Tag Archives: good teacher

LUKE’S GOSPEL…IMPOSSIBLE BUT POSSIBLE – 47

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“A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”…You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’” …“All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said. When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.””

‭‭Luke‬ ‭18‬:‭18‬, ‭20‬-‭24‬, ‭26‬-‭27‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Another story we know so well…but the lesson…have we learned it?

This is not about what we own but what owns us?  

A nameless young man came to Jesus…wealthy, probably from his inheritance…connected, since he seemed to have had a flawless upbringing, probably from his position in society…but deeply dissatisfied and longing for something else, hence his question. If wealth and position were all that mattered to him in life, why didn’t these things satisfy him? 

Substitutes can never take the place of the real thing. God created humans to be connected to Himself by His Spirit in us. 

“Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭1‬:‭26‬-‭27‬ ‭NIV‬‬

How did God do this?

“Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭2‬:‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

 Unlike the rest of creation, which God spoke into being, God  personally fashioned the body of the first human from the elements of the earth and breathed His own life into his nostrils to become a man in the image of God. He had God’s life in him with the capacity for fellowship with God because of their “likeness”. 

Adam chose independence over union and lost the presence of God’s Spirit in him. 

Anything else is a substitute and a very poor one at that. 

This rich man was left to weigh up the odds.  Luxury and pleasure now or eternal life now and forever? No pressure from Jesus…just options and choice. Why options? Couldn’t he have both? His problem was that his wealth fully occupied his heart. There was no room for ”both and”.  His choice exposed what really mattered most to him. . 

Unlike Zacchaeus, the wealthy tax collector who chose Jesus and voluntarily disposed of his “dirty” money without pressure, this man chose his money and walked away from Jesus poorer, emptier, and condemned to an eternity on the rubbish dump of wasted potential. 

No wonder the rich man was sad…it was just too much to give up and, despite his empty heart, he clung to his gold and forfeited his opportunity to walk into eternity with Jesus.  He couldn’t have both. 

Society, culture, and even their religious upbringing had taught the Jewish people that wealth equalled God’s blessing. Now Jesus smashed that notion. 

“Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭18‬:‭24‬-‭25‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Well, if that is true, what hope do we have?” they thought!

However, Jesus assured His the onlookers that, even in an impossible situation like this one, God can do the impossible. He can turn slaves to money into lovers of God and teach them to use money as a servant, not a master. 

“Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭18‬:‭27‬ ‭NIV‬‬

To Timothy, Paul instructed…

“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”

‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭6‬:‭17‬-‭19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Money and possessions can never fill the void in the human heart. This place  is reserved for Jesus alone. He is the living bread and water for the hungry soul. 

To be continued…

THE GOSPEL OF MARK – HE KEPT EVERYTHING BUT LOST EVERYTHING

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HE KEPT EVERYTHING BUT LOST EVERYTHING

17 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?”
18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 19 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.’”
20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”
21 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.”
22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. Mark 10:17-22

As we ponder the vast, unbounded and limitless love of God, a little phrase pops up in this story, “Jesus looked at him and loved him.” What was there in that glance of Jesus that released a river of love for this man? What was this love that rose up in the heart of Jesus? What did the disciples see that released this comment in the inspired Scriptures? Was it a tear that rolled unheeded down Jesus’ cheek? Was it the tender tone in His voice? Was it an arm extended to embrace him? Was it the words Jesus spoke that would set him free from his burden of possessions had he the courage to let them go?

The words that Jesus spoke may have seemed hard and cruel to this wealthy man. Give it all away! How could he do that? How could he voluntarily reduce himself to poverty by giving away everything he had worked so hard to accumulate? How could he deprive his descendants of their inheritance? It was too much to ask of him. He weighed up his desire to be assured of eternal life with the ease and comfort of his present life and chose what he had over what he longed to have. He could not have both.

How amazing is the love of God! He honoured and respected His gift of free will. The man had made his choice and Jesus loved him enough to let him go. His love bound Him to honour his freedom without trying to persuade him or coerce him. In this He showed him that He longs to be loved for no other reward than to have the honour of loving Him.

What did this main gain by his choice and what did he lose? He gained the whole world, everything that money and possessions represent in this present scheme of things; comfort, ease, position, luxury, pleasure, self-indulgence, friends – but he lost his own soul. What he had inside was fear, guilt, shame, insecurity, emptiness and restlessness that would never leave him, day or night. His thirst remained unquenched. He was alone – an orphan, never knowing a Father’s love or the joy of a place in God’s forever family. Was it worth it?

THE GOSPEL OF MARK – A POOR CHOICE, INDEED

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A POOR CHOICE, INDEED 

17 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?”
18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 19 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.’”
20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”
21 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.”
22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. Mark 10:17-22

This incident illustrates the power that stuff, whatever it is – money, things, gifts, talents, abilities, skills, people, habits, and pleasure – exerts on a person and blocks the potential to have fellowship with Jesus. A wealthy young man came to Jesus with an expression of spiritual hunger. He desired the assurance of eternal life. He had obviously seen something in Jesus that drew a response from his own heart. He yearned for a share in the dimension of living that Jesus exhibited.

Jesus firstly challenged his address – good teacher. Did the man recognise His deity or was he only trying to flatter Him? To call Jesus “good” was to attribute to Him deity and all the power and authority that go with deity. What Jesus said in response to the man’s query would alert him to the very nature of the one he was addressing. Fid he realise that he was acknowledging Jesus to be God? God? . To the man, Jesus’ response would eventually be much more than an answer to his question. This would turn out to be a defining moment for him; a choice to make that would determine the direction of his destiny.

His restless soul bore witness to the inadequacy of his own righteousness, and the focus of his life and confidence.– stuff. Keeping the commandments from childhood brought him no nearer to real living. He had too many chains that hindered true freedom. There was something he had missed but he could not identify it. He thought that it was something he had not yet done.

In one sentence, Jesus put his finger on the problem. His treasure was in his heart. As long as his stuff was his master, he was owned by a life-principle that rules in the world system – the yetzer harah, the evil eye of selfishness and greed. . No-one can serve two masters. Unless he chose to repudiate the master that controlled him, he would be a slave to money until he died. His slave-driver won the battle that day. He chose to remain a slave to his possessions rather than let them go for a Master who would give him true freedom. He could not visualise a life linked to a Source far more secure than his money and possessions.

Millions in today’s world are in love with the same master. Better to trust your bank account than a God you cannot see. Really…?

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

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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.