title="English
He Changes Our Use of Money
Mark 10:17:31
I’ve only had one time in my life when I had absolutely no money and didn’t know what to do to survive. I was a missionary in Germany at the time and was back in the states for a quarter of graduate studies. During that visit, I had gotten reacquainted with my girlfriend – now wife (Chris) – and had taken the leap to ask her to marry me. (I had not expected to do this when I had left Europe.) And, the big shocker: She said yes! But, after I had paid my school bill, purchased my flight ticket to go back to Germany, and bought the engagement ring, I realized I had only $1.37 left, a 5 lb. bag of spinach in the freezer, and over a week to go before I was to head back to Europe and get a paycheck. I still remember asking myself many questions: “How do the homeless people I’ve met do this? They must be the most creative people in the world! How do I pay to get to the airport when I don’t even have money for the Chicago tollbooths? How do I eat?” I will never forget how embarrassed I was when I thought I would have to tell my friends and family that I was destitute.
I’ve talked about this time in my life in several sermons in the past so you may know that the Lord provided in rather miraculous ways back then. But, I thought of this time in my life in a new way when I read this week’s Bible text. Remembering my own time of having no money helped me to envision how the man who came to Jesus in Mark 10:17 must have felt when he heard Jesus tell him that he would never find what life is about unless he gave away all his possessions to the poor.
So, as we begin our study of “The Rich Young Ruler” today, I want to ask you to imagine a life without money. Some of you have experienced that. Some may be going through a time like that right now. Imagine everything gone. No retirement plan. No investments. No savings or money market account. No house or apartment. Imagine all that you have is your deep faith in Jesus. Could you live like that? What would you do if someday you met someone, like this man we look at today in Mark 10 met Jesus, and he said to you, “The only way for you to find the life God made for you is to sell all you have, give everything away to the poor, and follow me.” What would you do?
Let’s look at how this happened one day as Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem -- and then we’ll ask what Jesus might be asking of us in our own lives.
One Man’s Quest: A “successful” man had everything but knew something still was missing (10:17).
Read v. 17. The man’s quest was for eternal life. By this, he did not simply want life that would go on and on and on. That kind of life doesn’t sound very appealing to me. When I was a child, I remember sitting on the hard church benches for what felt like hours. I thought, “If heaven is an eternity of this kind of life, I don’t know if I want it!” But, "a life that never ends" is only a part of what the Bible means by “eternal life.” The phrase refers mainly to a quality of life. Eternal life is the kind of life only the eternal God can give.
So, a life that goes on and on was not what the man in Mark 10 was longing for. He was longing for life as God meant for life to be lived. He was longing for “shalom.” Luke 18 tells us this man was young and a CEO-type so he had already experienced much in this world but he knew that something was missing.
What is eternal life? Eternal life is the life Jesus died to make available to us. It is life as all of us long for it to be. The Bible has many phrases for it: shalom, abundant life, treasure in heaven, entering the kingdom of God, being saved. All these expressions refer to the same reality. This was what the impressive young man knew was missing – but that he longed for. Can you relate to him?
His longing comes out in an awkward way. The man asked Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Do you recognize the flaw in his question? “Do” and “inherit” don’t really fit together. Normally, we “do” in order to earn – not to inherit. Jesus recognized this discrepancy and went to the heart of the matter.
Obstacles: What kept the rich young from the life he longed for?
So, the man had everything the world had to offer but sought Jesus to teach him to do something more – to add something to what he already had -- so that he could live well. And there were big obstacles to his quest.
Obstacle #1: Understanding Who Jesus Was
Read v. 18. The man’s greeting seems, at first glance, to have been a rather innocuous remark. “Good teacher…” he called Jesus. But Jesus saw this unusual and unexpected greeting as an opening to probe how deep the man’s understanding was. What did he mean when he called Jesus “good?” Was it simple courtesy? Flattery? Could he see that the kingdom of God was present in the person in front of him?
So, Jesus asked, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.” In the early Jewish writings, there are no examples of a rabbi ever being addressed as good. So, does this man know Jesus is the one and only Son of God? If so, this wealthy young man seems to have potentially had extraordinary insight into the identity of Jesus. Then, when Jesus asked him what he meant by calling him “good”, Jesus forced the man to come to grips with the implications of his own words. “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Do you really know who I am?” The implication: If this man truly believed that Jesus was “good”, he would soon have an opportunity to demonstrate the depth of his belief. In a few moments, this man who sought the life God alone can give would find out if he really believed that when Jesus called, the God who gives eternal life was calling.
