RICH YOUNG RULER - New Hope Free Will Baptist Churchnewhopefwbc.com/files/2365/File/RICH YOUNG RULER.pdf · The rich, young ruler thinks that he is ﬁne there…no issues. Again…he

Mark 10:13-22 RICH YOUNG RULER July 21, 2019am

READ Mark 10:13-22 KIDS What other books of the Bible tell these two stories?

Last month marked 10 years since I began ministering at New Hope

Church. We pulled up; someone opened the door, and I introduced myself. Without one word of introduction more I could hear the uncertainty in their

voice when they said, “Wow! You are young!” Those kind of introductions have started waining, but I always jokingly say that I want to hold on to that

as along as I can when someone reacts like that. On social media this week you have probably seen all of the “Face

App” aging photos that people have been taking of themselves. The app supposedly ages you by 30 years. I have kept mine off social media

because I thought I’d share it with you this morning. So here is the regular 32 year old Corey. And here is the very optimistic 62 year old

rendering of Corey. I have jokingly said that’s not +30 years. That’s just Corey during

budget season here at the church. When I saw it I thought, “Ok…well they just receded my hairline and made my nose bigger…” Then I looked back

Corey M. Minter Page of 1 10

www.newhopefwbc.com 1285 New Hope Road J o e l t o n , T N 3 7 0 8 0 6 1 5 . 7 4 6 . 6 4 0 3


at the original…nope…they kept those pretty much the same! Someone said “Don’t you care that they found out that app is run by Russians?!”

Look…if that’s what I’m going to look like in 30 years, the Russians can keep it.

Well, we have come to two accounts in the Gospel of Mark where age…or rather, youth… is mentioned. Jesus welcomes children, and Jesus

meets the rich, young, ruler both in Mark 10. Read that first account with me again this morning.

13 Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them.

14 But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them;

for of such is the kingdom of God. 15 Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom

of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” We spent some time on Jesus’s reaction to young children about a

month ago in a sermon from Mark 9 called “Childlike Faith” so I will not go back and re-preach that, but there are a few things that we need to be

reminded of before we move on from this story. Let me just give you a few scattered thoughts on this passage. I tried to organize them a little better,

but it just wasn’t coming this week. Parents, the greatest thing you could do in your entire life is to take

your child to Jesus. Nothing else matters more than that. It is your #1 purpose in life at the very point you learn you are having a child. We focus

so much on providing for, feeding and clothing them, and we should. But if



we do not introduce our children to Christ, our parenting is in vain…pointless. We try to give them the whole world, but we have lost their very

soul. Why is this in the Bible? Do you read your Bible like that? Do you ask

the question, “Lord why did you leave this story behind for us?” John ends his Gospel account by saying that if everything that Jesus had done (all

the miracles…all the healings…all the sermons) had been recorded, then he supposed that the earth itself could not hold them all. So it’s not like the

Gospel writers lacked for content. But then we come to passages like this where Jesus receives little children, and did you know that three of the

Gospel writers all include this story? Matthew, Luke and Mark all write a very similar account. That does not make an event more important if it is

recorded in more than one account, but I do think it underlines the consistency of Jesus’s ministry.

Jesus did not come to the affluent and powerful. He came for everyone. There was no group who was excluded from His ministry.

However, the disciples felt the need to filter the crowd for Jesus…just allow certain ones to hear Him. So when a crowd of parents came with their

children in arms or in tow wanting to see Jesus and have Him bless them, they did a few quick calculations of Jesus’s calendar and said that He

could not be troubled with such things. Jesus reacts…not violently, but strongly with intensity…against His

disciples, greatly displeased with them. “Let them come and do not forbid them!” Was His response.



Why? Because that was the social norm of His day? Because children are innocent and cute? Because it would help His public image to

kiss a few babies? No to all of those. It was not normal. Children are not sinless, and this is not some political stunt to gain some traction in a recent

political poll. The reason Jesus responds this way is because, as crazy as it might

sound then and now, children get faith better than any other people group in the world. They get what it means to be helpless. They practice trusting

better than some of the most mature Christians throughout history. While our adult minds might try to deduce or conclude the theological

ramifications of talking to Jesus, the child is already halfway climbing up into Jesus’s lap with arms spread wide open trying to squeeze Him.

