The Poor Will Be Rich

Study Notes

The Poor Will Be Rich

Mark 10:17-31

     Almost everyone in this world longs for eternal life.

     Before you disagree with me, let me explain to you what I mean by “eternal life”.  By it, I do not mean a life that just goes on and on and on.  Those who experience eternal life will surely live forever -- but that’s not all it is.  No, by eternal life, I mean the same thing the Bible means by it, i.e., the kind of life that only an eternal God can give.  It’s life as your Creator created you to live before evil entered the world.  It’s life as life is supposed to be. Eternal life is what people in our day sometimes mean when they speak of happiness.  When you experience something that does not seem to be the way life is supposed to be, you find yourself longing for eternal life.  Any time you sense something is missing in your life and want it to be different, you find yourself longing for eternal life.  What the Bible means by eternal life is life to the full – and only God can give it.

     Today, we meet a man in the Bible who wanted eternal life – and thought that Jesus might be the one who could help him find it.  Did you notice how urgently he approached Jesus in Mk 10:17 -- A man ran up to Jesus and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to have eternal life.”

     It’s evident that this man had tried a number of things to find life.  He had tried religion.  Ever since he had been a boy, he had tried hard to find fulfillment by doing everything that he thought his parents and his God would have him do. In spite of that, he discovered that something was still missing.

      But, what I want us to focus on mostly today is that he seemed to think that he should have been experiencing more fulfillment in life because of all his wealth.  After all, those who have money can have lots of great experiences, prestige, privilege and influence.  He had those things – but something was still missing. Can you relate to him at all today?  We call him the rich young ruler because Mt 19 reports he was young, and Luke 18 tells us he was a ruler.  So, I can imagine a few of you thinking, “Oh, good.  I don’t have to listen today because I’m not rich, young or a ruler.”  But, beware – this is a passage of Scripture that seems to have spoken personally to everyone, everywhere throughout all of history.  If you have ears to hear and eyes to see, you will discover that this story takes all that we’ve spoken about in this series and applies it to everyday life.

     Let’s simply let the story guide us as it is told in Mark’s Gospel:

See:  The “Banter” about Jesus Being Good – Do you see who Jesus is?  “Good teacher,” the man said… “Why do you call me good?” Jesus replied. “No one is good—except God alone (10:17-18).”

     When the young man called Jesus “good”, it seems at first glance, to have been a rather innocuous remark.  But Jesus saw it as an opening to probe how well this man was seeing.  What did the man mean when he called Jesus “good?”  Could this young man be seeing Jesus more clearly than the disciples who had been with Jesus for 3 years?  In Jewish writings, there are no examples of a rabbi ever being addressed as “good”.  Does this enthusiastic young man know Jesus is the one and only Son of God?  When Jesus asked him what he meant by calling him “good”, he was forcing the young man to come to grips with the implications of his own words.

     So, this wasn’t just small talk when Jesus asked this question.  Jesus was getting at the most important thing in his life.  He was asking, “Do you really see who I am?  If so, do you understand that I truly am the one who can give you what you long for so much.”    

     With that in mind, let’s see if the man has seen.  Let’s see if he understands the implications of meeting the one he has just called “good”.

Understand: The Issue of Keeping the Law – Do you understand that “gods” can keep up from 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.’” “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy (10:19-20).”

     Before waiting for the man to answer his question about what he meant by “good”, Jesus asked the young man about the 10 Commandments because, according to the Scriptures, they were given so that people might live well, i.e., have that kind of life that this man came to Jesus for (cf, Dt 5:33).  Interestingly, Jesus mentioned only the commands found in the 2^nd part of the 10 Commands, the ones about how we are to treat people.  “

     In response to Jesus’s words, the man made a claim that might surprise you. “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.  I think the young man was probably 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, i.e., he had tried to do all the things his parents and priests had said he should do.  He tried to treat people well.  I imagine he was a kind and generous boss and a man who cared for the poor.  But, being the good boy and trying to keep all the rules had left him still knowing something was missing in his life.  

