Mark 10 - The Rich Young Ruler

What do you have a death grip on?

Jesus was questioned by a young man in Mark 10. 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?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good except God alone. 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.”

This is the real life application of Mark 8:34 and 36. “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?”

“At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. “
The young man acknowledges Jesus as good knowing only God is good, thereby accepting Jesus’ answer as authoritative. He’s obviously a sincere, religious man who has done all the right things.

Jesus says, “Sell all you have, give the money to the poor and follow me.”

That’s pretty radical. That’s a little extreme. That’s too much to ask…way too much to ask. That would be denying himself, taking up his cross and following Him. Absolute surrender. It’s all yours.

It revealed his heart.

Jesus wasn’t listing another rule to follow to be sure you had your ticket punched to go to heaven. Philanthropy or poverty aren’t prerequisites. He was exposing the man’s heart. God had said to love him with all your heart, soul and might….not part of your heart and soul. Not with kind of sort of as much enthusiasm as you can muster. This is a sold out, “I love you God and anything that doesn’t fit in with your plan, just let me know. Anything that I’ve elevated to a higher prominence than you, tell me and it’s out of here.”

The question is...do I have a white knuckle grip on all that is dear to me or are my palms turned upward, fingers extended?

Deep breath.

He told the man to sell all he had. Yet he might have told you to break up with your boyfriend, leave your job, don’t buy that house.

He told me to give up my kid. Took me 17 years to finally give him my second child. This is a terrible thing to say, but I was sure he’d die if I gave him to him. What a great God, huh. I was walking to my car after teaching a class on Abraham offering Isaac (Genesis 22). It hit me as I stopped to unlock the door…”You’re holding on so tightly to this kid, he’s turning blue.” Nothing audible but it may as well have been. It was crystal clear.

I just stood there. I had gotten through an entire week of preparation and stood in front of all these women with a smile on my face and talked about giving it all up. Jesus said after the young man left, “You will be blessed 100 fold if you do.” Trials will accompany this decision, but the blessings are enormous. Great lesson.

My response was like the rich young ruler's. “Hey God, I’ve done that..I’ve done it all!” And God zooms in on what we’re holding onto tightly. He didn’t need the young man’s money, he wanted his heart. He didn’t need my kid, he wanted my heart. He wanted me to... trust … Him. Truth be known, my efforts at trying to control my kid’s life and make it all perfect had not made him or me happy anyway, but tremendously burdened.

Key in the lock, I stood motionless and slowly shook my head. It was fish or cut bait time. I don’t know how long I stood there struggling, oh great little Miss Sunday School Teacher. I finally gave him up. It was so hard, but I gave him up. As I look back, is that such an affront to One who loved me so much that he died for me? Am I saying I could do so much better with this kid than God Almighty could?

I cannot explain the burden that was lifted.

In the ensuing days, when I would sometimes put my hand up to yank him back, it was like I could hear God saying, “Mmmmm, He’s mine,” and I’d smile and put my hands back in my pockets.

The rich young ruler lived his 80 years and then went into eternity. One confrontation with God and his choice was to hold onto his checkbook.

What would have happened if he had given it all up.