The Lutheran Hour

"You’ve Got To Be Kidding"

#80-07
Presented on The Lutheran Hour on October 21, 2012
Speaker: Rev. Ken Klaus
Copyright 2025 Lutheran Hour Ministries

Text: Mark 10:23-31

Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Those glorious words of resurrection victory are the crown and culmination of Jesus’ life which was spent paying for our forgiveness and redemption. By God’s grace may all who hear this message lead their lives in grateful acknowledgement of Him Who has saved us from sin, death, and devil. God grant this grace to us all. Amen.

There have been times in my life when I, like so many before me, have wished that I might have lived at the time of Jesus. The idea of hearing the Savior preach; of watching His miracles unfold; of learning from His wisdom is intriguing to me. When I’m feeling really good about myself, I like to think that I might have behaved better than did His disciples. I like to think I wouldn’t have taken part in the arguments revolving around who was going to be the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. I like to think that I wouldn’t have stopped the little children from coming to the Savior for a blessing. I like to think that I would have stayed awake in the Garden of Gethsemane; that I wouldn’t have run away and left Jesus alone; that I would have been at the foot of the cross, and when resurrection Sunday came, I would have been there waiting for Jesus to emerge from that empty tomb.

Yes, I like to think those things, but, honestly, those thoughts are just a fantasy. The reality is this: if I had been there; if Jesus had called me to be one of His twelve disciples, I would have been right there messing up, just like the others. Indeed, I probably would have been worse than the others. That’s because, as I hear Jesus speak and heal and teach, again and again I want to say, “You’ve got to be kidding. You can’t be serious!”

When Jesus says, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” I would have had to bite my tongue to stop myself from saying, “You’ve got to be kidding. You can’t be serious.” When the Savior says, ‘if someone slaps you on one cheek, you should turn the other,’ I want to say, “You’ve got to be kidding. You can’t be serious.”

One time I might have challenged Jesus’ words that were written down in the10th chapter of the Gospel of Mark. Jesus and His disciples were on the move when a rich, young man came running up to Him, knelt down, and asked a question. Now the Bible doesn’t give the name of this fellow, but I’ve come to believe he’s the kind of guy most fathers would love to have date their daughters. He’s well off; he’s young; he’s respected, and he’s concerned about matters spiritual. At any rate, the young man asks Jesus, “What do I have to do to inherit eternal life?” Good question.

Jesus’ answer begins with Him listing the Commandments. “If you want to be saved,” Jesus says, “follow God’s rules. You know them: Don’t murder, Don’t commit adultery, Don’t steal, Don’t bear false witness, Don’t defraud, Honor your father and mother.” Jesus never got to finish listing those laws before the enthusiastic fellow blurted out, “Yup, I know those. I’m pretty proud to say ever since I was a little shaver I’ve kept those laws.”

The Gospel of Mark says that Jesus, hearing the man’s reply, looked at him and “loved him.” I can understand the Savior’s reaction. When my children were young, they would repeatedly come to me and report some unbelievable accomplishment. That day they had trained lions, or set a record for hitting home runs, or… well, you get the idea. Although the kids had done none of those things, they thought they had and they completely and totally believed what they were saying. In the same way this young man really believed he had kept God’s laws… and maybe, superficially he had. He hadn’t murdered anyone or stolen from anyone or committed adultery with anyone. On the surface he had been a very good boy. Of course, Jesus knew better. Jesus was smiling because, knowing the man’s heart, He could see the fellow had failed miserably at keeping the spirit of the law. He may not have murdered, but he probably had hated. He hadn’t committed adultery, but he had lusted. You get the idea.

Now Jesus decided not to go into public detail concerning the man’s secret sins of the heart. Instead, the Lord went back to the list of God’s Ten Commandments. One of the Commandments He hadn’t mentioned previously was the First. The First and most important Commandment, the Commandment which encompasses all the rest is this: “Thou shalt have no other Gods before me.” Loving God above everything else, that’s where Jesus goes in His reply to the young ruler.

The conversation went this way. Jesus said, “Well, My fine young fellow, that’s great. I’m glad you’ve done all those things. As far as I can see, there is only one more thing that you have to do: give away everything you’ve got to the poor and come follow me.” I have to believe there was a profound silence as Jesus’ words were digested by the young man. Although he doesn’t say anything in reply to the Savior, I’m pretty sure he was thinking, “Jesus, You’ve got to be kidding! You can’t be serious!” The Bible says that, after a bit, the man left… and Jesus watched him go.

