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 10:21)
In our verse today, we see our Lord’s response to a wealthy young man who ran up to Jesus and asked how to receive eternal life. Even though “he had it all,” as we would say today, this young man knew, deep down, that he still was missing something. There was a God-sized hole in his heart that money and possessions could not fill. With all the good things this man had in life, he was hoping to add one more thing: eternal life.
Before we move ahead, I want to be sure that we’re all crystal clear on the truth that selling all our earthly possessions is not a requirement for eternal life. You see, it was not what this wealthy young man possessed that kept him out of heaven, it was what possessed him. His possessions possessed him and had him bound up in the temporal and the earthly, rather than the eternal and heavenly. The young man’s possessions were blocking the door to heaven and a right relationship with Jesus. For others, it could be pride or power or prestige or pleasure.
Jesus knew the young man’s barrier and gave him the solution. But, as we read in Mark’s gospel account, after Jesus had told him exactly what he needed to do to receive eternal life, the young man “went away sad, because he had great wealth” (Mark 10:22).
Truly, this is a sad story. This man refused to give up his earthly wealth to gain treasure in heaven. And I’d like to add something here about him going away sad: He wasn’t sad because he had great wealth; he was sad because he was walking away from Jesus! Deep down in his heart, he knew that what he had come looking for was standing right in front of him, inviting him into a life of meaning, significance, and purpose — a life that would never end — but he refused to let go of the here and now in order to take hold of the there and then.
We do indeed have a Cosmic Cardiologist who knows the condition of our hearts and knows exactly what we need to grab hold of and what we need to release. The question is, Do we know what we need to pursue and what we need to turn away from? And are we willing to make the necessary changes now? I plead with you, as an ambassador of Christ, do not delay! Be reconciled to God through faith in Jesus Christ.
Until we put God first in our lives, we will always fell that nagging inner ache the rich man had, because nothing can fill up the space in our hearts that only Jesus can fill. “Come,” He says to you now, “follow Me.”
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 