Mark 10:17–31 reads:
The man who ran up to Jesus knelt before Him. In his attitude and question, he revealed that he was a sincere seeker. The Lord Jesus loved him for his commitment to keeping the Law. By many standards, the young man was a good man. But the Lord's probing question and instruction proved something else. Surprisingly, although the young man was sincere, yet he was looking for what the Lord Jesus would not give. As a person, the young man may have been sincere and good, but he was somehow not fully committed. He was lost nonetheless. The young man physically knelt before Jesus but he never knelt before the truth of the Gospel.
I wonder what was he looking for from Jesus!
The Lord Jesus would not fuel the ego of the young man by unnecessarily praising him, and a Christ-less Gospel is of no use. Jesus would not consent to a Good News that does not demand sacrifice either. He would never compromise on truth.
Similarly, we should be sincere when we kneel before Jesus. Jesus offers us what we need. God gave us the Law to reveal our sins, and He gave us the Gospel to save us from them. The Gospel is Christ-centered, and by it, He calls us towards uncompromising discipleship. Jesus will not give us what we think we want. And at the same time, He will confront our pride. Salvation through Jesus is by faith, but we have to count the cost before following Him. We might end up like the young man if we do not probe carefully into the answers of Jesus.
Let us, therefore, kneel before Jesus and offer our full commitment to Him and His Gospel.
[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?” [18] And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. [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.’” [20] And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” [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.” [22] Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. (ESV)
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| Photo by Ben White on Unsplash |
The man who ran up to Jesus knelt before Him. In his attitude and question, he revealed that he was a sincere seeker. The Lord Jesus loved him for his commitment to keeping the Law. By many standards, the young man was a good man. But the Lord's probing question and instruction proved something else. Surprisingly, although the young man was sincere, yet he was looking for what the Lord Jesus would not give. As a person, the young man may have been sincere and good, but he was somehow not fully committed. He was lost nonetheless. The young man physically knelt before Jesus but he never knelt before the truth of the Gospel.
I wonder what was he looking for from Jesus!
The Lord Jesus would not fuel the ego of the young man by unnecessarily praising him, and a Christ-less Gospel is of no use. Jesus would not consent to a Good News that does not demand sacrifice either. He would never compromise on truth.
Similarly, we should be sincere when we kneel before Jesus. Jesus offers us what we need. God gave us the Law to reveal our sins, and He gave us the Gospel to save us from them. The Gospel is Christ-centered, and by it, He calls us towards uncompromising discipleship. Jesus will not give us what we think we want. And at the same time, He will confront our pride. Salvation through Jesus is by faith, but we have to count the cost before following Him. We might end up like the young man if we do not probe carefully into the answers of Jesus.
Let us, therefore, kneel before Jesus and offer our full commitment to Him and His Gospel.
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