Gen. 1:26-28; Psalm 8, Go Ahead! Seek Greatness!

Lately, in our journey through Mark’s gospel, we have been seeing an emphasis on “greatness.”  The transfiguration of Jesus displayed His greatness.  The discussions of the Twelve seemed to be about greatness from time to time.  The passage we are about to consider, where Jesus tells the disciples how to be great in His kingdom (10:35-45) He had already given in short form in 9:33-37.  Earlier, Jesus’ words were in response to the competition of the Twelve.  In this passage it is in response to the request of James and John to have positions of honor in Jesus’ kingdom.

There is something interesting in all this.  Jesus does not criticize them for having thoughts of greatness.  They have other issues, in that they do not know how greatness can be attained.  Jesus does correct them on this.  But He does not shame them for having such a petty discussion. 

It is never a good idea to make too big a deal about what Jesus “did not say.”  However, before we launch into Mk. 10:32-52, there is something we should keep in mind.  God created man for greatness and gave man the equipment to be great.  I’m thinking of Gen. 1:26-28 where God, who alone is great, gave from His greatness to man, granting him dominion over all of creation.  And He equipped man for carrying out this “God-ordained” great responsibility by creating man in His image.  This is the sum of Psalm 8: You have made him (man) a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor … You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands, You have put all things under his feet … O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth!  God gets the praise because He made man great.

You may say that man corrupted his greatness by sin, and that would be correct.  But what man did was introduce “unbelief” in God’s greatness.  In the Garden man exalted himself, believing the lie that he could be like God without God.  Because of that, man forfeited his ability to be great as God had intended.  The creation became difficult for man, and man sought greatness by rebellion and oppression (Gen. 3:16).  Christ lives a sinless life, and thus became the Man of Psalm 8 (Heb. 2:5-9), the One with dominion, preeminence and lordship over all creation.  Thus, the rest of mankind can share this greatness if he will reject the lie and come to God through faith in Jesus Christ.  In Christ man can be renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him (Col. 3:10). 

For a man to seek greatness is not the problem.  Pursuing mediocrity is a problem.  And that is where man will end up if he continues to seek greatness like everyone else, by rebellion and oppression; and if he forgets that greatness is granted by God.

Mark 10:26-34, Hope for the Wealthy

·       10:26-27: God can do what is impossible for men to do.  It is hard for the wealthy to enter the Kingdom of God but God can make it happen.  This is a reminder, that salvation is the work of God.  This was known in the OT so this is not a surprise.  The LORD is my light, and my salvation (Ps. 27:1).  The LORD is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation (Ps. 118:14).  Behold, God is my salvation (Isa. 12:2).  Paul, in 1 Cor. 1:26-29, doesn’t say “not any” but rather “not many” of the great people of the world are chosen.  There are some outstanding examples of this in the NT Church.  Barnabas was a wealthy man who was a believer and church leader who was known for his ability to comfort others in their times of trial (Ac. 4:36-37; 9:26-27).  Philemon was a wealthy businessman, who was seeking to run his business as a Christian in a world dominated by Roman might and Greek wisdom (Philemon 1).  Onesiphorus was wealthy and showed Paul hospitality in his home and also sought out Paul to encourage him when he was in prison in Rome (2 Tim. 1:16-18).  These all did as we have been told to do, being rich in good works (1 Tim. 6:17-19).

·       10:28-31: Sacrifice in this life will be rewarded.  This was Jesus’ response to Peter, who probably spoke for the others.  You might have expected Jesus to respond with a reproof, chiding Peter for worrying about future rewards for sacrificial service here on earth.  But God rewards faithful service.  God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister (Heb. 6:10).  Thus, Jesus gives Peter and the others a good answer.

o   He promised reward for sacrifice “for My sake and the gospel’s,” repeating what He had called them to in Mk. 8:35: whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. 

o   What Jesus promises is “abundance.”  The “hundredfold” is another hyperbole, unless you actually think Peter will have 100 fathers or mothers or wives, etc.  Do take Jesus seriously.  He came to give life more abundantly, while Satan will destroy the life of the one who follows him (Jn. 10:10).

o   The reward includes good things in this life, mixed with persecutions.  And in the age to come, the promise is eternal life, abundance for an eternity.

o   Mk. 10:31 in a way sums all this up.  Jesus says that at His judgment seat, when the rewards are given, it will be surprising.  People in the front of the line in this life will be at the end.  In other words, we will be surprised, as the disciples were astonished at this whole conversation (v24).

We are not to set our minds on the reward.  So Jesus again reminds the Twelve, and us, that we are on the Calvary Road.  Following Him means we submit to Him, denying ourselves and taking up our cross!  Let us not get side-tracked with concerns over wealth.

