Mark 10:20-22, 26-27 (GNT): Jesus is Our Perfection
“Teacher,” the man said, “ever since I was young, I have obeyed all these commandments.”
Jesus looked straight at him with love and said, “You need only one thing. Go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; then come and follow me.” When the man heard this, gloom spread over his face, and he went away sad, because he was very rich.
The Good News of Jesus Christ is free, unmerited, and for all. The gospel is God’s gift to give; it’s not ours to earn. We don't have to go through life crossing off a list of commandments to say we are good people and warrant heaven. We can’t! The Ten Commandments, moreover, are the means by which God reminds us where we fail to love him and our neighbor (see Romans 7). No matter how hard we try (and as Christians we should try our best to abide in the commandments of God), we will never be able to keep them all with perfection.
The rich young man in Mark 10 feels that he has kept the law. But Jesus reminds him just how short he has fallen: “. . . [S]ell all you have,” Jesus says, “ . . . then come and follow me.” After witnessing this, even the disciples ask, “Who then can be saved?” This is, as Jesus instructs, impossible for us to do on our own. For as Mark writes, “Jesus looked straight at them and answered, ‘This is impossible for human beings but not for God; everything is possible for God.’” The gospel is God’s work through our cooperative “yes.”
The rich young man in Mark 10 feels that he has kept the law. But Jesus reminds him just how short he has fallen: “. . . [S]ell all you have,” Jesus says, “ . . . then come and follow me.” After witnessing this, even the disciples ask, “Who then can be saved?” This is, as Jesus instructs, impossible for us to do on our own. For as Mark writes, “Jesus looked straight at them and answered, ‘This is impossible for human beings but not for God; everything is possible for God.’” The gospel is God’s work through our cooperative “yes.”
Let us examine our lives -- our families, our circle of friends, and our vocation -- and notice the places where we fail and fall short. Do not be discouraged, however. For our failures only remind us that God’s grace, love, and mercy are plentiful and abundant. And through the salvific love of Jesus Christ and our faith in him, we will be held up and made strong as servants of his love in this world, no matter how human and imperfect we are.
Have a blessed week!
Stan
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