Discipleship and Owning Stuff
Preached by Jason Abbott
February 2, 2014
Introduction
Today, we’re going to tackle the often touchy subject of how one balances following Jesus with having possessions and wealth. Thus, the title of this sermon is Discipleship and Owning Stuff.
It’s worth noting from the get go that the question of how much we may own and still faithfully follow Jesus is not being addressed here. It’s quite clear from Mark’s gospel that simply being wealthy is not condemned by Jesus. For:
Neither the unnamed woman of [Mark] 14:3-9 nor Joseph of Arimathea (15:43; Matt 27:57) is either questioned or condemned in Mark, although both are wealthy.1
No, the question in this passage isn’t how much you can possess and still follow Jesus but, rather, how much you can possess your possessions and still follow him. Thus, in order to get at that question, we’re going to look at (1) a rich man who wants to be a disciple and (2) some disciples who want to be rich men.
Mark 10:17-31
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.
23 And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” 28 Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” 29 Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
1. The would-be disciple:
There are so many questions that are typically asked of this short interaction: (1) When the young man asks what he must do to inherit eternal life, why doesn’t Jesus simply explain his ministry or the good news to him? (2) Why does Jesus ask the rather strange and seemingly unrelated question about this young man’s description of him as a good teacher? (3) Why does Jesus point this young man to the law and not the gospel of grace?
All of these (and even more) are good questions, but they are likely secondary question and not primary questions. I believe a more primary question to ask of this interaction between Jesus and this rich, young man is:
a. What is this would-be disciple’s focus?
Look more closely at the question he brings before Jesus. He asks:
Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life (v. 17)?
What does this question tell us about the rich, young man’s focus? Well, his question very clearly betrays that he understands entrance into the kingdom of heaven as a works based entrance! Entrance into the kingdom is something he will have to earn. “Hey good teacher! What must I do?”
This young man wants to talk about making himself acceptable to God—making himself worthy of eternity. So, Jesus has the works-righteousness conversation with him. Jesus says:
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 (v. 19).
How would you respond to such a statement by Jesus? If you asked him how to inherit eternal life, and he pointed you to the law, how would you respond? Probably, you would feel (like I would) pretty discouraged!
Ok, I’m good on murder. That is until we realize that being angry with others puts us equally under God’s judgment according to Jesus (Matthew 5:21-22).
Ok, I’m good on adultery. That is until we realize that looking with lust upon somebody other than our spouse is adultery according to Jesus (Matthew 5:27-30).
You see, a right understanding of Jesus’ invocation of the law here should highlight our sinfulness and our need of a better (no, a perfect) righteousness.
A correct or right understanding of Jesus’ statement here should help this rich, young man see that he is spiritually bankrupt. It should help him to see that, on his own, he will never inherit eternal life.
But:
b. Is this would-be disciple willing to be made needy?
Or, perhaps, more precisely put: Is he able to own his poverty before Jesus? Sadly, it does not appear that he is. For, he far too quickly responds:
Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth (v. 20).
There is no need to think him insincere. Perhaps, naïve but not insincere! Why do I say this? Because, the very next thing Mark tells us is that:
…looking at him, [Jesus] loved him… (v. 21).
Jesus doesn’t love insincerity. Jesus doesn’t love deception. He hates them! Consequently, it’s difficult to believe that this would-be disciple is anything but naïve about his impoverished spiritual condition and the holy requirements of God.
So because Jesus loves him, he begins to make him aware of his need:
“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.” [But Mark tells us that] Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions (vv. 21-22).
Do you remember those little children (those babies) from last week’s text? Do you remember what quality they exemplified that any disciple who wanted to enter into the kingdom of God would similarly need to exemplify?
Remember, it wasn’t innocence but helplessness or neediness!
Why would this be essential? Because, unless one recognizes his neediness, he will never turn to receive what only God can provide—righteousness and eternal salvation!
Here, this young man will not turn to God for an eternal inheritance because he loves his earthly inheritance far more!
Here, this would-be disciple will not be Jesus’ disciple because he refuses to make himself like a helpless child by giving up the illusory power of his possessions!
Here, Jesus confronts this naïve man with his breaking of the law when he shows him that he is currently breaking the greatest commandment—loving his wealth more than he loves God!
We can do this kind of thing too, can’t we? We are far too often kept from really following Jesus because we naïvely value some idol more than we do Jesus! We hold onto something in this world more tightly than we hold onto our Lord!
Whatever our idol may be, we must pray that Jesus will confront us over it, and we must pray that he’ll highlight, in that confrontation, our need of him!
Let’s turn our attention now to:
2. The would-be rich men:
There are 12 of them in this story—12 men who witness this interaction between Jesus and the rich, young man, and 12 men who are totally puzzled by it. These would-be rich men are Jesus’ 12 disciples.
As with the would-be disciple, it’s worth asking:
a. What’s the disciples’ focus?
We’re given a hint about it as Jesus teaches them following the encounter. Mark records:
And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved” (vv. 23-26)?
Twice in this short passage the disciples are described as shocked by Jesus. You see, they (like their society) have assumed that those who are rich have been made rich by God because of their righteousness. So, one commentator notes:
The amazement of the disciples (v. 24) at Jesus’ words reflects their Jewish background, which placed great emphasis on the privileged position of the rich. To be wealthy was sure evidence of having the blessing of God. 2
Consequently their amazement betrays their focus—namely, that aspiring to follow God should surely mean wealth and influence for them. For example, consider what James and John will request of Jesus in just a few verses further along in Mark’s gospel:
Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory (Mark 10:37).
James and John (as well as the rest of the disciples) are focused on being wealthy and powerful and influential because isn’t that a sure sign of God’s blessing and favor?!! Doesn’t it mean you’re on the right track?!!
Ironically, as baffled as they are, the disciples in their desperation ask exactly the right question of Jesus:
Then who can be saved (v. 26)?
You see, Jesus has been leading them here all along. Their bewilderment and their desperation have brought them to precisely the right place to hear Jesus.
b. What is Jesus’ answer?
With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God (v. 27).
Think about where Jesus has brought his disciples. Think about where he has masterfully guided them.
He has brought them to the end of their own strength!
He has made them ponder evermore deeply their neediness!
He has humbled their “mature and wise” views of how God works!
And, from this lowly place, from this childlike place, from this needy place, Jesus begins to teach these spiritual “children” (v. 24) about God’s salvation.
With man it is impossible but with God it is absolutely possible (v. 27).
Following God will entail present rewards and also persecutions but, more importantly, following God means eternal life (vv. 29-30).
In God’s kingdom the proud and the prominent will be last while the humble and the lowly will be first (v. 31).
With Jesus God’s kingdom has come into the world, and Jesus himself will demonstrate that greatness in God’s kingdom is to serve the lowly.
1James R. Edwards, The Gospel According To Mark, 314.
2Walter W. Wessel, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Mark, 716.