      Listen carefully right now.  Notice that the commands Jesus did not mention all have to do with people’s relationship to God.  In case you don’t know, the first four commands all have to do with putting God first in our lives if we will have the kind of eternal life this young man longed for.  And the command that is foundational for all commands is the 1^st command: “You shall have no other gods before me (Dt 5:17).”  In other words, if you will have eternal life, you will not find it if you put anything into God’s place in your heart and your affections.  Just keeping God’s other laws will not bring you the life you were made for if God is not first.

     So, will this man understand the implications seeing Jesus as “good”.  Would he grasp that, when Jesus called, he would be hearing the call of God.  Or, was there another “god” in his heart?

Respond:  The Biggest Decision in Life -- Will you obediently trust Jesus and find the life you seek?  Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said… (10:21ff).

     The word Jesus used here, i.e., “lack”, really means “to weigh down.”  In other words, Jesus looked into the inner being of this young man to see what was first in his heart and he saw one thing weighing him down, anchoring him to this earth, and keeping him from eternal life. 

     So, Jesus says, “I see what is weighing you down and keeping you from life.  And, here is how you will find that eternal life you so desire: “Go, sell everything you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me (10:21).”

     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 choice of who or what would be his God.  If he chose to trust Jesus, the man would jeopardize all the influence and reputation and power his wealth had secured.  If this man were to listen to Jesus, obey Jesus, the decision to do so would surely affect his relationship to his family, his status in the community and the entire way of life that he had established.

     Do not miss the phrase at the beginning of v. 21, “and Jesus loved him.”  That means, “Young man, there is more for you in life than just keeping commands.  I have more for you than all the things your possessions can give you.  Trust me.  Follow me” You see, when Jesus takes something away, it is out of love – not spite. If this man would have trusted Jesus and followed him, he would have found the eternal life he desired.  But you know what happened.  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. 

     Jesus told him that he had to get that idol out of his life or he would never really bring God in. But, it was too much.  The rich young ruler held on to what was central to his own soul and gave up eternal life.

     Does this speak to you at all?  Can you see yourself at all in this young man?

     I know that a passage like this raises lots of questions so let me give brief responses to two of them:

1. Does everyone have to give up every possession in order to have eternal life? The answer to that is clearly no.  In the Gospel of Mark, there were others, like a man in Mk 5:1-20, who wanted to give up everything and follow Jesus – but Jesus sent him right back to his house.  There are some in Mark’s gospel who follow Jesus and sometimes don’t even have water to drink and others who still have water to give to those who don’t.  Jesus does not ask everyone to give up all possessions – but he does say that whatever is first in your heart needs to be surrendered so that God will be God in your life.  If you will have eternal life, you must give up your idols and make Jesus Lord.
2. Does this passage only apply to those who are rich? Again, I say no.  In fact, as Tite Tienou once said to me after he had returned from a trip to West Africa: “The coveting of riches among the poor has become such an obsession that the possessions have become the god that many people seek. Too many do not want God.  They only want the health and wealth they hope they can force God to give them.” You see, possessions can weigh you down whether you have them or whether you covet having them.

     So, let me try to summarize one point that I think applies to us all:  Those very things that we put at the center of our lives in order to make us happy will always end up taking our happiness away. Instead of them giving us eternal life, they will keep us from it. 

    That idol may be an academic degree that, when you get it, you think will change everything.  It may be a job promotion – an athletic accomplishment – all the items you have on your “bucket list” to do before you die, etc.  You can have and do all those things but, if Jesus is not Lord and, through him, God is not the God of your heart, you will not have the eternal life this rich young man sought and left behind.

The Postscript: God Provides – Often through His Children (10:28-31).

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… with persecutions… (10:30)

     In vv. 28-31, we see the most neglected part of the story of the rich young ruler.  When the rich man left Jesus, Peter and the disciples were shocked.  This man had represented what they had hoped to become when they followed the Messiah.  That man was religious, and he had power, possessions and prestige too. 