I said it a few weeks ago. That is why I have absolutely no problem encouraging children to come to Christ, get saved and be baptized at an

early age. You say, “Well they don’t really understand it all...” I’m not so sure that they don’t understand it better than we do. We are the ones with

all of our “vast knowledge and earthly wisdom” who complicate it. They display a simple, dependent and trusting faith that everyone

must come to Christ with; otherwise, they will leave disappointed. 16 And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and

blessed them. I wish I knew what all that verse was saying. Seriously…I read it

dozens of times before now, and I do not think that I am one millimeter closer to understanding what happens to a child when Jesus lays His

hand on her and blesses her. To be blessed by Jesus, each of them



individually prayed over (like the original language suggests) is a powerful thing. Who knows? Maybe these children grew up to be some of those first

century Christians who humbly stood for Christ against mobs and emperors outside cities and in colosseums and reaped martyrdom. Maybe

these children grew up to be the very first seed of the church. Whatever happened to them, they came to Christ with simple,

dependent and trusting faith, and they left blessed. However, that is not what happened to the next person we are

introduced to. Luke calls him a ruler. Matthew says that he was young. They both agree with Mark that he had great possessions. So with all three

of those combined listen to how Mark introduces the rich, young ruler. 17 Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt

before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”

This is yet another very out of the ordinary occasion for Jesus and His ministry. As Jesus was leaving that region of Judea and setting out on

the road this young ruler comes running up to Him. Stop. Men did not run back then…especially men of prestige like this ruler of a synagogue was.

They wore longer, flowing robes to denote their affluence and to cinch them up in order to run would have been one of the most disgraceful

things that he could have done. If they needed something quick, they did not run; they had other people run for them. But he comes running.

When he gets to Jesus wheezing and panting for breath after his sprint, he falls to his knees (not in exhaustion) but in deep respect. Stop.

Jewish men, especially ones with power, did not bow. They took notes



from Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego, and they would not bow down to any but the God os Israel. But he knelt.

Before even looking up into Jesus’s face, he asks Him his question, “Good Teacher…” Stop. Man, this guy…don’t you love him? He runs…He

kneels…He shows respect to Jesus. I can just imagine that all of the disciples were getting a little giddy. They were about to ascend the social

ladder of Israel a few rungs. I mean if men like this powerful rich man were running after and kneeling before Jesus, their troubles are over. No more

sleeping outside and on rocks. No more long travels, they could send people to do their bidding. He’s urgent…he’s humble…and I think he is

really sincere because he even asks the right question. 17 “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”

He knows that something is off. He knows something is lacking in his life. He feels like he has to compensate for something whether it is sin or

just his humanity. But Jesus goes right to the issue.

18 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.”

This man…this rich, young ruler…had a loose view of “Good.” Jesus kind of cuts Him off. He’s going to answer his question, but first, He has to

deal with this good issue. What is good? Who is Good? Only God is good, but this man thinks

that he (himself) is good, and so Jesus is going to capitalize on that and show him differently by pointing him to the standard of goodness or

righteousness the law, specifically the ten commandments.



19 You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’

‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ” Jesus lists off the final six commandments. You know that there are

10 in all. The first four in Exodus 20 deal with our relationship to God (no other gods, no graven image, do not take God’s name in vain and honor

the Sabbath). The last six deal with our relationship with other humans (the ones that Jesus listed). When Jesus was asked about the greatest

commandment, He summarized them and said “To love God (first four) and love others as yourself (last six).”

It’s interesting that Jesus does not even really bring up the first four commandments that deal with this man’s relationship to God. The rich,

young ruler thinks that he is fine there…no issues. Again…he has a loose view of what it means to be good.

