Confrontation And Calling

Mark 10:13-31

Transcript

 Hear now the word of the living God. And they were bringing children to him
that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it,
he was indignant and said to them, Let the children come to me. Do not hinder
them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly I say to you, whoever does
not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it. And he took them
in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them. And as he was setting
out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, Good
teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said to him, Why do
you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments. Do
not murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not bear false witness. Do
not defraud. Honor your father and mother. And he said to him, Teacher, all
these I have kept from my youth. And Jesus looking at him, loved him and said to
him, You lack one thing. Go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and
you will have treasure in heaven, and come, follow me. Disheartened by the
saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. And Jesus looked
around and said to his disciples, How difficult it will be for those who have
wealth to enter into the kingdom of God. And the disciples were amazed at his
words. But Jesus said to them again, Children, how difficult it is to enter the
kingdom of God. 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. And they were exceedingly
astonished and said to him, Then who can be saved? Jesus looked at them and
said, With man it is impossible, but not with God, for all things are possible
with God. Peter began to say to him, See, we have left everything and followed
you. Jesus said, Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or
brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for
the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and
brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and
in the age to come, eternal life, but many who are first will be last and the
last first. Would you pray with me this morning? Father, we thank you for your
word. We pray that as the word goes forward that you would give us tender,
receptive hearts, that you would bless both the giving and the receiving of the
scriptures this morning. We pray this that you may be glorified. Amen. Many who
are first will be last. And the last first. We shouldn't be surprised to hear
Jesus saying something like this because all throughout the gospels, we see
Jesus challenging our perspectives, correcting our priorities as he reveals the
upside down values of his kingdom. As God declares through the prophet Isaiah,
God's thoughts are not our thoughts. Neither are his ways our ways. For as the
heavens are higher than the earth. So the Lord says, my ways are higher than
your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Think about how God's thoughts are
so much higher, for example, than the way we tend to view people. We gravitate
toward people with talent and charisma, people who have power or platform or
prestige. But as we see from this text, Jesus moves toward the humble, the
helpless, those who cast themselves on his mercy. In simple, sincere, childlike
faith, we tend to judge or value people based upon their appearance or their
performance. We want to know what they bring to the table. But Jesus looks at
the heart. And if we're going to faithfully follow Christ, living as citizens
and ambassadors of his kingdom. We need to set aside worldly wisdom and submit
to the word and way of Jesus. And so as we open the passage this morning, we see
that Jesus confronts our values as he calls us to follow him. Jesus confronts
our values as he calls us to follow him. And we see this confrontation and
calling be developed in two major sections. First, in verses 13 through 22, we
see two contrasting stories of people who come to Christ. One is blessed. The
other leaves sorrowful. Second, we see this confrontation and calling being
developed as Christ debriefs these events with his disciples in verses 23
through 31. So with that overview in mind, let's turn our attention to verses 13
through 16. In verse 13, we read, And they were bringing children to him that he
might touch or bless them. And the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw
it, he was indignant and said to them, Let the children come to me. Do not
hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you,
whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it. And
he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them. So here's
the scene. We find parents, perhaps older siblings, bringing these children. The
idea here is babies, infants, really, really young ones to Jesus so that he
would bless them. This was a customary practice in that time. People would often
bring their children to a great man, a great teacher, a rabbi, so that they
would receive that man's blessing. So the people come, they bring the children
to Jesus, and the disciples rebuke them. Now, no doubt they think they're doing
Jesus a favor. After all, he's the Messiah. He's busy. All throughout the Gospel
of Mark, we keep reading this word immediately. He goes from one event to the
next to the next. His life is full. And so the disciples think to themselves,
hey, the Messiah's busy. He's got people to see, places to go, miracles to
perform, a kingdom to establish. He doesn't have the time to be bothered by
little kids. And so you can almost hear them saying, hey, guys, get away. Stop.
The master's got important things to do. Notice how Jesus responds to his
disciples' rebuke. When Jesus saw it, he was indignant. Now that might come as a
surprise because when we typically think of Jesus, we don't think of Jesus as
being angry, much less indignant. After all, isn't anger inherently sinful? But
in the life of Christ, we see that anger is a proper response to those who would
pervert the good ways of God. Anger is a healthy response, revealing hatred of
evil and passion for God's glory. Why was he angry? Because his disciples, his
representatives were turning away the very ones he had come to save. Why was he
angry? Because his followers were thinking and acting in completely secular,
worldly, man-centered ways. They had adopted the culture's perspective on who is
and who is not important to God. They had their minds, as Mark stated earlier,
set on the things of man, not on the things of God. Despite the miracles,
despite the teaching, they still had not grasped who Christ was or what his
kingdom was all about. Now before we judge the disciples, which can easily be
our tendency when we read of their lack of perception, the truth is, aren't we
the same? How often do you and I look down on people or opportunities to
minister and serve because we see them as being unimportant or below us? The
truth is, you and I both need the heart and eyes of Jesus for those people or
things that society would deem as insignificant. And so Jesus, in anger, rebukes
his disciples and he doubles down on this confrontation, calling them to welcome
those whom he receives. He says, let them come. Do not hinder them from coming.
There's a positive and a negative. Why? Because the kingdom of God belongs to
people just like these. Now think about that statement. The kingdom of God
belongs to people like children. Now if you and I were to build a kingdom, we'd
pick the powerful, the wealthy, the influential, the educated, the movers and
the shakers. Those are the people that we would choose. But Jesus' kingdom and
how he builds his kingdom is very different because he chooses the weak. He
chooses the helpless, the powerless, the unimpressive, the unimportant. We think
about these little children. They've got nothing to offer God. They have no
clout. They have no claims. They have nothing. And Jesus says, that's exactly
the kind of person that I've come to save. Jesus declares in Matthew 11, I thank
you Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the
wise and the understanding and revealed them to little children. Yes Father, for
such was your gracious will. Paul declares in 1 Corinthians chapter 1, consider
your calling brothers. Not many of you were wise according to worldly standards.
Not many were powerful. Not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is
foolish in the world, to shame the wise. God chose what is weak in the world, to
shame the strong. God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things
that are not, to bring to nothing things that are. So that no human being might
boast in the presence of God. And because of him and his grace, you are in
Christ Jesus. Who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification
and redemption. So that as it is written, let the one who boasts, boast in the
Lord. The weak, the vulnerable, the helpless. Jesus says, that's who I've come
to save. Those are the ones that the kingdom of God belongs to. He doubles down
then and says in verse 15, that not only does he choose the quote children of
the world, but he demands that we would humble ourselves and become childlike in
order to enter his kingdom. Truly I say to you, verse 15, whoever does not
receive the kingdom of God like a child, shall not enter it. Now that word
receive is key as we will see in a moment. But he says this, if you don't
receive the kingdom, my righteous reign in a childlike manner, you will not
enter it. You see in coming to Christ there can be no pride or even pretense. No
sense of entitlement. As if we could somehow merit God's favor or blessings or
acceptance, but rather in coming to Christ we come with a profound sense of our
neediness. A willingness to humbly receive the gracious gift of God. A simple,
sincere, childlike trust. Those are the ones that Jesus welcomes. And in fact if
we don't come in that manner, we will never enter his kingdom. When we were in
Ghana, West Africa, we were ministering in a Muslim village and in the process
of meeting different people in the village, I met a man by the name of Brother
Bynie. He was an older gentleman. He was a preacher. He was a Methodist preacher
who would go from village to village and he would preach the law of God. He
would preach the Ten Commandments and he would tell people if you do these, you
will live. And the more that he traveled from place to place and the more he
preached the law, the more guilty he realized he was. He was a man that was
older, respected. He was a man that had clout in the community. And one day the
two of us were able to sit down and have a discussion. And for two hours we
explained the gospel of grace. And the difference between grace and merit. I'll
never forget that conversation. Because I watched as this man that the town or
the village revered, a man who was noteworthy, bow his head into his face and he
began to weep. This was not something that was culturally common. In fact I
never saw something like that before. And he said, Pastor, this is this gospel
I've been waiting to hear. And like a little child sobbing with his head in his
arms, he received Christ. And I will never forget the transformation that took
place in this man's life. When we were in church, I'd love to see Brother Bynum
sing. Because when he sang the songs, you could see the tears coming in his eye.
