By Eddie Lombard
20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.21 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.”
Mark 10:20-21
No one likes to think of themself as a bad person. If I were to ask the question: “Are you a bad person?” most people would evaluate themselves and say: “Well, I am no Mother Teresa but I am also definitely no Donald Trump!”
Mark 10:17-31 helps us to see ourselves through the eyes of our Lord Jesus and how desperately we need Him to rescue us because:
“not one of us are righteous, no not even one” Romans 3:10
A rich man came to Jesus with a very noble question. He wanted to know the criteria for eternal life:
“Good teacher” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” vs 17.
He was rich, respectful and moral. All the characteristics of a 1st Century man who would be seen as blessed by God. In his time there would be no better candidate for ‘good’.
Jesus’ reply should shock us like it did him. No man is good enough Jesus says, we are all bad in God’s eyes.
Jesus did this by showing the rich man his pride. The rich man took real pride in his attempts to keep the law, at least the second half of the 10 commandments. This pride in his work to keep the law showed his moral bankruptcy. So Jesus turned to the first half of the 10 commandments, showing the rich man what he really loved:
“Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
The man left Jesus because his heart loved wealth more than Jesus’ offer of eternal life. An offer that we saw previously was for anyone to “receive the kingdom like a child” vs 15 and come follow Jesus.
The disciples pick up on Jesus’ teaching. In their minds they saw this “blessed man”. He represented the best that their culture could produce. If he cannot inherit eternal life by his good works, then “who can be saved?”vs 26. Jesus’ answer helps us clearly see that no man is good enough to inherit eternal life, that is exactly why Jesus had to come to save us. That is why Jesus had to come to earth, be rejected by all and then die that lonely death on the cross, so that we can be saved. Vs 32-34. No man is good enough to inherit eternal life. In fact, we are all so unrighteous that is why Jesus came to save us from our own self-righteousness.
Prayer points:
Ask the Lord to help you see yourself through His eyes. Then thank the Lord of Jesus who came to save us from ourselves.