Matthew 19:16, 21-22 (NLT) Someone
came to Jesus with this question:
‘Teacher what good things must I do to have eternal life?’… Jesus told
him, ‘If you want to be perfect, go and sell all you have 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 sadly away because he had many possessions.
In today’s reading, we meet a rich young man who comes to
Jesus wanting to know how he can have eternal life. I’ve heard/read various commentaries
regarding this man’s motives for coming to Jesus. Was he arrogantly challenging Jesus’ teaching
of “blessed are the poor”? Was he filled
with the pious self- righteousness of a self-made man? Was he looking for a full-proof sacrament or
a quick and easy five-step method for achieving peace with God? Did he wish to add “Member of God’s Kingdom”
to his list of social credentials? Or
did he hear Jesus teach, see His miracles and see something in Jesus that he
genuinely wanted – needed? I am inclined
to lean toward the later.
Sometimes, I believe, we modern-day readers can tend to
quickly read over this passage and harshly judge this wealthy young man. Thinking we are not wealthy by the world’s
standards, we don’t identify ourselves in this story. Walking away from Jesus is something worldly
(those wrapped up in a secular world-view, driven by the standards of society)
people do. Loving the riches and
pleasures of this world more than Jesus is what those outside the church do.
However, if we take some time to really analyze what is
taking place here, chances are we can see ourselves in this story. Most likely, this young man did not realize
that all he had was a gift of God’s grace and that what he was essentially
doing was choosing the gifts instead of the Giver. If we are not careful, we can do the same
thing. We place the gifts and pleasures
God lavishes on us as a higher priority than Jesus – the Giver of all good
gifts.
Sometimes this faulty exchange manifests itself in our
spending more time in activities, hobbies, pleasures, etc. than in cultivating
a relationship with the Lord. Sometimes it can even happen while serving in
the church. The Lord had to bring to my
attention that I, at times, have been guilty of enjoying the gifts of music and
teaching – which come from Him, more than I enjoyed time with Him. I had placed the gifts above the Giver.
Lord,
all I have and all I am is from You. You
mean everything to me. Help me to guard
my heart from placing Your gifts above my love and devotion to You. Amen
Written by guest blogger, Patty Deiter
Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj
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