It’s been said that everyone loves a good story. Jesus loved a good story and He told lots of them. One of His encounters resulted in a story known as “The Parable of the Rich Young Man.” It’s about a man who asks Jesus how to get to heaven. That’s a legit question, right? Something many of us wonder about and think we know the answer to. Anyway, the rich young man asks which commandments he needs to keep and assures Jesus that he has indeed kept each of the five commandments that Jesus mentions. Though the young man knew there were five other commandments, he didn’t really ask about them. Hmmmm, I wonder why? Likely because our tendency is to think that we’re “good enough” and that it’s not necessary to go “all in” or to get “too crazy” by following all these rules. But Jesus’ point wasn’t about following rules, not at all. He wanted to make the point that it’s about a relationship with Him. He wanted the rich young man to see that out of the overflow of God’s love for us, He wants our lives to reflect an overflow of love for Him.
Have you ever considered “the cost” of following Jesus? Have you ever considered what it cost Jesus? As we head into Easter, we all know there was a significant cost…..
Each one of us was a slave to sin and each one of us was bought at a price (John 8:34 and 1 Corinthians 6:20). Consider what that may have looked like...being led to an auctioning block in handcuffs and chains as two potential buyers look us over to determine our fitness for their needs. We are beaten down and so tired, probably hungry and thirsty, perhaps even naked. One buyer looks us over with the most vile thoughts of what he will do to us and do with us. He has every intention of making sure we remain beaten down and tired and hungry and thirsty and naked. He doesn't have our best in mind; he just wants to use us up until we die. He hates that he even has to be there but he knows that he needs us to fulfill his hateful plans.
The other buyer looks at us with pity and compassion in His eyes. He has a robe that He longs to cover us with, to cover our nakedness and shame. He longs to give us bread and water, for life. He wants to free us, all of us, and will remain at the auction block until every last slave is accorded a price.
After some conversation between the buyers, the price is finally set...for ALL the slaves to be set free! Did you hear that? You'll be set free! I'll be set free! Our children who are standing next to us on the auction block will be set free! Our elderly parents will be set free! Our friends and neighbors will be set free! BUT the price for all of us is that the kind buyer has to die. And not only does He have to die, but He has to suffer a death worse than any of us would ever have to endure. But His longing to free us is great and so He agrees to die for us. As we are being set free, He is enduring an agonizing death. He never asked us to pay Him back. He just asked us to love God and love others.
What would we give Him to express our gratitude if we could give Him something? What would we do to show our love to God and to others, as He asked? Would we give away our earthly treasures for the treasures in heaven that the kind buyer promised He would give us? Or would we decide that our earthly treasures are worth holding onto? Would we decide that we can only follow some of His wishes, but not all of them...at least not the ones that are too costly to us? The kind buyer thought you and I were worth the price of His own life. But will we decide that our stuff isn't worth giving away in His honor?
The rich young man made his decision and Scripture tells us he walked away sad because he had great wealth. He walked away from the Love that could have saved him to keep what he couldn’t take with him to the grave.
Good Friday is the day of the auction when Jesus paid the price to set us free. Don’t walk away from the Love that paid the price to set you free.
Happy Easter! He is risen!
