PODCAST
Following Jesus
January 15th, 2014
Mark 10:17-31
A major emphasis in Mark’s gospel is Jesus’ call to follow Him. This call defines the meaning of discipleship. In His ministry Jesus inaugurated the long anticipated kingdom age. This was often described as “eternal life”–meaning the quality of life in the new age.
This rich and influential young man wanted to be a participant in the kingdom of God. In typical Jewish fashion he understood the qualification for entering the kingdom as meticulously keeping the Law of Moses. Jesus’ call, however, was not to stricter legalism but to an unreserved commitment to His lordship.
The young man’s problem was not that he had wealth but that his wealth had him. He was clinging to the values of the old age that were beginning to pass away. He found it too difficult to abandon his dependence on law keeping and the comfort of many possessions. He did not take the step of total trust in Jesus as the embodied presence of the kingdom of God. For us, like the rich young ruler, the call to discipleship is a call to self-abandonment.
Author: H. Ray Dunning
