Some people have a way of knowing exactly where to touch to find out what is really happening in a situation. They are able to walk into a room, spend a few moments observing, and then engage in a way that brings the greatest change. Some of this power comes from their personality, since people often seem to look up to them. Some of it comes from their ability to size up people and situations.
This is a skill that is very useful in life. If you are a negotiator, then being able to pick up on people’s agendas and motives is important. It is often the unspoken that carries the most weight. It can pay to be like Sherlock Holmes, seeing every detail and forming conclusions from the data in a moment.
Jesus is engaging with a man who is tormented. He wants desperately to know if his life matters. He wants to know if he has been following the right path, doing the right things, behaving the right way. He wants to please God, but he isn’t sure he has done it. So he comes to Jesus with a question.
He answers Jesus’ answer with a statement of completion. He in essence says, I’ve got all that covered. If that is all there is to it, then I have it made. And yet Jesus sees something more in him. Deep inside, this man knows he isn’t good enough. He knows he falls short. He can feel it. Otherwise, there would be no need to ask Jesus about the entrance criteria. He wants it, but he knows he hasn’t gotten it yet.
At the root of Jesus’ answer is the truth that only God can provide the means to heaven. No matter how hard we try, no matter what we do, we will fall short of divine perfection. So Jesus zooms in on this man’s hesitancy. There is one area over which the LORD doesn’t have control in this man’s life. This man has not yielded his wealth.
Notice that Jesus loves this man. He is not giving him a difficult task because He despises this man’s wealth. Wealth is not the issue. The issue is the place wealth occupies in this man’s life. It stands center stage. Jesus knows this and wants to help him. He loves him, after all. He is not trying to drive him away.
This man could have responded by saying, “Yes, Lord! I will do it right away. Save me a spot on your team.” He could have taken Jesus’ advice and done the ‘do’ that he had asked for with his initial question. Remember, he asked, what must I do! Jesus has told him what he must do.
Jesus tries to help this man by pointing out that wealth had him, rather than he having wealth. So many, even the poor, don’t have wealth. Wealth, or that lack of it, has them. Some ride the disability train, or the prejudice train, or the nobody’s helping me train until they have long run out of track. They spend money on SUV’s, big screen TV’s, smartphones with data plans, addictions, and expensive shoes, but get food stamps because they don’t have money for food. I am afraid Jesus would call on these people to stop living off other people’s efforts.
If we don’t work, we don’t eat. I have found hunger to be a great motivation to do something. Handouts are a great motivation to do nothing. I want to encourage you to read the book by Robert Lupton, Toxic Charity, if you want a better way to help the poor.
The Arnold Journey 