Obstacle #2: The Dissatisfaction of Simply Trying to Live Right
Before waiting for an answer, Jesus in v.19 directed the young man’s attention to the second half of the 10 Commandments, the part about how to love people. Interestingly, Jesus mentioned only those commands and not the first half that commands us to love God: “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.’”
In response to Jesus’ words, the man made a startling claim. He said, “All these I have kept since I was a boy.” And Jesus did not correct him. I’m not sure the man was claiming to have obeyed them all perfectly. Perhaps he was. But, much more, I think the young man was sincere when he said that he had sought to keep all those commands. I’m pretty sure he was like many people we meet in our own day, i.e., he really wanted to live a good life. But, he had discovered that trying to live a good life had left him still knowing something was missing in his life.
I’ve often heard scholars or activists who claim that all wealth has been gotten in some evil or unjust way. But, I don’t think that’s true. I think Jesus saw this man as a person who had not exploited anyone. Like many people I’ve met in civic organizations, he had tried to find his life by being a good person. Like many great philanthropists in our own day, he had sought to use his wealth to bring others some benefit and help. Don’t you know people like that? When I was involved in raising funds for a university for 12 years, I certainly did. This man was a Bill Gates-type who sought to use his tremendous resources to bring good to others. But, that alone had not filled his inner being. I’m sure that’s why he asked Jesus, “How do I find the life that God has made me to have? What’s missing? What do I have to add to what I’m already doing?”
Obstacle #3: The Lacking Element
In response to the man’s claim to have kept the commands, Jesus pointed out one thing that was lacking: Sell everything you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven. Then, come, follow me.
Jesus went to the heart of the matter: Notice that Jesus’ words direct him to the very first command, the greatest command: “You shall have no other gods before me.” This young man had worked hard at keeping the second great command, i.e., love others. But, there is one thing more important. Jesus is forcing him to ask, “What (or who) is at the core of my life?”
The issue is this: When this “good teacher” (for “only God is good”) called the rich young man to follow the call of God on his life, would he put God ahead of anything else? The obstacle the man was facing had to do with his heart’s affection -- with his core identity. So, this was a life-transforming decision. Jesus was calling him to give up all the wealth he had – including all the things his wealth could buy; all the golf and social clubs his money could give him entrance to... It was a decision between the material and the spiritual; the temporary and the eternal. It was a choice of who or what would be his God. If he chose the eternal, the man would jeopardize all the status and influence and reputation and power his wealth had secured. If this man were to accept the offer from Jesus, the decision would surely affect his relationship to his family, his status in the community and the entire way of life that he had established.
Think about this too: If this man had shown up at church with a reputation for doing wonderful things in the community and with a commitment to honoring his family and caring for people, we would probably say, “Come and join our church board!” Just think: He could have bankrolled Jesus’ mission! He could have paid for a new sound system or new children’s facility! I’m pretty sure I could have gotten him a seat on my university’s board. But Jesus told him to give everything to the poor. Most would say, “What is Jesus be thinking?” But this was the demand Jesus made. So, what would the young man do? What would you do?
The Eternal Life Determining Decision
Mark describes the man’s response movingly in v. 22, “At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.” The word “sad” was a very strong and poignant word that probably is better translated “grieved”. It has to do with a person grieving something that is lost -- grieving the loss of something at the center of our lives. It was the word used of Jesus when he was sweating drops of blood and grieved the loss of connection with his Father. In that situation, it meant the loss of Jesus’ sense of identity as being one with his Father when Jesus cried, “My God, why have you forsaken me?” For the rich young man, he longed for something more to come into the center of his soul. But, the grief came because, for that to happen, he had to replace what currently was at the center of his soul with Jesus. He had to give up his money. Money was for this man what the God the Father was for Jesus. It was so integrally connected with his identify that he could not imagine life without it.
Jesus told him that he had to get that out of his life or he would never really bring God in. The young man thought he could find life by holding on to what was at the core of his being and then just add Jesus to it. And Jesus says, “You don’t earn eternal life. You place your faith in me. You follow me in trust. I must be at the core of your being. If you will have life, you need a new name: no longer the “rich young ruler” but simply a Jesus follower.
