Unlimited: The Man Who Went Away Sad | Good News Unlimited
Unlimited: The Man Who Went Away Sad
May 28, 2024 1822
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.”
At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth (Mark 10:21–22, NIV).
A man ran up to Jesus, fell on his knees, and asked him what he had to do to have eternal life. Jesus told him to keep the commandments, and the man assured the Lord that he had kept them since he was young.
Perfect obedience! According to the religious ideas of the time, that should have been more than enough for this man to have eternal life. So, how did Jesus respond?
This man wrongly thought that he could obtain salvation by doing. Jesus goes along with this man’s wrong assumption, and he points him to the Ten Commandments. The man replies that he’s kept them all from when he was a boy.
But look at how tenderly Jesus treated him! Marks says that Jesus looked at him and loved him!
Jesus told this man he was still missing something. To tell a Jew in that time that perfect commandment-keeping was not enough was radically shocking!
Then he told him to go and sell everything he had and to give it to the poor and to follow him.
Jesus was saying that to inherit salvation, you must put God first, and to trust implicitly in Jesus. Jesus knew that this man was a wealthy man.
But this man wasn’t willing to put God above his wealth and then trust in Jesus to supply his needs.
Jesus wasn’t saying that in order to be saved that you have to sell everything you have and become a homeless beggar.
As with so many of Jesus’ sayings, it’s the principle here that’s important. The principle here is that you cannot let anything stand between you and God if you want to inherit life.
– Eliezer Gonzalez
Eli’s Reflection: Think seriously about this question: If Jesus asked you to, is there anything that you wouldn’t be willing to give up for him?
