The God of Man's Impossible

9:33 PM - Aug. 1, 2006 - Add to the Wildness

By Breakneck Dave

Setting:    Jesus and the Disciples were in Perea. That is a region across the Jordan River to the east. It is northeast of Jerusalem which was Jesus destination. Some would say that Jesus just wandered around preaching and teaching, but that is not true. He was teaching and preaching, but he was not wandering. He was going to the people that were searching for Him. The Pharisees were looking for Jesus. They had brought along their righteousness as all people do. Jesus had one more man that was seeking Him that He had to meet before leaving the area. Let’s see what he brought to Christ. 

Luke 18:18-21 (NASB) 
[18] And a certain ruler questioned Him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
[19] And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.
[20] "You know the commandments, 'Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.' "
[21] And he said, "All these things I have kept from my youth."

I.  Is This Enough?  First, he brought a question to Christ. We will look at 3 parts to this question.
A. Who's asking?  Who is this character that came to Jesus? This is the only time we see him in the scriptures. He is brought out in the parallel passages in Matthew and Mark, but these 3 passages are all the glimpse we have of him.

1. A Sinner. We know that this man came to Christ as a sinner seeking answers. He knows he is not complete, but is not sure how. We know that he was a sinner because of what he was seeking for. He found Jesus just as He was preparing to leave Perea and go up to Jericho. Ran up to Him actually. I don't know about you, but I don't run up to someone I don't know or even do know unless there is something important that needs to be taken care of right now. So this must have been very important to him. In this way he was like any other person looking to Christ. Lets see what else he was.

2. A Religious Man. We can see that he was a religious man from the way he addressed Christ, "good teacher". The poor people often called out, "Son of David" as in v. 39 of this chapter, knowing that they were not important and feeling like they could not just walk up to a religious man as an equal and ask him whatever question they might want. This man, while needing to have his questions answered, felt confident that he could just walk up to a popular religious leader and hold His attention until he was done. Also, his come back to Jesus statement was "Already done that, I'm good t'go."
What else do we know about him?

3. A Rich Man. We are told in verse 23 that he was an extremely rich man, not just merely rich. Matthew tells us that he owned much property and Luke calls him ruler, so he was very affluent for certain. We are not told how he got these riches, but Matthew records that he was a young man, so to be this affluent at a young age would imply inheritance. This wealth would likely give him confidence in approaching someone famous and just talking to them as with anyone else. Yet he was running up to Him which was not a dignified thing. Nor was kneeling before him  The Pharisees would never have run to Jesus, or knelt before Him. This man, though rich, knew something was missing and thought that Christ could show him how to get it. I'm sure that he had heard all the wonderful things that Christ had done for even the very poor, so surely He would help such a man as important as himself. There is one more thing about him that we can glean from this passage.

4. A Son of Abraham. From v. 20 we can infer that he was indeed an Israelite. Christ said, "You know the commandments ..." He did not have to teach this man what they were, he already knew. Also from his question in v 18, he asks, "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?" The Jews firmly believed that they would inherit the earth as it had been promised to Abraham and his seed. So eternal life must work the same and you have to be a part of the right family.

B. Who's Answering? We can all read and see who's answering, but let's look at it from the place of the man asking the questions.

1. A Good Man. Yes, Jesus was a good man. The very best. No one could ask for a better friend, helper, advisor. We would all have been better off knowing Jesus as a buddy, but that has nothing to do with what He was here for and who He really is. Jesus called him on that in saying that no one is good. That is, no one is without sin. Psalm 14:3 says, "There is no one who does good, not even one."

2. A learned Teacher. Knowing what we do now about this rich man, he had been taught the law and had been under the instruction of likely many different teachers. This Jesus had made a name for Himself in that he had stumped the religious leaders of the day and had never backed down from any questions. This teacher must be really smart. What else might he have seen?

3. A Religious Leader. Jesus had been leading somewhat of a revival thus far, getting people back into the Scriptures and seeking God. He must be quite the leader. The rich man may have wanted to become a sponsor, we don't know. He may have wanted to be identified with the new "hot preacher" on the block, we don't know. We do know that he came to Christ seeking and didn't like what he got. There is one aspect of Jesus that he did miss for sure and Christ told him in His first reply.

4. God.   Pastor James is always telling us about the different words used for God in the passages that he teaches from and so let's see which one this is. Theos This Greek word for God means the Supreme Deity. This man had called Jesus "good teacher" and Christ had told him that He was indeed good, but that only Theos is good. "Do you really see that I am The supreme Deity?"

C. What was the Question? Now again we can read and see what the question the young ruler stated was, but what was he really asking? We can find our answers in how he asked and in Jesus' replies.

