Being God Enough
by MM, June 18, 2006
Bible Passage Reading
Mark 10:17-27
(Source: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%2010:17-29;&version=31;)
Parallel verses Matthew 19:16-26; Luke 18:18-27
The Rich Young Man
17As 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?"
18"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone. 19You 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.'[d]"
20"Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy."
21Jesus 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."
22At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
23Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!"
24The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is[e] to enter the kingdom of God! 25It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
26The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, "Who then can be saved?"
27Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."
28Peter said to him, "We have left everything to follow you!"
29"I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. 31But many who are first will be last, and the last first."
Opening Prayer
Exegesis - optional
In this passage we find Jesus is in the last few weeks of his life. He is heading to Jerusalem where He knows He will suffer and be crucified. The foremost thing in his mind at this time is the cross. Prior to this incident he had already talked privately about his death to his apostles (Mark 8:31).
We see Him in this and preceding chapters moving slowly, but unerringly south from Galilee to Jerusalem; to the cross. In the middle of this final journey, the rich young man, or “ruler” as he is called in Matthew, comes to seek an answer from Jesus. “What do I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus then uses this question to teach the rich young man, his apostles, and us today what inheriting eternal life really means: a total submission to God, and a willingness to live as Jesus lived.
The Stumbling Block – Giving Up Possessions
When I first read this story when I was about 9 or 10 years old, the thought that stuck to my mind was “Thank God I’m not rich!”. I always thought that the passage’s main message was that if you’re rich, then you are going to have a harder time getting into heaven than the poorer people. And growing up poor, it was a comfort to me being so young to believe that I had something my rich neighbours did not have – an assured, express ticket to heaven.
However when we look deeper we see the real issue that the rich young man stumbled over was not his possessions, but the giving up of them.
The Challenge – Being GOD Enough
The giving up of something to achieve a better life is an accepted compromise in our world.
We are taught and are ourselves witnesses that to get a better life you need to work hard which sometimes means conceding time with your family; we may need to be ruthless at the expense of compassion for others; we may need to accept the demands of business and employment at the expense of our honesty and our integrity.
Obtaining anything of value requires some form of sacrifice. Often the challenge we face enquires of us, “Are you good enough? Are you willing to take on short time pain for long term gain?”
To the rich young man the thing of value he was seeking was “Eternal Life”. The challenge Jesus presented to him was not “Are you good enough?” but “Are you able to give up everything, even your life, and then follow me?” In short Jesus is asking him, “Are you able to do the impossible? Are you GOD enough?”
The answer from the rich young man is as expected, and is the same one we would all have given in his place. No, we cannot do the impossible. What Jesus is asking for sounds like telling someone who wants their freedom that they must first go to jail for life; Its like telling someone who wants to live that they must first die.
The Common Goal – a “Better Life”
Like the rich young man in the passage we read, I’m sure we wouldn’t mind a better life.
In fact I believe that the yearning for a better life is in-built; intuitive. There is truth to the saying “You can never have enough”, especially when seen in the context of the human search for meaning and value; and in the context that we are all separated from the One who can truly provide meaning and value to our lives.
Don’t we all intuitively know that we’re meant for a better life? Don’t we all walk around this Earth essentially with something missing that we can’t quite identify but we know that if we did, we would be better for it? To me the words to the song “More to this life” expresses this intuition and longing so accurately:
But theres more to this life than living and dying,
More than just trying to make it through the day;
More to this life, more than these eyes alone can see,
And theres more than this life alone can be.
Blaise Pascal, the French mathematician, philosopher and physicist in the 17th Century and a believer in Jesus Christ, expressed it this way:
“There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus.”
It is the hope of a better life that we strive for. After all: what is the seeking after money if not for the hope of a better life through ease. What is the pursuit of knowledge if not for the hope of a better life without confusion, where we understand the world and our place in it? What is the pursuit of acclaim and relationships if not for the hope of a better life where we find our significance through the recognition of others?
