Tag Archives: commandments

MARK’S GOSPEL…DO OR DONE? – 24

September 15, 2025Bible Studycommandments, eternal life, Kept from my youthLuella Campbell

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?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’” “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” 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 ‭10‬:‭17‬-‭22‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Another great “Sunday School” story, one that some of us learned when we were knee high to a grasshopper!

…but what is the heart of this story?

A young man, possibly a Pharisee, thoroughly comfortable with his religion and his money, yet restless inside, came to Jesus. Something was missing. Perhaps, while he was watching, listening, puzzling…Jesus had made a deep impression on him.

What was it about Jesus that held him spellbound? Jesus had an aura of peace, of security, of authority, of not being caught up in the stresses of life but living above them in another “realm”, that fascinated him. Jesus seemed to be in a space which didn’t depend on circumstances for the serenity that seemed to encase Him.

Jesus portrayed something he wanted…together with his wealth and comfort, that would make his life perfect. Perhaps there was something he could do that would transport him into the same realm in which Jesus lived.

When Jesus questioned him about his religious life, he was confident of his performance. Nothing lacking in his strict adherence to the rules, so he thought. He was obviously raised in a strictly orthodox family. He was a stickler for rules. He would have to look elsewhere for the cause of his emptiness inside. Perhaps there was one elusive “thing” he had not yet “done” to fill that hole.

Jesus smartly diagnosed the heart of his problem. He put His finger squarely on one big obstacle. In the place where Jesus should have been Lord, owning, filling, and directing his life including his bank account, was his wealth and possessions. Instead, his claim to obedience to the law was exposed, a lie! The greatest commandment of all, to love God with all his heart, mind, soul, and strength, lay in tatters.

All this man’s “doing” had no heart. It’s no wonder he felt empty and dissatisfied. He, like so many of his own countrymen, was drinking at the wrong fountain. He was trying to quench his thirst for authentic life, for that connection with God that gave life its true meaning and purpose, through earthly substitutes.

What was the solution? For him it was not “let Jesus have control of your money”! Jesus knew that his love of money and possessions would always clash with loyalty to Him. The principle is clear…

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This young man already had a master. The only functional solution was “get rid of your money…your master…and put your trust in me!”

He could not “have his cake and eat it”. There was no such thing as wealth plus Jesus. Hs wealth was not an addition…it was an obstacle.

The only solution to this man’s issue was to dump forever his notion that doing something was the answer and keep his money in place. The real issue was about “who or what is your master?”

For us, as for him, there is nothing we can add to everything we have and everything we have already tried to do to earn God’s acceptance. One more “doing”, however noble it might seem to be, only compounds our guilt before God.

The only solution is to cut ties with money, possessions, people, ideologies, beliefs, practices, habits…whatever or whoever is master! There can only be one master…

“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭9‬

Lord! Supreme authority!

This is the only solution to our empty hearts and restless souls, to cut loose, once and for all, from confidence in all our stuff and the notion that we can “do” something to inherit eternal life. Everything that needed “doing” has been done to save us from our self-destroying lives, including our past, present, and future.

Here’s the solution…

“For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭2‬:‭19‬-‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Did the rich young man mean what he said? Did he really want eternal life?

“At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭10‬:‭22‬ ‭NIV‬‬

So, he chose to drink the polluted water of wealth and possessions to the end of his days at the expense of eternal life! He continued to “do” what Jesus had already “done” for him.

MOLLY AND ME – LOVE

July 3, 2024Christian Lifecommandments, do you love me, First loved usLuella Campbell

I haven’t written a “Molly and me” episode for a while.

There is something very special about this human/dog relationship. We struggle to understand one another because we are of different species, but real love is the glue that binds us together.

Molly shows her love (in her doggy way) mostly by her body language. She does verbalise her delight, with little sqeaks and squeals when I return home from an outing or when we visit her doggy friends. Before the car stops, she explodes with excited barking because she knows where we are.

