WHAT MUST I DO?
Mark 10:7-31
Not everything in life can be accepted at face value. Sometimes we are fooled. For example, one of the best-known sites in New York City is named Trump Tower.
Trump Tower is named, of course, after successful realtor and self-promoter extraordinaire, Donald Trump.
Located in mid-Manhattan this spectacular building is 68 stories tall, according to most reference sources. At least that's what the books say. And, in fact, there is a button for the 68th floor in the elevator.
Pushing that button takes you to an actual floor whose apartment numbers begin with 68. Yet Trump Tower doesn’t have 68 stories; it actually has only 58 stories.
William Poundstone, in his book Biggest Secrets, (1993) points out that prices of condos rise in proportion to height. Therefore, he suspects, someone in the Trump organization fudged by having the top floors of Trump Tower designated 66 through 68 on the elevator.
As a result, many buildings in Manhattan are actually taller than Trump Tower, but many of these have fewer stories than Trump Tower supposedly does.
The General Motors building, for example, located a few blocks up Fifth Avenue is 705 feet high (vs. 664 for Trump Tower), but it has only 50 stories. Sometimes, things are not exactly as they seem.
A wealthy young man came to see Jesus one day. My guess is he was quite nice looking.
And he was a devout young man--a credit to his family in every way.
He had that grand aggressiveness that accompanies youth, but also that intense sincerity that marks the young and makes them doubly attractive.
Mark tells us that this young man came running up to Jesus and knelt before him. I'm sure that made an impression on those watching.
An itinerant preacher is proclaiming the Word outdoors and a young man from the upper classes comes running to him and kneels before him.
Quite a sight. And the young man asks Jesus a question,
"Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Wow! Who would not be impressed? Well, Jesus, for one. Jesus was not impressed.
For one thing this young man tried to flatter the wrong person. This wealthy young man asks,
"Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
And Jesus stops him in his tracks,
"Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone."
My friends beware if somebody spreads the compliments too thickly. They usually want something from you.
It's like the teacher who asked young Sammy to give her a sentence with an object – they were discussing nouns, pronouns, verbs, and objects.
"You are very pretty," was Sammy's reply.
"What's the object?" asked the teacher.
Sammy replied, "Getting an 'A' in English!" Beware of people who give idle compliments.
This young man tried to flatter the wrong person.
In the gospel story this young man asked the wrong question.
"What must I do?"
This young man would make a good American.
Perhaps the primary error of Western religion to think that somehow we can buy off God with a particular set of actions.
God loves you just as you are. This young man tried to flatter the wrong person and he asked the wrong question.
And yet, says the writer of Mark, "Jesus loved him."
Jesus prefers someone who is still groping for answers than someone who is so self-satisfied that he or she no longer even bothers to ask – what must I do?
He was a young man with great potential and Jesus loved him.
There was just one insurmountable problem--his life had the wrong focus – money.
You know how the story ends. Jesus says to him,
"You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven;
Then come, follow me."
This is the only time Jesus makes this particular demand of anyone. It is obvious that Jesus was looking directly into this young man's heart. This young man was a person of obvious sincerity and character.
He had everything going for him, but Jesus knew that his privileged upbringing could stand in the way of his discipleship.
And it's hard to have lots of money and have utter and complete trust in God. I won’t ask you to raise your hand if you are worried about the future.
Lots of people are.
It’s a scary world out there.
Still, there are people who go to bed each night with a peaceful soul. And they are not corporate chieftains with golden parachutes.
They are ordinary people who have an extraordinary faith in God.
The wealthy young man turned away. He could not fulfill this one request from our Lord. It’s ironic, isn’t it? He couldn’t afford it because he was too wealthy.
What is it that is keeping you outside the kingdom?
The message for this Sunday is:
I pray that you will surrender whatever is keeping you from experiencing all that Christ has to offer.
It might be greed, and unjust debt, bearing a grudge, the need to forgive someone
It could a bad habit – telling lies, swearing, and/or gossiping, etc.
Christ wants to add to your life--not take from it. Jesus wants to free you, not imprison you.
Step into the new life of his kingdom today.
You and I have been launched into a new year.
How will we navigate the obstacles, the disappointments, the trials we are sure to face this year without getting lost.
The answer is found in these words from the beautiful prologue to John’s Gospel:
“In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.
“All things came into being because of Him, and through Him, and without Him not one things came into being.
“What has come into being in Him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
“The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
“He was in the world, and the world came into being through Him; yet the world did not know Him.
“He came to what was His own, and His own people did not accept Him.
“But to all who received Him, who believed in His name, He gave power to become Children of God.”
“Power to become Children of God.”
Here is the key to having a great New Year – it is to recognize what it means to be Children of God.
The Moslem child in Iraq, the Hindu child in Bombay, the Buddhist child in TaiPei – all are Children of God.
Nothing will ever separate us from God’s love.
In terms of access to God’s love, all people are Children of God.
This is important for us to understand, for there are some people today – who are teaching that only Christians are Children of God.
And this is plainly not the heart of Jesus.