“Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.”
Mark 10:21
The Setting…
Our Lord, having entered His created world, looks upon a man (fettered to his material success) with love. Here is a fellow who falls within the benevolent gaze of his Creator. His path and decisions leading up to this point in his life could not have taken a more promising turn.
Yet, he’s not experiencing the fortuitous fruit of his labor. Indeed, like every image-bearer of God succumbing to the ease of present pleasure, his momentary satisfaction isn’t met with lasting delight. His deeper and mysterious needs remain undeniably unmet. There’s just something about the great beyond that prompted his unrestrained response as he crosses the route of Christ’s earthly life and ministry.
Jesus Christ is not only One with the resources to meet all his needs, but also the compassion to engage his perilous situation with a kind and laser-like solution. Little does he know how this encounter will not only shape the rest of his life, but also the lives of countless others who have ears to hear. His will be a lesson from the foil (learning by watching what not to do).
Without delay, he runs up to Christ, kneels before him, and asks, “…what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
He knows he’ll die someday, and so, he wonders, how can I live forever? He’s kept the Law, so to speak, and yet there’s still an agonizing ache that his self-proclaimed obedience does not relieve. He needs ultimate assurances, yet his heart clings desperately to something Christ will soon expose.
Jesus answers, “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.” Yet the man, “…went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”
The Issue of the Heart…
As we read this interaction, we must remember that we’re learning from this man by observing his terminally poor response. Christ deals with him in his particular situation, knowing the strings pulling and guiding his heart. Thus, to prescribe (“Go sell everything!”) exactly the admonition Christ’s gives to this man to our lives would be a misapplication. Yet, we do have important lessons for us today:
- Christ’s Love: Jesus Christ became man to reconcile man to God. His love is indescribable, and so he looks at this rebel sinner, given to worldliness, with love.
- Beholding him…loved him. What a loving Savior!
- Man’s Root Issue: This man’s heart was gripped by his worldly possessions, yet he was not submitted to the Giver of all good things.
- Like Gollum with the ring, his ultimate desires were bound to the material world.
- Christ’s Solution: Christ, knowing this, called him to die to himself (let go of the worldly stuff that has become your functional idol) and follow Him.
- The call of every Christian is to “repent and believe.” That means turning away from sin and toward holiness in every facet of life.
- Our Application: Therefore, anything we elevate as a functional savior above the One True Savior, Jesus Christ, must be abandoned if we are to be His followers.
- The reason? God, the Creator, knows not only the end to which He desires us (image of Christ), but the means to get us there (His Word, trials, local church, community, and more).
This man teaches us not only the temptation to elevate things above God, but also the solution. What are you holding onto today that has become so important that you just couldn’t see how you could live without it?
God, help us to walk free of worldly things and to trust You in every season. O God, help us. Amen.
— July 30, 2026