SCRIPTURE: Once a religious leader asked Jesus this question: “Good Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “Only God is truly good. But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. Honor your father and mother.” The man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.” When Jesus heard his answer, he said, “There is still one thing you haven’t done. Sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” But when the man heard this he became very sad, for he was very rich. When Jesus saw this, he said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God! 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!” Those who heard this said, “Then who in the world can be saved?” He replied, “What is impossible for people is possible with God.” Peter said, “We’ve left our homes to follow you.” “Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the Kingdom of God, 30 will be repaid many times over in this life, and will have eternal life in the world to come.”
LESSON: What an interesting discourse. For us to appreciate this, we need to understand what eternal life really is. The Lord Jesus describes eternal life in John 17.3: Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. In this context, the word "know" goes beyond mere mental knowledge or agreement. It signifies a profound intimacy or connection (e.g., Adam knew his wife, referring to intimacy and intercourse beyond mental knowledge) - where we actively seek to align our wills, desires, minds, and emotions with God and the Lord Jesus, and only in the place of discipleship can this be achieved. This intimacy with God leads to an osmosis of spiritual substance (divine virtue, wisdom, power, and attributes) from God to us, as we become ONE with God (the same way the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit are ONE). Therefore, eternal life is not just living forever with God but sharing in the divine attributes that make God God! This will eventually lead to us living forever with God. Romans 2.7 highlights this too: "He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory, honor, and immortality that God offers." This requires consistency, and only in the place of discipleship can we continually keep seeking after the glory, honor, and immortality that only come from God. That's the call the Lord made to the rich young ruler, but in order to walk this path faithfully, one must get rid of any encumbrances. This is the part that many of us struggle to accept. The young, wealthy ruler left feeling sad because he was not willing to part (temporarily) with his possessions, which were an encumbrance in the short run. The Lord would have repaid him a hundredfold in the future, once they no longer posed a threat to his divine destiny (verses 29-30).
PRAYER: Teach us to let go and let God... for God is faithful!
LESSON: What an interesting discourse. For us to appreciate this, we need to understand what eternal life really is. The Lord Jesus describes eternal life in John 17.3: Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. In this context, the word "know" goes beyond mere mental knowledge or agreement. It signifies a profound intimacy or connection (e.g., Adam knew his wife, referring to intimacy and intercourse beyond mental knowledge) - where we actively seek to align our wills, desires, minds, and emotions with God and the Lord Jesus, and only in the place of discipleship can this be achieved. This intimacy with God leads to an osmosis of spiritual substance (divine virtue, wisdom, power, and attributes) from God to us, as we become ONE with God (the same way the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit are ONE). Therefore, eternal life is not just living forever with God but sharing in the divine attributes that make God God! This will eventually lead to us living forever with God. Romans 2.7 highlights this too: "He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory, honor, and immortality that God offers." This requires consistency, and only in the place of discipleship can we continually keep seeking after the glory, honor, and immortality that only come from God. That's the call the Lord made to the rich young ruler, but in order to walk this path faithfully, one must get rid of any encumbrances. This is the part that many of us struggle to accept. The young, wealthy ruler left feeling sad because he was not willing to part (temporarily) with his possessions, which were an encumbrance in the short run. The Lord would have repaid him a hundredfold in the future, once they no longer posed a threat to his divine destiny (verses 29-30).
PRAYER: Teach us to let go and let God... for God is faithful!
