I guess there’s a phrase in modern poker where you bet all your money–“I’m All In.” When the rich man came to Jesus and said he had followed all the laws but still didn’t have assurance of eternal life, essentially Jesus told him, “You have to be All In.” Being a rule follower wasn’t enough, your whole life–including your money and possessions–need to be dedicated to God.
When he went away sad, Jesus told his followers that it was hard for a rich man to be saved. Not impossible, but hard. The followers were astounded. “Who can be saved?” they asked. Now surely Mark knew what he was doing when he placed this story immediately after the story of blessing children. First Jesus says that we should bless children (in an age where they didn’t dote on them) and be like them in order to inherit eternal life. Then he says that it’s almost impossible for rich people–the most honored people in society–to have eternal life.
No wonder his closest followers, those chosen to be leaders after Jesus left, took so long to figure all this out. They were continually hit with these teachings that overturned their attitudes, expectations and view of society. I’m betting that the same holds true today. We still worship being rich and most people think that being rich is a sign of God’s blessing. That’s not true. Just like being poor is automatically a sign of blessing. No, it’s all an individual thing. When you look at another person, you don’t evaluate external things. Do they seem to be living with God?
How about you? Are you caught in external things? Merely following rules without thought? Looking up to the wrong people? Or, are you trying to live each minute with God?
Tags: Christianity, lifestyle
Faith Venture 
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