His favorite song, and I will not sing it because I cannot sing like my man
Jawad here, was I am so glad that Jesus loves me. And every time we'd get to the
chorus, I am so glad that Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me, I am
so glad that Jesus loves me, Jesus loves even me. You just would see his face
beaming from ear to ear. And the tears would come down as he thought about the
grace of God in reaching down to save his sinful soul. I bring him up because he
recently passed away and he's now with the Lord. And when I think about this
dear brother, there's one thing I think of. Childlike, simple faith. It's how he
received the kingdom, but it's how he lived as a citizen of the kingdom. Because
you see this posture that Jesus is talking about isn't something that we simply
move on from. But as we grow in grace, we move deeper into this sense of
neediness and dependence. Yes, our faith in Christ should be mature. We should
have roots that are dug deep in biblical truth. But the more we dig our roots
deep in the truths of the scripture and grow in our confidence in the character
and promises and purposes of our God, the more our faith should be marked by a
simple, sincere, childlike trust and obedience. The reality is that's what Jesus
values. That's how we receive the kingdom. That's who he builds his kingdom
with. That's how we live as citizens of his kingdom. So in verse 15, or 16
rather, Jesus takes the children in his arms and he blesses them. The word means
to fervently bless as he lays his hands on them. I love the story of Jesus
receiving those of childlike faith. But then right after this story, we read
another one. And the man that comes to Christ could not be more different than
these children. In verse 17, after the children come to Christ, we read about a
rich young ruler coming to Christ. And so as Jesus was setting out on his
journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked, Good teacher, what must I
do to inherit eternal life? Now in the other accounts, we learned that this man
that comes before Jesus is a rich man. He's a young man, and he's a ruler or an
influential man. So in contrast to these children who have nothing, we read an
account of a person who seems to have it all. He's the kind of person that every
Christian organization would welcome with open arms. And so notice his approach.
He runs to Christ. He kneels before him and he asks what appears to be a solid
question. Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? He's fervent,
he's sincere, and he deeply respects Jesus. But his views about the kingdom are
wildly off. What must I do, he asks, to inherit eternal life. Now Jesus had just
taught about receiving the kingdom, not through spectacular acts of
righteousness, but in a spirit of childlike dependence. But this man was
thinking in terms of Jewish works of righteousness. As we continue to read, he's
obviously confident that he's kept the law. But he still had this nagging sense
that something was missing. He needed to do something more, something great, in
order to prove that he was worthy of the kingdom. And so he comes to Jesus and
he asks, what must I do, good teacher, to inherit eternal life? Now notice
Jesus' confrontation in verse 18. He says, why do you call me good? No one is
good except God alone. You know the commandments. Do not murder, do not commit
adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud. Honor your
father and mother. This seems like an odd response to this man's eager question.
Jesus says, why do you call me good? What was the purpose of Christ's question?