Mark 10:17-25, The Rich Young Ruler

Jesus teaches three truths concerning wealth in 10:23-31.

·       10:23-25: It is hard for the wealthy to enter the Kingdom of God.  The disciples were astonished, showing the common thought that the wealthy had an advantage in religion.  Provision of “quality” gifts and sacrifices were part Judaism at the time.  So the poor, like the widow who gave all she had, were constantly sacrificing while the rich were easily giving out of their abundance (Lk. 21:1-4).  So, Jesus repeated this truth, adding the illustration of the camel and the eye of a needle.  This was more hyperbole on Jesus’ part.  This principle was Jesus’ observation after encountering the rich man in v17-22, so let us consider that story.

The rich young ruler lacked one thing, Jesus said.  He did not lack personality, having courage to approach Jesus in broad daylight (unlike Nicodemus), speaking well of Jesus (Good Teacher), and showing humility by falling to his knees.  He was not lacking in morality.  He told Jesus he had been law-abiding all his short life and Jesus didn’t argue the point (not because He thought the man was perfect but because He could see the man considered himself to be righteous in man’s eyes).  He was not lacking in good intentions.  He truly desired eternal life. 

But he lacked one thing.  Jesus did not say, “you lack poverty; go, become poor, and you can be My disciple.”  What he lacked was faith.  Paul addressed this: Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness.  Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law.  For they stumble at that stumbling stone … (Rom. 9:31-33)!  Several things bear this out.

o   The man acknowledged Jesus using a term “Good Rabbi” that Jews never used because they considered only God to be good.  He addressed Jesus that way, as God, and yet did not do as Jesus said.  He stumbled over the stumbling block.

o   The man’s question was “what shall I do?”  He thought he could achieve eternal life by his works.

o   Jesus sought to bring him to the place of hopelessness in his own righteousness and in need of righteousness by faith.  So He asked about the laws, using #5-10 or the Ten Commandments.  He then spoke to the man in terms he could understand, going at his wealth.  The man had no sense of “lostness.”  He did not see that he needed a “redeemer,” that he could pay his own ransom price.  He was trying to worship two masters which cannot be done (Mt. 6:24).  He went away sad because Jesus would not play the usual game whereby the rich could get right with God more easily than the poor.

The man lacked a sense that he was truly lost and in need of something that he could not provide. 

Psalm 49; Col. 3:13-20, Redemption by God’s Firstborn

In Mark 10:17-34 Jesus addresses an issue.  “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!”  He raises this issue after the encounter with the rich young ruler.  To set the stage for this, I want to highlight Psalm 49 in this post.

·       49:1-4: Who needs to hear this Psalm?  Everyone, Jew or Gentile (all peoples), rich and poor.  The rich need to hear lest they trust in the riches they have.  The poor need to hear lest they set their hearts on the riches they don’t have.

·       49:5: What is the issue?  How shall we live in this evil world (evil as sinful and/or evil as full of bad experiences)?

·       49:6-14: Prov. 18:11 says, The rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and like a  high wall in his own esteem.  Does that mean the wealthy have an advantage in the day of trouble?  No.  For one thing, Prov. 18:10 says The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.  Ps. 49 points out the inadequacy of the rich man’s wealth.  He can never have enough money to redeem himself or anyone else (v6-9).  Further, he is usually building his own kingdom (v10-12), failing to deal with the inevitability of death (v13-14).

·       49:15: What confidence do the righteous have in facing death?  But God  will redeem my soul from the power of the grave.  How did this Psalmist know this?

o   “Redemption” (v7,8,15) is a special term.  It is not the “kinsman-redeemer” term used and explained in Ruth.  This is the term in Ex. 13:13,15: And all the firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. … Therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all the males that open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.  The firstborn belonged to the LORD.  Thus Israelites were required to account for this, sacrificing the animals to the LORD and paying a ransom for firstborn sons.  But as Psalm 49 says, the actual redemption price was too great.  The blood of the Passover lamb, placed on the doorposts in Egypt, redeemed the firstborn sons.  This all pointed to Christ, our Passover Lamb (1 Cor 5:7).  In whom we have redemption, through His blood, the forgiveness of sins (Col. 1:14).  The ransom price is the blood of God’s Firstborn, the “firstborn over all creation” and “the firstborn from the dead” (Col. 1:15-20). 

·       49:16-20: How does this affect my perspective in life lived in this evil world?  We do not need to fear the wealthy, who often are the “oppressors” in this world. Nor should we fear the life to come, as if we will have some lesser standing.  The “rankings” of this life, which regularly place the rick above the poor, are irrelevant in the life to come.  And if I am a wealthy person, I should make sure that I understand this as well.  The redemption of their souls is costly, and it shall cease forever – that he should continue to live eternally, and not see the Pit! 

HALLELUJAH FOR THE CROSS!