The Lutheran Hour
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"Jesus Loved Him, But…"
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Text: Mark 10:21-22
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Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed! By His perfect life, Jesus defeated sin and Satan. With His miraculous third-day resurrection from the grave, eternal death is destroyed. Now, by the Holy Spirit’s power may we set aside anything which separates us from the grace of God which is freely given through His sacrifice. God grant such grace to us all. Amen.
It is estimated that there are almost 7 billion people in the world. Of those almost 7 billion people, it has been guestimated that there are more than 1.2 billion fathers. That being said, I have to admit that I, in my lifetime, in all my wanderings, have personally met only a very small percentage of those fathers – certainly, no more than half-a-billion of them. Since my acquaintanceship is so limited, I am compelled to confess, right at the outset, there is a distinct possibility, that somewhere there may be an exception to the rule which I am about to share. “And what rule might that be?” I hear you ask. “A simple one,” I reply. The rule is this: “No man has ever been born who is good enough to marry a father’s daughter.” Did you get that? Let me say it again: no man is good enough to marry a father’s daughter.
You fathers, let me ask you, “Am I not right?” When you take a look at your precious little girl, does your heart not melt? She is so cute, so valued, so kind, so gentle, so wonderful, so able to wrap you around her little finger. You know she’s doing it… but it doesn’t make any difference. Obviously, she thinks the sun rises and sets on you… at least that’s the way she acts… when she’s with you. She’s so innocent and all those boys, well… It’s not important to go into detail as to what those boys are. You may be old, but you’re not so old that you’ve forgotten how the minds of boys work. Little wonder you’re so protective and willing to do everything necessary to keep your little girl safe from those who are unworthy of her.
Of course, every rule has its exceptions and this rule is no different. As proof of that, I place before you the fellow whose story is told in the tenth chapter of the Bible’s book of Mark. Scripture doesn’t identify him by name, but what it does tell us about this fellow is pretty impressive. His credentials are almost enough for a father to look seriously at him as a friend, maybe even a close friend, for his daughter. Please, let me tell you a little more about this fellow. The story beings with Jesus having answered some questions thrown at Him by His chief critics, the Pharisees. It continues with the Savior blessing some children who were brought to Him by their mothers. Then, with His work seemingly finished, Jesus started to leave. He hadn’t gone but a short distance before He was stopped by a young man who came running up and dropped to his knees in front of the Savior. From his position of humility, the man asked a question which was on his heart. He wondered, “Good Master, What must I do to inherit eternal life?”
As I said, we don’t know this fellow’s name, but we can, with the information supplied here, and in other places, discover some remarkable character traits in this fellow. First, Scripture tells us this man was a “ruler.” We don’t know what he was a ruler of, but he was respected enough for his contemporaries to place him in a position of local or national authority. Second, that this ruler came to Jesus rather than demanding Jesus appear before him is a good indication he was humble. Third, the man’s running to Jesus says he didn’t like to miss an opportunity. It’s obvious, this fellow was a go-getter. If that particular day would provide his only opportunity to talk to the Lord, he wasn’t going to let the occasion slip through his fingers. Fourth, the man’s kneeling at Jesus’ feet tells us he respects the Christ. Respect, honoring your superiors; that’s a pretty rare commodity in any generation.
But we’re not done yet. Let’s not forget about the question the man asked. Although many young men might want to know, “Will the Cubs win the pennant this year?” or “What service station is offering the best prices on beer?” or “What is the best way for my chariot to get more miles-per-gallon-of-oats?”, this fellow wanted to know what had to be done if he was going to receive eternal life. By asking that question he showed he was concerned about events eternal, matters spiritual, and things theological. He wasn’t preoccupied with the transitory; he wanted answers to the big questions of life. As I said, he is a pretty impressive fellow. Almost, almost worthy of being your daughter’s friend.
The Savior responded to this man’s question with a subtle: ‘Young man, why do you call me “good”? You do know there is only One Person who is really, completely, totally “good” and that’s God.’ That was Jesus’ way of establishing His credentials, of making the claim that He and the Father are One. (cf. John 10:30) Then, without breaking stride or waiting for the young man to make a comment to the claim He had just shared, Jesus continued: “(My young friend, you ask how you can inherit eternal life. You already know what the Bible says). You’re fully aware of all the commandments God handed down to Moses. You know how the Lord expects His people not to murder, or commit adultery, or steal, or bear false witness, or defraud. You learned that a man of God ought to honor his father and his mother.” Those in The Lutheran Hour listenership realize that Jesus had only listed those commandments that deal with our relationship to each other. Jesus had omitted, deliberately omitted, those rules that said how we were to act toward God.
