Feb 19, 2024
God has a calling for you, and it is better than you can ask or imagine. Will you answer in joy, trusting His wisdom and provision? Join Julie Jenkins as we study together Jesus’ response to the rich, young man as told in Matthew 19:16-30, Mark 10:17-31, and Luke 18:18-30.
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Thank you for joining for the Women World Leaders podcast! My name is Julie Jenkins, and I have the honor of walking through the Bible with you today as we study scripture and ask God to tell us what He wants us to know!
If you are new to Women World Leaders, we are so glad you have joined us! We are a group of women on mission to share the gospel as we empower each other to walk in our God-given purpose. If you are a Christ-follower, you are called to be a leader for Christ! God has gifted YOU with amazing talents and gifts, and we want to help you discover and use those gifts. So if you enjoy writing, music, art, teaching, encouraging others, or organizing databases, we have a place for you to grow, serve, and thrive. And if you aren’t sure HOW you want to serve, that’s okay – we are excited to meet you where you are! Each month, we host a Leadership Connect Zoom call that is open to the public. On the third Monday of each month at 7 pm et, we have a great time getting to know each other, finding out what is happening in the ministry, and learning different ways to serve others and grow in our leadership skills from a guest speaker. We would LOVE you to join us! To get the Zoom link, simply visit womenworldleaders.com and fill out our connect form so we can email you all the details! If you have any questions about the ministry, feel free to email us at info@womenworldleaders.com, and if you have a prayer request, email us at prayer@womenworldleaders.com.
The scripture we are going to dive into today is the story of Jesus talking to the rich young man. Three of the gospel writers give us their take on what happened that day, so we will be studying Matthew 19:16-30, Mark 10:17-31, and Luke 18:18-30. Before we begin, let’s pray…
Dear Most Holy God…we are honored to come to you today and we ask you to guide us as we open your Word. Father, thank you for providing us with your written instructions and for sending your Holy Spirit to help us understand all you want us to know – may we never take you or your written Word for granted. Bless the listener as you speak directly to her heart, and bless my thoughts and words as I humbly present what it is you would have us know today. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Let’s begin in Mark, chapter 10, verse 17 from the New Living Translation…
As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Let’s examine what we know about the man who came and knelt before Jesus. Mark tells us simply that he was a man who called Jesus a teacher. Luke tells us that he was a religious leader, which makes sense as he was obviously eager to do EVERYTHING right, which was the hallmark of the religious leaders of the day – they operated on the idea that they must follow every jot and tittle of God’s Word to get into heaven.
I can relate to this man, can’t you? He wanted to know what HE should do to secure his future. I have a difficult time with control…I always think that if I can just figure out the right combination of food to eat and exercises to do, I will have complete control over my weight and my health. And…by working REALLY hard and being wise with my money, I will be able to ensure a FABULOUS retirement for myself when the time comes.
This man – who we find out later is rich – was used to controlling his own destiny…or at least trying to. He followed all the rules, he did everything right, but he came to Jesus wanting just ONE MORE piece of insurance of his eternity – essentially asking…is there anything I am missing?
I imagine that anyone who was in listening distance would have been all ears. This man seemingly had it all together. If HE needed to do something else to ensure his ultimate destination, I’m betting everyone else wanted the SAME information.
Jesus’ response turns the tables a bit…verse 18
18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good.
In essence, Jesus was saying…hmmm…think about what you are saying…you know that ONLY God is good. So unless you believe that I AM God, you are quite openly doing something against the religion you claim as you flatter me, calling ME “good” – an adjective that can only be attributed to God Himself.
Jesus continues…
19 But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’[a]”
It’s interesting that Jesus first speaks of those commandments that are relational – those that have to do with people, not God.
20 “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”
Isn’t that a telling statement? The man was going through life on a surface level with his eyes half open. If he had taken even a moment to think more deeply, he would surely have remembered at least ONE time when he went against those commandments. Surely he had bloopers in his life…we all do!
Can you imagine how quickly you and I would go down if someone were to play a video across the sky of our life’s bloopers? The first clip of my life would show me stealing lipstick from my mom’s purse – that was the first time I remember willfully doing something wrong. I believe that my mom and God both forgave me for that many years ago…but if we are following the “rules” of doing right versus doing wrong, we must be honest and recognize that we all have sin in our past. No one is blameless.
And yet, in our culture of canceling each other, we often judge the actions of others while we explain, at least in our own minds, our own actions away.