The Rich Young Man’s Earnest Search
For the rich young man, the “better life” is the “Eternal life”.
The gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke gives us the idea that this rich young lived in comfort and privilege - he was wealthy; he was young (in Matthew); he was a ruler (in Luke) that is, someone with influence and authority.
But this young man was not content to say to himself as the rich fool does in the gospel according to Luke “"You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." (Luke 12:19).
He was blessed to realise that he lacked something else of value; something that could give him the better life, the eternal life. And up to this point of meeting with Jesus he had done as much as he knew to be assured of eternal life. He had devoutly followed the commandments, and there is nothing in the bible that contradicts this claim. In fact Jesus who knew what was in the hearts of men, was pleased with him, as verse 21 says, “Jesus looked at him and loved him”.
So it appears that his claims to righteous living was genuine, and his search for an answer from Jesus was earnest, not an academic exercise. He truly lived as best as he could and truly wanted to know what else he needed to do to be assured of eternal life.
How valuable was eternal life to the young man? Well, the pursuit of it caused him to follow the commandments from childhood; caused him to approach Jesus who by that time the Pharisees and Sadducees had marked as an enemy, and fall down at his feet in broad daylight not fearing the “guilt of association” with Jesus.
This was not merely an academic question for him, but a treasure that the young man had been seeking since childhood.
What would we be willing to give up?
We see what the rich young man has done to this point in his pursuit of eternal life. What about us today? What are we willing to give up for something we value, something we treasure?
The Myth
One of the strongest myths of our day is the myth of the self-made person. We are led to believe that with hard work, self-determination, self-belief and self-sacrifice, anybody can rise from nothing to being somebody. Anything is possible. The reality though is that no one really can rise from nothing only by their own abilities – there must be opportunity first, before the will to seize it can be applied. There must be buyers first before your wares can be sold. There must be willing teachers first before you can be educated.
This myth is so powerful today that it is hard for most of us to believe that a treasure could not be had if you were only good enough. This world view is dangerous.
The Dangers
One danger is that it has been used to justify social darwinism and social inequality. “In this view there is no excuse against genetic conditioning "I am genetically bad", against psychological conditioning "My parents raised me the way I am", against social conditioning "I was born without opportunities so I didn't have a chance". In this view, such excuses and the failure to exercise one's freedom is seen as INAUTHENTIC existence, a denial of ones humanity, because it surrenders personal responsibility.” (Source: ‘Christian Theology’ by Millard Erikson). Therefore those who are not successful only have themselves to blame. They should not be helped because they are living an inauthentic existence. The poor are poor because they were not good enough to exercise their abilities.
Another danger stems from one of the self-made person’s perceived ‘virtues’ – and that is self-reliance. It says that every person has the necessary ability within themselves to achieve or obtain anything regardless of the circumstances. No treasure is beyond reach.
A Cruel Deception
This is a cruel deception; one where the perpetrators are themselves victims. In reality, as the rich young man finds out in our bible passage, there are treasures who’s price is beyond our human capacity to pay.
False Treasures
I wonder what treasures we are earnestly seeking today?
In this now vastly-interconnected world, where the internet and mass media has a greater audience than ever before, there are many ideas of what is valuable – some of them so different and contradictory that it is no wonder we are all a little confused. The only thing that appears to hold sway is the idea that what is right for you is not necessarily right for me. We now live in an era that subscribes to the idea that there are no absolutes – which, funny enough, is an absolute statement in itself and therefore is a contradiction.
So the predominant assumption, the premise upon which the common world view is built, is a contradiction. Are we surprised then that there is so much confusion? No wonder we are hard pressed to see through the fog and see what is truly valuable. Is it wealth? Is it acclaim? Freedom? Knowledge? Power?
Too many voices would tell us seek after this, seek after that; and they would prescribe ‘values’ like self-belief; hard work; compromise; delayed gratification; etc. etc. as a fail safe way to finding what we seek.
But what does the bible say about these things?
