Can you remember the last time you purchased a piece of furniture or appliance, understanding that your purchase would require some assembly at home? You likely returned home from the store, opened the box, read and followed the instructions, and then came to one of two sad realizations: (1) you still had pieces left over or (2) you were missing a piece—maybe a screw, nut, or peg. Some of us are blessed with the ability to let good enough be good enough. Others struggle with the lack of completion.
Jesus encounters a rich man who asks the Lord what he must do to inherit eternal life. For the young man, this is an issue of completion, just a bit more. Jesus’ reaction demonstrates that the man is missing something more fundamental.
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.” (Mark 10:17–18)
The rich man’s behavior suggests that he is humble and that his issue is urgent. Running up to Jesus, he kneels before Him. Interestingly, Jesus doesn’t immediately respond to his query. Instead, our Lord responds with His own question, which is rhetorical. Jesus’ primary mission in taking on human flesh and living in the world is to redeem it through His death and resurrection. An ancillary goal is to demonstrate that He is God. He works toward this goal through teaching and miracles. It is necessary that sinners understand that Jesus is God, because only the blood of God can atone for sin. In love and mercy—and without hesitation—Jesus begins to move the man toward a correct understanding in faith.
“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.’” (Mark 10:19)
We wonder why Jesus didn’t simply respond with, “You are a poor, miserable sinner. You have no hope of salvation with Me.” Instead, Jesus points to the Ten Commandments, realizing that the man would be certainly familiar with them. While it is impossible to know exactly why Jesus makes this reference, we can make an educated guess. Consider Confession and Absolution. Before we receive the sublimely beautiful words of our Lord’s forgiveness from the pastor, everyone in the congregation (including the pastor) confesses his or her sins before the Lord, recognizing the inescapable state of hopelessness. Then the Lord brings forgiveness through faith. The Law prepares the heart to hear the Gospel. Perhaps Jesus refers to the Ten Commandments to prepare the man’s heart to hear the Gospel, hoping he will reflect on the commandments and give up his mission of self-redemption. Alas, the man is stubborn.
And he said to Him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” (Mark 10:20)
This verse should stir our Lutheran sensibilities. The rejection of works-righteousness is fundamental to our understanding of salvation. This man is no more able to inherit eternal life than anyone else. Nevertheless, he asserts his fidelity to the Ten Commandments as if he were submitting a resumé. Not being there at the time, we cannot be certain if the man asserted himself in bold confidence or hopeful desperation. Either way, he is not where he needs to be in faith.
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.” (Mark 10:21)
Mark notes that Jesus loved the man. In this love, Jesus tells the man exactly what he needs to hear. Our Lord is not giving the man a recipe for earning heaven. Rather, Jesus is trying to correct the man’s false understanding. It flows from the First Commandment—we are to love God first, most, and above all other things. Jesus knows that the requirement for the man to give up his beloved possessions will bring the issue to a head. It is doubtful that Jesus wants the man to follow His mandate. Jesus merely wants the man to be willing to give up his possessions and follow Jesus. In essence, to love God as the commandment requires.
Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. (Mark 10:22)
The Greek word for disheartened has a root meaning of “hatred.” Perhaps one way that we can understand this is to consider the state of the man’s heart. On one hand, he wants to hear and follow Jesus to inherit eternal life. On the other hand, he is deeply in love with his possessions, so much so that he walks away from Jesus and perhaps his hopes of inheriting eternal life. His heart is full of grievous conflict.
In this Gospel lesson, the Lord blesses us with two reminders (1) to purge our hearts of any hope of inheriting eternal life through adherence to the Ten Commandments and (2) to protect our hearts from the temptation to love any of God’s gifts as much as or more than God Himself. We are comforted to know that in divine love and mercy, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to keep the Law perfectly in our place and to suffer death as a complete sacrifice for our sins. We inherit eternal life through faith in what Jesus has done.
Learn more about how God teaches through the Ten Commandments with a 10-lesson Bible study, Provoking Proverbs: Wisdom and the Ten Commandments.