(originally posted November 5, 2008)
Today we continue our journey through the parables mentioned in this past Sunday's sermon. Let's dig in to the parable of the rich young ruler, which is found in three of the four gospels (Matthew 19:16-26; Mark 10:17-27; Luke 18:18-27).
This is my condensed version:
The ruler: "Lord, what must I do to obtain eternal life?"
Jesus: "Keep the commandments."
The ruler: "Which ones?"
Jesus: "The ones relating to family and society."
The ruler: "Been there, done that. What else?"
Jesus: "We have to have a talk about idolatry. You can't be complete until you sell your earthly riches. They've become a stronghold in your life and you need to let them go."
The ruler: (walks away)
My friends, let's talk about idolatry.
The scandal of the rich young ruler was that his love of wealth and property was a violation of God's commandments relating to Himself: do not place any gods before the Almighty God (ordination); do not make a physical representation of an idol (creation); do not bow down to an idol (veneration); do not worship an idol (adoration) (Exodus 20:1-6).
Keep in mind that the ruler's wealth, in and of itself, was not the problem. Scripture informs us that it is God who gives us the power to get wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18), so if He equips us to be wealthy then that's great, we thank God for it. However, the apostle Paul warns us that the love of money is the root of all evil; the desire for riches opens the door for temptation and snares (First Timothy 6:9-11).
The temptation surfaces in the identification: the rich young ruler. Do you hold identifiers that are snares to your soul? Your school... your socioeconomic status... your home... your church affiliation... anything that has captured your heart and dulled your ears to the voice of God? Do you know what it is? Are you willing to let it go?
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