Unbreakable Joy: Hello... McFly...

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Hello... McFly...

Oversight...

It's kind of funny how we (specifically me) can miss the main point, repeatedly. I'm referring to one of my favorite portions of Scripture, the rich young ruler's encounter with Jesus.

Mar 10:17-22
10:17 And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 10:18 And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 10:19 You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.'" 10:20 And he said to him, "Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth." 10:21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." 10:22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

Having been enthralled with Jesus' wisdom and ability to see right to the heart of the rich young rulers idolatry, I failed to see the obvious. The young man comes with a serious question. Jesus answers the young man's question, what he must do to inherit eternal life is this: come and follow Jesus. Jesus merely confronted the young man's idolatry and then gave him the greatest wisdom possible, "come, follow me."

The rich young ruler had not eyes to see that Jesus was the infinitely valuable treasure. He chose instead to go away sad because he had many possessions.

What's really interesting about my finally being able see this is that it came as a result of a simple question from an inmate at the jail. He came up to me just prior to leaving and speaking very quietly, asked something like, "Jesus wasn't saying you will inherit eternal life if you merely keep all these commandments, was he?"

All of the sudden it occurred to me I had missed the main point of the passage. The bottom line answer to the young man's question is Jesus' instruction for the young man to "come and follow me."

The tragedy of this portion of Scripture is the young man's inability to apply the life giving wisdom of Christ. The tragedy is not however the main point.

I think I failed to mention that I've taught on this portion of Scripture at the jail at least 5 or 6 times now.

Thank goodness for grace...

1 comment:

mwh said...: That's part of the problem, isn't it, how all of us miss it until the LORD opens our eyes to see!

Yes, thank goodness for grace!; August 27, 2008 at 4:04 PM

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Noteworthy Quotes

Christianity preaches the infinite worth of that which is seemingly so worthless and the infinite worthlessness of that which is seemingly so valued.
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

I saw more clearly than ever, that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord.
- George Mueller

If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.
- C.S. Lewis

A pharisee is hard on others and easy on himself, a spiritual man is hard on himself and easy on others.
- A. W. Tozer

Our hearts are restless until we find our rest in Thee.
- Augustine

All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going to war, and of others avoiding it, is the same desire in both, attended with different views. The will never takes the least step but to this object. This is the motive of every action of every man, even of those who hang themselves.
- Blaise Pascal

He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.
- Jim Elliot

Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.
- C. S. Lewis

He loves Thee too little, who loves anything together with Thee, which he loves not for Thy sake.
- Augustine

The men of this world are children. Offer a child an apple or a bank note, and he will doubtless choose the apple.
- John Newton

In the end the heart longs not for any of God's good gifts, but for God Himself. To see Him and know Him and be in His presence is the soul's final feast. Beyond this there is no quest. Words fail. We call it pleasure, joy, delight. But these are weak pointers to the unspeakable experience.
- John Piper

God cannot give us happiness and peace apart from Him, because it is not there. There is no such thing.
- C.S. Lewis

It is well that we accept the hard truth now: The man who would know God must give time to Him. He must count no time wasted which is spent in the cultivation of His acquaintance. He must give himself to meditation and prayer hours on end. So did the saints of old, the glorious company of the apostles, the Godly fellowship of the prophets and the believing members of the holy church in all generations. And so must we if we would follow in their train.
- A.W. Tozer

If God contains the fullness of all good things in Himself like an inexhaustible fountain, nothing beyond him is to be sought by those who strike after the highest good and all the elements of happiness.
- John Calvin

God is most glorified in you when you are most satisfied in Him.
- John Piper

God glorifies Himself toward the creature in two ways; by appearing to their understanding, and in communicating Himself to thief hearts and their rejoicing in and delighting in Him, and enjoying manifestations He makes of Himself. God is Glorified not only by His glories being seen, but by it’s being rejoiced in. When those that see it delight in it God is more glorified than if they only see it. His glory is then received by the whole soul, both by the understanding and by the heart. God made the world that he might communicate and the creature receive His glory, and that it might be received both by the mind and the heart. He that testifies His idea of God’s glory doesn’t glorify God so much as he that testifies also his approbation of it and his delight in it.
- Jonathan Edwards