VALUES

What shall I do?

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Mark 10:17-31

A man comes to Jesus with a question. What’s more, his eagerness is on display as he runs toward Jesus and kneels before him. He wants to know how to obtain eternal life, but prefaces his inquiry with a flowery salutation: “Good Teacher.”

Jesus addresses this first, before dealing with the more critical matter of eternal life. “Why do you call me good? Only God is good.” Was he testing the man’s knowledge? Did the man realize that by calling Jesus “good” he was equating Jesus with God? Or was it meant to impress and flatter Jesus?

Jesus does not wait for an answer and begins listing certain of the Ten Commandments. The ones he chooses all have to do with visible and outward actions, easily verifiable to an observant witness. The man quickly answers :All these things I have kept from my youth.” What response did the man expect from Jesus? Was it something like “Oh, well done, good and faithful servant! Of course, you already have eternal life!” When our focus is on what we have done and done well, it can be easy to imagine great rewards.

But instead, Jesus points out something the man lacks. This is not a “gotcha” to expose his lack of spiritual understanding, for Mark points out that Jesus felt a love for this man. Jesus’ words are meant to help and build up, not to criticize and rip apart. Did the man approached Jesus with this same love? Was Jesus more dear to him than anything else?

The answer to this is, sadly, no. He was a wealthy man who owned much property. The thought of giving this up startled and grieved him. When Jesus gave his final instruction to “come, follow me,” the man’s eagerness and confidence disappeared. He had not anticipated this. Instead of following, he went away.

We tend to think that people who have had a rough time in life, hitting every bump and stymied by circumstances, would have good reason to distrust and be resentful of God. But this man had every advantage and enjoyed every blessing on this earth. What could he have against God that he would turn away?

Jesus said it is so very hard for the wealthy to enter God’s kingdom. But not impossible. For all things are possible with God.

Copyright 2020 David J. Cooley

Break ups are hard

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“Is it lawful…?” Mark 10:1-12

How do you handle a scriptural position that clearly goes against commonly held views and expert recommendations? Jesus finds himself in such a spot, for divorce was as easy and common for both the Jew and the Gentile of his day as it is in ours.

To make matters worse, the Pharisees have set him up, trying to ensnare him in his words no matter how he might answer. Any response he makes will offend someone somewhere.

Jesus, however, does not answer them directly. Instead he asks a question, “What did Moses command?” The Pharisees take a step back, for Moses never commanded divorce, even in the worst situations. They admit that Moses only permitted a man to divorce his wife by following a simple procedure. A better word for it might be that Moses “tolerated” such an action.

Jesus takes them back to the original plan, to what God intended from the beginning: a man and woman so joined in love and commitment to each other that they became “one flesh.” This new relationship supercedes even the closest relationship that came before it, one’s bond with parents. Marriage is a sacred union, designed and nurtured by God and no man or woman should dare to break it.

So why did Moses allow an “escape clause”? Jesus says it was for one reason – the hardness of their hearts. Hearts that are so filled with self-interest, pride and ambition that there is no longer any room to make way for those formerly close by. Yet even in this, as with any sin, God stands ready with his grace. But beware thinking that you’ll proceed on such a course since you’ll always be able to ask God’s forgiveness later. “Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase? May it never be!” (Romans 6:1-2).

Copyright 2020 David J. Cooley

To be first

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Who is the greatest? Mark 9:33-41

Jesus and the disciples arrive in Capernaum and settle down at the house. Apparently, they’ve kept their distance from him as he is curious as to what they have been talking about on the road. No one is willing to speak up, but Mark admits to the reader that they had been discussing who was the greatest among them.

The last words Jesus had spoken to them were about his coming suffering and death, followed by his resurrection. Now they were competing for greatness in his coming kingdom! No wonder Mark says of them, “they did not understand” (9:32).

Jesus sat down and began to teach them that the kingdom’s system of values was unlike that of the earth. To be first in that kingdom is to be last here, to serve and not to be served. A small child is to be received with more dignity and love than the greatest of kings. It is among the small and weak that Jesus is to be found. And where Jesus is found, so is the One that sent him.

John speaks up. Whether he felt guilty or just missed Jesus’ point we are not told. He relates how the disciples stopped a man from casting out demons. His reasoning is telling. He does not justify this prohibition by declaring the man was not part of their group. Instead, he calls on the rules of rank and order. This man should be stopped because “he was not following us.” A small distinction, yes, but one that puts John and the disciples one notch above this man.

Jesus will have none of it. He points out the flaw in their puffed up reasoning. No one doing such a miracle in his name would soon speak evil of Jesus. He applies a simple rule of thumb: He who is not against us, is for us. To serve the Master in doing his work is more important than trying to figure out who’s in and who’s out. Leave that to Jesus. Focus on doing what he would have you do instead.

Copyright 2020 David J. Cooley