The man left but the question remains: “Was Jesus serious? Was He kidding?” The young man didn’t think Jesus was playing a prank. The disciples didn’t think Jesus was having fun at the young man’s expense. I don’t think so, either. If Jesus had been joking around, I think He would have gone after the fellow who was dejectedly walking away. Jesus would have called out saying something like, “Hey, wait there, young fella. Can’t you take a joke? I was just kidding. How about you give away 40% of what you have? Too much? How about 20%; 10%, 5%? Let’s talk about it.”

But that didn’t happen that day. With sadness Jesus watched the young man go. He hadn’t kept the Commandments as perfectly as he had thought. He failed to love the Lord more than anything else. But, after the young man was gone, Jesus turned to His disciples and commented, “Boys, it’s pretty hard for a rich man to enter God’s kingdom. In fact it’s harder for a rich man to get into heaven than it is for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.”

Now this is where I need to stop in the story and talk to you. If you are like most people, you’re probably feeling pretty good, pretty smug, pretty safe about what Jesus has said. If you’re like most people who have read this passage, you’re saying to yourself, “Thank heaven I’m not a rich person. Thank the Lord that I’m pretty poor and don’t have much to get in the way of me making it through the pearly gates.” If that’s what you’re thinking, I hope you won’t mind if I take a few minutes to set you straight. You see, my friend, you are an incredibly wealthy individual. No, don’t bother to deny it. It’s true.

Let me explain. When Jesus spoke those words, just about the richest person in the world was a fellow by the name of Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus. Tiberius was one of Rome’s great generals and, at the time of our Lord, the Emperor of Rome. Shall we compare your riches with that of Caesar? Let’s take a look at the petty cash box. With money flowing in from all of Rome’s territories, Caesar was a pretty flush fellow. If he wanted something, he could buy it. When it comes to cash, Caesar is a clear winner. He’s also a hand’s-down victor when it comes to personal assistants. Caesar has slaves who stand at the ready to do anything and everything he can imagine. In the area of power the legions of Rome are at his disposal and in the Praetorian Guard, he has some pretty impressive bodyguards. Yes, it seems like Caesar is a whole lot richer than you are.

But you shouldn’t be too quick to jump to conclusions. Let’s look just a bit deeper. In Rome, the summers get warm…very warm. What did Caesar do when a week’s worth of scorchers hit the Empire’s capital city? I can tell you what he did: he sweat. In spite of constant fanning by a slave, he sweat like a pig. You on the other hand walk over to the thermostat on your wall and turn up the air conditioner. That’s a point for you.

But there’s more. Do you want some ice cream? If Caesar wanted some spumoni ice cream in the summer, he had to get a bunch of long-distance runners to bring snow down from the mountains. If he wanted fruit in the winter time, he had to hope somebody had some apples which hadn’t gone rotten. What do you do? You hop in your car, drive to the store, and pick a fruit assortment which seems summer has never ended. When it comes to selections of food, you’re far richer than the Emperor.

Suppose Caesar has a problem with his appendix, what did he do? Surgery is risky, infection is likely, and pain is assured. If he has a heart blockage, there are no shunts to help him…if he has cancer, no radiation or chemotherapy… I hope you’re getting the picture. You have a freezer, a microwave, electric lights, a phone, a million and one miracles of technology to make your life rich. All of which means, you are, in almost every way imaginable, richer than any Caesar.

So, does that mean Jesus is asking you, like He asked that young man, to give away all you’ve got and come follow Him? Probably not. Jesus didn’t ask others to give away all they had. He didn’t ask it of Mary Magdalene or Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. He didn’t tell his brothers and sisters in Nazareth to empty out their bank accounts. The order to give away everything is something Jesus said specifically to this young man. Why? Because Jesus knew that money was the stumbling block in the path of this man’s loyalty to and relationship with the Lord. Did you get that? Money was his problem… but it may not be yours.

In the Old Testament Abraham was a rich man, but God didn’t tell that patriarch to divest himself of his stuff. Money wasn’t Abraham’s problem. He had a different difficulty. Abraham loved his son… at times it seemed as if he loved that son more than he loved God. That’s why the Lord commanded the patriarch to sacrifice his son on an altar. The sacrifice didn’t take place, but Abraham got the message: the Savior should always be the most important Person in our lives. Period.

Does that sound unreasonable to you? Is it possible that you are ready to join me in saying, “Lord, You’ve got to be kidding! You can’t be serious! You really don’t expect to be ahead of my family, my life, my goals, my dreams, my everything do You?” And if you are really asking that question seriously, the Lord will give you a straight answer. He will tell you, “Yes, that’s exactly what I expect. When My Son came to earth to save you, I expected Him to dedicate Himself completely and totally to that task. I expected Him to fulfill the salvation promise I made to Adam and Eve. I expected Him to give His life to save your souls. Today I am proud to say My beloved Son did exactly as I asked. Every second of every minute of every day of every year, He did what was necessary to save you. He was tempted, but He resisted those temptations. He was hated, but He endured that hatred. He was rejected, but He endured that disdain. He was unfairly arrested, beaten, whipped, and railroaded to the cross where His perfect life was offered as the payment to save the souls of you and everyone else. My Son gave everything for you.”

