The Rich Young Ruler and Me/You

October 11, 2015
Mark 10:17-22



GOSPEL LESSON: Mark 10:17–22
17 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?”
18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 19 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.’”
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.”
22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

When we read the stories in the New Testament, we are reading a story about ourselves. God has acted in our life the same way he acted to those people in the Gospel stories. In some way or another, we have been healed, we have been fed, and we have heard the Good News of Salvation.

Today we read the story of the man who knelt before Jesus and asked him a question. We ask the same question. “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” What must I do to be saved? That man was a Jew, and he believed in God, so he should have known that God would give him eternal life. But he wanted to be sure. We are Christians, we believe in God. Yet, we want to be sure. Many of us have known the Gospel since we were children. We have studied Martin Luther’s Catechism, and yet, we want to be sure. Listen again to the question. “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” We have studied the Ten Commandments so much that we feel that we are saved because of what we do. It is time for another Reformation. We are not saved by what we do but by what Christ has done for us. He died on the cross to save us. We just believe it and we are saved.

We are the man in the story. That is the way that St. Mark wrote this Gospel Book: that the reader will come to faith or want to come to faith and so will ask that question. The Holy Spirit worked not only in St. Mark to write the Book, but also works in our hearts as we read or hear this story. The Holy Spirit is leading us to faith in this conversation between the man and Jesus.

17 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?” 18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.”

He calls Jesus a “good teacher.” The word “good” here might best be thought of as “holy.” He is calling Jesus a holy man. Now, he might have said that in order to flatter Jesus so that Jesus would give him a good answer. Or he may have really thought that Jesus was a holy, religious person, like a prophet. But the answer of Jesus is interesting. “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.” Is Jesus denying that he himself is good and holy? Or is Jesus saying that He Himself is Holy God? This morning, what do you think? Why do you call Jesus good? Is Jesus Holy God? What is your faith answer?

“What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Since the man asked Jesus what he must do, Jesus answered in the same way, telling him what he must do. Jesus said to keep the Ten Commandments. In Catechism class we begin with the Ten Commandments. We start there because it teaches us what our relationship is to both God and the neighbor. And we come to the conclusion that we are not saved because we keep the Ten Commandments, but rather that we keep the Ten Commandments because we are already saved. “We fear, love, and trust in God above all things,” and so we love God and love our neighbor.

This is what Jesus had to teach the man in the Gospel story. Jesus teaches us the same thing. The man must not think he is saved by what he has done. He must not rely on himself. He cannot rely on his accomplishments. He had great wealth. Perhaps he had inherited it, but probably he had worked for it. It was his. He had a good life on this earth. He had treasures on this earth, but no treasure in heaven. He based his salvation on what he had done on this earth and the more blessings he had the more sure he was of his salvation. Jesus wanted to teach him that real salvation was not based on anything he could do. So if he sold everything he had and gave it to the poor and never got it back again, then he could no longer rely on his wealth or his deeds. Then with nothing left, he could go and follow Jesus with nothing to hold him back.

This is what Jesus is teaching us. “Good teacher,” we ask, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus answers, “Do nothing.” Trust and rely 100% on what Jesus has done for you. Do not let anything stop you from following Jesus.

The man in the story had “great wealth.” In the eyes of most of the people in the world, you and I have “great wealth.” But is there one thing we lack? Do we have to sell everything and give it to the poor and then follow Jesus? If we had to, then we would probably be just like the man in the story. His face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth and a luxurious life style that he loved more than eternal life.

Are we the same as him? Maybe our treasure is not money, but something else. What do we have that we think is more valuable than following Christ? This could be a thing or a person or some activity. It might be something that gets in the way of being a good follower of Christ. Sometimes we need a call for repentance and a new way of life. It takes the wisdom and strength of the Holy Spirit to keep in balance what is really important in life.

Maybe we do not have to sell everything we have, but we have to realize that although we love the treasures that we have been given by God in this world, both the treasures that are people and the treasures that are things, we must not let them keep us from following Jesus.

When we follow Jesus he gives us something to take with us. He gives us a new treasure. He gives us a cross. It is really his cross. It is forgiveness, it is love, it is salvation, it is eternal life.

Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church


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