prepare
you for the love of the Gospel. But the law does its work first...
Jesus hits the young man where it
hurts. He moves now to the first table of the law, and really, the
First Commandment. He clobbers the young man square in the face of
his idolatry. Jesus pulls out his law-laser and zaps the man's main
idol, the one he clings to, the place of his ultimate fear, love and
trust. He says, “sell all your stuff, and follow me instead”.
Ouch.
Now, this is not Jesus telling us to
sell all of our stuff. You've got plenty of people in the Bible who
are wealthy AND faithful. Oh it's not easy, mind you, tell that to
the camel going through the eye of the needle. But with God all
things are possible. So it was possible for this man to see his
idolatry and repent of it, it was possible that he turned and lived
and believed in Christ. But it doesn't seem that was so. He hung
his head and went away with a scowl, for he had great possessions.
And it didn't seem like he was ready to let them go, or to embrace
the true treasure.
But this is Jesus telling you to give
up your idols! This is Jesus telling you to put aside your gods,
whatever they are, and follow the only one who is Good, the Good
Teacher, that is, God alone. Follow his Son, the Savior. The one
who brings true treasure. The one who dies for all sins. The one
who generously gives of himself, gives his blood, more precious than
gold or silver, and his body, a perfect sacrifice. Jesus gave
everything – everything – for you. Repent, and believe in
Christ!
What's your idol? What's your
self-made god? What's your pet sin? What is your particular
struggle? Is it lust or anger or pride? Is it covetousness or
gossip or gluttony? Is it pride? There's plenty of law to go
around. There's plenty of ammunition to blast away any sin you would
cling to. Are you going to go away like the young man, head hung
low, because you won't, you can't give it up? Or are you willing to
sell all, give all, even die to the sin that has you tangled up, and
follow Jesus?
Sure I've never physically murdered
someone. But I've had plenty of hate in my heart. Sure I've never
cheated on my wife – except with my eyes, and in my head. Sure I
never lied under oath, but I've dragged my neighbor's good name
through the mud and back on a regular basis. And other gods – too
many to count, to mention, to know. Christians, I hope you never take
a shallow and careless view of God's law. Rather, let its light
shine even into the deepest darkest corners of your sin, and as the
sins try to scurry away, squash them instead with confession and
absolution. Let Christ clean house. And be at peace.
And Jesus gives you an inheritance.
That's the wild thing here. You can't earn it or deserve it – you
can't even ask for it. You can't decide or will it. You can only
receive the inheritance in faith. You can only come by eternal life
as a gift – and you only get it when the one who gives it dies.
Jesus does just that – all of that – for you. Would that the
rich young man could see it, hear it, believe it.
If you keep seeing salvation as
something to earn – then you'll never deserve it enough, you'll
always doubt – and you should! For an inheritance that depends on
you – your worthiness, your merit, your deserving it – is no
inheritance at all. That's an imagined IOU. It's worthless. But an
inheritance that is a promise. An inheritance that is a guarantee.
An inheritance that rests on the sure and certain word of the Good
Teacher and the true God. That's worth trusting and believing.
That's worth selling everything. That's worth more than your life.
Even if this man did sell everything
and follow Jesus – it wouldn't have earned a thing with God. But
it would have shown his heart set right. It would have been a very
stark outward expression of a deep inward change. A way of confessing
his sin, and receiving Christ's forgiveness.
Today, Jesus calls you to receive your
inheritance – that is what he gives you by his death. His body and
his blood, given and shed for you, so that you may be forgiven and
that you will inherit eternal life. Here at his altar, the Good
Teacher gives you the goods, which you could never earn or deserve.
But that's what makes him so good. He gives his everything to you,
for you, for your eternal salvation. It's not a matter of “what
must I do” but “what Christ has done”, and what Christ is
doing.
The young man went away sorrowful. The
Greek suggests he had a look on his face as dark as a storm cloud.
It was, for him, a far from a happy ending. But, today, you get to
depart in peace, sins forgiven.
The young man went away with a scowl,
for he had great possessions, and couldn't let these idols go. You,
now, go in joy, for you have the greatest possession in the Gospel,
the greatest treasure in Jesus Christ, and an inheritance that will
never fade or falter – eternal life with God.
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