God could continue, “If you know that truth which forgives your sins and saves your soul, it ought to mean something; it ought to be important; it ought to generate a response, it ought to change the way you live.” “Understand”, God says, “I don’t demand you change… I wouldn’t do that to you. But I can’t help but believe that those who have seen Jesus live, die, and rise for them will respond. I have to think that those folks who have seriously considered the fires of hell and that they’re not going there, will give thanks to their Rescuer. I have to believe everything else in your life will become secondary to your worship of my Son.”

So there you have it my friends. Jesus should be first in your life. He should be, but is He? Let’s leave that question for a second. Let me tell you about United States Senator Edmund G. Ross of Kansas. Look in the history books and you will pretty much find Mr. Ross is a footnote. No laws carry his name and he doesn’t appear on the lists of great Senators. Still, when he entered the Senate in 1866, Edmund Ross was the star to which people were hitching their wagons. So, what happened? After the Civil War President Andrew Johnson was trying to heal the wounds between North and South, while Congress wanted to make the ex-Confederate states pay for their secession.

The rift between President and Congress became so bad a movement began to impeach Johnson. 36 votes were needed to get the job done and Ross’s support would make the President’s ousting a reality. Unlike many, Ross tried to keep an open mind about the case, but telegrams showed popular opinion had turned against the nation’s leader. The room was packed the day the voting began. Toward the end it was apparent only Ross’ vote was needed and the President would be through. Those who were there said the Chief Justice with a waver in his voice asked, “Mr. Senator Ross, how vote you? Is the respondent Andrew Johnson guilty as charged?”

Later on in life Ross commented, “At that point I looked into my open grave. Friendships, position, fortune, and everything that makes life desirable to an ambitious man were about to be swept away by the breath of my mouth, perhaps forever.” Ross answered, “Not guilty!” The trial was over and so was Ross’ political career. The negative response to his vote was overwhelming. A high public official from Kansas wired Ross to say: “Kansas rejects you as she does all perjurers and skunks.” Ross’ political career was in shambles. Everything he had valued was gone… except that which was most important to him: following his conscience.

That is the way it should be for Christians; except for this difference. It is Christ, not our conscience which should be the most important thing for us… for me… for you. But is He? Is Jesus the most important Person in your life? Be careful how you answer. You never know where that answer might lead. In 1874 a lady named Frances Ridley Havergal wrote a hymn. A linguist, a scholar, a pianist, a concert soloist she could have done many things with her life, but she concentrated on glorifying her Lord with hymns. The most famous of those hymns, one which is in most modern hymnbooks is a simple song named, “Take My Life and Let It Be.” Let me share three verses of that hymn. It begins:
Take my life and let it be Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days, Let them flow in endless praise.
Take my voice and let me sing, Always, only for my King.
Take my lips and let them be Filled with messages from Thee.

Those were more than just words to Frances. I told you she was a concert soloist. She was. And in the years which came after the writing of that hymn her performances changed. She no longer sang the secular. She gave her voice over to her King and sang Christian songs which praised her Savior and the sacrifice He had made for her salvation. She sang of Jesus’ unfair death and His glorious resurrection. She sang in ceaseless praise and hearts were moved.

But I said there was a third verse you need to hear. It’s one which speaks of wealth and rich people and the kingdom of heaven. That verse reads:
Take my silver and my gold, Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose.

Take my silver and my gold. You know, just about every person who has sung that song has asked, “Frances are you serious? Are you joking?” She wasn’t joking. I know because, four years after Frances wrote that song she realized she had failed in giving her silver and gold to God. Now Frances had a pretty impressive collection of jewelry… things which she had inherited and which had been given. Realizing she had withheld that from the Lord she packed up her gold and her jewels, and sent them to her church missionary society. Then, just to be sure she’d done the job right, she included a check to cover the value of the few sentimental items she had kept!” Frances wrote to a friend, “I hardly need to tell you I have never packed a box with such pleasure!”

A few minutes ago we stepped away from the question, “Is Jesus first in your life?” Over the centuries the death of martyrs has said Jesus was first for them; but is He first for you. If I went to your spouse, your children, your friends, your coworkers, and asked, “Is Jesus first in the life of this man, this woman; what would they say?

It is my prayer that I would receive resounding and affirmative answers. That they would say you are a person who each day lives a life which says, “Take my life and let it be, consecrated Lord to Thee; take my moments and my days, let them flow in ceaseless praise.” If that is true for you, may God bless and be with you. If it is not true, may the Lord touch your heart with the story of the Savior Who died for sinners. If your heart needs to be touched this way, if there is something we can do, please, call us at The Lutheran Hour. Amen.

LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for October 21, 2012
Topic: A Listener’s Challenge, Part 3

ANNOUNCER: Here once again with Pastor Ken Klaus responding to questions from listeners. I’m Mark Eischer.

KLAUS: Hi, Mark. Hope you’re ready to continue with the Big Questioning.

ANNOUNCER: I am. And listeners, if you’ve missed this segment the last few weeks, here’s what’s going on. Pastor received a letter from a man who said he

once was a believer but is no longer. He’s looking for serious answers to questions which seriously bothered him; and since we felt he was speaking for a

lot of people, we’ve been taking a shot at some of those supposedly unanswerable questions.

KLAUS: So, what do you have, Mark?

ANNOUNCER: A number of questions today that have to do with healing. Would you like to try one?

KLAUS: Absolutely.

ANNOUNCER: Okay. “Why doesn’t God heal amputees? Most so called faith healings seem to only deal with conditions which can’t be seen; so, wouldn’t an

amputation really be something to prove God has the power to heal?”

KLAUS: I agree. Apparently God does too. That’s why He healed amputees.

ANNOUNCER: I don’t think I understand.

KLAUS: Good, because if you did, I wouldn’t be able to share this explanation. Here is a passage from Scripture. From the Gospel of Luke. Interesting

because although Matthew and John report the incident, it is the physician Luke who gives an interesting detail. It reads this way:
And when those who were around Jesus saw what would follow, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?”50 And one of them, Peter, struck the

servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.51 And Jesus said, “No more of this!” And he touched his ear and healed him. Luke 22:49-51 (ESV)
So, there you have it. In the last of His pre-crucifixion miracles Jesus did heal an amputation. I guess the Lord knew that this question was going to be

asked and decided to give us an example of what He can do.

ANNOUNCER: Are you joking?

KLAUS: Mark, I am so definitely NOT joking here. Again and again I see Scripture telling us things which probably didn’t make any sense when they were

written down, but now in the 21st century, make perfect sense.

ANNOUNCER: Such as?

KLAUS: Okay, Jesus really being dead; the Bible says when Jesus was dead, the Roman guard stabbed Him and blood and water came out. Today we know that

this separation of blood corpuscles from serum only happens when the heart has stopped beating and keeping the two mixed together. It means that absolute,

total death has taken place some time earlier. Back then they wouldn’t have known all that. But today it helps us. Now, back to the question.

ANNOUNCER: All right, ‘Why doesn’t God heal amputees today?”

KLAUS: Oh, once again, He does. The difference is He doesn’t need to do it by direct touch. He’s got surgeons and medical teams reattaching limbs and

fingers all the time. When I first saw that being done, I thought what a miracle. And it is a miracle; because the healing still comes from the Lord. Any

other questions we can deal with quickly?

ANNOUNCER: Okay. Our listener saw a woman who was supposedly healed and got up out of her wheelchair. Two weeks later, though, she was back in that

wheelchair. Why would a loving God only provide temporary healing?

KLAUS: I can answer that a number of ways. First, there are times when people, in an emotional church service, get really motivated. Their adrenalin pumps

and they can hop out of a wheelchair, run up and down the aisles, and feel no pain. When the adrenalin wears off, bam, they’re back in the chair. It looks

like a healing, but isn’t.

ANNOUNCER: But I think there is a more cynical side to this question.

KLAUS: Yeah, I do too. There are faith healers out there who are con men and the people they heal are perfectly healthy and only pretend to be healed.

Similarly there are those who think they are healed, but in actuality are not. It is just wishful thinking on their parts.
Understand, I’m not saying God can’t do a healing…. I’m just saying we need to be very careful. But… back to the point. Suppose there is a faith

healing and a person is better. Will that healing last forever? I don’t think so. Jesus raised from the dead the young man from Nain, Jairus’ daughter,

His friend Lazarus; those were great miracles of resurrection, but this is a sinful world and death still comes. The young man, the young girl, the old

friend all eventually re-died. So, too, all miracles of healing must be transient things. Instead, we look forward in faith to the resurrection of all

flesh when all disease and pain will be forever left behind.

ANNOUNCER: And when God will finally answer all of our questions. Thank you, Pastor Klaus. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.

Music Selections for this program:

“A Mighty Fortress” arranged by Chris Bergmann. Used by permission.

“All for Christ I Have Forsaken” From The Concordia Organist (© 2009 Concordia Publishing House)

“Concerto in d minor” by J.S. Bach. From Bach at the Sem, 2005-06 Series by the American Kantorei (© 2006 Concordia Seminary)