Corona Chronicles - Crown of Thorns

Welcome back to the corona chronicles. Last time we were looking at the little children that came to Jesus and the little children were sort of the despised, the lowly sort of the almost outcasts of society. Now we have an encounter between Jesus and a rich young man. And this is sort of almost exact opposite, someone of higher standing, someone who has obeyed, lots of rules. And so we'll see how Jesus deals with with this person.

So Mark chapter 10 verse 17. As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up him and fell on his knees before him. Good teacher, he asked, what must I do to inherit eternal life? Why do you call me good? Jesus answered.

No 1 is good except God alone. You know the commandments. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steel, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.

Teacher, he declared, All these I have kept since I was a boy. Jesus looked at him and loved him. 1 thing you lack, he said. Go. So everything you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven.

Then come follow me. At this the man's face fell. He went to a sad because he had great wealth. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples how hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God. I mean, I love this compared to the last section as you were saying.

So the disciples were stopping little insignificant children coming to Jesus. They don't stop him. No. No. No.

No. Park park park the crowds. Here we go. Here's here's a man. I feel as a church ministry.

Yeah. You take the rich people there. We, you know, get the rich people, and we can do more ministry. Yeah. And so He he's but let's let's give him his due.

So he he comes. He he does honor Jesus. He well, he seems to honor Jesus. I think it is -- falls on his knees. Yeah?

-- falls on his knees, calls in good teacher, asks the amazing question that I wish people were asking. What must I do to to to inherit a term rather. Yeah. So he's want he's thinking about eternity and life with God and all of that stuff. So he's not just limited to this.

And he also knows it's not a guaranteed given. He knows that something has to happen in order for him to have it. Yeah. Yeah. But I think as we'll see, is fundamentally coming from a wrong place.

Totally. Yeah. Yeah. And it it Jesus sort of Jesus knows what's going on, doesn't he? And and right off the bat, he you know, why do you call me good?

I think I mean, it's he immediately brings it onto himself, doesn't he? Yes. This is the thing about Jesus. It it would be hard asking him a question, wouldn't it? Because I think oh, no.

Just come on. And he comes straight back and he says, why do you call me good? Jesus answered, no 1 is good except God alone. So what's he saying there? Do you reckon?

Well, yeah. He's you know, you're you've called me good. But only God is good. Yep. So what are you saying?

Exactly. Do do you think I'm do do you acknowledge that I'm I'm I'm God? Yeah. And so then, Benny answers the second bit. You want in her you you want to inherit eternal life by what you do.

Yes. Okay. There we go. And then he says, all of these commandments are the first half of the 10 commandments. Right.

They're all what we do to people. Yep. So sorry. The second half -- Yes. -- I'm sorry.

The second half of the commandments. So Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give folks testimony, defraud people, lie about them on your father and mother. They're all in the second table, the second 5 environment. Tree, brothers, we just people. Yep.

Yeah. And he's pretty pleased with himself. Mhmm. Yeah. He's like, well, I'm glad you asked those 5 questions.

Yeah. And not the Yeah. Not the first 5. And he says I've kept them since I was a boy. He declared as well.

That's quite interesting. It's almost like he's proudly you know, teacher he declared. This is sort of like roll out the batter. Look at my history. Yeah.

I have kept all of these. He's almost like quite proud to -- Yeah. Say these things, isn't he? And he's he he I guess, at least on the surface -- Yeah. -- he isn't a murderer and he hasn't committed adultery and so forth.

Yeah. Now, the interesting thing is, if I was dealing with him -- Mhmm. -- I wouldn't go Jesus' way. So I'm I'm I'm not saying I'm better. I'm saying I'm a lot worse.

Yeah. Because I would say when you say you haven't murdered, have you ever been nasty to someone -- Yeah. -- and take Jesus Line in the sermon on the mount. Yes. Jesus doesn't go that way.

No. It's brilliant. Because otherwise, you just get into an argument with this guy. But instead Jesus knows the thing that's going to make him realize he hasn't actually obeyed all of these laws. Yeah.