However, her body language is reserved for me and for those she loves the most. She adores my son and daughter (in law) and refuses to rest until her love is acknowledged and returned with profuse cuddles and kisses.

What prompts this response of very obvious gestures of affection, loyalty, and pleasure when we are together? I don’t understand dog psychology, but it’s real, it’s there, and it works!

John wrote, in his first letter, his profound insight into the way this works in our fellowship with God.

‭1 John 4:19 NIV‬
[19] “We love because he first loved us.”

When I think about it, I believe it’s true of dogs. We show our love by caring for them, providing for them, taking them for ‘walkies’, bathing and grooming them, giving them treats, looking after their health, spoiling them, and all the bits and pieces that go with pet care. They return our love by their companionship with their faithfulness and loyalty. Molly often lies in her bed and gazes at me through her soft brown eyes! I can feel the adoration in her look.

How good God is to us! I could tell you endless stories of His goodness, provision, intervention, miracles and…and…and. What He asks of us in return is to love Him by our obedience to His Word and loyalty to Him above all else.

‭John 14:21 NLT‬
[21] “Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”

When Peter fell so badly, Jesus didn’t reprimand him, or put him on probation. He asked him one simple question.

‭John 21:15 NIV‬
[15] “When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”…

Loving Jesus is the energy that drives our trust, submission, and obedience. In fact, so important is it that we love Jesus that Paul made a shocking statement.

‭1 Corinthians 16:22 NIV‬
[22] “If anyone does not love the Lord, let that person be cursed! Come, Lord!”

What did he mean? I don’t think that he was putting a curse on or calling a curse down on anyone. I think he was stating a fact. If a person does not Iove Jesus, he is already under a curse.

When we dwell on God’s love for us with all its implications and ramifications, we cannot do anything better than to love Him in return, aided by the Holy Spirit, who helps us to love Him fervently.

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE – WHAT STANDS BETWEEN ME AND HIM?

March 1, 2020Bible Studycommandments, eternal life, good teacherLuella Campbell

WHAT STANDS BETWEEN ME AND HIM?

“One day one of the local officials asked Him, ‘Good teacher, what must I do to deserve eternal life?’

“Jesus said, ‘Why are you calling me good? No one is good – only God. You know the commandments, don’t you? No illicit sex, no killing, no stealing, no lying, honour your father and mother.’

“He said, ‘I’ve kept them all for as long as I can remember.’

“When Jesus heard that, He said, ‘Then there’s only one thing left to do: sell everything you own and give it away to the poor. You will have riches in heaven. Then come, follow me.’

“This was the last thing the official expected to hear. He was very rich and became terribly sad. He was holding on tight to a lot of things and not about to let them go.” Luke 18:18-23.

Yet another familiar story, so well-known, in fact, that we might easily miss the impact of it!

Firstly, this story shows us how uniquely and individually Jesus applied the good news of the kingdom to people. He neither told this man, ‘You must be born again,’ as He did to Nicodemus, nor did He say, ‘I must come to your house today,’ as He said to Zaccheus. This man had his own issue and Jesus dealt with it with penetrating insight. He had no ‘salvation formula’ which He applied mindlessly to everyone. The issue was: What was coming between this man and Him that prevented him from entering into an intimate relationship with Him?

Secondly, the man’s question reveals his misunderstanding of God and of what he called ‘eternal life’. His concept pivots on the words ‘deserve’ (The Message) or ‘inherit’ (NIV). He was approaching his eternal destiny from the point of view that he had to ‘do’ just one thing to win God’s approval, and then eternal life would be guaranteed him. He did not understand that God does not grant eternal life on merit, and that eternal life is a journey, not a reward.

Thirdly, he did not understand that eternal life is a commitment to follow Jesus, learn from Him, imitate Him and become joined to His Spirit who comes to take up residence inside and to represent Him on the journey to becoming like Him. This is a journey towards wholeness, breaking with the beliefs and practices which bring destruction to a person’s body and soul, and becoming increasingly like the Master in thought and action.