     But today, of the many things we could consider from these four verses, let us focus on the fact that obeying Jesus would have left this young man destitute: no home, no bank account, no savings, no resources to finance his children’s education, no health insurance… And, almost certainly he would have been the object of scorn in his family and among his friends.  How would he even survive?  I want to show you something here because sometimes, we think that if we have to give up something that has become an idol, we’ll be devastated.  It’s easy to think that obeying Jesus will ruin our lives rather than give us life to the full.

     So, let’s see how Jesus spoke to those disciples who wondered about that?  How would this man have lived if he had followed Jesus?  How were Peter and the disciples to live if their families kicked them out and they lost their jobs?  On one side, Jesus gave a great promise that will be true for all who follow him, i.e., “in the age to come, you will have eternal life (v.30).”  But that doesn’t answer the question of how they were to live in this age.  They had to leave everything behind to take the gospel to the world, so how would they survive?

     Jesus provided a very practical answer in v.30: “You will be brought into “100-fold now in this time -- houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and lands…”  This is family talk from Jesus.  And part of it sounds pretty good – like 100-fold houses and lands.  But what about this 100-fold mothers?  Do you want that?  And 100-fold children?  Does that sound like good news to you?  Was Jesus saying, “Don’t worry when you follow me.  You’re going to get 100-fold mothers and children -- with persecutions!”  What was he talking about?

     Lake Avenue people, you have heard me talk about this for 11+ years -- so you may have an intuition of what I think Jesus was talking about.  He put it so profoundly – though you must listen carefully to his words to get it.  Jesus gave us two lists -- one in v.29 and the other in v.30:

What you might leave: house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, and lands.

What you will gain:  houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and lands – with persecutions.

     Look at those lists. What is in the 2^nd list that is not in the 1^st?  Persecutions.  That doesn’t sound like good news, does it?  But, it is real.  And, it is temporary.  Don’t be surprised when it is hard to be a Christian. 

     What is in the 1^st list that is not in the 2^nd?  Fathers.  When we follow Jesus, we do not gain 100-fold fathers for there is only one Father in this family – one Father, as Paul puts it in Eph 3:14, “before whom the entire family in heaven and one earth bows its knee.” 

     Here’s what Jesus is saying:  When we follow Jesus, then we obey his call upon our lives doing what he asks and going wherever he sends us. When we do, he promises, we will experience life to the full.  We receive the eternal life that the world is looking for.  Now, until Jesus returns and completes his work in this world, we will experience persecution and difficulty.  But we will not have to do it alone.  We will have a big family -- the global family of God -- available to us.  So, in this family, Jesus calls some, like the rich man and the apostles, to leave home and possessions to carry the gospel to the world.  He calls others to live for him where we are but are to use what we have 1) to support those who come into our family and who have material needs and 2) to support those who go to other parts of the world to spread the Gospel.

     So, for those of us in church today who have been blessed with possessions, know this: they are dangerous.  They can weigh down your soul and keep you from God.  But, they can be used to further God’s work in this world.  Part of the privilege of those who are blessed financially is the blessing of asking God, “Lord, how can I use those temporary things you’ve entrusted to me to bless my brothers and sisters in church?  We must have our eyes open to look for the needs of our family members – and generous spirits to try to meet them.  And, of course, one of the greatest privileges, when we have possessions, is to use what God has given us to support those who are sent out into the mission.

     And for those who have come today who need the help of your church family, I’ll talk to you at the end about the next steps you should take so that your church family can walk with you.

