Mark 10:17 -31
[Matthew 19:16 -30; Luke 10:25 -37, 18:18 -30]
The encounter shocked the apostles
as much as the rich man, particularly after Jesus said wealth made reaching the
kingdom difficult. Their society, like
ours, believed those who possessed the luxury of time (wealth), and dedicated
that time to performing holy acts (piety), attained God’s affection. If that was not true, how could anyone be
saved?
Many religions teach that good things
in life come from God. All bad things
show His displeasure or His neglect. Therefore,
those with wealth come to believe they deserve
God’s blessings because of status. Often
with wealth comes self-reliance and self-indulgence. However, arrogance and pride are human traits. They are not limited to the wealthy or the
educated.
Poverty does not make a person holy any
more than prosperity confirms God’s love.
He judges the heart. He wants us
to deal with the situations life presents and to help others along the way. This passage does not impose poverty as a way
to attain immorality. Jesus said
generosity stores up treasure in heaven.
Generosity accumulates. It makes
us richer than any amount of gold.
Having wealth was not the
issue. In Matthew 19:26 and Mark 10:27, Jesus declared God made reaching Him
simple: we cannot, God does the impossible.
Did you catch that? Before Jesus
died, He told us that God saves, always did, and always will. What He wants to do is live with us. Our role is to love Him enough to trust His
promises and obey His simple rules.
Those two things let God make us holy enough to live in heaven.
**Does my religion instill guilt to
make me comply? Does my religion promise
blessings to pry money from my hands? Does my religion claim God loves one group
more than others? Can I see the value of
generosity? Do I trust God to love me?
To be continued…
[Lessons from Holiness Parables, by Jo Helen Cox, a work in progress.]
The Rich Man’s Question – Part 1 of 7
The Rich Man’s Question – Part 2 of 7 – Good Teacher
The Rich Man’s Question – Part 3 of 7 – Son of Man’s
Response
The Rich Man’s Question – Part 4 of 7 – Broken
Commandments
The Rich Man’s Question – Part 7 of 7 – Eternal Life
Also in this series: