His Light at Christmas

It's that time of year again! It's the time when I share some fairly dogmatic advice about Christmas lights (for teaching purposes only) that are a good metaphor for our Christian life and Witness. 

This advice comes in the form of my “famous” Christmas light sermon "Christ's Light at Christmas" with you all in three short installments. It addresses the question, "How can we help others see the light of Christ this Christmas?" 

Part 1: Being Lights For His Glory 

I will be using the metaphor of "Christmas Lights" to call us to a more joyous, welcoming, and authentic witness this season. In the process, I will also indulge some of my own Christmas lighting biases—strictly for educational purposes!  

How can we do this? There are two things I would suggest for starters: we should be visible; and, we should be unblinking. (Read More)

Part 2: Being Conformed To His Image!

The light we shine needs to be tasteful and courteous, rather than rude and overbearing. I think of the classic Charlie Brown Christmas special where both kinds of lights are seen. Snoopy's obnoxiously decorated doghouse contrasts sharply with the humble little tree that the whole Peanuts gang helped to decorate (after hearing Linus quote the Christmas story as found in Luke 2). The world is dying and needs us to shine as Jesus did, not in a loud, tacky, rude, uncaring manner, but in a simple, sincere, spiritual way... (Read More)

Part 3: Being Plugged Into His Power!

Scripture says that Jesus is "upholding all things by the word of His power." Further, Isaiah 8:20 says that if we are not plugged into the Word of God, there is no light in us. We only have the power to shine as lights if we are plugged in. Our power is found in His Word, as made alive in our hearts by His Spirit.

In Part 2 of The Hobbit trilogy of movies, The Desolation of Smaug, the evil one (Sauron) says to Gandalf the wizard, “There is no light that can defeat the dark!” Just as that line is not in Tolkien’s book, it is not in the Bible either. The darkness has not overcome the light of Christ (John 1:5) which enlightens everyone (John 1:9). While it is true that some will choose the darkness over the revealing character of Jesus’ light (John 3:20), all who believe in Christ are no longer bound by darkness (John 12:46)... (Read more)

To This End (A SOAP Journal from 1 Timothy 4)

In addition to regular articles, I will be posting highlights of some simple SOAP journals

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

that were produced during a regular gathering of pastors to journal, pray, and encourage one another. These are not exhaustively studied as they are generally the work of 20 minutes of reading, 20 minutes of writing, and 20 minutes of sharing with each other what we have written. These brief devotional journal posts will begin in the Pastoral epistles (1 & 2 Timothy, Titus). Hopefully, they will be encouraging to the readers of this blog.

We used the simple SOAP acronym as a devotional guide... which stands for:

• Scripture—what verse or short section caught my attention today?
• Observation—what can I briefly notice that the passage specifically says?
• Application—what will I do differently as a result of having read this today?
• Prayer—what will I ask the Triune God to do for, in, and through me today?

1Timothy 4:7-10

S = “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths.

                  Rather train yourself for godliness;

     for while bodily training is of some value,

                                                        godliness is of value in every way,

      as it holds promise for the present life

                                   and also for the life to come.

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance.

   “For to this end we toil and strive, 

              because we have our hope set on the living God, 

                           who is the Savior of all people,

                                             especially of those who believe.

Photo by Lance Grandahl on Unsplash

O = “To this end we toil and strive” …to what end does he refer? Two answers jump out: 
(1) To the end of not departing from sound doctrine and thanksgiving; and

(2) To the end of training ourselves for godliness rather than wasting time with silly irreverent myths.

Paul encouraged Timothy to labor and strive to stay true and focused. Why does he do this? It is because their hope was set on the Living God revealed in the Son, Jesus Christ, not in ascetic practices such as strange diets, self-improvement techniques, celibacy, genealogies, funky haircuts, and the like. Bodily training in the sense of good health and fitness is not bad, Paul notes that it is of some value, but godliness is of comparably much more value. God alone is our Savior—not our own merit!

Photo by Ben WHite on Unsplash

A = Is there some doctrine, popular teaching, philosophy, or practice that has grown up in my mind to be my identity…my salvation? Or do I practically, as well as theoretically, put all my faith and hope in the work of the Living God through Christ? Am I becoming more like Christ or more like the self-focused non-Christian? Do I thank God more enthusiastically? Do I receive everything through the Word of God and prayer? They will keep me on track and up close. This week, without neglecting physical and emotional health I will put my shoulder to the work of God’s mission in prayer, study, service, and gospel proclamation.

P = Lord, train me continually in the words of the faith and your good doctrine. Let me not get side-tracked or become deceived. Let me follow you with a winsome thankfulness, and self-discipline that comes from a heart transformed by love rather than follow turning aside to follow deceitful spirits and irreverent myths.

House Rules (SOAP Journal from 1 Timothy 3)

Photo by Ben Dixon on Unsplash

In addition to regular articles, I will be posting highlights of some simple SOAP journals that were produced during a regular gathering of pastors to journal, pray, and encourage one another. These are not exhaustively studied as they are generally the work of 20 minutes of reading, 20 minutes of writing, and 20 minutes of sharing with each other what we have written. These brief devotional journal posts will begin in the Pastoral epistles (1 & 2 Timothy, Titus). Hopefully, they will be encouraging to the readers of this blog.

We used the simple SOAP acronym as a devotional guide... which stands for:

• Scripture—what verse or short section caught my attention today?
• Observation—what can I briefly notice that the passage specifically says?
• Application—what will I do differently as a result of reading this today?
• Prayer—what will I ask the Triune God to do for, in, and through me today?

S = 1 Timothy 3: 2-7, 14-15

"Therefore an overseer must be above reproach,

• the husband of one wife,
• sober-minded,
• self-controlled,
• respectable,
• hospitable,
• able to teach,
• not a drunkard,
• not violent but gentle,
• not quarrelsome,
• not a lover of money.
• He must manage his own household well. (v.4)
• He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit. (v.6)
• He must be well thought of by outsiders. (v.7) [bullet-list mine]

v. 14-15

I hope to come to you soon, but 

I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay,

you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God,

which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. (emphasis mine)

O = Paul was preparing Timothy and those to whom Timothy would minister for the possibility of his being delayed. He gave Timothy what amounts to a list of “house rules” that pertained not so much to a physical place as relationally to the family of God! This list is pretty descriptive regarding the “above reproach” character (KJV "conversation") attributes of someone pastoring/overseeing the church. This is a great gift for it is a (non-exhaustive) list of how God's love manifests itself in God's family on earth. Because pastoring is a “noble task” the pastor/overseer must have a noble character. It needs to have been transformed by Christ from the inside out. So many problems would be solved if all who serve in church leadership lived up to these lofty standards from a heart responding to the love of Christ. If there is any hope for people to mature and become more like Christ, their leaders should show evidence of such change in their lives.

A = Just as we have a sign in our home listing attitudes and actions that we would like to characterize our lives together, Paul left just such a set of affectively descriptive “house rules” for Timothy and those he would pastor. However, we don’t always live up to such lists. I recognize how much I need the grace of God to live into such noble standards! I am reminded of a quote from the movie Remember the Titans, "Attitude reflects leadership!" The attitude of church leadership is contagious—one way or the other.

Will I be honest and vulnerable about my own struggles, wrestlings, and lessons learned the hard way? It is not a failure to show people:

• that I am human but adopted into God’s family,
• that I am broken, but depending on the God who heals the sick, and
• that I am not perfect but am hopeful and am being transformed by the love of Christ poured into my heart by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5).

This week I will see this scriptural list not as a condemnation of my weaknesses but as an invitation—listing areas where I can respond more affectionately to the love of Christ for me.

P = O Lord, please help us to live by your "house rules", not just by behaving in a way that honors you and honors your presence in your people but as a loving response of our hearts to yours! Let us function as a community of mercy and grace, full of forgiveness, yet rightly focused on the work of gently, faithfully, and lovingly, advancing your kingdom.

"I Held My Peace To No Avail"

Have you ever struggled unsuccessfully to bite your tongue, to not respond in kind to the stupid or wrong things being done around you? Have you tried not to defend yourself against untrue things that are being said? I know I have. 

As pastors and Christian leaders, it is in just such moments that we often tend to say things that we regret... I know that I have. 

This week while we gather to express gratitude to God for his blessings, sometimes our encounters with others are a challenge.

Psalm 39 expresses the agony of the slow burn such silence produced in his heart and what surprising thing he did about it. 

Check out this new post on my Psalms blog, entitled "Psalm 39: Agony & Irony—I Was Silent...Then I Spoke!"

Don't Stop Praying (SOAP Journal from 1 Timothy 2)

Photo by Ben Dixon on Unsplash

In addition to regular articles, I will be posting highlights of some simple SOAP journals that were produced during a regular gathering of pastors to journal, pray, and encourage one another. These are not exhaustively studied as they are generally the work of 20 minutes reading, 20 minutes writing, and 20 minutes of sharing with each other what we have written. These brief devotional journal posts will begin in the Pastoral epistles (1 & 2 Timothy, Titus). Hopefully they will be encouraging to the readers of this blog.

We used the simple SOAP acronym as a devotional guide... which stands for:

• Scripture—what verse or short section caught my attention today?
• Observation—what can I briefly notice that the passage specifically says?
• Application—what will I do differently as a result of having read this today?
• Prayer—what will I ask the Triune God to do for, in, and through me today?

1 Timothy 2:1-4

S = “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

O = These four verses say that we are to offer all kinds of prayer for all kinds of people no matter how high or low their position. To make this more challenging, it would seem likely that the king/emperor at that time for which Paul exhorts prayer would have been the infamous Nero. How do you pray for a leader who is harmful to your people? The same way you pray for anyone else…maybe just more so. 

Photo by Jason Betz of Unsplash

At least a couple of clear reasons for this public prayer as the gathered church that readily appear. First, it explicitly effects our ability to live peaceful and quiet lives (implicitly = living unhindered for Christ and as a ready example for others) as the community of God. Second, our prayer pleases God and effects the lives of those for whom we pray—God desires “all people” to experience salvation and thoroughly know the truth. It behooves us to pray in agreement with the revealed will of God!

A = Do I spend more time complaining about others or praying for them? Can I give thanks for them, even the difficult ones? That can be stretching to my faith especially in the area of political leadership. My prayer life will be evidenced in how I live: peaceful or stressed out, quiet or loud, godly or selfish, dignified or disturbing? This week I will pray before posting, I will intercede for others rather than insisting on my own way, and I will talk with Jesus (conversational aspect of prayer) and let him correct my heart before trying to set others straight.

P = O Lord, let me pray before I choose to complain, critique, criticize, or condemn. Give me a thankful heart today. so that I can bless others, building them up in the faith, and be fully present with them in their walk. Because you first loved me, I want to be pleasing in your sight by sharing in your heart for the lost.

Don't Swerve from Love (SOAP Journal from 1 Timothy 1)

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

In addition to regular articles, I will be posting highlights of some simple SOAP journals that were produced during a regular gathering of pastors to journal, pray, and encourage one another. These are not exhaustively studied they are generally the work of 20 minutes reading, 20 minutes writing, and 20 minutes of sharing with each other what we have written. These brief devotional journal posts will begin in the Pastoral epistles (1 & 2 Timothy, Titus). Hopefully they will be encouraging to the readers of this blog.

We used the simple SOAP acronym as a devotional guide... which stands for:

• Scripture—what verse or short section caught my attention today?
• Observation—what can I briefly notice that the passage specifically says?
• Application—what will I do differently as a result of having read this today?
• Prayer—what will I ask the Triune God to do for, in, and through me today?

1 Timothy 1:5-7

S = “The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.” (v.5-7)

O = Certain persons that Paul chooses not to name had “swerved” (ektrépō). But from what things did those “certain persons” swerve? They had turned away from love. The love that flows from…

• A pure heart
• A good conscience
• A sincere faith

Some in Ephesus had swerved from these three things and thought that they should be teachers—but in reality—nothing about them was worthy of being passed on to others. Today, in the Twitter world we sometimes talk of “sub-tweeting” which is a way of calling out or criticizing someone without mentioning their name in your tweets. Does it make you wonder who Paul was writing about? This turning from the priority of love was an issue that needed to be repeatedly addressed in Ephesus. This lesson was the very issue mentioned by the risen Christ to the church in Ephesus (Rev. 2:4).

A = Am I a pastor or a teacher? If so then I should ask myself how I am doing with these three issues of love? Do I make confident assertions about things I don’t understand? I hope not. Do I argue for the sake of arguing or waste time in baseless speculation? I better not. This passage challenges me to stay on target…to live a life of love from... 

• a pure heart (cleansed and without competing affections), 
• a good conscience (exercising confession and relational repentance) and 
• a sincere faith (authentic trust in Jesus).

