Whac-A-Mole: Universalism — Tuesday
Mark 10:21-22
Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. (NLT)
The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell about a brief encounter Jesus has with someone we’ve come to identify as “The Rich Young Ruler.” That seems to be a fairly detailed description of a person we actually know little about. We don’t even know his name. But by piecing together the accounts of the story from the three gospels, we’re able to get a clearer picture. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all reference his wealth. Luke writes about his position as a ruler, or official. And Matthew is the only one who makes mention that he was young. We can also draw the conclusion that he was most likely Jewish since he respectfully addresses Jesus as teacher, and talks of keeping the commandments from an early age.
The man eagerly approaches Jesus then asks, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” Jesus, knowing the heart of this young man, references keeping the commandments. Not so much as the answer to the man’s question, but as if to say: “how is all that commandment-keeping working out for you?” The inference was clear, keeping commandments is not enough. So Jesus speaks lovingly to the thing the man values most: his wealth. Jesus’ response is in today’s verse above. Jesus wasn’t telling the man that this act would be the thing that gives him eternal life. Jesus wanted to see what the man would be willing to give up to follow Him. The interaction ends rather abruptly as the young man goes away sad.
We’re not told if the young man eventually decided to take Jesus up on his offer. What we do know is that Jesus gave him the choice. It’s a choice given to all of us, which some might reject.
Tuesday’s Reflection
The Bible says that Jesus loved the young man, even though there was the chance the man wouldn’t follow Him. Can we also say that we love those who have not decided to follow Jesus?