We have to stop here and let God speak to us deeply today. I was talking with a young woman I deeply respect about this earlier this week. She told me the story of how her mother had become very concerned about her tendency to become attached to material things. Her mother feared that her daughter would become the kind of person who said she believed in Jesus but really lived for material things. So, one day, her Mom told her to go into her room and pull out this thing that she valued more than anything in the world and give it away. I’m sure this was the hardest thing she had ever done. But she found the strength to do it. Do you see how wise this mother was? That Mom did for her daughter what Jesus, out of love, did for this man. Jesus was teaching that our eternal life is determined by what it is we put at the center of our trust. Our eternal life is determined by whether we will surrender in faith to Jesus.
Several Observations:
Notice that material things are not bad in and of themselves. God made all things. Used properly, they are good. But God did not make them to come into our hearts and take his place. Many people in the Gospels were sent right back into their homes and careers. Of course, money can be used to oppress and to live selfishly. But, that did not seem to be the case with this man. The point is: If we want to find the life of God, we don’t simply need to hear about the bad things we should stop doing. Yes, we will not have abundant life if we defraud people, murder people, or live lives of deceit. But, just giving up bad things alone will not fill our souls. It may turn us into respectable looking people. It might even make us look religious in the eyes of many. But, that alone will not answer the nagging question of what is missing in life. Jesus says we have to look at the sometimes good things that are in the center of our lives and replace them with him. “Sell all you have and give it to the poor. Then, come follow me.” Jesus calls us all to find our sufficiency in him alone.
Notice too that Jesus wasn’t being harsh with him. I’ve heard people read this passage in such a way that Jesus really put this man in his place. No, Jesus looked at this man with “love”. V. 21 uses the strongest word in the language for love, agape. Jesus loved this man who had tried hard to live well. This was a man who was deeply sincere. But, the telling thing is what Jesus said, “One thing is lacking…” The word really means “weighing you down.” One thing was at the core of his being that weighed him down. Jesus knew that he had to cut it out of this man’s heart. There was no room for God in his heart if that was allowed to stay.
And notice too that there is hope even for those who are “successful” because of God’s power and grace. The illustration Jesus used in v.25 for a wealthy person’s chance of going to heaven is one of those “illustrations of the impossible”: It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God. It was a common idiom of Jesus’ day. The Babylonians referred to an elephant going through a sewing needle’s eye. Jesus chose a camel, the biggest animal in Palestine. Jesus was saying, “You cannot find eternal life with any available earthly power. The danger Jesus is warning about here is that when we have riches, we become too tied to the world and its values.
But there is hope. V. 27: With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God. But, God must be God. He must come into the core of your being. And this man could not let him in.
My guess is that the man had a way of life that was deeply rooted in his having wealth and status. He knew something was missing – but he also thought that his money was a necessary part of a good life. And, many rabbis taught that having wealth was a sure sign of God’s blessing. But, although this man had everything in this world, he really had nothing. That’s why he went to Jesus. There might have been a day, once upon a time, when the man could have followed Jesus -- when money was not so deeply rooted in his core identity. But, by Mark 10, that time was past. Mark needed only to tell us in v.22 that he had “great wealth.”
What Might Jesus Ask of You? It’s another “First Commandment” lesson.
Let’s end by remembering the point that what the Father was to Jesus, money was to the young man. His core identity was wrapped up in his money. Remember too that Jesus loved this man and wanted him to have that life for which God had made him. But, the only way this man would have the eternal life he sought was for him to get that thing out of his life and put Jesus into its place. Many of us read this and think, “But… Jesus can’t be saying that anyone who follows him must give up everything in this material world.” And I agree. Jesus did not ask everyone who followed him to do what he called this man to do. But, I can tell you this: Jesus is saying that we must be willing to give it all away – even anxious to do whatever Jesus asks of us. Jesus calls us to examine our hearts to see if our inner beings are so wrapped up with something that this “something” becomes an essential part of our identity.
So, what might that be for you? For this man, it was money. For many, many people – that‘s what it is. What is it for you? Jesus forced this man to imagine his life without money. I want you to imagine that the thing at the core of your longing is gone. Can you live without it? It could be your children – your good reputation – your academic success. It could be countless good things or bad things. I want you to hear Jesus asking, “Are you ready to give that up and simply follow me when I call you?”
Jesus gave everything – his life and even a time of being forsaken by his Father – in order to bring you and me eternal life. Are you in awe of what Jesus did for you? Are you amazed by it? Do you weep over it? If so, there is great hope for you to find life. The only way I know to be free from the power of money or fame or prestige to weigh us down and keep us from finding the life of God is to say to Jesus, “I trust you. I belong to you. That money and power I have -- it’s yours. That thing and my whole life -- is yours.”