Because my conscience tells me that I can’t save myself, I will fully rely on Jesus to reproduce his character in my heart. So, if my heart is pure, my conscience good, and my faith sincere can I conclude that Christ’s love will issue forth from my life? Make it so.

  

P = O Lord Jesus, let me relate all I do today to these three issues of love…for the glory of your name and the good of those around me. My ministry cannot be effective without it starting affectively in my own heart. Lord, let your love transform and bring purpose to my life and may it overflow to others through me.

In the Meekness of Wisdom?

Some 2000 years ago, Jesus of Nazareth said some shockingly counter-culture things, that will still wreck us, in a profoundly wonderful way, if we are willing to let them take root in our hearts. Not the least among these are the “Blessed are the…” statements from Matthew 5:3-12 that we call the Beatitudes. In these surprising statements, Jesus set forth the values of the kingdom of God as diametrically opposed to the values of the world. I often delineate them as kingdom (of heaven/God) values vs. empire (worldly pride) values.

This post deals with just one of those statements, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matt. 5:5)

 Photo by Leio McLaren on Unsplash

The meek were those people who were oppressed and yet looked forward in the certainty of hope for the vindication that God would bring about. Their trust was in God and not in their own efforts. There is wisdom in that approach. Yet as we try to lead and serve missionally, does meekness play a significant role in who we are, how we do ministry, and how we interact with the culture around us? I am sad to say that meekness is not something that shows up on the checklist for a pastoral search committee. Our culture has conditioned us to look for “catalytic leaders” instead. Is it any wonder that we often end up with an Eliab or Aminadab that looks good on the outside and appears able to get things done, instead of a David who has a heart after God?

Meekness, as an attribute, has always been scorned by the rich and the powerful and perhaps more surprisingly by many social-justice advocates as well. The conventional wisdom is that we must fight for everything because we all deserve better. We are encouraged to boldly stand up for our rights and the rights of others as we see them. In the process, we tend to self-sanctify our causes de jour. 

In his classic book, Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes, Kenneth E. Bailey made a particularly insightful observation while discussing the narrative of the man who wanted Jesus to decide an inheritance case between himself and his brother (Luke 12:13).

The person who fights for a just cause usually thinks that he or she is thereby a just person. Everything such a person does in fighting for that cause usually becomes right in her or his own eyes. Woe to those who fall under the sway of this kind of self-created justice. This parable presents a new perspective on the cry for justice. In the story before us, the petitioner has already decided what justice requires and wants the visiting rabbi to enforce the petitioner's view. How will Jesus respond? [italics mine][1]

Photo by Warren Wong 

on Unsplash

Once we think that our just cause has made us a just person it is too easy to justify any action or attitude used to advance our cause. Have we, like them man speaking to Jesus, “already decided what justice requires” and determined to demand our fair share, or are we teachable to the leading of Christ through the Spirit? We should be cautioned by the example of Jesus, who, deeply concerned for the deliverance of the downtrodden and oppressed as stated in his announcement in the Nazareth synagogue (Luke 4:16-21), never stoops to such ends-justify-the-means behavior. He was intentional in preparing his disciples to resist the impulse to defend their own cause.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matt. 5:10-12)

And just a bit further on,

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’

But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. (Matt. 5:38-40)

The Apostle Paul later wrote to the church in Rome (Romans 12:14-21), expanding on Proverbs 25:21-22, with a hard-hitting nine-point list. See if you don’t agree!

• Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.
• Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 
• Live in harmony with one another. 
• Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. 
• Never be wise in your own sight.
• Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.
• If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
• Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 
• Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Bullets mine)

Paul also confronted the Corinthian church’s temptation to think themselves wise and strong with his apostolic example,

To the present hour

             we hunger and thirst,

             we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, and

             we labor, working with our own hands. 

                           When reviled, we bless; 

                            when persecuted, we endure; 

                            when slandered, we entreat. 

We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, 

                                                         the refuse of all things. (1 Corinthians 4:11-13)

Why do so many Christians on social media platforms write combatively rather than engagingly, responding defensively rather than graciously towards any that do not believe or behave exactly as they do? Why are we not more like Paul who was willing to be treated like dumpster dregs for the cause of the gospel?

Jesus’ non-resistance and commitment to love and forgive his accusers through his Passion week, up to his death, was a powerful witness to his followers and to his oppressors alike (Matt. 27:54; Mark 15:39; Luke 23:47; John 18:33-38; Acts 8:32-35). Jesus’ power was under the control of the loving plan of the Father and he has given us an example to follow.

