Queen Valley Community Lutheran Church
October 14th, 2012
Mark 10:17-22
Trust Jesus with your Heart
Years ago in Mexico I met a fellow who eventually became a good friend. But the day we met, when he found out who I was, as often happens, he mentioned what church he belonged to. I said, “That’s great! And are you a Christian?” He got a little defensive at that point, and even a little belligerent, and said that, Yes, he was a Christian, but he didn’t believe that Jesus is God; just a good teacher.
The young man in this story came to Jesus with a question. The Bible says he not only came to Jesus; he came running. He arrived just as Jesus was starting out on a trip; he apparently wanted to make sure he caught Him before He got away. This was apparently a busy young man with a full schedule, and didn’t feel he had time to sit at Jesus’ feet and listen to His teaching. He just wanted to quickly get Jesus’ opinion on one question.
“Good Teacher...” the man says, and then blurts out his question: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus stops him cold, with an observation that we usually sort of gloss over as we read because we don’t know quite what to do with it: “Why do you call Me ‘good?’ No one is good but One, that is God.” And then He goes on to say, basically, “You know the answer to that question. Obey the Commandments.”
Now, why did Jesus, who is, in fact, God in human form, answer with this cryptic observation? And why did He refer him to the Law, instead of telling him the good news of forgiveness, the Gospel?
The reason is that Jesus was giving the young man a choice.
You see, If Jesus was, as the man seemed to be implying, just one more teacher, no matter how good a teacher He was, then His opinion was no better than any other teacher’s opinion. In that case, the man could compare Jesus’ answer with what other teachers had said, and decide whether Jesus had added anything to what he already knew. In other words, he could take Jesus’ opinion, or leave it.
On the other hand - Jesus was saying - if Jesus was truly good, then He wasn’t just another teacher; He was God. And if Jesus is God, then what He says goes way beyond the opinion of one more teacher, no matter how good. His opinions, - and especially His answer about how to find eternal life, have your sins forgiven, and get to heaven - was to be taken as absolute truth and followed implicitly. His Word was to be obeyed, with no questions and no interpretation, because it was the Word of God.
Which would the young man choose to believe: Is Jesus the only Good God? Or just another Teacher?
Then Jesus went on to remind the man of what he already knew, what all the Rabbis had been telling him all his life, and what Jesus Himself had inspired Moses and all the prophets to write in the Scriptures. “If you want to get to heaven, obey the Commandments. You know what they are: Don’t commit adultery, don’t murder, don’t steal, don’t bear false witness, don’t defraud, honor your father and mother...”
At this point, it looks like the man had made up his mind. He answers, interrupting: “Teacher...”
You notice he has dropped the “good” part? He has made up his mind: He has decided that Jesus is just another human teacher after all, one among so many, and His Words are no more important than those of any other theologian or philosopher.
At the same time, you can hear the disappointment in the man’s voice: “All these things I have kept from my youth.” He felt like here was nothing new here after all, nothing to learn from Jesus.
So Jesus, looking at the young man, and seeing the sorrow and the longing in him, loves him, and decides to give him another chance to see Jesus for who He really is, and settle the question of his heart.
But now, he will really have to choose.
“One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”
Now here was something new. Jesus puts on him a demand that no human teacher has a right to make. No man has a right to tell you to give up everything you own, even your life, and follow him. No human teacher, pastor, theologian, or philosopher, has the right to tell you that: but God does!
So now the man has to choose again. Is Jesus Who He claims to be? Does He deserve my unquestioning, uncritical faith and obedience? Or is He just one more human teacher, one more philosopher with some good ideas that I can take or leave, believe or not believe, obey or discard?
The young man in the story failed the test, it seems, at least for the moment. He “went away sorrowful.” What Jesus asked was too much for him. Did he later change his mind and do what Jesus said? The Bible doesn’t say.
You see, what Jesus had done was simply apply the first Commandment in all its rigor: “You shall have no other gods before Me.” Luther explained this commandment in his Catechism: “We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.” In another place in the Bible, Jesus also said it this way: “The first and greatest commandment is this: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength.”
God alone has the right to demand such devotion, such total trust in and obedience to His Words. God alone has the right to ask you to lay aside everything, give up everything, to follow Him. But He does, indeed have that right.
Remember that the Bible says that “Jesus, looking at him, loved him?” He didn’t say these words harshly; He said them lovingly, tenderly, and kindly. He sincerely hoped the young man would make the right choice, but He was leaving it up to him.
He wanted the young man to realize that his own efforts to obey the commands of God weren’t enough and never would be: what really counted was that he surrender his heart to Jesus.
No matter how good, or religious, or faithful we are, what counts is the surrender of our heart to Jesus. Until that is settled, there is no answer to the other question the young man had asked.
So many of us struggle in our relationship with God because at the bottom of our hearts we haven’t settled this question.
The young man in our story left the presence of Jesus - sorrowful. Let’s make sure the same thing doesn’t happen to us. God wants us to leave any encounter we have with Him - including this hour today - with our hearts full of joy.
When we come to Jesus in repentance and faith, we find that His Word, instead of putting impossible demands on us, communicates His love, His mercy, and forgiveness to us. The words of Jesus are a source of comfort, peace, and security to all who come to Him in faith.
If Jesus is God, then He is Lord of heaven and earth. Nothing is outside of His loving control and you can entrust your entire life into His care. You can live with the assurance that He is with you, always, no matter what happens, and even when He asks you to pick up a cross, He will never abandon you, nor forsake you.
His love and mercy always surround you, and His hand always covers you.
Even when you face sickness or loss, or when you see all your earthly possessions melt away and threaten you with poverty, or when your loved ones seem to vanish before your eyes, you can trust Him.
This terrible last two months of crisis, since our precious six year old granddaughter was diagnosed with a brain tumor, the Lord has assured us of His loving presence and strength, just as he has done in so many other trials of life. But the verses He has given to us to guide us through this, where we expected a statement assuring us of healing, were instead Psalm 78:72 -- “He shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart and guided them by the skillfulness of His hands.” And Isaiah 40:11, “He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young.”
And so He has assured us that no matter what happens, He is holding our little Ariadna close to His heart, and He is gently, lovingly guiding her parents - and us - according to the integrity of His heart and with His wonderful skill as a Shepherd.
When you settle the issue that Jesus is indeed the one true God, and give Him your heart, you can then rest in His loving, skillful care - both in this life and for all eternity, no matter what happens.
Now may God grant that each of us here today settle this question in our own hearts, once and for all!