“Follow Me to the Treasure”

Text: Mark 10:17-22

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

            A good treasure hunt is always an exciting thing. Think of all the books and movies you’ve seen that grabbed your attention because the plot was about finding some sort of treasure. And the key to finding the treasure is always to follow the right clues. Stay on the right path. Keep your eyes on the goal and the One leading you to it. Today’s Gospel reading ends with Jesus exhorting the rich young man to “Come, follow me…and you will have treasure in heaven.” It would serve us well to heed that same exhortation..

FOLLOW JESUS TO THE TREASURE THAT AWAITS IN HEAVEN.

The account of the rich young man is one of of idolatry, repentance, and faith. In reality though, it’s a bit of a sad account of a man whose faith we’re ultimately unsure of, even though Jesus lovingly calls him to repentance. What we find here though is a Scripture that’s powerful for us as we recognize that Jesus is offering the map to find the treasure. He’s leading us down the path to the realization that in His great love for us this treasure of eternal life is ours. And as much as it might seem like it, it’s not about what we’re doing or not doing. Its about what God has done for us.

This account is recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Each gives a little bit of detail about this man interacting with Jesus. Luke tells us that he was a ruler, probably meaning a leader in his local synagogue. Matthew tells us that he was young. And all three tell us that he was rich.

So, this rich young ruler comes running up to Jesus because he’s heard about this rabbi and the wisdom of his teaching. And he has an important question. He kneels before Jesus and asks, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” There’s two things we can learn from this man’s question. The first is that he recognizes that Jesus is a “Good Teacher” and might have some wisdom to dispense. He may have even asked this same question of other teachers, but he values whatever input Jesus might have. The second thing that’s evident as a result of his question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” is that he thinks it’s a matter of his own doing.

In answering his question, takes addresses both of these. “Why do you call me good?” Jesus says. “No one is good except God alone.” Of course, Jesus IS God, but the truth here is that the man thinks he’s just talking to a wise rabbi. If he knew it was God Himself he was addressing, he wouldn’t just be looking for tidbit of advice, as if he was browsing the self-help section at the bookstore.

What’s good about the man’s question is that he does have a genuine concern for inheriting eternal life. He knows there will be a day of reckoning where one of two options will become reality for him. But he comes at it all wrong, and Jesus needs to address the fact that this man believes that there’s something he can do to ensure the preferable outcome. It’s a common thought that people have. We come by it naturally. That thought that the way to get on God’s good side is by how much good we can do. We’ve got to show ourselves to be better than the bad people, and we do that by piling up our good works.

It’s all about the Law. And since the man asks Jesus a Law question, Jesus gives him a Law answer. “You know the commandments,” he tells the young man. And then he quotes the commandments: “‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” Jesus is saying to the man, “There’s no secret special good work you haven’t been told about yet. If you want to gain eternal life by your works, you already know what to do. God has already told you, in the Ten Commandments. So, how do you measure up?”

The man responds, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” There’s the problem. And it’s not just this man’s problem. It’s ours too. Too many of us think that when putting our record against the Ten Commandments, we stack up pretty well. It’s a common occurrence for me to ask confirmation students how many of the commandments they’ve broken today, and to get at least one student that will say they haven’t broken a single one. Better than me, I guess. And this young man Jesus is talking to is probably pretty good compared to most. A synagogue ruler at a young age, he’s probably a fine young man.

But even he, in his arrogant belief that he’s kept the law, knows that there’s something missing. He wouldn’t be asking the question about what he needed to do if he actually believed that what he had done was enough. The reality is that there is this matter of eternal life looming ahead and we need to know now how to obtain it. Thinking you’ve done enough good works isn’t going to do it. The commandments will only accuse you. And so, if the young man thinks he’s done enough by not murdering, not stealing, not committing adultery, and so on, now Jesus is going to point out an even bigger problem that the young man has, namely, his idolatry. The young man is worshipping a god that is not the one true God. First commandment issues are this man’s real problem. And they’re often ours as well.

The text says: “And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.’” Notice that Jesus looked at the young man and “loved him,” it says. What Jesus is about to say isn’t because he’s mean and wants the young man to be lost forever. It’s actually quite the opposite. Jesus loves this young man, just as he loves all people. Jesus looks at you and me today and loves us. And when he reveals our idols to us and calls us to repentance, he’s doing that because he loves us. He wants us to be saved. He wants us to inherit eternal life. He wants to lead us to the treasure He’s won for us in heaven.

“You lack one thing,” Jesus tells the young man; “go, sell all that you have and give to the poor.” It might sound like Jesus is giving this man one more commandment. One more good work to do in order to inherit eternal life. But thinking that would be to totally misread what Jesus is saying here. Jesus isn’t prescribing an additional really good work for you to do to earn your way into heaven. In fact, just the opposite. Jesus is pointing out the young man’s idol. And in this man’s case, it was his wealth. He couldn’t give that up. His money, his possessions–those were his god. That’s where he placed the highest value. This was the idolatry that the man needed to repent of.

Jesus is showing the young man that he is indeed a sinner. If he thought he could be justified by his outward good works, Jesus shows him that he’s still clinging inwardly to an idol, which is to break the very First Commandment, “You shall have no other gods.” Like the rich young man, we all need to hear that we’re sinners and that we’re not going to make it on the basis of our works. That’s not the path to treasure in heaven. Any map to the treasure of eternity that claims our own deeds are going to lead us there is one we need to throw away.

But without a map we’re also doomed to be lost forever. But there is a way. The only way. And that’s why Jesus adds these words–and this is the key to the entire account–it’s when Jesus says to the young man, and to each one of us, “Come, follow me.”

“Come, follow me!” Come, follow Jesus! This is the way of everlasting life! There is no other. Listen to the voice of Jesus, and come, follow him in faith. Here is where you will find eternal life. In Christ. Here is how you will have treasure in heaven. Through Christ.

Jesus is the One who was able to do what he asked the rich young man to do. He’s the One who set aside the riches of heaven and came into the flesh as a servant. He walked the way of the cross, to bear our sins and the weight of our idolatry because we all have false gods of our own making. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” And He did it to suffer the judgment for our sins on the cross. He did this for your sake that you might become rich, so that you would gain a treasure in heaven.

A treasure that we know as eternal life. Life with Christ. Life that overcomes death and the grave. Life that rejoices with all the saints in the presence of God. No more sin, no more sorrow. Glorified bodies in a restored creation. Singing and praising and unending joy. This is the treasure that Christ has won for you and that’s waiting for you in heaven.

It’s a treasure that’s yours to inherit by God’s grace. A gift given to you. And you have the map, secured by faith and written by God’s own hand. Follow Him and He will lead you to the treasure that awaits you.

All of those books and movies about seeking treasure inevitably have a happy ending, with the treasure being found and everyone living happily ever after. That’s not the case with today’s Gospel. The rich young man went away that day disheartened and sorrowful because he wasn’t ready to give up his idol. May that not be the road you walk. You know that the false god of possessions, or any other idol you may value, is a false god and can’t save you. Rather, today you hear the voice of the one true God, who can, and does, and will save you. Today Jesus is calling you once again to repentance and to faith. And His is a voice you can trust. “Come, follow me,” Jesus is saying to you today. “Come, follow me, and you will have treasure in heaven.” Amen.

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus.