Mark 10:17-22 (NLT)
As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’”
“Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”
Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
Many of us at Refuge are outdoor enthusiasts in one form or another. We hunt, camp, hike, canoe, or sunbathe around the pool. When I read the book (which later became the film) Into the Wild, I fell in greater love with nature. This is primarily because I put myself in the shoes of protagonist Chris McCandliss. Not only did he value nature, he spurned worldly comforts and the trappings of a materialistic society. In an endearing scene from his story, Chris abandons his car, rips his ID and social security card to shreds, and burns the money in his wallet before wandering off…into the wild.
While I’m not advocating we all do so (someone has to point people to Jesus), we can draw an invaluable lesson here. Especially at it relates to the reading of the passage today. We can be everything we’re supposed to be as Christians: we can attend, and actively participate in, Sunday and Wednesday services; we can show up for coffee with the guys or Zumba with the girls; we can make breakfast and never miss a bellyship; we can call people in encouragement, invite them into our homes, toss money in the offering plate, and pat our pastors on the back. All these things are good. All part of obeying what we are as believers. Like us, the man from the story had followed all the instructions to be good people. But also like many of us, he was holding back one thing. And with Jesus, its all…or nothing.
So I’ve beat around the bush for long enough. Here it is! Are you willing to give up everything to follow Christ? A “good” Christian would answer with an automatic and resounding: “Yes!”
Really?
Would you be willing to part with the god that is your flat screen TV? A season away from SEC football? A week without shopping or couponing? These are just little things. What if Jesus asked you to sell everything and give it away: house, car, clothes, toys, everything.
It's been said that Jesus wasn’t actually going to make the man give up all his stuff. That He was simply gauging his faith and willingness to do so. Either way, however, we can learn from the man and pull a Chris McCandliss. Let us be willing to part with what makes us comfortable and reach for those eternal things in the kingdom of GOD.
Application: Write one thing you’re holding back from Jesus. Then burn the piece of paper you wrote it on and walk away knowing that even though you may have to use the thing you burned (tv, money, your life), it no longer controls you. You have given it over to Jesus.