It may or may not begin with a decisive moment. Sometimes there is an imperceptible transition from independence to dependence, from being my own boss and setting up my own standards to handing over the reins to Jesus and coming under His authority.

Fourthly, he did not understand that there is a difference between living a morally upright life, which is a requirement, but not a qualification, for eternal life, and giving Jesus the right to rule in his life. Zaccheus qualified, not because he kept the commandments (which he didn’t) but because he dumped everything that stood between him and following Jesus.

With surgical precision, Jesus cut through all his misconceptions and got to the heart of his problem – he worshipped an idol – his wealth. Zaccheus dumped his idol; this man refused and, at that moment, made his decision to continue his journey to the rubbish dump of a worthless life and wasted potential. He could have become a true worshipper and experienced the start of a journey that would take him to the Father forever, had he only realised that wealth and possessions cease at death.

This is the heart of every person’s choice – what stands between me and Him? No one can serve two masters and Jesus plays second fiddle to no one.

Jesus Did Not Say That We Must Give Our Money And Possessions Away

October 12, 2015Apologeticscommandments, eternal life, follow, give, rich manLuella Campbell

JESUS DID NOT SAY THAT WE MUST GIVE OUR MONEY AND POSSESSIONS AWAY

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?’ ‘Why do you call me good?’ Jesus answered. ‘No one is good – except God alone. You know the commandments: You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honour you father and mother.’ ‘Teacher,’ he declared, ‘all these I have kept since I was a boy.’

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: 17-22)

Well, didn’t Jesus tell this young man to give everything away? Sure he did, but Jesus was addressing a specific individual in a specific situation, not telling everyone who follows Him to get rid of their money.

We have no idea who this young man was and how he came to acquire his wealth. He could possibly have been his father’s eldest son who had inherited a double portions of his father’s wealth as the firstborn in the family. There is no evidence that he was a tax collector who had acquired his money through dishonest means. He was quick to tell Jesus that he had not defrauded anyone. He seems to have been an honest and upright young Jew who did all the right things.

In spite of his law-abiding life, he still felt that there was something missing. What did he recognise in Jesus that brought him to Him and not to his own religious teachers? Perhaps he recognised that they were no further than he in their religious lives and practices. Perhaps he even saw through their phoney “holiness” and knew that they had nothing to offer him. How long had he observed Jesus and seen in Him a quality that he longed to have in his own life – a humility and genuineness that showed up the “holy” ones for what they were.

Whatever his reasons for seeking Jesus out, he presented a golden opportunity for Jesus to explain the “gospel” to him. Why did Jesus begin with the Ten Commandments? Is this a model for evangelism? Get people to admit that they have broken the commandments and are going to hell? Jesus did not even mention hell, or contradict the young man when he declared that he had observed the commandments from his childhood. What was His intention? Was it to find out where this man stood in his understanding and attitude towards God?

From his response it was obvious that this man was a devout Jew. He did all the right things, even fasting, praying and doing his tsidaqahs, his acts of righteousness which were his duty – his first-fruits offering, and his tithes to the temple, and giving to the poor. He did everything by the book. What did he lack? He must have had an emptiness somewhere in his heart, a sense of unfulfilment that niggled at him, and became more urgent when he was near Jesus.

He desperately wanted the assurance that he would “go to heaven when he died”. Is that the conviction that he lacked? Perhaps he thought that one good deed, one thing above everything else he could do would do it so that he would never have to worry about it again.

Do, do, do! That was what hammered in his brain. All he wanted was to do something special to have his future secured.

What was his understanding about eternal life? Was he aware that eternal life is not something you “get” when you die; that is it a quality of life that begins now when you embrace God’s instructions for living in the kingdom of God?

Why did Jesus love him? Was Luke saying that Jesus did not love everyone else? I don’t think so. I think Jesus saw the potential in him and longed to see him fully involved in God’s kingdom. He also saw something else in this man; a huge barrier to his becoming a genuine citizen of God’s kingdom – his wealth. In one quick instruction, Jesus uncovered his heart. “Give it all away,” He said, “and come, follow me.”