Even if Jesus had not enunciated all the Commandments, honesty compels us to say, if He had given that partial list to me — or you — we’d end up hanging our heads in shame. Every day we break all those Commandments and most of the time we break them a lot. But that wasn’t the reaction our young ruler had to Jesus’ words. When confronted by the Christ’s Divine directory of duties, he didn’t blink; he didn’t flinch. On the contrary, you can almost see him running through a mental check list. “Adultery, nope, never did that. Haven’t murdered anybody; haven’t stolen anything.” Then, when he was done, without a smile or any indication he was anything but serious, the ruler replied, “Yeah, OK. I’ve not committed those sins; I’ve kept the law. I’ve kept the law since I was a little lad.”
The young man was earnest. And, on one level, he was probably accurate. In all probability, he hadn’t taken anyone’s life. Yes, he may have lusted, at least a little, but he hadn’t actually committed the physical act of adultery. He might have envied something someone else owned, but he hadn’t stolen that person’s prized possession. His personal inventory had shown him that he had, indeed, kept the letter of God’s laws. The fact that he, like the rest of us, had failed to keep the spirit of those laws, was not something Jesus brought up at that point. If Jesus had chosen to do so, the young ruler, like the Psalmist, like all of humanity, would have been forced to confess: “If You, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?”
For reasons of His own, Jesus decided not to point out the young ruler’s shortcomings. Instead, having heard this man’s exceedingly sincere, albeit incredibly incorrect statement, the Savior took a good look at the young man and… loved him. Jesus loved this fellow because, unlike so many others back then or today, he really was concerned about the kingdom of heaven. Jesus loved this young man because He could see, unlike so many others back then, or today, this fellow really had spent his entire life conscientiously trying to please God and do what was right. Maybe that was why he had, at a young age, been elected to a position of leadership.
Without correcting anything the young man had said, Jesus, with love in His voice, simply told the man, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” That’s unusual. Now it’s true the disciples, the men closest to Jesus, had indeed left all they had to follow the Savior (Mark 10:28). But selling everything is not something Jesus asked of others. Mary, Martha, and Lazarus seem to have been relatively well off, but Jesus didn’t tell them to give everything away. Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector, had been rich, but Jesus didn’t tell him to give everything away to the poor (Luke 19:2ff). Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus were not without means, but Jesus had never asked them to divest themselves of their portfolios. So why did Jesus tell the young man to give away all he had and follow Him?
Before I answer that question, let me tell you what happened. The text says, ‘the young man, disheartened by what Jesus had said to him, sadly went away, for he had great wealth.’ In that sentence is the answer to the question. Jesus, knowing the young ruler’s heart, had zeroed in on the one thing that was keeping him from the Lord. The man may have tried to treat his fellows fairly and according to God’s Commandments, but his money, his stuff, kept him from having a proper relationship with God. The man may have been a good man, an honorable man, toward others, but he didn’t do so good when it came to God. The First Commandment, the greatest Commandment, one of the Commandments Jesus hadn’t mentioned earlier, said, “You shall have no other gods before the Lord” (Exodus 20:3). That was the problem here. This young man’s stuff was the god which had the highest place in his heart. This young ruler’s money was keeping him from a complete relationship with God.
Now, I wonder, what would Jesus say to you or me if we were to stand in the place of that young man? What would Jesus say to us if we knelt before Him and asked: “Tell me, what must I do to be saved?” What sin would Jesus see in our hearts which keep us from following Him? Greed? Possibly. Selfishness, pride, power, love for a person or of things? I’m not entirely sure where my weaknesses are and I can’t possibly guess what yours might be. Even so, I’m sure the devil, the world, our own sinful selfish selves have managed to figure out and properly identify that which is most effective in keeping each of us from the Lord. Where we are the weakest that is the precise spot where they will put their time, invest their energy, and plant their temptations. Understand, these unholy three have long ago abandoned the idea of one-temptation-fits-all. They believe in a one-of-a-kind, custom-made temptation, specifically designed to appeal to your tastes, custom-designed to speak to your heart’s deepest longings. Wealth was this man’s weakness, but it may not be yours. Lusting was David’s sin, but it may not be yours. Arrogance was Samson’s flaw, but you might be truly humble. Their weaknesses may not be yours, but that doesn’t mean you are immune. You’ve got a sin and that is the place where sin, Satan, and self will attack.
