What Else?

 

Wednesday, October 28, 2020

Someone came to Jesus with this question:  “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?”  “Why ask me about what is good?”  Jesus replied.  “There is only One who is good.  But to answer your question—if you want to receive eternal life, keep the commandments.”  “Which ones?” the man asked.  And Jesus replied:  “‘You must not murder.  You must not commit adultery.  You must not steal.  You must not testify falsely.  Honor your father and mother.  Love your neighbor as yourself.’”  “I’ve obeyed all these commandments,” the young man replied.  “What else must I do?”  Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.  Then come, follow me.”  But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.  Matthew 19:16-22

Matthew, Jesus’ tax collector – turned disciple/apostle, knew what it was to keep the scorecard.  He knew about adding up the debits and credits to balance the score.  If Matthew wasn’t telling his own story, it might as well have been his; he was a Jew collecting the Roman Emperor’s taxes from his fellow Jews.  Matthew knew what it was to have power, riches, and prominence.  He also knew what corruptive possibilities come with each, and the weight of being an outcast among your own people. 

This story was also recorded by Mark and Luke.[1]  It must have been hardest for Matthew to see this young man walk away from Jesus.  Knowing the allure of piling-up money to keep you free of the cares of everyday living costs, and the fear of returning to poverty, must have reminded the former mover and shaker of what used to be so important.  That was a stark reminder of what he used to be, and a powerful contrast to what he’d become.  The requirement of entering the surrendered life of following Jesus without reserve is no small thing.

Another, somewhat different take on the rich young man who chose his 401K over Jesus’ offer of eternal riches, is that he really wasn’t serious about the question he asked.  He may have been serious, but what if he was only looking for Jesus to sign his report card?  What if the young man was saying to Jesus, I’ve listened to your preaching these past several months, all that stuff about being perfect.  Look here at my life; I’ve not murdered, stolen, or told lies.  I take care of my parents who are aged and can’t support themselves.  What else?  What else do I have to do to be ‘good’ with God? 

But perhaps the man had listened to Jesus’ sermon on the mount (which Matthew also recorded[2]), and maybe it had somehow gotten in his head that he might have missed something.  That preacher/prophet had even said it loud and clear, those who followed him must be perfect, even as Jehovah in Heaven was perfect.[3]  The rich young ruler’s question may have been driven by sleepless nights, trying to convince himself that he was already a good man, having lived a moral life.  He’d always tried to do everything right.  What else?  Did I leave anything out? 

There is almost a passive anger about the question; who is this preacher, anyway?  He doesn’t know me; he has no idea the pressures I face every day.  I gotta talk to this guy; I’ll show him how I’ve lived a good life.  Surely that’s enough, even for God. 

And so, the young man did just that.  And the question came out, What else?  And then the answer came out…everything…everything that’s standing in your way of truly worshipping God…that’s what else!

Jesus knew the man’s net worth was what mattered most, and, therefore, the biggest obstacle to this man’s eternal life.  The doctor from Nazareth wrote the prescription, give away that which will eventually rust and rot and have no value…then bring the only eternal thing you really have and let me light it up with eternal life and joy.

Unfortunately, the rich young ruler, accustomed to wheeling and dealing in the financial big leagues couldn’t see the best opportunity he’d ever encountered.  

For You Today

The word for us today is…take Jesus at his word…it’s a sad thing to walk away from eternal life and joy for a little more of what this world thinks is best.  Lord, save us from having to ask the question, What else?

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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Title image:  Pixabay.com   W   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©

For other posts on this text see:  I Can't Get No Satisfaction and Choosing

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[1] Mark 10:17-22, Luke 18:18-25

[2] Matthew 5-7

[3] But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.      Matthew 5:48

 

Choosing

[1]

Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Someone came to Jesus with this question:  “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?”  “Why ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied.  “There is only One who is good.  But to answer your question—if you want to receive eternal life, keep the commandments.”  “Which ones?” the man asked.  And Jesus replied:  “‘You must not murder.  You must not commit adultery.  You must not steal.  You must not testify falsely.  Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as yourself.’”  “I’ve obeyed all these commandments,” the young man replied.  “What else must I do?”  Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.  Then come, follow me.”  But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.  Matthew 19:16-22

On the pages of Scripture, we find a commonality of human experience, namely, except for Jesus, there isn't a sinless character in the Bible.  I'm glad we see the "warts" of such heroes as Moses, Abraham and Peter.  Each of them experienced that what's the use feeling from time to time.  Aimlessness, or purposelessness, is tied very closely to man's innate need to know and experience the presence of God.  It is the lack of that close relationship with God that causes the void in life.

An unbeliever experiencing that void is understandable.  His need can be filled by being born again.  But, what about when a professing Christian is aimless?  Does that mean he really isn't saved?  That may be so in some cases.  In many more it is simply a signal that the believer has dropped the ball in his relationship with the Lord.  God is never the one who drops the ball!  God is our purpose and reason for living.  Without Him as our focus, we tire of life's toys and distractions and begin to feel empty.

