Last week, I started a series highlighting the times when Jesus told people to " go and" do something. We looked at the woman at the well in John 4, when Jesus ordered her to "go and get your husband." When she confessed that she had no husband, Jesus had what He was after: her need to honestly admit her spiritual condition. This week, we look at an encounter with a man who approached Jesus to ask a question: “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16). Jesus' response is the second entry in our "Go And" series.
GOOD QUESTIONS
A famous motivational speaker once said that quality questions lead to a quality life. I have found that to be true when someone is seeking purpose, for they must ask questions they have never asked if they want answers they have never heard. In the case of the man who came to Jesus, he asked good questions, but those questions led to more truth than he could handle.
Jesus first response was for the man to keep the commandments. That led to the man's second question, "Which ones?" (Matthew 19:18), to which Jesus answered, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 19:19). The man could not leave well enough alone, however, and he pressed the discussion even further: “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” (Matthew 19:20).
It was then Jesus delivered the explosive answer that sent the man reeling, retreating to lick his wounds and to try to regain his self-righteous equilibrium: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (Matthew 19:21). In Mark's gospel, we are told, "Jesus looked at him, loved him, and said 'Go and sell all your possessions' . . ." (Mark 10:21). Because the man kept asking, Jesus expressed His love by telling the man the truth that his possessions owned him, and not the other way around.
THE LESSONS
What Jesus told this man did not become the standard for all people trying to enter the kingdom of God. He did not say that all people had to sell all their possessions, but Jesus told this man that he had to do so if he was serious about what he was asking and seeking. Jesus did draw a lesson that He shared with His disciples from this encounter, and it is this lesson that applies to you and me as we seek God's will and purpose for our lives: "“Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 19:23).
The reformer John Calvin said, "Man's nature is a perpetual factory of idols." We can make an idol out of our looks, ethnic or tribal origin, career, business, relationships (spouse, kids, grandkids), money, house, or hobbies. Jesus was helping the man see that while he was keeping all the rules, something else had hold of his heart - and that was going to keep him from obtaining what he was seeking to identify.
What has a hold of your heart? Are you keeping all the rules, the commandments, but missing the bigger picture? Are you asking the right questions and if you are, are you prepared for God's honest answers? As in the man's case, Jesus was not trying to ruin his life. He loved the man and wanted him to find the life he was seeking, but that life could only be released when he put following Jesus ahead of his business interests.
As we go through this series, I challenge you to ask God to show you what you must do to gain the kind of purposeful, Kingdom-centered life you have expressed an interest in living. Then when He answers – and He will most certainly answer – take steps to reorder your priorities so that God's purpose, and not a counterfeit imposter, is the main focus of your daily life. Have a blessed week!
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TRAVELS WITH DR. JOHN: I am planning three trips in the next two years, and I invited you to join me on any or all of them.
- Kenya Trip: February 15-23, 2019
- Alaska Cruise: August 4-11, 2019
- Israel Tour: April 21 - April 30, 2020 with an optional side trip to Jordan to see Petra from May 1-4.
If you would like information on these trips as it becomes available, write me at [email protected] and let me know.
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The first is My Enemies My Friends, which is a fable that teaches important lessons about the book of Psalms,
specifically the there is a message in the entire book and not just the individual psalms themselves. Dr. John imparts these lessons through an entertaining story of Pastor Harold Portis who is about to be voted out of his church (or so it seems).
The second is The Power of Purple, which contains the Monday Memo series on women of purpose in Scripture. Men and women who are reading this book are finding it helpful in their own search for purpose.
Click on the cover of either book and order your signed copy today. It will make great summer reading and you will learn a lot while you read. (Kindle versions are available through Amazon.)
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