“The young man said, ‘All the commandments I have kept. What do I still lack?’ Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven and come, follow me.’ When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” (Matt 19:20-21)
The rich young man did everything right. Straight-laced. Good kid. Played by the rules. He really had it all, yet Jesus said He lacked something. The rich kid couldn’t deal with the cost, so he walked away.
So often times I read this story and cast my judgmental eye upon this spoiled rich kid:
“Oh, wow, you thought Jesus wanted your perfect score? What a showoff. You probably just wanted everyone to know how ‘holy’ you were. ‘All of these commandments I have kept,’ you said. Jesus really got you when He asked you to sell everything, didn’t he? Not so hot now, huh? The minute He asked too much from you, you walked away… when you realized that your ‘good deeds’ weren’t enough for Him, You left… ”
The longer my judgements spew, however, the more I realize that the rich young man…is me.
How many times do I check off my holiness checklist?
To-Do List:
- Wake up, get coffee (check)
- Read a passage of Mark (check)
- Pray for 30 minutes to 1 one hour (check)
“Okay, Jesus, I’ve given you what I’m required to give you for today.”
“Abby, you still lack one thing.”
“What Jesus? Haven’t I done what you asked? Haven’t I been good today? Self-disciplined? Didn’t I set aside my 30 minutes and give you my time? I fulfilled my prayer time quota, right? What else am I obligated to hand over?”
“I want everything you possess. I want your entire heart.”
How arrogant are we to think that we are doing ourselves or God a favor by being sweet little rule-followers? Checking Him off our lists? Squeezing Him into our busy little schedules? Making sure we ease our guilty consciences by spending a brief millisecond in the Word before bed? Shooting up a hot-second prayer when we get a spare moment? When did we become the rich young man? How could we ever think for one minute that this is what He intended when He went to the cross?
We do what is required to be “holy” but don’t satisfy His greatest longing: to have hearts undone, with hands up, crying “UNCLE. I GIVE UP. IT’S YOURS.”
While spiritual discipline can be a beautiful thing, it’s practices can deceive us into believing that we are fulfilling our obligations to Him. The fact of the matter is, His sacrifice for us was never to have our obligations — it was to have our hearts.
Let’s keep our eyes on the Cross and remember why He went there. He went there to redeem the broken rituals and heartlessness that separated us from Him. He went there so that we could live in the fullest, most perfect, uninhibited communion with Him.