The common human experience is that nobody is immune to the void.  In the account of this rich young ruler, it was that restless feeling that there was something he'd left undone with his life that prompted this question.  It's very much like attending your wife's high school reunion . . . unless you went to the same school, somehow you just don't fit in. 

Jesus pointed the man to all God had said about behaving yourself.  But the man wasn't content with superficial rules-keeping; he'd done that all his life.  He was rich, obedient, morally-sound; he had everything you need for a bell-ringer of a life!  But, inside there was no peace.  We can't be fulfilled outside of a close, loving fellowship with God. 

The tragedy of our current culture which is obsessed with booze, materialism, Hollywood glitz and sex, is that the frantic race for a higher high, a longer lasting popularity, and different experience is exactly what rocker Mick Jagger howled in his Rolling Stones days:  I try, and I try, and I try, and I try; I can't get no satisfaction!  Grammar aside, the man expressed what the whole world should know, apart from Jesus, you can't get no satisfaction!

Those who've never been born again have never known genuine satisfaction.  Those who have, should know better than to slip away from that close fellowship.  But we do! And the reality about emptiness is that we choose it.  Jesus wanted the ruler to choose a relationship with Himself.  The only requirement was to remove whatever stood between.  The man had already dealt with the one thing that trips most of us - pride!  Just coming to Jesus with his questions shows the ruler wasn't prideful.  The problem was his materialism.  When confronted with that choice - Jesus or his wealth - the ruler was sad.  He was sad at having glimpsed the one thing that would have given him peace (what he was really seeking) and choosing the opposite. 

We are strange people indeed, when we choose death over life.  Pagans choose to remain separated from God eternally.  Believers, who have tasted the goodness of fellowship with God, sometimes choose to wallow in the emptiness of unbelief. 

For You Today

Reality is that you cannot have new life if you refuse to let go of the old. 

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day.

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[1] Title Image:  Heinrich Hofmann Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons     Unless noted, Scripture used from The New Living Translation©

I Can't Get No Satisfaction

[i]

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Someone came to Jesus with this question:  “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?”  “Why ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied.  “There is only One who is good.  But to answer your question—if you want to receive eternal life, keep the commandments.”  “Which ones?” the man asked.  And Jesus replied:  “‘You must not murder.  You must not commit adultery.  You must not steal.  You must not testify falsely.  Honor your father and mother.  Love your neighbor as yourself.’”  “I’ve obeyed all these commandments,” the young man replied.  “What else must I do?”  Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.  Then come, follow me.”  But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.   

Matthew 19:16-22^(NLT)

There isn't a sinless character in the Bible (with the exception of Jesus).  I'm glad we see the warts of such heroes as Moses, Abraham and Peter.  Each of them experienced that what's the use feeling from time to time. 

Aimlessness, or purposelessness, is tied very closely to man's innate need to know, and experience the presence of God.  In reality, it is the lack of that close relationship with God that causes that void in life.  Ultimately God is our purpose and reason for living.  Scripture teaches we were created for God, so without Him we will tire of life's toys and distractions; we feel empty.

Nobody is immune to this void.  In the account of the rich young ruler, it was that restless feeling that there was something he'd left undone with his life that prompted his question…what else?  It's very much like attending your wife's high school reunion; somehow you just don't fit.  It’s a squirmy restlessness; you’d just rather not be there.

The man asked Jesus to help him sort it out.  Jesus pointed the man to what God said about behaving yourself found in the Ten Commandments.  But the man wasn't content with superficial rules-keeping; he'd done that all his life.  He was rich and respected…he had it all, but still, on the inside there was no peace.  Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones sang about this ruler in the 60's; I Can't Get No Satisfaction was voted America’s all-time #1 Rock and Roll favorite[ii].  WHY?  Simply because it matched with what is singularly THE most common human experience – emptiness, the kind of void which traces back to being separated from that for which we were created.  We can't be fulfilled outside of a close, loving fellowship with God.  The tragedy of people searching for a sense of purpose in the drug culture, booze, or new toys is that the frantic race for a higher high, or a longer lasting popularity, or a new and different experience is just what Mick Jagger sang about: 

"I try, and I try, and I try, and I try; I can't get no satisfaction!"

And the terrible reality about emptiness is that we choose it.  Jesus wanted the ruler to choose a relationship with God; the only requirement was to remove whatever stood between.  The man had already dealt with the one thing that trips-up most people – our pride!  Just coming to Jesus with his questions shows the ruler wasn't overly prideful.  His problem was his materialism, his wealth.

Choices are a part of everyday life.  We choose to get up in the morning, and what clothes to wear.  When given the choice - Jesus or wealth - the ruler was sad.  He was sad, having glimpsed the one thing that would give him peace, and choosing the one thing that would ensure he would never have peace…no satisfaction! 

We are strange people indeed, when we choose death over life.  Reality screams that you cannot have new life when you refuse to let go of the old. 

For You Today

For a growing Christian, part of your prayer every day ought to include, like the rich young ruler, anything else?  But when the answer comes back…make a good choice!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road…have a blessed day!

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NOTES

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[i] Title Image: By Bert Verhoeff (ANEFO), via Wikimedia Commons

[ii] American Bandstand – Dick Clark emcee 1990