Enter The Kingdom (Mark 10:17-31)

 

Enter The Kingdom (Mark 10:17-31)

 

What must I do to inherit eternal life?

In the locker room at a gym, a man answers a cell phone ringing. A woman begins speaking, “Honey, I drove by the Mercedes-Benz dealer and they are having a huge sale! Can I get that SUV I wanted?”

 

The man asks “how much are they asking?”

 

The wife replies, “Oh, its only 120k….???”

 

The man sighs, “Fine sweetie. But if you’re gonna spend that much, I want it with ALL the options.”

 

Very happy, she says, “Thanks Hun, You’re the best! I’ll see ya at home!”

 

The man hangs up the phone and asks the other men in the locker room, “Do you guys know who’s cell phone this might be?”

 

Jesus was approached by a rich man seeking eternal life. This is the first time eternal life is mentioned in the gospel of Mark. Jesus wasn’t preaching on the topic. Eternal life was a popular religious idea at the time. According to the Jewish historian Josephus, the Essenes, viewed the body as an obstacle to eternal life. Once freed from the body, righteous souls will soar into paradise. The Pharisees believed that the soul passes into a resurrection body made for eternal realms. The Sadducees did not believe in an afterlife. The early church thought of resurrection occurring at the end of the age when Jesus returns, and the final judgement occurs.

 

Eternal life is not necessarily about the afterlife. The phrase can mean on-going, continuous, life without end. Eternal life is a never-ending wellspring of vitality. Jesus isn’t teaching about the afterlife. He is teaching about our relationship with the source of life, God.

 

The rich man runs to Jesus, falls on his knees, and asks what he must do to inherit eternal life. As a Jew, the rich man was familiar with the Law of Moses. Jesus lists a few commandments. Thou shalt not murder, commit adultery, steal, give false testimony in court, or cheat one’s neighbor. Honor your father and mother. Notice what is missing from these commandments. Jesus did not mention the commandments having to do with one’s relationship with God.

 

Have no other gods before me.

Make no idols

Do not abuse the Lord’s name

Keep the sabbath holy.

Do not covet

 

When I covet, my heart is not satisfied with God alone.

 

The rich man says that he’s kept the commandments since boyhood. Jesus felt love for him. He was a law observant Jew, one of the chosen, a beloved child of Abraham. He invited the rich man to sell all his possessions, give the money away, and join his disciples.

 

The rich man went away sad because he was very wealthy. He could not part with it. Jesus remarked, “How hard it is to enter the kingdom of God. It’s easier for a camel to walk through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

 

Two questions come to mind. What does Jesus mean when he says, “Kingdom of God?” And “Why is it hard to enter the kingdom?”

 

The kingdom of God isn’t necessarily about heaven. It’s about God’s reign on earth. Jesus taught his disciples to pray, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” On these words alone, we learn that wherever God’s will is done, that is the Kingdom of God.

 

When the prophet Samuel was approached about choosing a king to rule over Israel, he was upset. God told him,

 

It is not you that they have rejected, but it is me that they have rejected as their king. (1Sa 8:7)

 

God is king, but we look elsewhere for satisfaction and security. Humans are prone to idolize just about anything. We idolize movie stars, musicians, artists, authors, and athletes, internet influencers, and politicians. We idolize American ideals like democracy, freedom, individual choice, and the pursuit of happiness. We seek after these with a passion greater than our desire for God. I love my family, rock and roll, and Star Wars. These can become idols in my life.

 

Life is designed to topple every idol that stands between me and God. Idols are fallible, limited, and unworthy of ultimate devotion. Jesus helped the rich man to see that his devotion to wealth had trapped him. He was not able to enter the Kingdom of God.

 

I like to refer to the Kingdom of God as the Reign of God’s Love. When every heart is empowered by divine love, we will truly love one another and pursue peace above all. We will be partners working for the mutual benefit of all. We would leave the rat race behind and join the human race redeemed. Every problem will be met by asking, “How might this change if God’s love were in charge?” We would work together with God to build the kingdom of God on earth.

