Rates are too High
- Rev. Jerry Lepasana
- Mar 8, 2009
- Series: Reservation
RATES ARE TOO HIGH
Matthew 19:16-22
- Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"
- "Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments."
- "Which ones?" the man inquired. Jesus replied, "'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony,
- honor your father and mother,' and 'love your neighbor as yourself.'"
- "All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?"
- Jesus answered, "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."
- When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
One basic reality in life is: There's always a price to pay for whatever we choose to pursue wholeheartedly.
Think about it. If a student pursues good grades, if an athlete wants championships, if an employee wants promotions, or a business person wants to expand; each must be willing to set his or her priorities straight, make significant sacrifices, instill some disciplines, and invest great amount of energies in order to achieve that which he or she desires. Without paying the cost, no one would arrive in his or her desired destiny.
The same can be said in terms of choosing to follow Jesus. He has never failed to declare on the front end that following Him requires some significant cost. In the Gospels, there were occasions when Jesus would intentionally raise the bar for people who were already following Him to test them. Notice one of those incidents in John 6: 66-69:
- From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
- "You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve.
- Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
- We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."
Looking at verse 66, there were people who decided to stop following Him, while others like Peter knew Jesus was their only hope because he is the only source of eternal life.
Who is Jesus Christ for you? Last Sunday, we started out a new theme: RESERVATION. Primarily, we are addressing some of the reasons why people hold back in pursuing a relationship with Jesus. Last Sunday, we studied about skepticism, people who have serious doubts about the claims of Jesus Christ. We studied carefully some evidences proving that Jesus is the Son of God who can deliver us from our sins and give us eternal life.
This morning, I would like to examine the story about the rich young ruler who went to the Lord Jesus seeking for an answer for his need, but later left because of the price Jesus demanded from him. Unfortunately, he allowed this price to hold him back in committing his life to Jesus Christ. I believe this young man represents so many lives today that could be missing out on the greatest blessing in life because they are unwilling to pay the price for it. Instead, they are choosing to pay a more hefty price for rejecting what Christ had to offer. Again, there's always a price. The question is which price are you willing to pay? This young man's encounter with Jesus could be summarized in three actions towards Jesus:
I HE DREW HIMSELF CLOSER TO JESUS:
When Jesus was ministering in Judea, multitudes of people went to Him to seek His help. One of them who stood out among the Gospel writers was the rich young ruler. Matthew, Mark, and Luke narrated his encounter with Jesus. In verse 20, Matthew describes him as a young man, while Luke describes him as a very rich ruler (Luke 18:18, 23), possibly a ruler in the Synagogue or of a great council of the nation. Obviously, these qualities added appeal to this encounter. Looking through the text, you can easily commend him for the following:
A. He came to the best person:
He recognized his spiritual need and he sought answers from the one who could offer him the best help. Perhaps, the fact that he was still young and was already conscious about his spiritual need was really commendable. Then, although his knowledge about Jesus Christ proved to be limited, yet he was convinced at that point that Jesus had something significant to offer him.
I always believe that everyone's encounter with Jesus is never coincidental. God leads people to a place where they would have to decide who Jesus is for them in relation to their spiritual needs. In the case of this young man, Jesus could be the answer.
B. He came with the best posture:
If you read Mark 10:17, this young ruler came to Christ running and kneeling before Him. Now, I hope you would understand the significance of this. Being a rich young ruler, he was willing to set aside his personal honor and prestige to draw himself closer to God. Probably, in the world's standard, he could have waited for Christ to go to him instead of him going to Christ.
How many people who desperately need God are being prevented to run to Him for help because they are afraid of what others might say or think about them? That's the reason why King Solomon gave these words:
- Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.
Besides not being afraid, his posture of kneeling before Christ also demonstrated the sincerity of his heart. As we all know, our actions most often reveal the attitude of our hearts.
One of the best assurances we have in the Gospels that is evident in this story is found in John 6:37:
- All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.
Indeed, this man needed Christ and he was never turned away. When we go to Him, we will never be disappointed. He will surely accommodate us.
II HE DEMANDED ANSWERS FROM JESUS:
He came to Jesus asking a very important question - "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" Without a doubt, this was an appropriate question for Jesus. However, the response Jesus gave him will expose his serious lack of knowledge:
A. He saw Jesus as a good teacher, but not as the Son of God:
If you read Luke 18:18, the young man literally address Jesus as a "good teacher," possibly referring to him being an excellent religious teacher. But in verse 17, Jesus responded in such a way that the young man would re-examine who he really is - not just a good teacher but the Son of God. The merit of Christ being the Savior rests upon His divinity because only God can save.
B. He saw Himself as someone who kept the commandments:
The reference of Jesus Christ about keeping the commandments has caused a lot of controversies because some are suggesting that Jesus was teaching salvation through the keeping of the commandments. Is this true?
Absolutely not! Jesus referred to the keeping of the commandments because He was aware that this man was relying on this for his salvation. He mentioned this to help the young ruler see his sinfulness. Evidently the laws were not given to save but to help expose our sinfulness.
- Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.
- So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.
- For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--
- not by works, so that no one can boast.
The young ruler did not know grace. He really believed he was faithfully obeying the commandments. Therefore, Jesus gave him the ultimate test - "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" (v.21).
I hope we do not misunderstand these words of Jesus Christ. He was not saying that if we want to be saved, we need to sell everything we have in order to be saved. There were rich people in the Gospels who followed Jesus without being asked to sell everything like Zacchaeus or Joseph of Arimathea. Jesus knew his heart was attached so much on his riches that they literally were standing between him and God.
Do you need Jesus in your life? Would you allow anything to come in between you and Jesus? Jesus Himself explicitly reminded us that there is nothing in this world that is more precious than our souls:
- What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?
- Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
III HE DEPARTED FROM JESUS:
Verse 22 is very important because it summarizes the choice this young rich ruler made. It's really sad because he decided to cling to his riches despite the fact that they did not bring him the ultimate satisfaction. How do I know that? Well, I believe there was something missing in his life, which compelled him to seek after Jesus. The truth of the matter is: Riches don't bring the greatest happiness in life. King Solomon said it plainly:
- Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.
- As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them?
Of course, money is not the only thing that we could cling to in exchange of following Jesus. For others, it may be fame, ambition, friends, family, comforts or conveniences. You may easily call it as a huge sacrifice. But, have you ever considered what this young rich ruler has forfeited? Here are three realities:
A. Eternal Life - Since Jesus is the only source for eternal life, turning away from Him is turning away from this life.
- And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
B. Abundant Life - Jesus promises to give not just eternal life, but also a life of fulfillment, purpose and meaning.
- The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
C. Intimate Life - In verse 21, Jesus extended an invitation to the rich young ruler, "Come, and follow me." This is the same invitation extended to all of Jesus' disciples. The young ruler missed out on the awesome privilege to live closely with Jesus experiencing His presence and power more intimately.
You be the judge. Was it a worthy exchange? Would you agree that he definitely could have gained more if he followed Jesus? If you keep reading the chapter, the reaction of Peter in verses 27 will provide further enlightenment about this. On the context of leaving something for Jesus, Peter, being really practical asked - "We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?" You don't want to miss the response of Jesus Christ:
- Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
- And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.
These words eliminate all our fears. God will never shortchange anyone. He faithfully promises to return a hundred times whatever we will give up for Him in addition to having to reign with Him and receiving eternal life. Indeed, there is a price in following the Lord, but you have to see it as an investment. You literally don't lose anything because you end up gaining much much more.