Which is the point really, isn't it? Because this man has come to him and the emphasis of of his question has been what must I do to inherit eternal life? Yeah. So this guy is is going, what what tick sheet can I write? What what bucket list of things can I do in order to inherit eternal life?

And so he's basing himself on, I've ticked off these commandments. Yes. Yeah. And I'm glad you mentioned those Jesus. Yes.

So I've done them since a boy. So And he probably has outwardly. He's probably, you know, he's the sort of bloke you want living next door. Yeah. Probably a really nice bloke down the road.

Yeah. Yeah. But Jesus then goes, I think, in 1 sense, for a summary of the first part of the commandments. Okay. You call me good teacher.

Right. No one's good but God. Yeah. I'm God. Now you obey me.

Yep. So I'm gonna tell you something about your life. Mhmm. If you wanna be on the do level, if if you wanna do something thing. Here's something for you today.

Here's something for you to do. Yep. So your possessions, come and follow me. Yeah. And So I'm the God speaking to you.

Have no other God but me. Right. Yeah. Listen to me. Follow me.

Yes. Yeah. As the good teacher, no one's good but god's good stuff. Yeah. He also shows him up because look, you you think you've done the last 5 commandments, which are about how you love people, But actually, I want you I'm showing up that you don't care about people at all because I want you to give up everything you have in give to who.

To the poor -- Yeah. -- you're not gonna get any thanks for that. You're not gonna really get any recognition, but those are the the whole, you know, those 5 commandments are all about loving people all. Yeah. But you don't love them at all.

So actually, you've obeyed them, but you've completely disobeyed them in a sense. Exactly. It's all outward, really. Yeah. And it's on a surf office level really, isn't it?

Mhmm. And then he there's this sort of amazing little thing in verse 22 where it says the man's face fell into a sad -- Mhmm. -- because he had great wealth. And then Jesus says this, you know, that is that is Jesus is prepared to allow people to go away. Yeah.

It says he loves him. So this isn't out of nasty, I'm gonna win an argument here. I don't care about people. You can shove off. He he wants this man -- Mhmm.

-- to receive eternal life. Yeah. And so Jesus is is sad as well. And this man is sad. And then, Jesus's sister is disciples, this amazing sentence, how hard it is for a rich to enter the kingdom of the book.

And this sort of goes back to what we talked about in the last session where those who are poor in spirit will inherit the kingdom of God. Yeah. People who come to Jesus, empty handed, knowing that he's the 1 who blesses us -- Yeah. -- into the kingdom. And we could say how hard it is for the good and the rich to enter the kingdom of God as well because this bloke is probably a good bloke.

Yeah. And from a worldly point of view. Yeah. Yeah. And it's really hard because it's the eye, isn't it?

Yep. How do I what do I have to do? Yeah. And the eye in this case seems to be quite a good blow -- Yeah. -- even from a kid, been a good good follower of the rules of God outwardly.

But actually, he's got the whole wrong premise. Yeah. It's that you need to be poor. Unbroken and know your sin and how you've broken the commandments of God and not lived up to him and don't listen to him. Yep.

So while you're there -- Yeah. -- you can't enter the kingdom of God. No. And which life do you want more? If you -- Yeah.

-- do you come to Jesus genuinely wanting eternal life? Yeah. Because if you do, you would do anything in this world, wouldn't you? Yeah. But this bloke goes away sad because he's got a good life in this world.

Yeah. So he he He's showing up again, doesn't he really? Yeah. Which is good because often we actually probably don't know our hearts, but that's the good thing about encountering Jesus and when we open the scriptures, We we are like this man. We are showing really for what we are.

So those of you listening, I guess it's mostly from part of the world where we are just rolling in the riches, even the poorest of us in our country, is rich in comparison to others. And so we need to take these words very seriously, and we need to really genuinely think about how we're coming to God. And we come to him saying nothing in my hand I bring simply to the cross I clean. Definitely I think.