In a not so subtle manner, Jesus is trying to demonstrate that this man's
evaluation of goodness, and who is good and who is not, falls woefully short of
God's standard of goodness. A standard that God requires for entrance into his
kingdom. And so in pointing out the man's lack of goodness, or anyone's lack of
goodness in comparison to God, he then confronts him with the law. Now we might
read this and think, so is Jesus teaching us that if we obey the law, that we
will have eternal life? Well no, because obedience to the law could never bring
about true life. That's not Jesus' point. He points to the law and the internal
righteousness, the inward righteousness, it requires to help this man come to
grips with his true status before God. And so this man, instead of submitting to
what Christ was seeking to do here, boldly, but sincerely proclaims, teacher,
all these things I have kept from my youth. Now, that might appear to be a
rather outlandish, proud statement, but no doubt he was sincere. Outwardly there
is a righteous standard that people can attain to. And for this young man, the
external performance that he had, sadly had replaced the inward obedience and
Godward focus that the law requires. An obedience that doesn't flow out of a
heart seeking to justify itself, but rather an obedience that flows from a heart
of love and faith in the Lord. And so he says, teacher, I have obeyed these
things from my youth. And notice Christ's response in verse 21. Jesus, looking
at him, the idea here is an intense gaze, loved him. He had compassion on this
sincere, but proud man. And he said to him, you lack one thing. Go. Sell all
that you have. Give to the poor. You will have treasure in heaven and come
follow me. And notice the man's response in verse 22, disheartened by the
saying, he went away sorrowful for he had great possessions. Jesus' response to
this young man was both one of compassion, but also clarity, as he calls the man
to renounce his true love, wealth, and follow and submit them in faith. In love,
Jesus points out that this man was trusting in his wealth for his sense of
identity and worth. You see, everything seemed outwardly fine. But in this man's
heart, his wealth had replaced a genuine, sincere, simple love for the Lord. He
loved his possessions more than he loved the giver of the possessions. And so
Jesus shows this man that adherence to the law is no substitute for a true love
of Christ. And when we see this response, we can't help but think of Jesus
warning about this very same thing in the parable of the seed and the sower. If
you remember in Mark chapter 4, Jesus talks about the seed being sown on thorny
ground. Those are the ones who hear the word. There's an eagerness to receive
the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the
desire for other things enter in and they choke the word. And it proves
unfruitful. John tells us in 1 John chapter 2 that if any man loves the world,
the love of the Father is simply not in him. Now, Jesus is not adding something
to faith in order for this man to enter the kingdom. But he's calling this man
to acknowledge and repent of his heart idolatry and submit himself fully to
Christ. And that really is, incidentally, the heart of true saving faith. As
we'll read about next week, Christ is about to be rejected by the religious
leaders, the very ones that this man would have admired. Jesus demands that this
man make a choice. Will it be money, power, prestige, honor? Or would it be
Jesus? Because you cannot have divided loyalties. You must make a choice. Faith
isn't adding Jesus to your life. It's saying, Lord, this is who you are. And I
am trusting you with my life. And so this gospel call to repent and believe
leads the man disheartened and sorrowful. Because instead of following Christ,
he chose to cling to his wealth. Now in that moment, he could have acknowledged
the struggle. Like the ruler that we read of earlier whose daughter was
possessed by demons, he could have said, I believe, but help my unbelief. But he
didn't. He would not humble himself or submit to the lordship of Christ. And so
the paradox. Those who had nothing receive blessing. The one who has everything
walks away sorrowful. Now the truth is, before looking at verses 23 through 31,
no doubt in a room like this, there are folks just like this rich young ruler.
You're sincere, you're trying hard, you want to do the right thing, you want to
have eternal life. But the reality is, you love things more than God. You know
all the right things, you can affirm all the right doctrines, but your heart's
love is not for the Lord. It's for the things of this world. And so in your
heart, even though externally everything seems right, you, like this young man,
have that nagging sense that things aren't right. And you know that something is
missing. You try harder. You try to perform better. But Jesus is calling you to
renounce your love of things and submit to him in faith. Would you not come to
Christ? Why would you hold on to that which you will lose when you can submit to
Christ and gain, but will never be lost? And so Jesus, in verse 23, debriefs
with his disciples. And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, how
difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God. And
the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus doubles down and says to them
again, children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God. 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. And they were exceedingly astonished and said to him, then
who can be saved? Jesus looked at them and said, with man it is impossible, but
not with God. For with God, all things are possible. So Jesus, fully aware and
assessing the situation, says how difficult it will be for those who have wealth
to enter the kingdom. And the disciples are amazed. They thought maybe they
misunderstood Jesus. Maybe Jesus didn't mean what he actually said. But Jesus
actually doubles down. And he says, children, it's easier for a camel, I mean
those big old camels, to enter the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to
enter the kingdom. And now they're exceedingly astonished. So what's going on
here? Let me explain first the disciples' response. You see, the disciples were
working from the framework that riches mean God's favor and blessing on faithful
Jews. That was the common idea and belief in Judaism. That if you were rich, you
were endowed with God's favor and blessing. And there's a biblical basis for
that. Because wealth in the Old Testament is seen as a gift that God gives so
that his people have an opportunity to be generous in good works. So Jesus is
not contradicting what God has said. And he's not saying that wealth is
intrinsically sinful or evil. It is a gift. But what he is saying is this.
