Mark 10:19-22 (NIV): You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'”
“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”
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.”
At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
The rich young man’s question was, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Mark 10:17b) Jesus naturally pointed him to the law. A person who lives a life contrary to God’s requirements can never inherit eternal life. As Paul wrote, Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10 NIV) It is only when we repent, turn away from those things contrary to God’s will, and receive forgiveness and cleansing that we can inherit God’s kingdom and, along with it, eternal life.
Jesus began with the things that most people would quickly identify as sin, the second part of the Ten Commandments, knowing that this man, like most “good people” of His day (and ours), would have been scrupulous about obeying. And, as expected, this man verified that he had kept all of those commandments since his youth.
Jesus’ heart was filled with love for this young man. Here was a person who really was seeking God’s kingdom, who was trying to avoid sin, who was trying to do the right things. But there was one part of this man’s life that was misaligned, and was standing in the way of his coming into God’s kingdom to experience eternal life: the orientation of his priorities, the core of his heart. He was missing the mark on the first two commandments, the ones that specifically address a person’s relationship with God.
- You shall have no other gods before me.
- You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them (Exodus 20:3-4a NIV)
Even though this young man would never have considered making or buying an actual idol to worship, his possessions had become just that. They had become his god. They had become the thing that took up his time and attention; the thing that all of the best of his time and energies were devoted to. So Jesus pointed his finger right at this key area of his life. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
This man could not follow Jesus yet, because his heart belonged to something else; his priorities were elsewhere. His riches had become his god, and serving them took the lion’s share of his time and attention. And no clearer indication of this is needed than the next two sentences: At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. The price for eternal life, turning away from the focus of his life away from amassing wealth, was greater than he was willing to pay. “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” (Matthew 6:24 NIV)
Father, as always, Jesus put His finger right on the core issue. This man ultimately had to choose who and what he would serve; where his focus would be. Lord, it is clear that we today must make the same choice. We have so many things to which we devote our time and energy: our cars, our houses, our television shows and computer games, our jobs, our relationships, our investments, our stuff. Any and all of these can grow to the point where they begin to take first place in our lives and hearts, where they take our time so that we don’t have time to pray adequately, or worship, or read our Bibles. Many times they take resources that rightfully belong to You, so that we cannot tithe or give as you direct us to. At that point they have become our god, that which we love most, focus on the most, and give the best of our time and energy to. At that point they will stand between us and inheriting eternal life. At that point, we must make a choice. Help us to keep our priorities exactly in line with Your word, and to choose correctly. Amen.