 

The very first words Jesus speaks in Mark are about the Kingdom of God. He said, “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15)

 

Repent and believe. Repent means to turn away from our false gods, and turn toward the living God. Turn around and trust God. Place your full confidence in God and live in His love, for the reign of God’s love is within your grasp.

 

Why is it so hard to enter the kingdom of God? For the rich man, it was his love for wealth that kept his heart from fully trusting in God. For others, the reasons are different. One reason it’s hard to enter the kingdom of God is because we don’t think of the kingdom as something of this world. We think of the kingdom as the promise of heaven after we die. We hope we can earn our way into heaven by doing enough good. That is a misunderstanding of the gospel. We cannot earn our way into heaven. Good deeds come from love, a healthy regard for the needs of others. But good deeds are not a way to earn God’s acceptance.

 

The gospel is clear. Human beings are guilty of sin. Sin separates us from God, the source of life. We sin because we are weak, ignorant of God, or just plain lazy and rebellious. The Bible says are enslaved by selfish, fearful, covetous, arrogant and greedy impulses. We need a savior to deliver us from the power of sin at work in our lives. We need our hearts set free by the spiritual power of God’s love. Unless that happens, we remain separated from God. We will continue to search for satisfaction in worldly endeavors.

 

Jesus told Nicodemus that no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born from above, born again in the Spirit. He told his disciples unless we receive the kingdom like a little child, we will never enter it.

 

We must depend on God like a child depends on their parents. Just like a child trusts their parents to feed, shelter and nurture them, trust God with your needs. We become who we are by trusting our parents and learning from their example. If you would enter the kingdom of God, the Spirit of God must enter you, and free you of sin.

 

Paul wrote “the wages of sin are death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord. (Romans 6:23) Salvation is a gift from God. It cannot be earned. It can only be received as a gift to those who desire it and open their hearts and lives to receive it.

The rich man could not because his heart was tied to his wealth. What is holding your heart back? What has you chained to this world, unable to enter the reign of God’s love?

 

Jesus taught that the kingdom of God is like a treasure found buried in a field. The one who finds it sells everything he has to possess that treasure. The kingdom of God is hard to enter because we are not convinced that living and serving in God’s love is the greatest treasure. Our hearts are given to lesser things.

 

The disciples were astounded when Jesus said it was near impossible for the rich to enter the kingdom of God. They were under the assumption that the wealthy were blessed by God, recipients of God’s favor. If the rich can’t get into the kingdom of God, then who can be saved?

 

Jesus told them for humans it’s impossible. We are too weak. Our hearts are too fickle and filled with fear. But for God, all things are possible.

 

Hear the good news! God has opened the way to heaven, to the reign and realm of His lifegiving love. Hear the good news! You don’t have to die to enter the kingdom, not physically. Instead, you must die to yourself, to your wants and desires, to your fears and doubts, to your ambitions and burdens. Jesus led the way. He surrendered himself for our sakes to the cross. His death opened the way to eternal life. You can enjoy eternal life right now by letting go of everything that is keeping you tied to this dying world.

 

When I answered the call to serve in ordained ministry, I left behind a career in engineering. Michele and I had 3 small children, a mortgage and a car loan. We were terrified. We’d never trusted God in the way we had to. After the first semester at seminary, we were out of money. We had no idea how we were going to pay for school. I suddenly received a full tuition scholarship, paying for the rest of my required schooling. I had never filled out an application. It was pure gift.

When Jesus says you will receive 100 times what you left behind for his sake and for the gospel, he meant it. God holds the purse strings of the world. When you are aligning your life with the will of God, you will find your needs will be met, sometimes in wonderful miraculous ways. We will still have trouble in this world, but God is faithful and will provide a way to endure every trial.

 

May you be built up in faith, and strengthened in hope of your heavenly reward, when all shall be well. And all shall be well. Every manner of thing shall be well.