The amazing thing is this: in spite of our foolishness, our propensity toward the improper, our sinful shortcomings, God still loves us. Jesus knew what was in that rich, young ruler’s heart before he ever showed up, before he knelt down, before he asked his question. In spite of that man’s flawed relationship with the Almighty, Jesus loved him — even as He loves you. It was that love which brought Jesus into this world. It was that love which had Him dedicate every second of His life to taking our place and fulfilling all the Commandments which we so frequently disregard, discount, and disobey. It was that love which had Him carry our transgressions; that love which saw Him betrayed by His friends, tried by His church, condemned by His government, and die the death of a criminal upon Calvary’s cross. It was that love which conquered sin, devil, and, with His third-day resurrection, death itself. Now, for those who are brought to Jesus; who are given faith in Him as Savior, there is complete, total, and absolute forgiveness. As Saint Paul said (Ephesians 2:8), “By grace we have been saved through faith. And this is not accomplished by our own doing; it is the gift of God.”
That was the grace the Lord Jesus held out to that rich, young ruler. That was the grace that the man did not receive. You know, when I read through the Gospels, there are pictures that are painted that are terribly sad. None, of these pictures, of course, compares with that of the innocent Son of God being crucified to save an ungrateful and unrepentant world. Yes, that scene in the unnatural darkness would have to be the saddest picture in Scripture. But there are others. The day when the multitudes left Jesus because they didn’t understand His teachings. That is a hard one. But right near the top of the list has to be the story we have talked about today.
Jesus had loved that young man. He loved that man when he had come; Jesus loved him when they talked, He loved that rich ruler when he walked away. I wonder what else did Jesus feel when that man who had been close, so incredibly close to salvation, turned away from the Savior’s salvation and disappeared into the crowd? I cannot put into words what Jesus must have felt about that young man, or the long lines of people who continue to walk away from His freely-given, blood-bought grace. What a sadness. What a waste. What an unnecessary tragedy; what an unnecessary, ongoing tragedy.
Now that really ought to be the end of that man’s story — and this message. It isn’t. It isn’t, because one thing more needs to be said. I would like you to note that Jesus didn’t go after that rich, young ruler. Jesus didn’t chase after Him. He didn’t negotiate; He didn’t compromise. He didn’t call out, “Hey, wait. Don’t be so hasty. We can talk about this. How about you give away 3/4s of what you have? How about 1/2? 1/4? And, you don’t have to follow Me 24/7. How about you follow Me three weeks of every year? Does that sound good to you?” No, Jesus didn’t do that. In Scripture Jesus never chased down people who refused Him; who didn’t want Him; who wouldn’t follow Him. He didn’t then, He doesn’t now.
That’s important. There are a lot of you out there who have managed to convince yourself Jesus will gladly, gratefully, graciously accept you as you are and that He will leave you along with your sins, intact. That’s simply not true. Jesus gave Himself so you might be forgiven and saved. In that cause He spared nothing and withheld nothing; His commitment was complete. But when you become one of His forgiven brothers and sisters, He asks you to be changed. He wants His light to dispel sin’s darkness; His salvation to banish your transgression. He wants you to know you can’t have it both ways.
Well, it’s time to end this message. I’d like to do so with a very short poem called, the “Clock of Life” It goes this way: “The clock of life is wound but once, And no man has the power To tell just when the hands will stop. At late or early hour. To lose one’s wealth is sad indeed. To lose one’s health is more. To lose one’s soul is such a loss That no man can restore.” That’s the poem. My friend, while I read that poem, 39 people died. The moment will come when you will also leave this world. When that moment comes, I pray you will not have refused the Lord. He loves you and today is the day of salvation. If we can help with that which separates you from the Savior; if we can bring you closer to Him, please, call us at The Lutheran Hour. Amen.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for October 11, 2009
Topic: PRAYING FOR RAINAnnouncer: And now Pastor Ken Klaus answers questions from listeners. I’m Mark Eischer.
Klaus: Hi, Mark. Looking forward to discussing today’s topic. I understand it comes to us from a listener in California, right?
