september 24

the tale of the rich young man

Mark 10:17-22 tells us about a rich young man who asked Jesus how to have eternal life. He may have desired to experience this, yet he could not give up the worldly inheritance that was before him. He may have went thru all the motions of what could be considered "good" and "moral," yet he could not give up his possessions for the sake of following Jesus. Perhaps the thought was unbearable to him, given that he had invested on these things his whole life up to that point. He may have even worked for a lot of these things for a portion of his existence.

Unfortunately for him, and for all of us, all these things, like all things temporary, can only last for so long. Yet Jesus is the one guaranteed investment that we have. Jesus promised this man that he would have "treasure in heaven,"  yet that promise had a condition of selling everything he had and giving it all to the poor. For Mr. RYM, his earthly life was far too precious and valuable than the eternal life that was awaiting him, should he have decided to follow Jesus.

Following Jesus entails a process of self-denial, cross-carrying, and complete surrender. The necessary pre-requisite for doing these things would be counting the cost. Following Jesus brings joy, yes, and peace, and righteousness, but at the same time it involves a lot of risks. It entails rejection, persecution, hardship, and even death. After all, we were never promised a storm-free life, but a storm-proof one. In spite of these, though, God's love is unfailing and we are guaranteed that we will never be separated from his love (Romans 8: 38-39). Following Jesus is costly, yes, but the return of investment is priceless. It will the greatest treasure we will ever have, one that will not be ruined by moths and dust and wear & tear. Jesus alone is our very great reward.