There is an important principle in Jesus’ words. It’s not necessarily about money. It’s about who or what we love more than Him. He said that whatever stands between us and Him must go or we cannot be His disciples. Why is it so imperative that we follow Him without any baggage? He came to show us the Father and to take us to the Father. We can only ever experience eternal life when we are reunited with and completely one with the Father.

Jesus said that a branch has no life outside the vine. There is no life in us when we are disconnected from Him because He and the Father are one, and to be one with Him is to be one with the Father. Jesus is the way, the only way and, apart from Him we have no life.

No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. (Matt. 6: 24)

The bottom line is; who do you love? You will serve the one you love. This rich man obviously loved his money too much to let it go. He chose to forfeit life in union with Jesus and to become whole again and one with the Father because money held his heart.

What holds yours?

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Debate Closed

August 15, 2015Bible Studycommandments, love the Lord, most important, neighbourLuella Campbell

DEBATE CLOSED

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked Him, ‘Of all the commandments, which is the most important?’ ‘The most important one,’ answered Jesus, ‘is this: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your mind and with all your strength.” The second is this: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” There is no commandment greater than these.’

‘Well said, teacher,’ the man replied. ‘You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but Him. To love Him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices’.

When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, He said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ And from then on no one dared ask Him any more questions (Mark 12: 28-34).

One more question! Yet another teacher of the law had to have the last word. In spite of the accuracy of his question and his answer, something just does not ring true. O, he didn’t come with flattering words like the Pharisees and Herodians who tried to push Jesus into a corner with their question about paying taxes to Caesar. Nevertheless, his was also a trick question, judging by his response. He was not looking for an answer because he already knew the answer. He was testing Jesus and, at the same time, there was a subtle dig in his response.

The debate had raged around authority. Jesus said and did things that cut across the traditions of the sages. He did things on the Sabbath that enraged the religious leaders, like healing people, and instructing them to do what was “unlawful” to do on the Sabbath according to their laws – to carry a sleeping mat, for example. He defended His disciples for picking and cleaning grain on the Sabbath, which they said was “work”. He declared Himself to be Lord of the Sabbath.

When they demanded to know the source of His authority, He angered them even more by claiming to have received it directly from God. This man was incorrigible! He could not have been serious, but they could not ignore or deny the miracles which He said were proof that His authority came from God.

Then yet another teacher of the law came along and pushed Jesus just a little bit further. Did you notice how he laboured the point that God is one? “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but Him.” Jesus had quoted the Shema, a kind of “creed” that every Jewish baby heard from birth at his mother’s breast.

The Shema, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” was repeated by every Jew at least three times a day. But what did they understand by this declaration? Many false religions reject the truth that the God of the Bible is the only true God because of this very question – “How can God be one when the Bible claims that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are also God.” God cannot be three and one at the same time

The Hebrew word for one – echad – does not imply “one” as a single unit, but “one” as in unity. When a group of people function together in harmony, they are said to be “one”, as a football team, for example, that has one purpose, to win. All the team members work together to accomplish that goal. The covering of the tabernacle, for example, was constructed of strips of material fastened together with clasps to make it echad – one.

This Jewish boffin was accusing Jesus, in a veiled way, of blasphemy but Jesus ignored his dig. Instead He commended him – but notice, He did not say that he was in the kingdom. He said that he was not far from the kingdom. The man was right in his head but not right in his heart. He knew the right answer but he did not recognise in Jesus the true representative of the Father, nor accept Him as the Father’s Son.

In an earlier debate with the religious leaders, Jesus had made it clear to them:

Whoever does not honour the Son does not honour the Father who sent Him (John 5: 23) and . . .

I and the Father are one (John 10:30).

How much clearer could He make it? To love Jesus was to love the Father; to honour Jesus was to honour the Father. To reject Jesus was to reject the Father, and as long as anyone kept questioning Him and debating His claim and the witness of His words and works, they were still outside the kingdom of God.