Announcer: Right. It was written during the time of the recent wildfires. Our listener writes, “We are having raging fires in the mountain foothills around Los Angeles. Two firefighters have died … houses are burning. I can taste the smoke in the air early in the morning. Yesterday I wrote a ‘prayer request’ for our pastor to add to the prayers of our congregation. It said, ‘Please pray for rain to put out the fire,” and I added, ‘God. please send cool, moist air to relieve the people, the animals, to refresh the land, and protect property.’ Well, instead, our Pastor prayed a prayer that just went, ‘Lord, if it be your will, please show a way to bring the wildfires under control.”
Klaus: So, our listener had something more specific in mind than what her pastor actually prayed.
Announcer: That’s right. And there’s more. Our listener continues, “Why does a Pastor decide not to honor a prayer request? Was I wrong to ask for rain? (Before moving to California) … I attended a Bible (church) in the rural Midwest. One year, unseasonably dry weather deprived row crops of normal moisture during May and June; farmers were in danger of losing the crops or losing their earnings if they decided to irrigate early. The (congregation) offered sincere prayer for God’s intervention to care for the thirsty land and those who depend upon it. Before an hour went by, the skies opened up and it rained steadily for several days.”
Klaus: Mark, I have to tell you–I’m a little bit confused here. The author has a beautiful way with words, but I don’t quite understand the problem.
Announcer: Well, I think the problem is that she specifically requested that the Pastor “pray for rain to put out the fire.” And also to ask God for cool, moist air to relieve the people, the crops, and so forth. But that didn’t all make it into the prayer.
Klaus: And that’s the part I don’t understand: didn’t the pastor offer a prayer for rain?
Announcer: Well, yeah, but in a general sort of way. But if I read this question correctly, the listener’s bothered by the fact the pastor also put a qualifier on the request when he said, “Lord, if it be Your will….”
Klaus: OK, now I get it. I think there are two possible answers to that question. One is Theological, the other happens to be grammatical.
Announcer: Let’s start with the grammatical.
Klaus: Well, that’s easier. There is no doubt the Lord encourages His people to bring everything to Him in prayer and that would certainly be true when it comes to the extinguishing of fires which have taken lives and destroyed homes.
Announcer: I think everyone agrees with that.
Klaus: And everyone would also agree that when times are frightening, such as the situation the letter talks about, prayer requests can come in pretty fast and furious. Indeed, the pastor may have had 10, 20, 30 different requests all of which asked for the fires to be put out. If that were the case, rather than listing each and every one of those requests, the pastor would have tried to combine those prayers into a single petition that summed up everybody’s request.
Announcer: Which he thought would have been better than saying, more or less, the same thing, with only minor variations, 20 times.
Klaus: Exactly. The sad thing about us human beings is, the soul may be willing to pray, but the body often revolts. I remember a wise old pastor telling me, “Prayers shouldn’t be any longer than the feet can stand.”
Announcer: What is the theological angle?
Klaus: One of the things most of us were taught when we were in Confirmation class was this: when it comes to prayer — for earthly blessings we pray, “Thy will be done.” We can remove that qualifier when it comes to asking for spiritual blessings, or when God has already told us exactly what is His will.
Announcer: When you say, ‘”ualifier.”, you meant, “Thy will be done”?
Klaus: Exactly. When Christians add those words — even if they are pretty sure about what God wants — they’re putting the ultimate decision into their heavenly Father’s hands. They are fully aware that He always knows what is best for them.
Announcer: I imagine our listener might ask, “But, wouldn’t God want the fire to be put out?”
Klaus: And that I wouldn’t know. Which is exactly the point. I don’t know what is right and best. Maybe God used that fire to bring 1,000 people to faith. Maybe He used it to call somebody to repentance. I simply don’t know. Which is why, if I had been the lady’s pastor, I might well have prayed the way her pastor did. Not out of meanness, or to ignore her, but because I have limitations and God doesn’t.
Announcer: Thank you Pastor Klaus. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.
Music selection for this program:
“A Mighty Fortress” arranged by John Leavitt. Concordia Publishing House/SESAC
“Come, Follow Me, the Savior Spake” performed by David Berger. Used by permission.
“Fantasia on ‘Praise to the Lord'” by John Vandertuin. From Glory to His Holy Name by John Vandertuin (© 1999 Artisan Classic Organ, Inc.)
“Postlude on ‘Old Hundredth'” by Fred Bock. From Hymns by Dan Miller (© 1991 DSDS Enterprises) The Sacred Music Press