There was a rich young man who consulted Jesus about what good he had to do to gain eternal life. The young man was earnest; and he really wanted to be perfect. He was religious in practice, and was interested in finding peace. He knew about Jesus, and believed that he came to the right person to get the best advice, and was even very respectful in addressing Jesus. Read about it in Matt 19:16-22.
But when Jesus spelled out to him the conditions of discipleship, and what he had to do to follow him, the young man got an instruction that he did not expect, was discouraged and walked away.
First of all, truly the cost of following Jesus is very steep. Of course, Jesus wasn’t requiring anything from this man that wasn’t already commanded. Although the young man was confident that he had religiously complied with all the commands, Jesus was simply highlighting to this young man the one command that he had failed to follow.
What commandment was this? Well, the first and most important of the ten commandments: “I am the Lord your God … you shall have no other gods before me.” (Exo 20:2-3)
For this man, even though he seemed to be a fair man and related well to his fellow men, apparently his source of security and happiness and esteem was his great wealth. And he was not willing to give this up. Not for anything.
Very quickly, let me just point out that there’s nothing wrong with wealth. This, too, is a result of God’s blessings for those who acquire wealth in an honorable way; and God has a good purpose for our material wealth. But what Jesus points out is our relationship with our wealth, and what we intend to do with it. Remember that passage when Jesus said, “You cannot love God and money at the same time?” It’s not a command: it’s just what happens. In the case of the young man, he loved his wealth; more than he loved God. And that’s why he was in violation of the first and most important of the ten commandments.
Walking away, sad at first, maybe this young was later consoling himself saying, “oh well, I’m ok with where I am now. I am comfortable in my life; I have good relations with people. No need to do anything different. Why give that up?”
WHAT ARE THE IDOLS IN YOUR LIFE?
But, listen, my friends. Jesus merely pointed out to this young man, and to all of us listening to this reflection today, the common tendency for all men to give much importance and value to many things in place of God in their lives and especially in their hearts. And as a result, they miss out on the most important thing: God’s kingdom. Sayang.
In the case of this young man, it was his wealth. And for us in today’s modern age, it can take many other forms, like the successes, esteem, and the reputation we get out of our careers, relationships, hobbies, sports, etc. We also idolize the same in others, and we allow ourselves to be influenced by their views about the world and life in general, rather than the word of God.
But the danger that Jesus is pointing through this young man’s example is that these are merely different forms of idols that we worship. And because God is a jealous God, He doesn’t want us to give more importance on anything in our lives than our relationship with Him. God doesn’t want us to depend on anything else for our peace, for our happiness, for our joy and for our sense of completeness except from Him, from His presence in our lives, from the promises that He generously gives to us when we are willing to give up anything and everything for His sake and His honor.
The gospels are filled with examples of men who dropped everything and followed Jesus, who had forsaken everything in exchange for living a life according to God’s will and in promoting the kingdom of heaven. For them, they stay focused on the kingdom of heaven which surpasses anything and everything that this world promises to give.
So, my dear friends, take time to examine whether there are idols in your life that compete with God as a source of your joy and happiness, and of your attention, and as a basis for defining who you are. Decide whom you are to follow this day, and ask for forgiveness, and let God renew the Spirit within you.
THE SACRIFICE WE NEED TO MAKE TO EARN THE KINGDOM
My second reflection point. Going back to the story of that rich young man, I can’t help but feel sad for him. How sad to see that he missed his chance to journey with Jesus; he missed the one and only way to eternal life. You know, if I could only turn back time, I would love to go back to that time, and chase after that young man and comfort him and console him, and encourage him to reconsider, to point out to him how much more valuable and precious is the kingdom of God, and that it’s worth sacrificing anything and everything.
But that happens to many of us, right? How often do we see someone start off on a good dream, and then they learn how much effort and time it would take to pursue that good dream, then they give up on the dream, and they settle for something less but easier to achieve. We feel sad for this person, and wish that he had the courage and will and determination to do whatever is necessary in order to pursue that dream. It’s sad, but it happens. Maybe even to ourselves.
On the other hand, we are inspired and encouraged whenever we see people go through huge sacrifices in order to pursue their good dreams. The recent Olympics is a fine example of many young men and women who pursued their dreams and spent thousands and thousands of hours preparing for it, and battling all challenges and odds just to even qualify and to show up at the games.
How about you? Have you ever desired something, and then you were tempted to give up, but only to receive encouragement from others to just push yourself some more? Praise God for men and women in our lives who had encouraged us never to give up on a good dream.
On the other hand, if you’re at a crossroads right now facing challenging times and tempted to give up on something that you initially thought is what you really wanted to do or to become, I pray that the Lord will send you someone to encourage you. I pray for the Holy Spirit to renew your strength, to remind you and make clear the good vision that you are pursuing, and to send you men and women who can help you conquer your challenges.
One thing is for sure. If the vision and dream that you have is aligned with God’s will, if it is something that will promote His kingdom, then you can be sure that God will give you the strength and the resources to complete this good work that He has planned for you to do.
My point today, brothers and sisters is simply this. God has a beautiful plan for each one of us; and He promises that this is more precious, more valuable, more delightful than anything that you can ever possibly acquire on your own. All that God expects of you is to believe in Him, and to forsake everything and follow Jesus who will lead you along the pathway of hope.
REFLECTION: What are the idols in my life (objects, habits, relationships, mindsets, attitudes, etc) that quietly compete with my commitment to Jesus Christ and his Kingdom?
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