I’m guessing the young man thought that real life couldn’t possibly be found without his career and his possessions? He wanted eternal life – but only if it meant that he could keep those things and simply add Jesus onto them. I can imagine him thinking, “Just a little while longer, Jesus. Just think what I can do for you with my money. Just wait until I’m a partner in the firm – the president instead of the vice-president...” But waiting would only have allowed those things to become more deeply rooted in his life.
So, he went away from Jesus grieving. He wanted more out of life than he’d experienced in his success -- but he went back to his old way of life anyway. I can tell you – 40 years later he would have found those things he lived for no more satisfying than he’d found them as a young man.
You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9). He’s the one who calls you to follow him. Will you?
To His glory,
Dr. Greg Waybright
Senior Pastor
title="Chinese
耶穌改變我們對金錢的使用
馬可福音10:17:31
在我的生活中僅有一次,我一點兒錢也沒有了,並且不知道該怎麼生存下去。那時我在德國,是一個宣教士,回到美國要完成一個學期的研究生課程。在逗留期間,我再次見到我的女朋友——就是我現在的太太(Chris)——我閃電般地向她求婚。(在我離開歐洲的時候,我沒有想到過這件事。)最讓我震驚的是,她同意了。但是,當我付完學校的費用,買了返回德國的機票,買了訂婚戒指,我發現我兜裡只剩下1.37元,冰箱裡還有5磅的菠菜。而那時距離我回歐洲拿到薪水,還有一個多星期的時間。
我一直在問自己一些問題:“我遇到的那些無家可歸的人如何面對這種情況?他們一定是世界上最有創意的人!我怎麼到機場去,我甚至不能付芝加哥的過路費?我怎麼吃飯?”我永遠不能忘記,當我把缺錢的事情告訴朋友和家人時我的那種尷尬。我已經在過去的幾次講道中提到過這件事,因此,你們可能知道,後來神以一種奇跡般的方式供應給我。但是,當我讀聖經的時候,在這件事情上,神這次給了我新的啟示。沒有錢的那件事,幫助我體會到了一種感覺,就是在馬可福音10:17中那個人的感覺。當他來到耶穌面前,耶穌告訴他,一個人如果不能把他的全部財產都分給窮人,他就不能找到生命的意義。
因此,當我們今天開始學習“年輕的財主”時,我想請你想像一下沒有錢的生活。你們當中有些人經歷過那樣的情況,有些人目前正在經歷。想像一下,一切都失去了,沒有退休計畫,沒有投資,沒有存款或者市場貨幣帳戶,沒有住宅公寓。想像一下,你所有的一切都取決於你對耶穌的信心。你能像那樣活著嗎?假如你遇到某個人,就像馬可福音10章的這個人遇到耶穌一樣,然後那個人告訴你:“對你來說,你能發現神為你預備的生活的唯一方法,就是變賣你所有的,然後分給窮人,並且跟隨我。”你將如何做?
現在就讓我們來看看,一天,在耶穌去耶路撒冷的路上,這件事是如何發生的——然後,我們將問一下耶穌可能會問我們的一些生活中的問題。
一個人的尋求: 一個“成功人士”擁有一切但知道有某種東西他還沒找到 (10:17).
請讀17節。這個人的問題是關乎永生的。他不想簡單地日復一日地生活,這種生活沒有什麼吸引力。在我小的時候,我記得我坐在教會堅硬的長椅上,有好幾個小時。我在想,“假如天堂是這樣一種生活的延續,我不知道我是否真的想要它!”但是,“無盡的生命”僅僅是聖經中所講的“永生”的一部分。這個詞主要是指生活的品質。永生是一種只有永生神才能給我們的生活。
但是,日復一日的生活不是馬可福音10章中那個人想要的生活。他渴望一種神要給我們的生活。他渴望得到“平安”。路加福音18章告訴我們,這個人很年輕,是個行政首席官級的人物,他已經經歷了這個世界上的很多東西,但他知道還缺失些什麽。
什麼是永生?永生是耶穌通過祂的死讓我們得到的。它是我們都渴望得到的。聖經有許多詞語來形容永生:平安、豐盛的生命、天上的財寶、進入神的國、得救。所有這些表達都指向同一個事物。這就是那個年輕人知道自己沒有找到的東西——但他渴望得到。你和他相像嗎?