1. What Thing? In Matthew the question is stated as "What good thing shall I do?" as if one good act could seal his inheritance of eternal life. Well, looking at his heritage, one can see how he might have come to think that way. Abraham believed and it was counted to him as righteousness. (Gen.15:6) So, if it worked for Abraham, it should work for him. Especially if this Jesus guy is somebody really important, he might just know that one thing that will make the difference. In this he was right, but he was looking at it all wrong.

2. What Shall I Do?  This is an important one. This is the basis for all religions around the world with the exception of Biblical Christianity. What must I do. Whether it be penance or baptism, sacrifice or circumcision, living a good life, or sacrificing ourselves for the good of humanity. All these things are things WE do. None of these things, nothing we can do, or be will be enough. Isaiah 64:6 says "...All our righteous deeds are like a filthy rag..."

Jesus had given him a list of things that should be done while leaving out the parts of the commandments about how we are to deal with God.  Jesus knew what the young man would say and also exactly what he needed to hear. The rich man said, "All these things I have kept from my youth." In the other gospels they include the rest of his statement, "What am I still lacking?"

Luke 18:22-23 (NASB) 
[22] And when Jesus heard this, He said to him, "One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess, and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."
[23] But when he had heard these things, he became very sad; for he was extremely rich.

First, the rich man brought a question. Secondly, he brought his righteousness. He had done what he thought was required of him and hoped that it would be enough, but he wasn't sure. What about you? Are you sure? Have you DONE enough?

II.  Is There More? Here are three little questions that we need to ask ourselves as Christ was asking this man in his heart.

A. Where's your treasure?

1. Wealth. That's an obvious one from this passage as Christ is talking to a very rich man. Wealth is not wrong, nor is it a sign of righteousness. Neither is poverty a sign of a God's condemnation. Money is merely a tool, but any tool when put in place of God is no longer in its right place. That sounds simple, but believe me, to make sure money, or the lack of it doesn't become one's focus is not as easy as it sounds.

2. A Good Name. At first this may not seem like it should fit in this passage because the young ruler ran up to Jesus, knelt before Him and was asking for His advice. But, this man likely had a good standing with his peers and perhaps with those under his span of influence as well. If he were to give all and follow a poor teacher out into the wilderness, his social standing would be gone, he would lose all influence in his community. Perhaps he would be called a fool. He would lose his good name.

3. Personal Righteousness. Now this may not have been his problem, but on the other hand it isn't that far fetched an idea. If he were to give up everything and follow Jesus, that would mean that all he had worked for most of his life wasn't right. Obviously, to him anyway, what he had done was good and didn't need to be discarded. Surely it could be useful to Christ and to him as well, I'm sure. His wealth wasn't just about money or popularity, but it was assurance to him that he was right. God only blessed the righteous and he was very blessed, so he must be equally righteous. To give up that sign of his personal righteousness was to say that he had none of his own. HMMMMMM.

B. Where's your Heart? 

1. Others. Now don't get me wrong, we as Christians are supposed to take care of others' needs. That we know. Christ told us to go and minister to the needy. Both physical and, more importantly, spiritual needs. The problem lies in whether these others are given preference over God. I'm not just talking about time either. Yes, that can be a problem, but one can spend a great deal of time on others without setting God aside. More to the point, are we trying to make these others feel comfortable where they are at or are we going to show them Christ? Being kind and showing respect are things Christ has shown us and told us to do, but not at the expense of someone's Christless eternity in hell. How did Christ deal with the Pharisees? They were teaching a different gospel, that they could work to be righteous enough for God, and he called them sons of the devil and brood of vipers to their face. He flat out told them that they were going to hell unless they change. This is not to say that we are to go to other ministers and condemn them. That is not our place, but to coddle them is sin. To make any person, regardless of who they are, feel that they are OK, that their righteousness is sufficient before God without Christ, is blasphemy.

2. Family. What about family? We can focus too much on family to the detriment of them and us. To love your parents, siblings, children, spouse, or even one's own life more than Christ is to fall short of His glory. Still, someone who has forsaken all for the sake of Christ is only being obedient. That’s still not enough.

3. Church. Surely giving one's time to the service of the church should be worthy of praise and reward... Not necessarily. Again, if our lives are not "a living sacrifice" to Christ (Rom. 12:1), then "all our righteous deeds are like a filthy rag." Do you know what that phrase (filthy rags) means? I looked it up and the words used there mean menstrual rags. That's not pleasant. Even now that isn't a topic that is talked about openly, but then even the topic was totally left alone. So, that's what our righteous deeds are like from the eyes of the Creator.
Now lets move on to the last question.

