Sunday Sermons
What Do I Lack?
What Do I Lack?
“And behold, one came to Him and said, ‘Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?’ And He said to him, ‘Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments’. He said to Him, ‘Which ones?’ And Jesus said, ‘You shall not commit murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother; and You shall love your neighbor as yourself’. The young man said to Him, ‘All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?’” (Matthew 19:16-20)
In his account Mark notes that this young man ran up to Jesus (10:17), and Luke notes that this man was a “certain ruler” (18:18). “The action of this young man in running and kneeling shows that he was deeply anxious to receive an answer to his question” (McGarvey p. 543). In addition, this “ruler” comes to Jesus, unlike Nicodemus (John 3:1), in the broad daylight.
“What good thing shall I do”?
He seemed to think that heaven could be gained by performing one great act, instead of realizing that eternal life is only gained by a life that is completely dedicated to God—and not just at one moment in time. Note that “doing good” is important (James 1:22), but such doing only counts if we are “being” good as well (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). This man appears to have everything from an earthly perspective: the energy and enthusiasm of youth, a loveable personality, wealth, social status, and an exemplary life, yet he feels that he is missing something. He may have been superficially satisfied with life until he heard Jesus teach. He may have grown accustomed to using his wealth to secure and guarantee for himself everything he needed. Perhaps he assumed that eternal life could be gained in a similar fashion, that is, the accomplishment of some great project over which he had control. I am impressed that this young man sensed that he was lacking something, that something wasn’t quite right with his life. It is one thing to come to Christ when one’s life is a mess, but this man came to Christ when he looked as if he had it all together.
Mark notes that this man had addressed Jesus as, “Good teacher” (10:17). Apparently, the young man had used the word “good” twice, “Good teacher what good thing must I do?” Jesus’ method here of dealing with this man is to first call attention to his superficial and careless use of the word “good”. “You throw that word ‘good’ around so loosely, that you need to reexamine your idea of goodness. Do you really care about goodness? If there is none good but God, to apply that term to Me with this understanding is to affirm that I am God—but do you really believe this?” (Fowler p. 839). Jesus reminds this man that he has asked a question that only God can answer. Does he want Jesus to play God for him or does he really believe that Jesus is one with the Father and knows the answer Himself? “Will you trust Him to tell you?” Note that Jesus is not in a hurry to quickly convert someone. He wants to make sure that this young man understands what he is saying and asking.
“Keep the commandments”
Love for God has always been expressed in keeping His commandments (John 14:15; Matthew 7:21-23). “God, who knows the good, had revealed that good in the commandments which He had given. Yet the ruler had asked Jesus to be wise above God’s revelation, and to propound a law or rule of goodness in addition to that already given, and of such a nature as to more fully insure the attainment of life by obeying it. The ruler’s question reveals that common weakness in man, which prompts him to look to his fellow man for religious and moral instruction; forgetting that only God can propound the absolute standards of goodness. We should note that the young man, being under the law given through Moses, was bidden to attain life by keeping the law. After the death of Christ a new law was given”(McGarvey pp. 544-545). Even in the New Covenant, in order gain life, one must keep God’s commandments (Hebrews 5:9; 2 Thessalonians 1:8; James 1:22). “Which ones?” The ruler still sought some prominent commandment or maybe one that overruled all the others, that is, one single commandment on which he could concentrate. Yet Jesus refers him to the last six of the Ten Commandments and then adds “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”, which sums up all the commandments in this section. “It may be that he anticipated some mysterious precept with such an esoteric excellence that it differed radically in kind from the usual sort of thing ordinary people could learn in the Law”(Fowler p. 843). One common danger among mankind is that of not being very impressed with the Bible. This man was not content with the instruction given by God and was looking for something else. How many people continue to try to find spiritual growth outside the Scriptures!
Mark 10:19 “You know the commandments”: That is, God has already given you the answer. Matthew 19:20 “All these things I have kept (from my youth up-Mark 10:20)”: “He had kept these commandments as far as he knew his heart and as far as he understood their import” (McGarvey p. 545). Note that Jesus does not question his obedience; in fact the text says that Jesus “felt a love for him” (10:21). Mark 10:21 “And looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him”: Jesus liked what He saw in this young moral man who was so intent concerning eternal life.
