The rich, young, ruler.

11 . 16 . 11

The rich young ruler.

Mark 10:17-31

“I tell you the truth... all things are possible with God.” 10:27-29

This young man... running to Jesus... falling on his knees before him... this young man, met Jesus. What a lucky man...

He failed to recognize the source of Jesus’ strength. Upon calling Jesus “good”, jesus responds “why do you call me good? no one is good - except God alone.”

This is important to not skip over. It wouldn’t be the first time Jesus deflected admiration to that of his Father in Heaven... Jesus was His son, the one that was prophesied to die, and upon his death giving us the gift of the spirit.

Jesus says “no one is good - except God alone.”

... I’ll be marinating on this one for a few days ...

The interaction between these two - Jesus and the young man - is brief and dense in message...

It leads to this young man finding that for him to gain ‘treasure in heaven’, he must go and sell all of his posessions, for they were blocking his access to wholy experiencing his maker.

At the beginning of the story we find out that the man was a pretty upstanding guy... he was a man that held true and followed his whole life the ‘commandments’. Please read this short section if you haven’t... mk10:18-21

Under the ‘scope’ of the requirements of the ‘commandments’, this man appeared righteous... under the scope of Jesus and the spirit that resided in him, this mans heart does not appear to be for God.

He is told by Jesus to “sell everuthing you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

So, how might the spirit reveal in us things which clog our spiritual pipeline.

It says the ‘man went away sad because he had great wealth.’ I believe i’ve always been lead to believe that because this man experienced some degree of remourse, that he was never to have acted upon the requirements of Jesus.

I, today, choose to imagine the contrary... Suppose this man did sell all, suppose this man did realize the freedom in being stripped of posessions and experiencing the drenching of the spirit... suppose this man did later grow a faith that could believe what others might find difficult...

... that a camel actually can pass through the eye of a needle...

... that “with man, this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God...” -jesus

I think today I enjoy this ending to the story a bit better... Harder to grasp maybe just because he ‘went away sad’, it is easier for my spirit to understand and find hope in.

I can’t imagine what kind of smoke screen must be inside the man who can look in the eyes of Jesus, being a witness of his great acts (although not recognizing as Jesus did that the power in those acts came from God), hear his instruction, and go away unchanged.

I’m realizing right now the vitality behind the open ending of this story...

In it’s open ending, the spirit (if invited in) will catch us where we are at, and guide us in what we are meant to hear.

What I take away from this story - with pages between these lines - is this...
... the importance of recognizing God’s goodness, and giving thanks for his Son.
... the importance of looking to the life of Jesus for guidance on how to one day be in eternity.
... how an encounter with Jesus, hearing his words, while they might hurt at first and leave us ‘sad’... the ending is open and up to us with what we do with that.
... i learn that a camel actually pass through the eye of a needle... and that a rich man can get into heaven... nothing is impossible for God... duh

~~ ‘some things have to be believed to be seen’ ~~

... i learn that with the giving up of things that to this world appear valuable, that to that man will be given a “hundred times as much in this present age and in the age to come... eternal life.”

I can’t not believe ALL of this today... Find god in creation, and get lost in wonder...

Find sometime to watch this and wonder at the Designer behind this grand design. If it’s not a fetus, stare at a snail, a leaf, a cloud, a rising sun... an ebbing tide... a waning moon... a floating log... a bird suspended, in air? Comeon... thats nuts.

Wonderlust... get lost in it.

So today...

... give your worship to God... give thanks for His son... give heed to His spirit... & give life to His people... that you might experience life.

Be well frieeeends :)