C. Where should it be? 

1. Give It Up. What had Christ said to this young man? In this passage in Mark, it says that Christ felt a love for him. So we know by this and by Christ's character that he was speaking out of love, but Jesus also knew how this man would react. He said it anyway. Give it all up. All of it. Sell it and give the money away. I know this sounds crazy, but that is what we are told to do as well. Not that we should go, sell everything, but that we should be free from it. None of these things can be taken with us to eternity. None of these things will bring us to Christ. Jesus did not stop at that. He not only told the young man to give up everything else, but to give up himself.

2. Give up yourself. This is something that can only be done by you. Others can give stuff. Others can give money, but only you can give yourself. Christ told him that he had to give up his stuff and then, more importantly, "Come, follow Me." Unfortunately this young man was unable to do this. He could not let go. At this point we are told that he was very wealthy and had a lot to let go of. The point is not how much you give up. It is the same amount for everyone. ALL. This is that living sacrifice that I mentioned before. This is something else that is impossible with men. A living sacrifice?  A sacrifice in the Old Testament was something that was given wholly to God and was not complete until that sacrifice was slain and/or burnt on the alter. That would imply giving control of yourself wholly to God in order to be a living sacrifice. "Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me," as Paul said.

As the young ruler was walking away, Jesus turned to His disciples and said this...

Luke 18:24-25 (NASB) 
[24] And Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!
[25] "For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."


III Is That Possible?

No it is not possible for a man, rich or poor, to fit through the eye of a needle. And yes, if you look up the words in the Greek it actually does mean a sewing needle. No, there was not a gate in Jerusalem or Jericho called the needle's eye. One look at the disciples' shocked question should bring that to light. Anyway, The point is that man cannot do some things. Let's take a look.
A. Can I do That? Can I get myself to Heaven? Here are some things to ponder. Some people say: 

1. What if I'm sincere?  This young ruler was sincere. In his life before he met Christ and in coming to Him. I think of the apostle Paul. Before he met Christ, he was very sincere. Sincerely wrong, however. The suicide bombers on 9-11 were sincere too. So was Hitler. Sincerity can't get you to heaven, whether in something wrong or right, because it is something we do.

2. What if I Got Help? That is a good question. However, if it is any kind of earthly help, such as other people, amulets, special ceremonies, reading the right book, wafers and wine, even the saints or Mary, Jesus' mother, it won't help. The young ruler even came to meet Christ Himself! It still wasn’t enough. This brings up the question...

3. Why not?  Let's look at God. He is infinite. His justice is infinite as well. His Holiness, His Love. Everything about Him is infinite. Can anything finite become infinite on its own? Finite things can only make or do finite things. Only something or someone infinite could make or do something infinite.

Luke 18:26-27 (NASB) 
[26] And they who heard it said, "Then who can be saved?"
[27] But He said, "The things impossible with men are possible with God."

B. Can it be done?

Christ said "I am THE way, THE truth, THE life. No one comes unto the Father" ...Say it with me... "BUT BY ME." Jesus' words in v.27 say it all. "The things impossible with men are possible with God."

A little man in Jericho was waiting for someone he'd never met before. He had heard that this man was passing through Jericho on His way to Jerusalem. He'd heard of this Jesus of Nazareth and knew he must see Him. He scurried up a tree so that he could see Jesus over the crowd.

To his surprise, Jesus walked right up to the tree, looked up at him and said, "Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house." I MUST stay. You'd almost think Jesus had this planned. Jesus knew he would be staying with THIS rich, despised little man before he talked with the other rich man.

Zaccheus was saved, though rich, because he gave up himself to the only one who could do the impossible. Are you bringing YOUR righteousness to Christ like the rich young ruler or are you, like Zaccheus, going to give up your filthy rags for Christ?

THE SALVATION IMPOSSIBLE WITH MEN IS POSSIBLE ONLY WITH GOD.

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Um... where's ZookeeperCat?

What happened? I can't find it anywhere. Did you think better of your decision to have yet another blog? Or have your blogly 'stealth mechanisms' gone a bit out of control? Or have the aliens invaded and stolen it? Or maybe...*gasp*...maybe YOU'RE an alien, and you've been found out by somebody.... Or maybe... um... maybe....
Sorry, I think I've run out of crackpot theories for the moment. :-)

~Dragontongue

Dragontongue - 6:09 PM - Aug. 3, 2006

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Zookeeper Cat

*still not entirely convinced that you aren't an alien* Oh. Okay. Well, I hope you get that figured out soon! A Dorkasaurus Rex sounds like an interesting critter!

~Dragontongue

Dragontongue - 12:08 AM - Aug. 5, 2006

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