“If you wish to be complete”:
Jesus agrees that he still lacks one essential thing and because of His love for him He tells him what it really is. The word “complete” or “perfect” does not mean sinless, but complete as having reached the goal under consideration. Here it means possessing the one thing that he lacked. Here Jesus is not teaching that one can purchase heaven or that one great act of sacrifice will save a person (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). Rather, Jesus is pointing out the main problem in this man’s life, the one thing that will keep him out of heaven, that is, his love for money, yet note, this is only half of the command. Selling his possessions would be pointless unless he also followed Jesus. This command to sell all was said specifically to this young man. Others followed Jesus, were counted faithful, who continued to have many possessions (Luke 8:1-3). “The Lord aims at breaking his dependence upon his wealth, so he could learn that he could not do without God. So long as he was supplied with this world’s goods, he could buy his way out of trouble without God’s help, and even arrive at the point where he had eliminated all need for the constant, daily provision of the Heavenly Father” (Fowler p. 848). Notice that many would argue that Jesus’ cause could use such wealth, but the command to sell and give to the poor is shocking to a society that believes great things are only accomplished through great means. “Everyone needs to understand that God does not need our wealth and influence, our importance and social position to make His Kingdom function or succeed!” (Fowler p. 849).
“He went away grieved”
This young man did not argue with Jesus. He was not so hardened that he completely spurned Jesus’ teaching, rather he left grieved. McGarvey notes that he “belonged to that class which hold Christ and their wealth in nearly an even balance” (p. 546). The text also reveals how uncompromisingly Jesus held to God’s truth. Even though Jesus loved this man, Jesus allowed the man to walk a way, “the Lord did not modify His demand by a hair’s-breadth to gain an influential disciple” (p. 546). This man is not like the happy farmer or pearl merchant (Matthew 13:44-46), because, although he was faced with the supreme cost and value of the Kingdom, he would not buy. “Grieved”: Not scornful or angry. This indicates that he may have felt the rightness and reasonableness of Jesus’ demand. His grief is the result of his struggle to choose between giving up his purpose to have eternal life and giving up his possessions. “One who owned much property”: Or we might say, “The property owned him”. “He probably had thought himself equal to anything the Master could demand of him, only to find himself dangling helplessly from his own money-tree” (Fowler p. 854).
Personal Application
Do we need to get rid of anything to enter the kingdom? Are there any idols in our lives that we need to remove? What would Jesus say to us today if we asked the same question of Him? I believe this example demonstrates how serious we need to take eternal life. If something is really coming between us and making it to heaven, then the most radical course of action is needed (Matthew 5:29-30).
“It is hard”
The previous example justifies this statement, as does the fact that as Paul noted that most of the influential people of the world tend to reject the gospel (1 Corinthians 1:26). “Through the eye of a needle”: This was a proverbial expression indicating that which is impossible. “They were very astonished”: Jesus’ words are just as astonishing 2000 years later! “The Jews were accustomed to look upon the possession of riches as an evidence of divine favor” (McGarvey p. 547). Even a very moral rich man could not have eternal life because he clung to his riches! Yet, most people today continue to cling to the myth that the influential and wealthy religious man is guaranteed salvation. Jesus is discussing a wealthy man one step away from salvation and not the wealthy of this world that grind the poor under their feet (James 2:6f; 5:1-6). God will accept nothing less than a heart that is 100% committed unto Him. This same truth is found in Matthew 6:24; 33. “Who then can be saved”?
The disciples seemed to assume that wealthy, moral people were blessed by God and thus saved, and if they were not saved, then no one was. Or, if such a good moral young man is lost, then what about all other men? They may have assumed that all people are attracted to wealth and are driven by it, whether rich or poor. Are we addicts of material possessions? In this statement Jesus basically wipes out all our covertly admired heroes of this world. Do we idolize the lifestyles of the rich and famous? “But with God all things are possible”: Jesus answers the pessimistic question presented by the disciples by showing that not everyone will be so selfish. There will be people, even rich people, who are prepared to pay the cost of entering the kingdom, yet this is only possible when people allow the gospel to change them from the inside (Romans 1:16).
Mark Dunagan/Beaverton Church of Christ/503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net/mdunagan@easystreet.com