Wealth often frequently takes over a man's heart. And it becomes a source of
pride. It becomes a source of identity. It becomes our self-sufficiency and
self-satisfaction. It turns a person's heart away from that which is eternal to
that which is merely temporal. And wealth can cause a person to forget their
spiritual poverty in the sight of God. This is why Paul would say later on to
Timothy, As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be proud, nor
to set their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides
us with everything to enjoy. And so Jesus is pointing out that just because
things look good on the outward does not mean that things are truly okay. In
fact, for those who had cling to wealth like this rich young man, it is
impossible to enter the kingdom. And so the disciples then say, if that's true,
who can be saved? If those who are endowed with God's favor and blessings aren't
saved, then who on earth is? And notice Jesus' response. With man, salvation is
impossible. But not with God. But with God, all things are possible. We've read
of many miracles in the book of Mark, but here's the greatest. Salvation. Any
time a person goes from darkness to light, that is a miracle. That is a work of
God. The Bible teaches with great clarity that from beginning to end, from
eternity past to eternity future, salvation is of the Lord. We have no power to
save ourselves. We have no power to save others. We don't even have the power to
move towards God. If you are saved, that's a miracle. Don't lose sight of that.
Salvation is of the Lord. Jesus is pointing to our utter dependence upon God to
do what we cannot and would not do on our own. It's a miracle. Hence the
childlike faith. Hence the weak and the helpless and the vulnerable and those
who cast themselves on God's mercies. Even that is a miracle. But I love Peter's
response because I think he completely missed it. Here Jesus teaches about the
miracle of salvation and then Peter still, he's kind of got his mind on the rich
man and kind of all that transpired there. He begins to say to Jesus in verse
28, see, we've left everything and followed you. Peter here is seeking for
Jesus' affirmation. And once again, notice Jesus' response. Jesus said to him,
truly I say to you, there's no one who's left house or brothers or sister or
mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the gospel who will
not receive a hundredfold. Now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and
mothers and children and lands with persecutions and in the age to come, eternal
life. But many who are first or preeminent, they will be last. And the last,
first. Now the response that Jesus gives here is significant, especially for
Mark's original readers who were suffering great persecution because of their
faith. Jesus is saying here, in essence, following me is worth it. There is no
sacrifice that a person could or would make for Jesus that will not be rewarded.
A person may leave family and in the process gain a greater one. A person could
leave wealth and in the process gain heavenly treasure. As Jim Elliot once
noted, he is no fool to give what he cannot keep. To gain what he cannot lose.
And so what is Jesus saying? If you seek preeminence in this life, you will be
last. But if you relinquish this, come to me in humble childlike faith, trusting
me, renouncing all to follow and obey me, you will be first. You will experience
the blessing both in this life, yes with persecutions, but a blessing. And in
the life to come, eternal life. A childlike faith and trust in Jesus. A
willingness to leave all and follow him. That's what the Christian life is
about. And by the way, no one who lives this way will walk away like that rich
young man being sorrowful and disheartened. The truth is Jesus confronts our
values every time he calls us to follow him. And so by God's grace, for his
glory, let us renounce pride, self-sufficiency, worldly wisdom and thinking. So
that like a child, we might live a life of simple, sincere trust and dependence
in Christ. Because that's what his kingdom is all about. Let's pray. Father, we
come to you as needy, desperate, helpless people. Lord, we acknowledge that
salvation is of the Lord. Lord, we acknowledge that the grace to live in a way
that leads to life, in the truest and fullest and most meaningful sense, is
impossible in our own strength. Lord, open our eyes that we might see our true
neediness and poverty before you. Grant us, I pray, a simple, sincere, childlike
faith that will take you at your word, following you regardless of the cost. We
need your grace. We come to you begging you for this grace. We believe but help
our unbelief, I pray, so that your name might be glorified. Jesus, we thank you
that you welcome and receive those who have nothing to offer and that you build
your kingdom with people just like that, just like us. We give you glory and
praise this morning through your son Jesus. Amen.