But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. (1 Peter 2:20-23)

Photo by Elijah O'Donnell on Unsplash

Why is it that we often don’t have the same effect on those who observe our lives through curated windows of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.? Biblical meekness was, and is, not weakness, and we have probably heard that instead, it is “power under control.” Certainly, we have power and authority, bestowed by Christ’s commission and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:18; Acts 1:8) yet we do well to remember that our “battle” is not with other people (Eph. 6:12). But for the Christian, what is the control to which we submit? Is it the law of legalistic requirements? Is it the law of what people think about us? Or is it the law of liberty?

It is human nature to defend oneself when oppressed and even more when falsely accused. Yet, mature followers of Jesus learn that it is better to trust Jesus to be our defender. He will set things right, though perhaps not according to our timetable.

If the kindness of God leads to repentance (Rom. 2:4) and we have benefited from that kindness and mercy, then we should extend it to others! (James 2:13)

As I was journaling through the book of James, I was struck with a phrase in chapter three, “the meekness of wisdom” (3:13). I think that we can learn more about meekness when we see with what it is contrasted.

Who is wise and understanding among you? 

By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.

But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. (James 3:13-18 emphasis mine)

In this passage commentators and preachers often focus on “wisdom from above” and skip over the initial descriptor of that wisdom— “meekness.” It is not a stretch to say that true wisdom is meek. It is neither tainted by “bitter jealousy” nor by “selfish ambition”. In fact, the nine descriptions of heavenly wisdom help us to see meekness more fully. I don’t think that it is a leap to say that meekness is…

• pure,
• peaceable,
• gentle,
• open to reason, 
• full of mercy
• full of good fruits,
• impartial 
• sincere.
• Its righteousness is sown in peace

Also, as we read this list, it sounds a lot like the whole list of the beatitudes, and the values of the kingdom of heaven. No surprise…they come from the same place. You can tell by the accent. When people read our posts, tweets, and comments what does our “accent” reveal about us and the source of our message?

Can we move into such meekness that on one side is desperate asking for and obeying God's guidance and direction—contentedly accepting justice at his hands—while intentionally seeking to relate to others gently, doing no further harm, as we work for the wholeness of justice both within and without? I hope so.

[Here are some other “meek” verses not already addressed in this article: Isaiah 29:17-21; Psalm 37:10-11; 45:4; Numbers 12:2-4; James 1:21; 2 Cor. 10:1]

---

[1] Kenneth E. Bailey. Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels (p. 301).

A Dangerous Question & An Affective Encounter (Matthew 19:16-23)

And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 

And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” He said to him, “Which ones?” 

And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 

The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matt. 19:16-23)

This well-known story from the gospels reveals something about salvation and discipleship that we often miss...

This man’s story is usually referred to as that of “The Rich Young Ruler” though he is not directly called that in any one account. We get the phrase from reading all three parallel gospel accounts and harmonizing them—Luke 18 calls him “a ruler”, Matthew 19:22 calls him a “young man”, while Mark 10 simply uses the generic “a man” and in all three cases, the author’s explanation reveals that he was quite rich. Like any legitimate eyewitness testimonies, they each add important details that help us to better understand the situation.

Today, I am responding to the passage in Matthew 19 but will include details revealed in both Mark 10 and Luke 18.

The Big Question

v. 16 “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?

This is a question all spiritually woke people ask. What is it that we must do to have, or inherit eternal life? We begin to wonder, introspectively, whether we could ever be good enough, and in moments of painful honesty, we realize that we fall far short of the righteousness required. This young man had the amazing opportunity to approach Jesus and ask him face-to-face. His enthusiasm in seeking Jesus' answer (Mark— “ran up and knelt”) was likely fueled by his thinking that he had it nailed. We can sometimes think this way too. We ask for input only from those we think will confirm our own bias.

Jesus answered his question, eventually, but first, he asked a rhetorical question to prepare the man for the answer to his questions.

The Rhetorical Question

Jesus took a moment to get the man’s attention by asking a rhetorical question. Here in Matthew’s account, Jesus’ question is used to hint at the answer that nobody is “good” enough for eternal life by what they do… except for God himself. 

“Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 

This is made stronger in the Gospels of Mark and Luke who record the question slightly differently where the focus is on the character of Jesus himself. “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.” Jesus was not denying that he himself was good, but making the man think about who he was really asking. Was he wrong about Jesus being “good”, or should he listen to him like he was God? 

In all these accounts the punch line is essentially the same, that God alone is good. This implies that the man asking the question was not good at some point, a point made explicit later by Paul, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). Far from being justified by his response that he had kept the representative commands Jesus listed (the easier ones?) the law will ultimately silence our excuses and bring conviction upon us, not our hoped-for justification (Rom. 3:19-20).

For all his boldness in proclaiming “All these I have kept”, the man did not have an internal assurance of his being an heir of eternal life. He must have had an elevated level of anxiety for his soul that comes from knowing that for all his external effort, his heart has not been transformed. This anxiety, this drive for assurance, prompted him to ask a blessedly dangerous question.

The Dangerous Question (v.20)

The young man asked Jesus, “What do I still lack?” I love that this young man would ask Jesus this question. Perhaps it was asked defensively, perhaps he was even embarrassed he had said it aloud, but I would hope that it was asked sincerely, after the manner of the psalmist,

Search me, O God, and know my heart!
    Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,    
and lead me in the way everlasting! (Psalm 139:23-24)

If it is true that the young man asked this question sincerely, despite Jesus’ reframing the context, it seems to suggest a certain knowledge of who Jesus was. But this knowledge alone was not enough to produce relational obedience for the story ends with him departing disheartened and in sadness.

The Affective Point

Jesus answered the young man’s question directly (which strongly suggests that it had been asked sincerely). Mark adds the detail that on hearing his response, Jesus looked at him, loved him, and spoke the truth to him that there was one thing that he lacked (Mark 10:21).

Jesus’ challenging answer was not a call to a more severe, ascetic, standards-based, external compliance to the Mosaic law.  It was not the spiritual discipline of poverty that he ultimately sought. Rather, it was an invitation to respond to the overflowing love of God in Christ that was being extended. It is an applied theology of the first three commandments (Ex. 20:3-7) as summed up in Deut. 6:5 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”

The emphasis of the directive to “sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me” should be on the last phrase not the first. This was not a command for all Christians to give away all their possessions (though generosity and even sacrificial charity are taught elsewhere in the Bible). It was an affective encounter—one which illustrated Jesus’ earlier teaching about how we cannot serve two masters, for we will love one and hate the other (Matt. 6:24; Luke 16:13) and “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt. 6:21)

Jesus Face, By Richard Hook

The only viable answer to the question of how to inherit eternal life is to respond to the love of God by faith in Jesus Christ. It changes everything…from the inside out.

The key to eternal life is not our resume of good works, nor our knowledge of Jesus’ messianic ministry, but in our being known by Jesus…our walking in a loving relationship with him by faith. Oh, and such a life of love eagerly participates in the good and just work of the Triune God in the world!

Bringing it Home

So, the challenge for us today is not one of divesting ourselves of all possessions, but of cutting off any love that demands a greater loyalty than that to Christ. Is there something that we would choose to keep over and above our relationship with Jesus Christ? It has been said that sometimes what we own actually owns us—that which we think might bring freedom ironically holds our hearts in bondage.

This passage serves as an example, a lived-out parable, prompting us to ask a similar question to that blessedly dangerous question asked by a wealthy young man long ago.

What that man lacked was a heart that loved God, because God had loved him. Imagine walking away from Jesus’ invitation to “Come, follow me!” in favor of waxing your car, marketing your business, or organizing your bobblehead collection. Ridiculous right?

But how is that any different from investing our heart and soul into our endless gym workouts and selfies, social media feeds, naming our own identity, and seeking the praise of humanity?

Following Jesus, once we realize how he loves us, would be like the two kingdom responses in Matthew 13:44-46,

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

Here in Matthew 19, don’t miss the affective encounter as Jesus invited the rich young man to enter into just such a joy of the kingdom, to lay down the idols of his heart, and to “come, follow me,” but it appears that he was too invested in his possessions and privilege to replace that love of the world with the love of Christ. From our perspective, it was a tragic missed opportunity. Yet what are the idols of our hearts that restrict our own availability and responsiveness to Jesus’ love? Could such misdirected love be the sin that trips us up (Heb. 12:1) or the "cares of the world" that choke out the gospel seed in our hearts (Matt. 13:22)?

Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy!

Susan Kirsch on Unsplash

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:18-19)