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Following Jesus is risky business.
Admiring Jesus carries little risk. There is much about him to admire. He was kind and compassionate. People accustomed to being shamed and rejected were accepted and even honored by Jesus. He was a fantastic teacher. Crowds gathered from miles around, their imaginations captured by his preaching. He was a gifted healer. In encounters with Jesus, blind people were given sight, lepers were made clean, people who had not walked under their own power in years picked up their mats and went home. He was willing to lay down his life for his friends. When even his closest friends were scattered and silenced by instincts for self-preservation, Jesus remained loyal; he did not condemn them, but he surrendered himself that they might someday know the true meaning of freedom. He loved even his enemies. When they spat upon him and ridiculed him, nailed him to a cross and executed him, Jesus prayed, "Father, forgive them." There is much in Jesus to admire. A decision to admire Jesus need not require the admirer to give up admiration for other things.
Following Jesus is another matter. Following Jesus means going where he leads, wherever he leads, whenever he leads there. Following Jesus means not following anyone or anything else. Following Jesus means making his purpose our purpose. Following Jesus means turning even our own dreams over to him. Following Jesus means placing our trust in him. Following Jesus means extracting our trust from our own education or wealth, our own skills or connections, our own anything. A decision to follow Jesus requires the follower to give up following other things.
The account from Mark is commonly known as the story of the rich young ruler. Matthew and Luke tell the story too. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all emphasize that this particular man was wealthy. Matthew says he was young. Luke says that he was a ruler-perhaps a civil or religious official, perhaps a landowner with many tenants or a householder with many servants.
This man admired Jesus. There is every indication in the text that this admiration was genuine. Perhaps he had been watching Jesus for some time. Perhaps he had been listening to Jesus for some time. When the time came for Jesus to continue on his way, the man could watch and listen in silence no longer. Mark says that the man ran up to Jesus and fell on his knees before him.
The man ran up to Jesus. He earnestly desired to meet with Jesus, and he did not want to miss this opportunity. There's more here than just an indication that the man was in a hurry to catch Jesus before he left. In our culture it is not so unusual to see grown men…respected men, wealthy men…run. In Jesus' time and place, grown men did not run; it was undignified. For a grown man to run to meet anybody was to invite raised eyebrows and whispers among the town gossips. The man set aside his own dignity to catch Jesus before he left town. He earnestly desired to meet with Jesus.
I must admit this next part is speculation…but I wonder if this detail also suggests that the man struggled for awhile to decide whether or not to come to Jesus at all. Jesus tarried in that place for awhile, debating with Pharisees and blessing little children. Was there no opportunity for the man to talk with Jesus earlier? Or did the urgency of his question only become apparent to the man when Jesus was making ready to leave?
It's not so unusual for this to happen. As long as we get to hang around Jesus, that's a pretty good place to be. It's good to hear his words and see him at work in the lives of others. There's no need to bother the Master for personal attention-or to risk his soul-deep scrutiny-as long as we get to be in the vicinity.
But then the time comes that Jesus makes ready to move on. It begins to be apparent that as long as we stay where we are the distance between us and Jesus will grow larger. Not because we have rejected him. And not because he has rejected us. Just because he is going where the need is, and we want to stay where we are accustomed to being. There's an old saying: you can't follow Jesus and stay where you are at the same time. It's not just about geography. Sometimes it's about attitude.
When that time comes, if we notice, suddenly our questions for Jesus become much more urgent. When that time comes, if we notice, suddenly hanging around isn't enough. When that time comes, if we notice, we have to run to catch up, and we have to get his attention. When that time comes, if we notice, we might finally decide that it is better to risk his scrutiny rather than passively let the distance widen because we still don't want to draw his attention.
A lot of us spend a lot of time hanging around in the general vicinity of Jesus, enjoying the proximity but hoping he doesn't look too closely at us. If you have been one of those people at some time in your life then you recognize yourself. If you are one of those people still, then consider taking the opportunity now to run up to him and fall at his feet and show him your heart and ask him your questions. Don't let the distance widen just because you don't want to draw his attention.
Not only did the 'rich young ruler' run up to Jesus, but he fell on his knees before him. That is a sign of respect and entreaty. The man recognized that Jesus had authority. The man accepted that Jesus had authority. The man did not think that his own wealth put him above Jesus. The man respected Jesus.
