But . . .
.
Matthew 19:16-22
16. And behold, one came up to him, saying, "Teacher, what good deed must I do, to have eternal life?" 17. And he said to him, "Why do you ask me about what is good? One there is who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments." 18. He said to him, "Which?" And Jesus said, "You shall not kill, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19. Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 20. The young man said to him, "All these I have observed; what do I still lack?" 21. Jesus said to him, "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." 22. When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions.
This is a very familiar story to most of us. The people of the time were all about doing good deeds. They had been taught that heaven was earned through doing good works, and by obeying every painstakingly detailed aspect of the law. This young man obviously felt a void in his life—something was missing. Otherwise he wouldn’t have been interested in something better! Even with all his wealth, even in his godliness, he felt unsatisfied. Do we feel that way, too?
I don’t think Jesus was literally telling this man to give away all his possessions and become homeless! I think what the point he was trying to make is that we cannot pick and choose which laws we obey. We can’t say I’ll do some good, and that will counter the bad. It doesn’t work when we decide to follow Jesus part of the way to the cross. Taking a u-turn is not an option! The point Jesus was trying to make is that we must place Him and His word above all other things in our lives. Money won’t buy us a place at the banquet table in heaven!
We need to dig down deep and examine all the ways we limit our relationship with God. What obstacles do we place in our lives? What do we keep tripping over on that path? That’s what we need to let go of. If we lust after money, maybe we need to tithe. If we don’t have a good relationship with family member, maybe we should mend some fences. This young man had done everything right—except one thing. There’s that “but” in response to Jesus’ bidding us to come to him.
But, Jesus . . . I don’t cheat on my taxes, I don’t beat my children, I love my spouse, I go to PTA meetings, I serve on a committee at church, I keep my yard up, I help out my neighbors when they need it. I give 100% at work—every day. But . . . I’m not quite there yet—can’t move that one thing in my life that I’m clinging too off center stage. Just can’t do it. But . . . look at the rest of my life! Look at all the good I do. Look at me. I try really hard to be the best person I can be. Surely you’re not asking me to give up .____________ (you can fill in the blank).
Yep. That’s what he’s saying! Get rid of it. Come to me. Light of the world. Living water. Fulfillment of the Scripture. God. Man. Messiah. Come to me. Leave this world behind. Leave this life behind. Come on. Let’s go! Don’t weigh yourself down by the things of this realm. Heaven awaits! And I want you to have the seat right next to me! I want you to be the guest of honor! But . . .
I hope today you think about the “buts” in your life. And that you’ll take the first step in eliminating them from your life.
Mary