Psalm 49:10-14 (From “The Message” translation) –
10-11 Anyone can see that the brightest and best die,
wiped out right along with fools and dunces.
They leave all their prowess behind,
move into their new home, The Coffin,
The cemetery their permanent address.
And to think they named counties after themselves!
12 We aren't immortal. We don't last long.
Like our dogs, we age and weaken. And die.
13-15 This is what happens to those who live for the moment,
who only look out for themselves:
Death herds them like sheep straight to hell;
they disappear down the gullet of the grave;
They waste away to nothing—
nothing left but a marker in a cemetery.
Wealth; acclaim; freedom; knowledge; power these are all transient. They do not last. More accurately, our time to enjoy them do not last. King Solomon, the King whom God blessed like no other with wisdom, wealth, power, acclaim, and good deeds – This same man wrote the book of Ecclessiastes which tells us that all these are meaningless; futile; a chasing after the wind.
I don’t know about you, but I personally would not want to spend my life earnestly seeking for something that doesn’t last.
True Treasure – Eternal Life
The rich young man in the passage is seeking a treasure that lasts. “Eternal Life” is what he calls it. To me “Eternal Life” equates to “Deliverance”, or “Redemption”.
I believe that in the depths of our soul, if we are honest and sober in our examination, we know we all seek after only one thing – and that is redemption. By ‘redemption’ I mean that we are seeking to be saved from where we are, to something better. To be saved from the life we now lead, to a better life.
In a word, REDEMPTION is the treasure the rich young man was seeking.
It is this same treasure that is at the heart of all our aspirations. We are seeking that which can take us to a better state, a state of joy; a state of contentment that comes from knowing we are living as we are supposed to be living.
Gospel
The bible tells us that the kind of ‘better’ life we need is not like an upgrade of the life we live now. What we need is an overhaul. A new life; an eternal life – a life not just guaranteed beyond the grave, but a life of meaning; of value; of joy.
But think on this: if eternal life is what we seek, without exception then the harsh reality is that we are eternally DEAD without it.
The bible tells us that we were designed for friendship, for oneness, with God. Therein lies our meaning; our value and our joy. But because of sin or rebellion – the rebellion against God by our father Adam and mother Eve, and the sin we commit ourselves - this fellowship was broken. So the basis for our existence was cut, and ever since then we’ve been existing, but not really living. Because to really live is to be connected to God intimately.
The bible tells us in Ephesians 2 that we were really ‘dead’ in our sins; we were God’s enemies and He was right in making us His enemies. We walk on this earth, breathing, laughing, loving – but it is a mere shadow of what our lives should really be. What we are seeking is not a better life; but LIFE itself.
Being spiritually ‘dead’ too means that we were beyond hope. Not salvageable. Not upgrade-able. We needed an overhaul because nothing inside was worth keeping. So how could someone who needed an overhaul perform that on themselves? Especially if they were already dead to begin with? Only God then can do this. And His provision for this saving work, this overhaul, is Jesus Christ.
The Rich Young Man’s story is our story too
So you see, the rich young man’s story is our story too. Not because we inhabit the same space of wealth, youth or influence or wisdom, but because we are essentially seeking after the same thing. Thousands of years separate him from us, and the human search has not changed one bit, regardless of the changes in culture, philosophy, society. If Jesus chose to come in our part of the world, and in our time instead of 2 thousand years ago, I think a few of us would probably ask the question too.
“Inheriting Eternal Life”
So how do we obtain this redemption; this eternal life; this life of living the way we are supposed to? “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”
This is the question that the rich young man asked Jesus. “What other thing, apart from the righteous life I’ve already led; apart from the riches I already possess – what else must I do to inherit eternal life?”
In this question, we share the same assumptions as the rich young man. Isn’t it our experience that often to gain anything of value we must give something of ourselves? That we must work hard, to sacrifice, in order that we might obtain what is greater?
In short, are we good enough to pay the price?
“Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor”
The Call to Die
Jesus answer to the rich young man was two-fold. First: “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor; and you will have treasure in heaven.”
Go, give up all your possessions; give up all that is valuable to you now; give up all that anchors you to the world and holds your loyalties here; give up the life you knew from childhood, all that is familiar; say goodbye to comfort, to family; say goodbye to the certainty of food, shelter, friendships, relations; strip away all that defines you, makes you. Cast away your treasures, then you will have real treasures in heaven. Give away your life here, then you will have eternal life in heaven.
This call is a call to die.
In preparing for this message I heard of a man named Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He lived in the early 20th Century; a German Theologian and Christian who wrote many books, including one called “The Cost of Discipleship”. He was executed in World War II just weeks before the end of the war in Europe for being an enemy of the Third Reich.
Regarding this call that Jesus makes to those who would follow him, Bonhoeffer wrote in the book ‘The Cost of Discipleship’: "When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die." Bonhoeffer continues, “Jesus summons to the rich young man was calling him to die, because only the man who is dead to his own will can follow Christ… but we do not want to die, therefore Jesus Christ and his call are necessarily our death and our life.”
Earlier I shared that the bible says we were spiritually dead in our sin. So it is an impossible, contradictory task that Jesus now gives to the spiritually dead if they would have eternal life. How can the dead, die to themselves? How can the dead do anything at all?
We’re not Good Enough
**** from below, there is a section about how our best are just filthy rags before god. What is called for is an act of God, and we aren’t God enough. ***
And here the bible answers: “God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.” Ephesians 2:5
*** cut *** *** ***
And second: come follow me. Come follow me even as the religious authorities call me a rebel, a danger to all; follow me even though we have no guarantees of food or shelter, or a place to call our own; follow me even though the rewards will not ever come in this lifetime; follow me even as I know that every step now leads me to the cross, and there is no turning back, no reprieve, no last-minute pardon. COME, FOLLOW ME.
*** here is discipleship ****
The quick answer is: it is not ours for the taking. No amount of hard work can win it. No amount of goodness can win it. Listen to the prophet Isaiah:
“All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.” (Isaiah 64:6)
No amount of wealth can obtain it. Listen to the Psalmists:
Even of those who trust in and lean on their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches? None of them can by any means redeem [either himself or] his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him-- For the ransom of a life is too costly, and [the price one can pay] can never suffice-- So that he should live on forever and never see the pit (the grave) and corruption. (Psalm 49:6-9)
It is an impossible task that only God, in his awesome power and mercy and love, can give.
The rich young man recognized his need for eternal life. He thought that to obtain it he needed to DO something else, more than he was already doing; to obtain something more than what he already possessed. He thought that if he could only be good enough, he could obtain eternal life.
But to him, and to us who would try to win eternal life – the question is still, “Are you GOD enough?”
The rich young man realized he could not do what was required. He could not give up his possessions. And Jesus’ demand for any who would follow him to give up everything, even the lives we so value, stands today - and it is as impossible today as it was then.
Giving up your possession, no matter how meagre, is a stumbling block for anybody. Jesus’ command to those who want to follow him to firstly give up everything, then follow him is a difficult command to follow, regardless of your financial posture. We see this confirmed in that the apostles, a majority of whom were poor fishermen, said amongst each other “Who then can be saved?”, obviously realising the command would be difficult, nay impossible, for anybody, including themselves.
But consider this still and be amazed: apart from giving up all his possessions, Jesus also said to the rich young man, “Come follow me”. Now Jesus himself was only weeks away from the cross, with all the suffering, persecution and pain still ahead for him and for those who would follow him – we can see how much more would be asked of those who would follow Jesus. It is not just the giving up of possessions, but of lives. And Jesus’ death was not for the sake of an altruism; for an ideal; for what is good on earth – this is no martyrdom nor heroic act. Jesus was led as a Lamb to the slaughter; heaped upon him was the Father’s anger towards sin – our sin. We learn from Paul in the bible that “at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly”. For the unlovable. For the deprived. In short, Christ died for what this world would not applaud. He died for the garbage people. The worthless people. For all of us.