他的渴望是以一種尷尬的方式表達出來。“做”和“繼承”並不是一個整體。做,通常是為了得到——不是繼承。耶穌意識到了這種差別,因此他指出了問題的中心。
障礙: 究竟是什麼阻礙這個年輕財主得到他想要的?
這個年輕人已經擁有這個世界所能提供給他的一切,但他來找耶穌想得到別的東西。在他的尋求中有一些障礙。
障礙 #1: 明白耶穌是誰
請讀18節。初看起來,這個人的的問候似乎沒有什麼問題。他稱耶穌是:“良善的夫子。”但耶穌卻覺得這種稱呼不同尋常,有點出乎意料,耶穌通過它可以看出這個人明白祂的程度。當他稱耶穌“良善”時意味著什麽?僅僅是出於禮貌嗎?是奉承嗎?他能從面前的這個人看到神的君臨嗎?
因此,耶穌問他:“你為什麼稱我為良善的?除了神以外,沒有一個是良善的。”猶太著作中沒有把拉比稱為良善的先例。難道這個人知道耶穌是神的獨生子?如果是這樣,這個富有的年輕人似乎在耶穌的身份上有不一般的洞察力。當耶穌問他為何稱祂為良善的時候,祂在迫使這個人說出他的話背後的含義。“為什麼你稱我為良善?”他有個機會來表明他的信仰的深度。當耶穌稱賜永生的神在呼召他的時候,這個來尋找唯獨神所能給予的生命的人,很快就明白了自己是否真地相信耶穌。
障礙 #2: 不滿足於只是正確地生活
耶穌在聽到對方回答之前,在19節中祂直接說,這個年輕人的關注點是在十誡的後半部分,就是如何愛人的部分。有趣的是,耶穌提到的僅僅是後一半的誡命而沒有前一半愛神的誡命,“誡命你是曉得的:不可殺人,不可姦淫,不可做假見證,不可虧負人,當孝敬父母。”
這個人對於耶穌話語的反應是令人吃驚的。他說:“所有這一切我從小就都遵守了。”耶穌沒有糾正他。我不能確定這個人是否完全地遵守那些誡命。也許他能。但是,我更認為這個年輕人是在誠實地說,他已經努力遵守這些誡命了。我十分確定他像現今我們所遇到的某些人一樣,他想過一種好生活。但是他發現,這種努力過好生活的願望讓他知道:在他的生活裡,有某些東西他一直沒有找到。
我常常聽到學者或活動家稱,所有財富都是基於某些罪惡或不公平的方式而獲得的。但是,我認為那不是真的。我想耶穌看到這個人沒有剝削任何人。就像我在民間組織中遇到的很多人一樣,這個人是通過做一個好人來尋找他的生活。像我們今天許多偉大的慈善家一樣,他一直努力用他的財富給別人帶來好處和幫助。你認識這樣的人嗎?我曾有12年參與為一所大學募集資金,在這期間我認識了很多這樣的人。這個人是個比爾·蓋茨式的人物,他想用他龐大的資源給他人帶來好處。但是,單單這樣不能滿足他的內心。我確信這就是他為什麼問耶穌:“我怎樣才能找到神給我安排的生活?我失掉了什麼?除了我已經擁有的,我還需要做什麼?”
障礙#3:缺乏的要素
對於這個人說他已經完全遵守律法,耶穌指出還缺少一件事情:變賣你所有的並分給窮人,就必有財寶在天上,你還要來跟從我。
耶穌講到事情的中心:注意耶穌的話帶他來到第一條誡命,最大的誡命:“除我以外,你不可有別的神。”這個年輕人拼命工作來持守第二條誡命,也就是愛人。但是,這兒有一個更重要的事情。耶穌在迫使他詢問:“我生命的中心是什麼?”
