Nothing Else

Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, . . . (Mark 10:21)

Jesus, looking at you, loved you and said . . .

What would He say? In the text above, Jesus says to the man that he needs to sell all his possessions, give the money to the poor, and he would have treasure in heaven. Then Jesus said, “come, follow me.”

For this man, his stuff was the problem. His stuff was where he found security and comfort. His stuff mattered more to him than anything else. Jesus loved him enough to speak this truth. His stuff was keeping him from the kingdom of heaven. His stuff needed to go before this man could truly follow Jesus. And really, it wasn’t the stuff that was the problem, it was this man’s dependence on his stuff. He depended on inanimate objects for his comfort and security. And there Jesus stood in front of him, a living, breathing human being. What this man needed was Jesus – nothing else.

And for us, too, stuff is often one of the greatest challenges we face in following Jesus. Agree?

Have you ever been asked this question?

Your house is on fire. You have to get out. You can only grab three items. What do you take? What matters the most of all the “stuff” you have?

Let’s do it a different way.

You only have one life. What do you have to have to live this life? What are you dependent upon? What can’t you go with out?

We tend to be people who like the “both and” approach when it comes to questions like this. Especially those of us who live in affluence, we are tempted to rationalize our affluence and how it doesn’t hinder us from following Jesus. So we go with the “both and” approach. We can acquire basically whatever we want (within reason and if we can afford it) AND we can be a faithful follower of Jesus at the same time.

We want to follow Jesus and not give up our stuff. We want them both and we work hard to rationalize how we can have them both. “Stuff isn’t bad in and of itself – it’s the love of stuff, that’s bad. I don’t love my stuff like I love Jesus.” Really? How important is your stuff to you?

Do you see what happens to this man when he is forced to choose? He chooses his stuff over Jesus. He is saddened by Jesus’ words and probably will go look for another rabbi who will tell him what he wants to hear – probably a rabbi committed to his stuff, too.

Once Jesus says the well known words about it being pretty much impossible for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven – like a camel going through the eye of a needle impossible, they cry out, “Who then can be saved?” A good question with an even better response.

You can’t save yourself. It is impossible to “earn” your way. You can’t do it. But hear also what that means to this text. You can’t give up all your possessions. You can’t give your money to the poor. You can’t inherit your treasures in heaven. You can’t do it. You are mortal. You are human. You are sinful. You will choose your stuff.

BUT, it doesn’t have to be this way because all things are possible with God, not you. But, Jesus says, you have to follow me – just me. And if you follow me, Jesus says, I will help you give up your dependence on your stuff. I will help you see that what you need is me not more money or a new outfit or a new video system. You need me. And what you’ll find with me is sufficient. No, not just sufficient, it is abundant. Your cup will overflow. You’ll have to give some away because they’ll be too much for you to keep for yourself.

Jesus looks at you. He loves you. And He loves you enough to say, you need nothing else but me.