Unlike many other situations when Jesus was questioned by people with power and authority, this situation was sincere. The man was not seeking to test Jesus or to trip him up. He was not masking his disapproval of Jesus in polite questions. His question came from his heart, and he really wanted to learn from Jesus' answer.
This is worth noting. This is not a passage about one of Jesus' enemies challenging Jesus to a debate, knowing all along that he would be unsatisfied with Jesus' answer. This account is about a man who asked Jesus a sincere question, who really wanted to know the answer, and who knew ahead of time that he would place value on Jesus' answer. The man truly admired Jesus. He didn't go away sad because he did not admire and respect Jesus. He did not go away sad because he rejected Jesus and counted himself among Jesus' enemies. He went away sad because he was not ready to go beyond admiration to following.
It's not so unusual for this to happen either. It's a lot easier to admire Jesus than to follow him. Admirers of Jesus don't necessarily actively choose to reject Jesus. They just never quite get up the courage to choose to follow him. Many of us have been there at some point or another and if you have been there then you recognize yourself. If you are at that point now, an admirer who has never quite made the decision to be a follower, I invite you to make that decision now.
Jesus loves you, you know. Even though you might prefer to hang around him without drawing too much attention to yourself, he loves you. Even though you might be hesitant to make that leap from admirer to follower, Jesus loves you. He's not waiting to decide whether or not you are worth it based on what you do next. He already loves you. He loves you in your hesitation. He loves you in your indecision. He loves you in your comfort with remaining where you are accustomed to being. He loves you in your earnest desire. He loves you…wherever you are. He loves you.
Jesus loved the man who ran up to him with his question. Mark makes that quite clear. In the midst of the conversation, Mark notes that Jesus looked at the man and loved him. Jesus didn't wait to decide whether or not the man was worth it based on what he did next. Jesus already loved the man.
"Good teacher," the man asked Jesus, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good-except God alone. You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'"
"Teacher," the man declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy."
Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
The man went away sad, because he had great wealth.
The 'rich, young, ruler' had trusted in his wealth and his good behavior all his life.
He was not ready to set aside his trust in his good behavior to make him worthy in the sight of God, and place his trust in Jesus to make him right before God. He was not ready to set aside his trust in his wealth to give him security on earth, and place his trust in Jesus to provide for his needs.
Sometimes it is easier for the poor to let go of everything and follow Jesus, because they have no wealth to trust in instead.
Sometimes it is easier for those who have broken all of society's rules to let go of everything and follow Jesus, because they do have no self-righteousness to trust in instead.
Sometimes it is easier for the weak to let go of everything and follow Jesus, because they have no strength to trust in instead.
Sometimes it is easier for the foolish to let go of everything and follow Jesus, because they have no wisdom to trust in instead.
Sometimes it is easier for the disreputable to let go of everything and follow Jesus, because they have no prestige to trust in instead.
Sometimes it is easier for those who require assistance in everyday life to let go of everything and follow Jesus, because they have no self-sufficiency to trust in instead.
Sometimes it is easier for the outcast to let go of everything and follow Jesus, because they have no connections to trust in instead.
Some of us trust in good behavior. Some of us trust in wealth. Some of us trust in education and knowledge. Some of us trust in prestige and influence. Some of us trust in skills. Some of us trust in connections. If we cannot set aside our trust in anything and everything else and place our trust in Jesus alone, then we will go away sad.
Some of us trust in nothing and no one. If we cannot set aside our distrust of anyone and everyone and place our trust in Jesus, then we will go away sad.
It's not so unusual for this to happen either. It's hard to trust Jesus when you've never had a good reason to trust anybody. Some of us have been there at some point or another and if you have been there then you recognize yourself. If you are at that point now, too broken by betrayal to place your trust in anybody, I invite you to turn to Jesus now. Tell him how hurt you are. He'll understand. He really will. He knows all about being betrayed. Follow him for awhile. Let him show you that he is trustworthy.
Jesus loves you, you know. Even though you might prefer to hang around him without drawing too close attention to yourself, he loves you. Even though you might be hesitant to make that leap from admirer to follower, Jesus loves you. Even though you might not be too sure if he's really trustworthy, Jesus loves you. He's not waiting to decide whether or not you are worth it based on what you do next. He already loves you.
Jesus loves you…wherever you are.
Let go of your trust in anything and everything else.
Let go of your distrust in anybody and everybody.
"Then come," Jesus says, "follow me."
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