     Right now, after these words from Jesus talking about us being a family, we will have what 1 Corinthians 11:33 speaks of as our family meal saying, “My brothers and sisters, when you gather to eat, you should all eat together.”  We will go to communion together remembering how costly it was for God to adopt us into his family, i.e., the precious blood of Jesus…

Chinese Study Notes

貧窮變為富足

馬可福音10:17-31

            世上的人都渴望永生。

            你可能不同意這說法，不過請先聽聽我說的“永生”指的是什麼。我並不是指長壽不死，雖然顧名思義，永生是永遠活著的意思，但我說的永生則是聖經概念，是一種只有永恆的神可以賜予的生命；是在罪未進入世界之前，創造主賦予你的生命，是生命的本來樣式，而非今天有人說的幸福長久。當你經歷到自己的生命似乎不應該如此時，你就會渴望永生。聖經中永生的概念就是豐盛生命—這只有神可以賜予。

            今天的經文中就有一個人渴望永生，他覺得耶穌就是可以為他帶來永生的人。從可10：17，你可以看到他是何等迫切：耶穌剛出門上路，有一個人跑過去向他跪下，問他：“良善的老師，我該做什麼才能繼承永恆的生命呢？”

            顯然，這人已經試了很多方法，也試過宗教，自幼他就竭力去做好每一件事，力圖去滿足父母和神的要求，然而他還是發現若有所失。

            我們今天會重點看，這個人以為富有能讓他經歷更多的生命滿足。事實上，有錢人會有的聲望、特權和影響，這個人都有了，但他還是感到缺了什麼---你可以找到這樣的人嗎？我們稱他為年輕富有的官，因為馬可福音19章說他年輕，路加福音18章說他是做官的。也許你們中有人想：“我今天不需要聽了，因為我沒錢、也不年輕，更不做官！”但請注意，這段聖經歷世歷代都在對任何地方的任何人講話，凡有耳的就當聽，凡有眼的就當看，你會發現這段經文涵蓋了我們這系列要講的東西，並會應用在我們的日常生活中。

            讓我們就來看看馬可福音的這段故事吧。

看:  “嘲諷”耶穌的良善 –你認識耶穌是誰了嗎?  “良善的老師”，那人說…耶穌對他說：“你為什麼稱我是良善的呢？除了神一位之外，沒有一個是良善的 (10:17-18).”
            當這個年輕人稱耶穌“良善”時，第一感覺是一個禮貌的稱呼，但耶穌卻要以此讓這個人認清他的生命狀態。他這話是什麼意思呢？是否他比那些與耶穌一起三年的門徒認識得更清楚呢？在猶太人文獻中，沒有“良善的拉比”這樣的稱呼；那是不是他明白耶穌就是神的兒子呢？當耶穌反問他為什麼稱自己為良善時，耶穌是要讓這年輕人分辨他自己話的含義。
            耶穌並非隨便問他的，耶穌要找出他生命中最重要的事，耶穌在問：“你真知道我是誰嗎？你明白我就是可以賜給你朝思暮想永生的那一位麼？”
      讓我們看看這人是否已經認識耶穌，是否明白他稱耶穌為“良善”的含義。           

明白: 守律法的事 –你明白那些“神明”會使你遠離神嗎？  “你是知道這些誡命的：‘不可殺人、不可通姦、不可偷竊、不可做偽證、不可虧負人、要孝敬父母。’”那個人對耶穌說：“老師，這一切我從年少就遵守了 (10:19-20)。”
            在等候這人回答“良善”意義之前，耶穌問了他關於“十誡”的問題，因為按照聖經，十誡是為要人生活得好，為要人得生命---就是他想從耶穌找到的生命。有意思的是，耶穌只問了他十誡的後半部，即如何待人。
            這人回應耶穌的答案也許會讓你吃驚：“這一切我從年少就遵守了。”耶穌並沒有糾正他什麼，所以我不能評論這人是否完全遵守了，但我想，當他說自己一直努力持守誡命時一定很認真。我很確定他就像今天我們認識的一些人，想過好生活，努力去他父母、老師要求他的，努力善待別人。我想像這年輕人一定是一個善良、慷慨的老闆，是憐憫窮人的。但是即使從小守法做好人，依然讓他覺得生命有什麼缺失。               

注意聽，耶穌在這裡沒有談到神與人關係的誡命。如果你不知道的話，讓我告訴你：“十誡”的頭四條是要讓神在我們生命中居首位，若我們也想要這年輕人渴望的永生，我們就當如此。其中第一條誡命是其它誡命的基礎：“除我以外沒有別神（申5：17）。”換句話說，你若在心靈中讓別的東西取代了神，你就不會有永生；就算你守住其它的律法也沒用。
            那麼這人是否明白稱耶穌“良善”的意義呢？他是否抓住了機會---知道當耶穌呼召他時，就是神在呼召他？或者，有其它神明在他心中？