So taking this into context, Jesus call to the rich young man, “Come follow me”, is no easier than giving up his possessions. The young man failed at the first, but equally impossible hurdle. No wonder the apostles, with whom Jesus confided already about what was to happen to Him in Jerusalem, said “Who then can be saved?”
*** here ***
*** Romans 7:24 21So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.” ****
“Come, Follow Me”
*** second part of Jesus’ answer: still to be completed. ***
Main Point: The law showed that it was impossible to be righteous before God. Though a man could follow some of it, and live by them, he can’t follow all of it. *** Bonhoeffer somewhere talks about how this can be an intellectual assent, even leading to right living, but can never lead to having Jesus as the lord of our lives, which th first four commandments talk about. *** No one really seeks God. God’s standard of righteousness required for salvation is therefore too high for any man to pay.
The Cost of Discipleship (Sanctification)
*** give up your life, Mark 8: 34-37 ***
Main point: Dying to self. The “beatitudes” showing what discipleship is about. Discipleship for Bonhoeffer was not limited to what we can comprehend--it must transcend all comprehension. The believer must plunge into the deep waters beyond the comprehension and everyday teaching of the church, and this must be done individually and collectively. “No other reason at all, but the sake of the call.”
The Danger
*** feeder ***
Remember that only Jesus’ apostles up to this point had heard him talk about His death (Mark 8:31). So the rich young man gave up before he even knew about the suffering; the condemnation; the persecution and death for Jesus’ sake that was to come to those who followed Jesus, which arguably would cost the young man more than just giving up his wealth. It would require him giving up his life. It was indeed impossible for him to “inherit eternal life”.
Sadly we in the 21st Century easily forget about the cost of discipleship ourselves. *** talk about ‘cheap grace’ here ***
*** he is no fool who would give up what he cannot keep, to attain what he cannot lose. ****
Main Point: We are all taught early the narrative of the self-made person. Society also pushes the idea of the self-made person as ideal and achievable. Many of our world views and motivation is influenced by this narrative. The fact is the self-made person is a myth, but a very powerful myth at that. We are made to think that we can achieve anything by our own strength, self-belief and self-sacrifice, but we are mistaken if we try to seek redemption on the same terms. Because when we follow self-making, we necessarily say that we do not need God. When we will soon realise only God can actually, truly, redeem.
The Provision for Justification and Sanctification
What price are you willing to pay?
*** sacrifices required. How much are we willing to give up? ***
*** people are willing to give up almost anything, except their lives. ***
*** Christ bids a man come and die. ***
*** the parable of the treasure in the field. ***
*** here the fallacy of the self-made man. ***
*** here the dangers of the self-made man. ***
*** Only God is equal to the task. ***
Main Point: The true treasure of eternal life can only be obtained by what is impossible for man to do. How can a man who is dead save himself? But God can do it. And God’s only provision is Christ, that anyone who believes in Him may not perish but have everlasting life. And isn’t believing itself a gift from God?
Surrender
Application: Total Surrender
Main point: By saying that Jesus is your saviour you are acknowledging your inability to die to yourself and putting God first, and letting him take control. This surrender to God is necessary, and the only way that one can be redeemed. ??This needs fleshing out.??
Dying to Live
Application: Surrendering is a Daily Event – Discipleship
*** “Dying to live” lyrics, curtis chapman ***
*** For the sake of the call ***
*** “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose” -- Jim Elliott
Concluding Thought – Only God is God
At the end of it all, the question about redemption is not “who is good enough?” but instead “Who is God enough?”. The price to pay is God-sized, and only God can pay it. So the point is quit your trying, acknowledge your inability, and come to Jesus who IS GOD, and let him take control.
*** God is god and I am not. ***
*** the thief at the cross. ***
*** Jesus’ burden is easy, and his yoke is light. ***
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