Jesus Asked: What Would You Choose Over Me?
Daily Scripture
Mark 10:17-31
17 As Jesus continued down the road, a man ran up, knelt before him, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to obtain eternal life?”
18 Jesus replied, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except the one God. 19 You know the commandments: Don’t commit murder. Don’t commit adultery. Don’t steal. Don’t give false testimony. Don’t cheat. Honor your father and mother” [Exodus 20:12-16; Deuteronomy 5:16-20].
20 “Teacher,” he responded, “I’ve kept all of these things since I was a boy.”
21 Jesus looked at him carefully and loved him. He said, “You are lacking one thing. Go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor. Then you will have treasure in heaven. And come, follow me.” 22 But the man was dismayed at this statement and went away saddened, because he had many possessions.
23 Looking around, Jesus said to his disciples, “It will be very hard for the wealthy to enter God’s kingdom!” 24 His words startled the disciples, so Jesus told them again, “Children, it’s difficult to enter God’s kingdom! 25 It’s easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter God’s kingdom.”
26 They were shocked even more and said to each other, “Then who can be saved?”
27 Jesus looked at them carefully and said, “It’s impossible with human beings, but not with God. All things are possible for God.”
28 Peter said to him, “Look, we’ve left everything and followed you.”
29 Jesus said, “I assure you that anyone who has left house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, or farms because of me and because of the good news 30 will receive one hundred times as much now in this life—houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and farms (with harassment)—and in the coming age, eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last. And many who are last will be first.”
Daily Reflection & Prayer
A devout young man ran up to Jesus and asked what he needed to do to obtain eternal life. Jesus ‘looked at him carefully and loved him.’ Because he loved him, Jesus identified the man’s obsession with wealth as his main spiritual obstacle. Unwilling to reset his priorities, the man walked away sad. Apparently, he didn’t want eternal life quite that much.
- Jesus’ words in verse 21 were personal for that young man, not a universal command for all Christians. God didn’t tell every affluent person in the Bible to sell everything. Abraham, Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10), and Lydia the cloth merchant (Acts 16:11-15) all remained wealthy while following God. What heart issue do you think Jesus identified in this particular young man? What obstacle kept him from joining Jesus’ mission?
- So if Jesus’ words weren’t meant for everyone, why does this story matter to us? Because the young man’s choice forces us to ask: “What would I refuse to give up, even for Jesus?” He walked away from heaven’s treasure. If Jesus asked you to surrender not everything, but perhaps your most cherished possession, what would you say?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you offer me heaven’s riches. Give me a heart that can accurately assess the treasure of your kingdom, valuing it properly against any other claims. Amen.
GPS Insights
Lauren Cook
Lauren Cook, who serves as Director of Online Engagement & Entry Points at Resurrection, wrote today’s Insight. She is a self-proclaimed foodie, a bookworm, and is always planning her next trip. She has the sweetest (and sassiest) daughter, Carolina Rae, a rockstar husband, Austin, and a cutie pup named Thunder. She loves connecting with others so let her know the best place you've ever eaten, best book you've ever read, or best place you've ever been!
When I was in college, we got some test results that my kidney’s weren’t functioning properly. In order to fully understand what was going on in my body, I had to go through various body scans. Those big, bulky white machines that glided up and down were peering underneath my very skin to create images of what was underneath so that my doctors could best assess the problem.
This is how I imagine Jesus in this story. When Jesus looked so carefully at the man, he wasn’t simply gazing upon his person. Jesus was peering underneath his very skin and creating images of what was underneath to answer the man’s question of how to obtain eternal life, to assess the problem.
The things that separate us from God are different for each of us. For some of us, it might be wealth, like this man. It also might be power, envy, influence, pride, fear, or anger. It might be idolizing a person in our lives, hating ourselves, leaning on harmful things, something that may seem big or may seem really, really small. The hard thing? A lot of things aren’t bad in the right dosage, but when these things become an obsession and are prioritized over God… they begin to cause a malfunction in our hearts not dissimilar to a malfunction in other organs, like my kidneys.
Jesus knows us so intimately that he can easily find and assess our “thing.” He knows well the thing that separates us. Yet, he isn’t judgmental or quick to admonish. He simply shines a light on the malfunction and gives us the antidote. He isn’t asking us to tackle everything, give up everything or even hate all worldly things. He is helping us to re-order our lives so that God is at the top and the other things fall below. He is guiding us to the life that is truly life. He is gently taking our hand and reminding us how intentionally we were created for life with him and all the beauty in ourselves that can help us find the strength to heal.
Friends, you know your “thing.” You know what is separating you from God. What I hope you don’t forget is that God knows these things and loves you relentlessly.
“You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, the days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day” (Psalm 139: 14-16, The Message).
God doesn’t need those big, bulky white machines. He already knows. When He made you, He didn’t make mistakes. Instead of allowing your “thing” to separate you from God, what if you simply brought it to Him and allowed Him to help you re-order so that you might find life and find it abundantly?
