In John 10:10, Jesus said: “ 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” Last year the thief—pure evil—visited Uvalde, Texas and came only to steal, to kill, and to destroy.
It extinguished the lives of 19 innocent fourth graders along with two of their teachers. Spouses, parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters, and families were all looking for answers. Then on Thursday, evil stole another life through grief, overwhelming loss, and hopelessness when one of the slain teacher’s husbands died of a broken heart—leaving four small children without a mom or dad. You see—Satan came only to steal, to kill, and to destroy entire families.
In Mark 10, we read about the Rich Young Ruler who came to Jesus asking for eternal life in heaven: “ 17 As Jesus was starting out on His way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what MUST I do to inherit eternal life?” This is one of the most compelling encounters that Jesus ever had. It tells of a young man who came to Jesus with a question. As a matter of fact, the question was so urgent that he came running to Jesus.
He had money; he had power; he had influence—but he did not have the answer to that burning question on his heart—how to find eternal life!
Try to understand what is happening in this story. You have this Jewish man listening intently to what Jesus is teaching and preaching about the Kingdom of God, and he listens, he tries to sort out and compartmentalize Jesus’ words with what he had been taught in the past. Notice that he is NOT asking, “HOW MUCH CAN I DO in the Kingdom of God to inherit eternal life?”
Instead, he asks, “Okay Jesus, WHAT MUST I DO . . .” or “What do I HAVE TO DO to inherit eternal life?” “What is the bare minimum necessary?”
The way to Heaven isn’t about keeping to the rules or being good. Jesus said in John 14:6: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except by Me.”That is the answer to eternal life—a relationship with Jesus the Christ.
That’s where Jesus was going with the rich young ruler. To have a relationship with Him means more than just to know His commandments. To have a relationship with Jesus means putting Him above all else, so Jesus starts with the basics found in Exodus 20: He says, “You know the commandments . . .” In this passage of Scripture, a Jewish man came to Jesus searching, but his enthusiasm was turned to sadness because he was not willing to give up the one thing Jesus asked from him.
How about you? Do you really believe he can meet ALL your needs? One of God’s names is Jehovah-Jireh which means “God, our Provider,” and He wants to meet your needs too.
Always in His Service, Pastor Ron Fellowship Church of the Nazarene