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Seeing Jesus

(Mark 10:17-31, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, August 25, 2019)

[17] And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” [18] And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. [19] You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” [20] And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” [21] And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” [22] Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

[23] And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” [24] And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult 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 a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” [26] And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” [27] Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” [28] Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” [29] Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, [30] who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. [31] But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

THE GOOD TEACHER EPISODE – Good Teacher!

Among many other things that could be said about Jesus, our Lord was a “good teacher.” Of course the word “good” here was not so much about the ability of the Messiah to communicate. This was a moral compliment, which anyone might have expected to be received by Jesus without any objection.

Instead we are surprised to see that Jesus replies with a question and an important statement regarding true goodness. He says, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.”

We measure ethical goodness on a relative scale, comparing one human being with another. Jesus goes right to the source of all righteousness in his statement. Here we have the distinction between the great I-AM and all of fallen humanity. There is simply no comparison. But does the rich and relatively “good” young man talking to Jesus understand who Jesus is? That he is the I-AM himself now come in person?

You know the commandments.

The title “Good Teacher” was not the main point of this man's address. He had a question: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus is being approached as a holy rabbi who can answer important spiritual questions, and this is a very important question.

The man is surely expecting that he will win the eternal inheritance of life by something that he will do. Again surprisingly, Jesus goes along with this assumption, showing him the requirements of the Covenant of Works. In order to deserve heaven, someone would have to keep the entire moral law—and not just a little bit. This law, which is summarized in the Ten Commandments, binds everyone to personal, perfect, and perpetual obedience. This is what we all owe to God, and none of us has delivered. Therefore we deserve the curse of the law rather than a rich inheritance.

Jesus particularly focuses on the duties of loving our neighbor. “Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.” The man does the math on his own relative goodness and comes up positive. “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” He gets the wrong answer because he has ignored the absolute goodness that is required.

You lack one thing.

Jesus loves this man. Very encouraging, isn't it? He gently corrects him by showing him what the man preferred to the privilege of following the one who is not only good, but also is God, and is the only way for us to receive eternal life. This comes by way of a simple instruction. “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” He went away “sorrowful.”

He called Jesus, “Good Teacher,” but he did not properly see the God/man. He was willing to keep his riches and to walk away from Jesus. That's a mistake.

THE GOOD TEACHER EPISODE: THE DEBRIEFING – How difficult!

What point does Jesus make from this fascinating interaction. It is very difficult (Camel through the eye of a needle difficult) for people blinded by possessions to see Jesus rightly. (Revelation 3:17) “For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.” (See the rest of Revelation 3 for some advice.)

All things are possible with God.

The disciples of Jesus were quite alarmed by all of this. “Then who can be saved?” His answer: “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” That is a very good word for anyone who can hear it. Not only that, but he promises those who surrender all in favor of Jesus that they will have a hundredfold now (in the household of God) and in the age to come, eternal life, which was the point.

THE POINT: Jesus is worth more than anything, but only by the power of God will we get this straight. THE GOOD TEACHER IS GOD, THE FULFILLMENT OF THE LAW AND OUR ONLY HOPE OF ETERNAL LIFE

Applying these verses:

1. Jesus knows we are not seeing things rightly, but he looks at people like us with love.

2. The commandments are real and GOOD. We need that personal, perfect, and perpetual obedience. Where will you find what you need, if not in Jesus? Remember you do not have the right to change the rules and to set up a different standard than the one that sent the Son of God to the cross.

3. Do not walk away from GRACE. Fast or slow, happy or sad. Where would you go?

Old Testament Reading—Psalm 119:33-40 – Teach me

New Testament Reading—Romans 3:1-20 – By works of the law...