Mark 10:17-18(NLT) tells us, “As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18“Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good.” In the minds of most, the young man that came running up to Jesus and referred to him as “Good Teacher” was behaving very respectably. Afterall, he was inquiring after a very serious subject, which is eternal life. He was interested in obtaining this gift, but there was a problem, and it was made very apparent in the way the young man addressed Jesus Christ. The young man teaches us in this record that in order to receive the blessing and the right answer to our questions when we approach Jesus, there can’t be any doubt in our minds regarding who we’re talking to.
The young man in this passage was a Jewish ruler and was very rich. He came running to Jesus Christ, which was an indication of his humility. And he came to Jesus Christ at a time during the day when Jesus was in his usual company, and on his way to continue the Father’s business. The young man didn’t do as Nicodemus did, and request a meeting at night, when it was less likely they would be seen conversing. This man knelt before Jesus, showing a sign of great respect, and demonstrating his desire to be taught by by the Master.
Looking at this with closer scrutiny, it would be very easy for us to draw the conclusion that all the right boxes were checked for an optimal outcome, and indeed this is what this rich man expected. When it comes to life, most of us desire every drop of goodness we can squeeze out of it, and like the rich man, we think we’re checking all the right boxes. Solomon is the wisest man that has ever lived, and he made it his business to pursue knowledge. He left no stone unturned and pursued all the knowledge that was available to him. He wanted a meaningful existence with fulfillment and happiness, and this is what most of us want as well.
In Ecclesiastes 2:11(NLT), Solomon said, “But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.” The Lord allowed Solomon to explore all the nooks and crannies of life so that we could learn from his findings and would not need to consume our time searching for answers that have already been found. We don’t have to expend our energies dabbling in this or that, looking for happiness and joy in empty places. Solomon makes it plain that if your aim is to try out all the things that everyone else is doing, you’re wasting your time.
Solomon didn’t have what you and I have. He didn’t have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living inside, so it is no wonder he felt he was missing something, because indeed he was. His purpose was to expose how empty life is when we don’t make our relationship with God through our Lord and Savior the central focus of our lives.
Heavenly Father desires us to spend our lives pursuing Him, because He has done every possible thing that could be done to pursue us. He has poured out His overwhelming mercy and grace on us. He’s given us His only begotten Son as our Redeemer, Savior, and Lord, and He has given us His Spirit to live inside our body temples as our Teacher, Comforter, and Guide. Heavenly Father has wooed us through Christ. So, when the rich, young ruler addressed Jesus Christ as “Good Teacher”, our Lord said to him, “You don’t understand. There’s no one that is good but the Father, and you are seeing the Father when you look at me. I am the One that is good! I am able to do more than teach you, I can forgive your sins, and give you the gift of eternal life.”
The man came to Jesus Christ willing to be taught, but he was not willing to be transformed. This is the dilemma many of us have today. We want the blessing but will not take the time to know the One that gives it. Life is an ever moving and changing dynamic. It was created by God to have its fullest expression through His Son, Jesus Christ. 2Peter 3:18 tells us that we must grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Continued blessings are based on 2Peter 3:18. As we see the need for a fuller expression of life, more of Christ must be expressed in our daily living. We must be transformed in a way that there is less of flesh and more of him.
The young rich man had kept the part of Mosaic Laws that pertained to how he treated others, but the intimacy in his relationship to God was missing. Jesus Christ knew the problem with this young fellow, and it was that he loved his possessions more than he did God. Jesus told him in Mark 10:21 to go and sell all his possessions and give them to the poor. This grieved the man, and he went away sad. God has heard our prayers, and He is telling us to give up the behavior, thoughts, attitudes, and desires that keep us in the flesh, but we have not done it. We want more blessings but will not release those things that keep us from them.
In Mark 10:21(NKJV), “Take up the cross, and follow Me.” Taking up the cross of Christ is the true treasure of life. Many have assumed or misinterpreted “cross” to mean a particular burden they must carry through life, but in Matthew 11:28, Jesus Christ very plainly tells us that HE is our burden bearer. In the earlier Biblical times in which a person was sentenced to carry a cross, it meant torture of the most painful and humiliating kind. This was the worse kind of death they could think of back then. Carrying a cross meant that criminals were forced to carry the device of their own execution.
“Take up the cross” is to die to self. It is to leave behind the old nature of the dead self and put on the new nature of Christ. We must die to worry, die to doubt, die to fear, die to insecurity, die to anything and everything that keeps us tied to the world and the old nature of sin. Jesus Christ is letting us know that when we die to self, we are alive to him! Ephesians 2:1-6(NLT) tells us:
“Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. 4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.”
Because of Christ, we have new life! That old dead life of sin is gone, and we need to crucify it. We must make a shift in our thinking, speaking, feeling, and doing because we have a new nature now, and it is the nature of Christ! Our Redeemer told Philip in John 14:9(NLT), “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you?” The ‘Good Teacher’ is God in the flesh. He is good all the time, and if we will renew our minds to God’s Word, He will transform our lives into a thing of beauty!■
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Jesus Christ Will Transform Your Life!” , written for VictoryinJesus.life©2023. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!
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