問題是這樣:當這個“良善的夫子”(因為“只有神是良善的”)呼召這個青年財主跟從神對他生命的呼召時,他能把神放在第一位嗎?這個人所面臨的障礙是他不得不對付內心的喜好,就是他的本性。這是一個轉變生命的決定。耶穌在呼召他放棄所有的財富——包括他的錢財所能買的一切;所有的高爾夫、社交俱樂部,以及他的錢可以帶給他的……這是一個屬世與屬靈之間、短暫與永恆之間的決定。是要決定誰或什麼是他的神。如果選擇永恆,由金錢所帶給這個人的地位、影響力、名望和權力就會受損。如果這個人接受了耶穌的邀請,這個決定會真正地影響他與家人的關係、他在社區的地位和他所建立的所有生活方式。
這麼想吧:如果一個有聲望的人到教會來,他在社區眾所週知做了很多好事,是個不但敬重顧家又關愛鄰舍的人,我們可能會邀請這樣的人來參加教會董事會。你想:他本可以為宣教奠立基金!他本可以付得起一個新的音響系統或者一座新的兒童中心!要是換我,肯定要給這樣的人在我神學院的董事會上給他留一席位置。但是耶穌告訴他將他的一切所有捐給窮人。大凡人會說,"耶穌是怎麼想的嘛?"但這是耶穌要求的。那麼,這個年輕的富人怎麼做?你會怎麼做?
永恆決定人的選擇
22節,馬可描繪這個人的反應。" 他聽見這話,臉上就變了色,憂憂愁愁地走了,因為他的產業很多。 " "憂憂愁愁"這個字帶著濃重淒美的味道,可能用另一個字"憂傷"來轉譯更達意。這和一個人為失落什麼而憂傷有關-為居於我們生命中心的某愛物的失落而憂傷。耶穌在祂血如汗滴,為祂於天父隔離時而悲傷,用的就是這個字。當耶穌大聲喊著說:我的神,我的神,你為什麼離棄我?意味著耶穌為失去祂和天父合一的定位和身份而憂傷。那個財主憂傷,他心靈深處渴慕還需要一些什麼來填補他生命中心的東西,但是他依舊缺乏。要實現這一願望,他必須讓耶穌來代替如今佔據他生命中心的東西。他必須要放棄金錢。 錢對這個財主的重要性就如同天父對於耶穌的重要一樣。錢在整體上連於他的身份不可分割,他無法想像失去這一身份的日子會是如何。
耶穌告訴他說,他若不除去這些,他永遠不能讓耶穌進到他生命中。年青人以為緊握他作為人核心的東西,將耶穌加進來就好。耶穌說:"你不是賺得永生。而是將信心放在我身上。你跟隨我靠的是信心。我必須在你生命中心。你若是要得生命,你需要一個新的名字-不再是一個年輕的財主,而單單一個跟隨耶穌的人。
今天我們要停在這裡,讓神親自對我們深處說話。 這星期早幾天,我和一個年輕姊妹談話,她告訴我說她媽媽最近很是擔心她對物質的東西過於迷戀。她母親擔心她女兒成為一個雖說相信耶穌,卻為物質而活的人。 有一天,她母親叫她進到她的房間,挖出裡面她認為世上最重要的東西,把這些東西給掉。我相信這是她做過的最困難的事。 但她還是有力量給做到了。這個母親是不是很有智慧?這位母親為女兒做的和耶穌為這個年輕的富人所做的是一樣。人永恆的生命取決於我們是什麼身份,將什麼放在生命的中心。我們永恆的生命取決於我們是否在信心中降服基督。
幾點觀察:
注意物質的東西本身不是壞東西。神造萬物用的得當,使人的益處-但祂造物不是為了叫這些事物進到我們的心中代替神的位置。福音書中的許多人,神隨即送他們回到家中,或回到他們職業中生活。當然,錢可以壓迫人,用作自私的用途。但是這個年輕財主看来並非此例。這裡指出的是:如果人想要找到在神裡面的生命,不只是簡單的叫人不做壞事而已,當然如果人欺騙,謀殺,自欺欺人不可能有豐盛的生活。但是只是放棄做壞事不足以填補我們的心靈。可能在人的眼中,你得到敬重。甚至你可能在許多人的眼中看來很虔誠。這些都不能回答縈繞人心不去的問題:生命究竟缺少什麼?耶穌說我們要看看哪些是看起來好的東西,他們佔據了我們生命的中心,這些東西需要神的取代。"去變賣你所有的,分給窮人。你還要來跟從我。"耶穌呼召我們每一個人,唯獨在祂的裡面找到滿足