Thankfully, our God is forgiving and loving…I LOVE this next verse…
21 Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him.
Wow…Jesus LOVED this man who came to Him not knowing who He was and ONLY wanting to know the rules to secure eternal life.
Jesus loved the man and met him where He was. Jesus did indeed guide him, on a very personal and specific level that was meant to teach the man and help him grow…Jesus said…
“There is still one thing you haven’t done,” … “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22 At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
Matthew records it this way
Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
Let’s break this down…Jesus said first…Go
Jesus calls us to action. How wonderful would it be to sit on the mountaintop with Jesus all day long? But we are here on earth for a reason…we each have a job to do…and Jesus tells us to Go!
Second…Jesus told the many to sell his possessions and give to the poor.
The belief at the time was that God blessed those He was pleased with by giving them earthly riches. God DID make a way for that man to have riches, but there was a reason behind those riches! Jesus gifted the young leader by telling him HOW to use what he had been blessed with. How amazing! How often have we gone to God and asked…what should I do? And then when we hear His reply…be still, trust me, or even, do the hard thing…we think…no, I’m going to take control of things and do what I think is best. All we have to do is obey and follow God’s lead…AND like the man…from our actions, we will gain treasure in heaven. What?? The man should have JUMPED at the opportunity to use all he had been given!
And then, Jesus offers the man the most amazing invitation of all…He says, after you have given all you own away…THEN…COME FOLLOW ME!
The man, having sold his possessions and used them for amazing good, would then be unencumbered and able to follow Jesus!
By all rights, the young leader should have walked away from his encounter with Jesus skipping joyfully. His question had been answered…Jesus had told EXACTLY what he needed to know to ensure eternity…he needed to follow Jesus.
But instead…that man went away sad…focused on all he would have to give up rather than on all Jesus was offering him.
I wonder what ever happened to him? Like the video of my lipstick-snatching days, all we see of this guy is his blunder as he sulked away. Reading this…we assume he was doomed…but remember…Jesus loved him. Surely his story was not over. Isn’t there a lesson in that?
God doesn’t give up on us and God doesn’t judge us by our past actions. The key to eternal glory for the man was never his works…it wasn’t that he would sell all his possessions and give to the poor. The key for the man, and for us, is putting God above everything else. On this side of heaven, we will never be perfect, but to GET to heaven, we must FOLLOW Jesus with our hearts…always returning to Him…even when we mess up in our deeds. And when we follow Him, He will continually show and empower us to put God above everything else.
Verse 23…
23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!” 24 This amazed them. But Jesus said again, “Dear children, it is very hard[b] to enter the Kingdom of God. 25 In fact, 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 The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked.
27 Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.”
You and I don’t hold the key to heaven…and we can’t beat down the pearly gates with our good deeds. Without Jesus…it is IMPOSSIBLE to enter heaven. When we walk by his side, however, Jesus will walk us right into eternity…
As if to underscore this point, Peter IMMEDIATELY showcases the sin of pride…
Verse 28…
28 Then Peter began to speak up. “We’ve given up everything to follow you,” he said.
But Jesus doesn’t focus on Peter’s sin of pride…instead Jesus assures Peter of the blessings that come from walking by God’s side…
29 “Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, 30 will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property—along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life. 31 But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.[c]”
Aren’t we so blessed to serve a God who loves us THAT much? Sometimes, in the flesh, what He asks us to do is difficult…but all that He asks us is for our own good.
Is God telling you to serve Him in some way? Does it seem too hard? I guarantee that if you listen and obey, YOU will be the one receiving the blessing!
Five years ago, we at Women World Leaders encouraged Christ-followers to write their stories. Any of our authors will tell you that when God called them to write their story, there were bumps and scary places along the way. But the growth they experienced through the process and the lives they impacted with their words are blessings they never would have imagined.
We publish Voice of Truth, a beautiful magazine full of God’s Word, four times a year. We do it because God told us to. You’d better believe the process is difficult! But God always sees us through, and the reward is amazing!
No matter what God is calling you to do…will you let go of the reins of control and allow Him to work in your life as you respond obediently? Skip with joy into your future as you follow Jesus and all that He has for you!
Let’s pray…
Dear Most Holy God…we say YES! Jesus….we know you are more than a good teacher, you are truly the Son of God. And we vow to follow you! Thank you for the gifts and the gifting you have given each one of us…tune our ears to your Words and give us strength and joy to honor you in all we do for your glory. In Jesus’ name, we pray…Amen.