May 30, 2023

And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

 

And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, 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.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

 

Matthew 19:16-30

Devotional

When Jesus meets the Rich Young Ruler, the man puts two particular questions to Jesus throughout their conversation. Today, we are going to discuss the very first question that he poses. To Jesus he asks, “What good thing must I do to gain eternal life?” This young man operated under the presumption that obeying God necessitated good behavior on his part. Jesus assured the Rich Young Ruler that there is only One who is good, and that only complete adherence to the law would grant him eternal life.

 

That the all-powerful God is a being that must be satisfied and appeased before one may be granted eternal life is a central tenet of many religions. In a sermon I heard Tim Keller give on this very topic, he asked his congregation to recall the well-known song from the Sound of Music that says, “For here you are, standing there, loving me, whether or not you should, so somewhere in my youth or childhood, I must have done something good.” Can you hear Maria singing it? Have you ever found yourself caught up in thinking this way, even when you know it is not the truth of scripture?

 

The truth is, that because we are flawed human beings incapable of complete adherence to the law, there will never be enough good deeds that we can perform to satisfy God. His grace is sufficient for all.

For Reflection


Is there something you are trying to do to make God accept you?

 

Who is the only One who has adhered completely to the law?

Prayer


Gracious Lord, You call us to do good works. You call us to obey you and to love you and to serve you. Lord, capture our hearts. Fill us till we overflow with your grace and mercy. May we do good and wonderful deeds not from our own strength, but from the perfect strength that you accomplished for us on the cross. In Christ’s name, Amen.

Rev. Deanne Townsend
Pastor for Family Ministries
404-842-5845