回應:  生命中最大的決定 --你願意順服地信靠耶穌，得到你尋找的生命嗎?  耶穌注視著他，就愛他，對他說：“你還缺少一件”… (10:21ff)。
      耶穌在此所用的詞是“缺少”，實際意義是“拖累”，也就是說，耶穌看進這人的心中，知道什麼是居首位的，就是那個東西拖累了他，把他釘在地上，與永生隔絕。

            於是耶穌說：我已經看到那拖累你、使你與永生隔絕的東西；你必須這樣做才能獲得你所渴望的生命：“去賣掉你所擁有的，分給窮人，這樣你將有財寶在天上；然後你來跟從我（10：21）。”

            這是一個改變生命的決定，耶穌要他放下他擁有的一切財富，包括他的錢可以買到的一切，像我們今天可以買到的高爾夫俱樂部會員身份等等。這是要他決定誰或什麼是他的神。如果他選擇信靠耶穌，那麼帶給他保障的名聲、地位、財富就可能不保；如果他聽從耶穌、順服耶穌，這決定一定會影響到他與家庭的關係，他的社會地位和他的所有生活方式。

            不要忽視21節一開始“耶穌注視著他，就愛他。”好像是說：“年輕人，生命中不只是要守誡命，我能給你的比你一切財產給你的更多；相信我，跟從我吧！”你們看，耶穌要是從人拿去什麼，是出於愛而非惡意；若這人能信耶穌並跟隨他，他就可以得到他渴望的永生；但事如其反，馬可細緻地描繪了那人的反應，在22節，“那個人因這話，臉色就變得陰沉，憂憂愁愁地走開了，因為他有很多財產。”這裡“憂愁”一詞翻譯成“哀愁”更好，描述一個人為失喪了什麼兒哀悼---因為佔據生命中心的東西沒有了。這詞在耶穌為與神分離而悲哀、汗滴如血時也用過。

            耶穌告訴他，若不從心中拿去偶像，就不會讓神居首位。但有太多東西佔據了這富有的年輕官的心靈，以致他放棄了永生。

            這對你有何啟發，你從這年輕人看到自己了麼？

            我知道你對此有很多問題，我對其中兩點做一個簡單回應：

1. 每一個人是否必須放棄所有才能得永生？答案明顯是否定的，耶穌沒有讓每一個人都放棄財產，但是他說，神必須要在你心中居首位，神必須在你生命中是神。如果你要有永生，就必須放棄偶像，接受耶穌為主。
2. 這段經文是否只是針對有錢人？不是！有一次，太田諾從西非回來對我說：“一些窮人對金錢的貪婪是一個很大的困擾，他們將財富當作神來追尋；有太多人不想要神，只想要神給他們財富和健康。”看，不管你是否擁有財富，對財富的貪心都會把你拖下來。

            我要總結一點可以應用在每一個人身上：我們為自己快樂而放在自己生命中心的東西常常會奪走我們的快樂；它們不但不會給我們永生，還要把我們從永生拖離開。

        偶像可能會是一個學位，你以為得到了就得到了一切；可能會是升職或奪冠，或是你的臨終願望；你可以擁有這些，也可以渴望這些，但若耶穌不是主，神也不是你心中的神，你就不能獲得這個富有的年輕人找到了又放棄的永生。

附言: God Provides – Often through His Children (10:28-31) 我確實地告訴你們：無論誰為我的緣故、為福音的緣故而捨棄房屋，或兄弟，或姐妹，或母親，或父親，或兒女，或田產，都必定在今世得到百倍…也會有逼迫… (10: 29,30)

            28-31節，是瞭解這個故事時最容易忽略的部分。當年輕人離開後，彼得和門徒們都很吃驚，因為這個富人代表了他們追隨彌賽亞前的一切盼望，他在宗教上敬虔，有勢力、金錢和聲望。