再留心看,耶穌對這個年輕人並不苛責。我有時聽人說,耶穌在這段經文中是要叫這個年輕人有自知之明。不是的,耶穌看著他,就愛他。這個年輕人極為真誠。顯然耶穌說:"你還缺少一件。。。"指的是一個重擔。乃是生命之重。耶穌不得不切入這人的內心。如果他容許錢財佔領心中,就不可能將心靈的位置騰出給神。
也要看到,因為神的能力和恩典,甚至這些"成功"人士也還有希望。在25節,耶穌形容富人進天國,用的幾乎是"不可能的比喻":駱駝穿過針的眼,比財主進神的國,還容易呢。這是耶穌時代的常用語。巴比倫人則用"大象穿過針眼"。耶穌用巴勒斯坦最大的動物,駱駝來表達。意思是說:任何存在的屬世的力量都無法使你獲得永生。耶穌在這裡警告人的是:當人開始富有的時候, 我們開始被世界和其中的價值多受捆綁。
但是有希望。第27節:在人是不能,在神卻不然;因為神凡事都能。然而,神是神,祂必須進入你人的中心。而這個年輕人卻無法讓神進來。
我猜測這個年輕人的生活方式深深建立在他擁有他的財富及地位上。他明白生命中還缺少什麼—但卻認為金錢是美好生活必要的一部分。而許多夫子教人說"擁有財富是蒙神祝福的一個象徵"。但是對這個年輕人而言,儘管他看起來樣樣都有,實際上卻是一無所有。所以他會去找耶穌。本來可以有一天,金錢不再根植在這個年輕人的身份上,他曾經可以跟隨耶穌。但從馬可福音第10章看,他錯過了這個機會。馬可22節僅僅告訴我們"他的產業很多"
耶穌會怎樣要求你?這是另一個"第一誡命"的功課。
最後,讓我們記住這個要點:父神之於耶穌的重要就如同金錢對於這個年輕人的重要一樣。他作為人的中心身份為金錢所層層包裹。要看到耶穌也愛這個年輕人,希望他擁有神為他預備的永生。但是,為獲得其尋覓的、神為之預備的永生,唯一的途徑就是把佔據其心中的金錢拿掉,並以耶穌取而代之。讀到這裡,許多人會想,“但是…耶穌不會是說凡跟隨祂的就必須放棄世上的一切”。這我同意。耶穌並沒有要求所有跟隨祂的人都像對這個年輕人一樣的要求。但我要說的是:耶穌的意思是,我們必須願意放棄—甚至渴望順服耶穌要我們做的事。耶穌教導我們鑑察自己的內心,是否被什麼東西佔據,是否這個東西已經成為我們的身份的象徵。
在你的生命中,誰主核心?對這個年輕人而言,是金錢。對許許多多人而言亦如此。那麼你呢?耶穌迫使這個年輕人想像沒有錢的生活。我要你想像,當你心中最重要的東西消失的情況。沒有這些東西,你還能生存嗎?這個"東西"可以是孩子,你的好名聲,你的學術成功。這個東西可以是無數的"好東西"或"壞東西"。我要大家聽到耶穌問你們:“當我呼召你時,你是否準備好放棄一切,單單追隨我?”
耶穌放棄了一切—祂的生命,甚至一度被父神棄絕—就是為了給你我帶來永生。你是否敬畏於耶穌 為你做的一切?你是否為之震撼?你是否為之痛哭?如果是,你就有盼望得到永生。我知道有一條路,唯一的一條路,可以幫助我們不被聲名所累,幫助我們找到永生,就是對耶穌說,“我信靠你。我屬於你。我擁有的錢、權力等等都屬於你。所有這些東西以及我的生命都屬於你。”
我猜測這個年輕人大概認為離開了他的職業、他的財產就無法得到真正的生命。他要得到永生—但僅僅是他繼續持有所有的東西並且加上耶穌而已。我能讀出他的思想,“再等一下,耶穌。想像一下我能用這些錢幫助你做什麼。等到我成為這家公司的合作夥伴—做董事長,而非副董事長。”但是,這種等待僅僅是使得這些東西更牢固地佔據你生命的中心。
所以,他憂憂愁愁地離開了耶穌。他並沒有得著更豐盛的生命—不管怎麼說,他又回到了他的老路上。我可以斷言—40年後,他會發覺自己所有的生活不會比他年輕時帶給他更多滿足。
你們知道我們主耶穌基督的恩典。祂本來富足,卻為你們成了貧窮,叫你們因祂的貧窮,可以成為富足。(哥林多後書8:9)祂就是那位呼召你去追隨的,你願意跟隨祂嗎?
祂的荣耀,
格雷格Waybright博士
主任牧師
Greg Waybright • Copyright 2013, Lake Avenue Church