AND JESUS LOVED HIM

Mark 10:17-23

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?” I take it that this was a sincere question. He ran up to Jesus. He fell on his knees. I can’t imagine that this man was just trying to trap Jesus like the religio-mafia was always doing. It genuinely appears that he was concerned about his eternal destiny and wanted to know what he could do to ensure it would be spent in heaven.

Jesus told him that he must keep 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. The man’s response tends to rub the reader the wrong way. Teacher, all these I have kept since I was a boy. Such a statement bothers us because it sounds like he is very self-righteous. There is the vague sense that he thinks he deserves eternal life because he has been righteous all his life. But I don’t think that is what he meant. Again, I believe this man was sincere in his search and he felt that even though he had tried to keep the commandments all his life, something was missing.

Jesus looked at him and loved him. This is the phrase that stopped me in my tracks and made me start to think. How would I have responded to this man? How would you have responded? Really! Think about it for a minute. OK. Now I’ll confess. I am afraid I would have said something like, “Oh you think you’ve kept the commandments do you? Let me just point out how far short of God’s righteousness you have fallen! You are a lost sinner and if you depend on your good works for your hope of salvation you will be condemned!”

You see, that is what makes me feel convicted. Jesus looked at the man and loved him! I fail to love so often! I am afraid I would have heard arrogance and I would have judged him and failed to love him. How many people do I encounter every day and fail to love them?

It was out of his love that Jesus told this rich man what he lacked. He had to sell all he had and give it to the poor. And this man showed his real poverty. He could not part with his riches. And Jesus said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” I think Jesus was pained. I tend to judge the rich. I think I am typical of many people who live from paycheck to paycheck. We tend to think it is a good thing that the rich have trouble entering the kingdom. And that is where we are so wrong and so different from Jesus. Jesus loved him.