            這短短的4節經文帶給我們許多要思想的，但今天我們側重在，順服耶穌是不是就意味著年輕人要變得一文不名：沒有家，沒有銀行帳戶、沒有財物積蓄支持孩子讀書，沒有健康保險；而且還要在親朋好友中被詬病，他怎麼生存啊？我們知道，當我們要放棄自己的什麼偶像時，也會感到天塌下來似的；那是不是順服耶穌會毀掉我們的生活而不是讓我們的生命更豐盛呢？

            讓我們看看耶穌如何對那些惴惴不安的門徒說的：若這個人跟隨了耶穌當如何生活呢？若因為跟隨了耶穌，彼得和門徒們被趕出家門、失去工作怎麼辦？一方面，耶穌給出了偉大的應許，對所有跟從的人千真萬確，那就是：“在來世得到永恆的生命（30節）。”不過，還沒有回答如何在今世生存的問題，就是若他們拋棄所有去傳福音，怎麼生活啊？

            耶穌在30節給了一個實踐性的答案：“在今世得到百倍，就是房屋、兄弟、姐妹、母親、兒女和田產…”這是耶穌論到家庭的應許，不過，得百倍的房屋、田產甚好，怎麼會有百倍的媽媽？你需要嗎？百倍的兒女，對你是好事嗎？耶穌後面還加了一句：你會得百倍，也會有逼迫！他在說什麼啊？

            弟兄姊妹們，你們聽我講道11年了，你應該知道我怎麼看這個問題的。耶穌的話非常深奧，我們必須仔細聽才能瞭解，耶穌在29節和30節給了兩個明細：

你當捨棄的：房屋，兄弟，姐妹，母親，父親，兒女，田產：

你會得到的：房屋、兄弟、姐妹、母親、兒女和田產，也會有逼迫。

            看看這明細，第二個比第一個多了什麼？逼迫！不是好事吧？但卻是真的，只不過是暫時的。基督徒面對嚴厲逼迫時不要吃驚。

            那麼第一個比第二個多了什麼？父親！當我們跟隨耶穌時，我們沒有百倍的父親，在這個家庭中只有一個父親，如保羅在弗3：14所說：“屈膝在父面前——天上地上的萬族都是從他得名的”。

            耶穌在這裡所說的是：當我們跟隨他，順服他對我們生命的呼召，做他要求我們的事，去他差派我們的地方，他就應許我們經歷豐盛生命，得世人所追尋的永生。不過，耶穌再臨成就萬事之前，我們在世上會有逼迫和困難，但我們並非孤軍作戰，我們有一個大家庭---神的普世家庭。在這樣的大家庭裡，耶穌呼召一些人，比如有錢人和使徒，拋棄家產去傳福音；也呼召另一些人在工作生活中為他而活，盡我們所能1）支持我們家庭中物質匱乏的；2）支持在別處傳揚福音的。

            我們教會中在財富上蒙福的人當知道，財富很危險，可以拖下你的靈魂，使你遠離神；但財富也很有用，可以用於神在世上的工作。不過，你也有這樣的“特權”，你可以問神說：“我當如何使用你託付給我的這些暫時的財富去幫助教會中的弟兄姊妹？”我們一定要能看見我們家庭成員的需要，要以慷慨之心去對待他們；當然，富有的一個最大的特權就是去可以支持神派遣去傳福音的人。

            對教會中那些有需要的弟兄姊妹，我聚會後想和你們談談下一步怎麼辦，好讓教會大家庭陪著你們一起走。

            現在，我們知道了耶穌所談論的屬靈家庭的事，我們就照林前11:33節所說領受家庭的聖餐“我的弟兄們，你們聚集吃的時候，應當彼此等候！”我們要一起來到聖餐桌前，思想神為揀選我們進入他的家付上了何等代價，那是耶穌的寶血…

榮耀歸給神！

Greg Waybright 博士

主任牧師