6
SELL EVERYTHING, GIVE TO THE POOR AND FOLLOW ME
Luke 18:15-30
Key Verse: 22
“When Jesus heard this, he said to him, ‘You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
The main theme of Today’s passage is how to receive or enter the kingdom of God. Jesus says in verse 17, “…anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it,” and in verse 25, “Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” As a matter of fact, the most important question of our life is how to receive or enter the kingdom of God. Today let us get clear answers to this question from Jesus’ teachings.
First, “Let the little children come to me” (15-17). As we learned last week, Jesus was teaching his disciples about prayers. While the disciples were listening to Jesus’ teaching sincerely and quietly people were bringing babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them (15). Some babies were crying, some other kids were running around in circles, giggling and laughing. Suddenly the place became like a children’s playground and Jesus’ sermon was hindered and stopped abruptly by these little children. On top of that, some parents wanted Jesus to place his hands on their babies and bless them. By that surprise attack, the disciples got annoyed and rebuked them. We can understand the disciples’ reaction, for in those days, children had no social status and these kids were interrupting Jesus’ important work.
What was Jesus’ response? Look at verse 16. “But Jesus called the children to him and said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.’” Jesus called them to him in order to bless them with the kingdom of God and to teach his disciples about the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is not only for grown-ups, but also for little children. Grown-ups can ignore or forget that little children are God’s precious creation in God’s image and with his purpose. Children are God’s gift and blessing (Ps 127:3—CEV). They are God’s hope for the future and they need Jesus’ blessing. We must bring them to Jesus. Our 14 children are growing vigorously. They must grow in wisdom and stature and in favor with God so that they can have the kingdom of God.
Now what does it mean that the kingdom of God belongs to such as these? Needless to say, it does not mean that children automatically belong to the kingdom of God. It means that the kingdom of God belongs to those who have childlike faith. Childlike faith is different from childish faith. The words, ‘childlike’ and ‘childish’ are similar words with greatly different meanings. The word, childish contains many bad things about children such as immaturity, obnoxiousness, sulkiness, selfishness and so on. On the other hand the word ‘childlike’ has many beautiful things about children such as trust, innocence, joy, simplicity, humbleness, forgiveness and so much more.
So those who have childlike faith trust God as Arielle trusts her daddy and jumps down from high places into her daddy’s arms. In the Bible, David had childlike faith and confessed, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me…” (Ps 23:4). David never wavered from that childlike trust, believing that God is with him.
Those who have childlike faith also don’t hide their flaws or wrongdoings, but confess them honestly and ask God’s forgiveness, Just as Joyce runs to her daddy in a meeting and talks about her mistakes and troubles to him. In the Bible, a sinful woman came and crashed the Pharisees’ dinner party in order to make her life right with Jesus. She washed Jesus’ feet with her tears in deep repentance, and poured expensive perfumes on them in full view of the dinner guests. Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven…Your faith has saved you; go in peace” (Lk 7:48,50). Her childlike faith saved her.
In addition, people with childlike faith have joy regardless of the circumstances, because of Jesus just as Sophia is joyful and happy as long as her parents are with her. In the Bible, the early Christians in Jerusalem were so joyful in the midst of fiery persecution, because of the risen Jesus who was with them. They met together every day and ate together with glad and sincere hearts (Ac 2:42-47).
One of the wonderful things about being a Christian is that there is nothing wrong with being childlike. The fact of the matter is that Jesus looks for and delights in childlike faith. All new born believers in Christ have childlike faith in the outset. But as time passes by, they lose childlike faith but stay in childish faith. The challenge is, therefore, how to remain childlike in faith continually and grow continually. We are God’s children. We must keep childlike faith and have trust, purity, joy, forgiveness and grow in Jesus’ image. Jesus says in verse 17, “Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” I repent of my relationship with God that is very formal and sometimes childish. May God help me to restore and keep childlike faith in my relationship with God my daddy in heaven. May God help each of us come out of childish faith and have childlike faith.
Second, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” (18-30) Let’s take a look at verse 18. ““A certain ruler asked him, ‘Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’” According to Matthew’s Gospel, this ruler was young. Wow, he had almost everything that the world could offer—wealth, power and youth. In 80’s and 90’s this kind of person is called a yuppie. But this yup felt that something was missing. He had a question in his heart that was troubling his own soul: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” I assume that in those days, many people had this same question. We remember that an expert in the law in Luke 10:25 tested Jesus with a question, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish ruling council visited Jesus at night having a similar question. The disciples followed Jesus because of eternal life in Jesus. Once Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (Jn 6:68). Nevertheless, the rich young ruler had such an important and profound question. “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” We all are mortal men and women. We all die one day. Therefore, we must know how to inherit eternal life. That was why the young ruler asked the question, instead of questioning how to invest his money or where to go for his winter vacation etc.