There is also an element of debate here. Those first four commands that deal with his relationship with God…those are largely going to be

hearsay. Jesus could ask him whether or not he has kept them and there would not be anyone there to testify whether or not his relationship with

God is OK or not. He could categorically say, “Yes.” That he and God were good, and everyone around them would just have to take his word for it.

But Jesus asks him about the second half…those last six which have to do with his relationship with other people. Those are a bit more

verifiable. Witnesses could be brought to affirm or deny whether or not he had lied or dishonored his parents and so on. Before Jesus could really

even finish, the man butts in…



20 And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.”

Hmm…No doubt, by the world’s standard, this man was good. He really tried to obey the law. He had even given his life to teach others

about the law at the synagogue. He lived a noble cause, but by answering the way he did (“Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth”), he

was lying, and he knew it. He knew that although on paper it looked like he was obeying the law, he was not keeping the spirit behind the law:

intensely love God and love others as yourself. Look at Jesus’s response. It’s not harsh or cruel. He does not land-

blast him and yell at him that He knows how sinful he is. No… 21 Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him…

Jesus saw a sincere seeker: one who desperately wanted eternal life, but the problem was that he wanted it on his terms. He wanted all this

world has to offer and what Heaven has to offer, too. And it just does not work that way.

So in Jesus’s response, He tries to rectify both this man’s relationship with others and with God.

21 Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the

poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”

Essentially, if you really do love others, prove it and help them (the last six commandments). And if you really do love God, prove it, lay down

your life and follow Jesus.



Isn’t it interesting that Jesus’s response to a man who came running after Him, bowing before Him and asking Him what he could do to inherent

eternal life was not even remotely similar to how most of us would have answered? A friend comes running to you and asks “How do I get saved?”

And most of us would respond with some form of “Just pray a prayer and ask God to forgive you.”

We beg people to make a decision to follow Jesus, and often times in our begging, we almost bend what the Christian life looks like. But if the

rich young ruler followed what Jesus said, he would have been losing his own identity:

Rich—give everything you have to the poor—he’d be left penniless Young—take up the cross—he’d be left without his healthy and vitality

Ruler—follow Jesus—he’d have to leave everything familiar to him If I haven’t said it from this pulpit lately, you need to hear it more

often. Christianity is not about augmenting your life to fit in a little Jesus. It is about losing your life so that Jesus will live through you. You cannot

come to Jesus on your own terms. He will not accept you…because that’s not really coming to Him at all.

He thought he’d be sacrificing his own identity if he obeyed Jesus, and he would. But he would be gaining more…

Give what you have to the poor—you will have treasure in Heaven Take up the cross—Be raised to life by the power of the empty tomb

Follow Jesus—He will take you further than you could ever imagine Look, this man was respected, and he was religious. From the

outside looking in, he could have served on any modern church



committee, deacon board or pastoral staff. And no doubt, there have been thousands like him who actually did serve in those capacities, but they did

not gain eternal life…They did not follow Jesus. They may have been compromised into the church but not into the body of Christ.

Don’t get the wrong impression. Jesus was not running this man away. He loved him. He would have wanted nothing more than for this man

to follow Him…to take up His cross…to sell all that he had, but in His infinite knowledge, Jesus knew that he wanted this old world and Jesus

too. And…that math just doesn’t add up. 22 But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he

had great possessions. Brother Tom preached Matthew’s account of this story about 7 years

ago, and he said something that has stuck in my mind all this time. He said, “He came to Jesus as a ‘rich, young ruler,’ but he left Jesus a ‘poor,

old nobody.’” Just like I wondered what became of the children whom Jesus

blessed, I wonder what became of this man. He had everything going for him, but he slips into anonymity because of a few denarii. Hopefully, he

would have another chance to respond to the Gospel, but why would you chance it? What keeps you from following Jesus?

The children who had nothing left with everything. The man who had everything left with nothing.

The children left with great joy. The rich man left with great sorrow.


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RICH YOUNG RULER - New Hope Free Will Baptist Churchnewhopefwbc.com/files/2365/File/RICH YOUNG RULER.pdf · The rich, young ruler thinks that he is ﬁne there…no issues. Again…he