In response to this question Jesus first said to him in verse 19, “Why do you call me good? No one is good—except God alone” The ruler thought Jesus was good because he healed the sick and taught the kingdom of God and did good things to people. But in reality, he didn’t know who Jesus was. He also thought himself good, not like bad people—murderers, prostitutes or swindlers. But he didn’t know the reality that no one is good. Human beings are sinful and unrighteous. Prophet Isaiah uttered, “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags…” (Is 64:6). David also confessed, “…there is no one who does good, not even one” (Ps 14:3). So we are all sinners. The truth is that we are not as good as we think we are, and compared to Jesus, we are not good at all. We must know that as soon as we confess that our own righteousness is like filthy rags and God alone is good, we can come to Jesus to be clothed with the righteousness of Christ. And there our salvation begins.
Jesus continued in verse 20, “You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’” These commandments are the second part of the Ten Commandments, omitting the last one: “you shall not covet.” These commandments pertains to the relationship between human beings. Jesus told him these commandments in order to help him see himself based on the law which is like a mirror.
But the ruler responded by saying, “All these I have kept since I was a boy.” Was his confession here true? Had he never told a lie or given false testimony? Perhaps his answer was a false testimony, or at least, he had kept these commandments superficially. We all know St. Paul’s fierce spiritual struggle to keep the commandments and his utter failure before meeting the risen Christ. The ruler was insincere before God and his words.
When Jesus heard this, he told the ruler in verse 22, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then, come, follow me.” According to Jesus, the ruler lacked one thing. What was it? Outwardly he lacked nothing. One thing he lack was he lacked nothing on earth. His problem was that he had too much because he had accumulated his treasure on earth. He had given all his time, his thought, his energy, and his devotion to wealth and honor seat, his earthly treasure. In this way, he had been hunting treasures on earth from young age. But when he had no treasure in heaven, his soul was restless.
Do you know that we, the children of God, are treasure hunters? Matthew 13:44 says, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” The most valuable treasure in heaven is eternal life, the kingdom of God. Those who have this eternal treasure know that this world is not permanent but very temporal, while treasure in heaven is everlasting. They are eager to sell everything they have in order to buy this everlasting treasure. That was why Jesus asked the ruler to sell everything he had and to buy it by following Jesus.
Seemingly what Jesus asked him was too radical and demanding. Jesus didn’t command other rich people to sell their homes and businesses. Rather he often visited their homes and stayed there having eating fellowship with them. Why then did Jesus help the young ruler in this way? It was because without selling everything he had and letting go of it, he could not follow Jesus who alone can give him eternal life. He was strongly attached to his wealth and earthly treasure and so without cutting that treasure away radically, he could not have heavenly treasure.
But what was the ruler’s response? He became very sad, because he was very wealthy. When he came to Jesus, he seemed ready to do anything Jesus commanded in order to inherit eternal life. But now he could not make a right decision because he wanted his treasure on earth more than treasure in heaven, eternal life. I learn here that truth is very expensive, and it requires change. So Tony Gaskins Jr. said, “Some people want to remain fools, only because the truth requires change.”
We all know that we must have treasure in heaven. We know that we have eternal life through Jesus. But we must make a decision to let go of earthly things that we tightly hold on to. Sometimes, we must be radical in our decision making. Levi, a tax collector, made a radical decision to follow Jesus and so he left his tax booth at once and followed Jesus.
Seeing the ruler’s sad face, Jesus said in verses 24-25, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” It is hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of God, not because the standards are set higher compared to the poor, but because the power of earthly possessions are stronger for the rich.
Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” Yes! We cannot save ourselves. But God can as we live our lives for the sake of the kingdom of God. God will give abundant blessings in this age, and eternal life in the age to come (29-30).
We learned today that truly rich people are those who have eternal life, the treasure in heaven. The rich ruler had wealth, power and youth. But he felt empty inside, because he didn’t have eternal life. When Jesus told him how to have it, he could not boldly decide to follow Jesus because of his strong and sticky desire for the earthly treasure. He was rich materially but he was a poor man who lost eternal life. He should have had childlike faith and made a decision by faith for eternal life. May God help us to open our spiritual eyes to see priceless treasure in heaven and to make a right decision with childlike faith to pay the price to inherit eternal life.