Sermon Tone Analysis

Setting: Judea, Across the Jordan

Situation: Jesus’ conflict with the Pharisees

Outcome: Jesus calls out the Pharisees’ hardness of heart, tells them they have not understood God’s Word or His intentions, and gives the disciples a lesson on pursuing the kingdom of God first (v.

12, “eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.”)

Jesus’ ministry is moving from Galilee to Judea, and ultimately to Jerusalem for Jesus’ final week and passion.

Main Idea:

Passage:

The Prio

(vv.

13-15)

Jesus Prioritizes Children

Context: Jesus prioritizes time with children and parents, blessing them over the “messianic duty” of expelling the Romans and overturning the Temple.

(The disciples’ agenda and schedule hindered children from coming to him [in discipleship])

Main Point 1 (contextualized): Jesus wants us to be fully present with the important people around us, rather than to be singularly focused on conquering our challenges and removing the obstacles to us growing close to God. (Our busy schedules might be keeping us from following Jesus)

In other words: We grow closer to God and to Jesus when we live our lives fully present, loving and serving those around us rather than constantly living for whatever comes next, whatever challenge is waiting for us next.

(If our schedule is keeping us from following Jesus [and obeying him], then we need to clear our schedules)

(v.

13)

Parents bring their children to Jesus for him to bless them.

The disciples rebuke the parents.

Most likely, the disciples are frustrated at a delay in their itinerary: Jesus is the Messiah, and Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem.

What is likely to ensue is Jesus’ epic showdown with the religious leaders, and possibly with the political leaders of Herod and Pilate (both representing Rome; Cf. the Pharisee’s most recent attempt to trap Jesus in the same way that John the Baptist was silenced in )

Overthrowing the imperial overlords and the religious establishment (the temple) would be challenging.

Basically, “its game-time, and Jesus needs to prepare himself, there can be no distractions.”

Essentially, the disciples have not yet learned their lesson, to repent and become like children ().

Q: What do we do with distractions?

How do we handle situations that seemingly take our eyes and attention off of the “important stuff?”

What Jesus wants from us, and for us, is spiritual maturity.

Here, he notes that spiritual maturity comes in the form of repentance, humility, becoming like a child, and re-prioritizing life’s dilemmas.

A Rich Young Man’s Dilemma

In our contemporary culture, similar to ancient culture, children are seen as a nuisance, and in need of “growing up”.

In fact, in our culture, we’ve become so selfish that we murder babies for convenience, and similar to aging parents, we push children to the periphery while we focus on our own needs.

(v.

14)

Jesus rebukes the disciples (who rebuked the parents) and commands the children to be brought, and not to be hindered, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to them (Cf.

; , )

(v. 15)

Jesus then lays his hands on the children [blesses them] and goes away [continues his journey toward Jerusalem].

Children are precious, Jesus says that the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.

Time with our children is precious.

Perhaps, we are the ones who need to learn how to re-prioritize, rather than children learning what their place is.

Q: So how do we change our attitude and reflect Jesus’ priorities more?

A: Allow disruptions, cherish “teachable moments,” cherish time with children.

Q: What does it mean for us to allow the children to come to Jesus and not to hinder them?

Q: Do we place obstacles in front of and burdens on children that they are not able to bear?

Q: How do we remove obstacles to childrens’ faith in Jesus?

The Priority of Possessions

(vv.

16-22)

Context 2: The Rich Young Man’s wealth was a barrier to him following Jesus

Main Point 2: Our possessions can be a hinderance to our following Jesus

In Other Words 2: If our possession are an obstacle to following Jesus, he would tell us to get rid of them and wholly follow him.

(v.

16)

Along the journey from Galilee to Jerusalem, a “young man” (21-28 yrs.

?; Cf. ) approaches Jesus and asks how to have eternal life.

What a question!

Wouldn’t it be awesome if people walked up to you regularly and asked this question?

The Young man obviously recognizes Jesus as an authority on eternal life.

He calls Jesus teacher (didaskale) but then asks about what deeds are required to have eternal life.

The Holy Spirit has likely convicted this young man about his eternal status.

Application: Perhaps our prayer needs to be that the HS would convict people about their eternal status so that they might approach us with this question.

Perhaps people around us need to see, in our lives, that we are righteous and concerned not only with present life, but also life to come.

If people don’t see this in our lives, why would we expect them to ask us questions about Jesus or about eternity?

(v.

17)

First: Jesus Responds, “Why do you ask me about what is good?”

Implied response, “because you are a ‘teacher of righteousness,’ or, ‘you are an authority on goodness and eternal life.’”

Clearly, the young man has seen enough (heard enough?) of Jesus so as to know that Jesus can answer this question for him.

Psalm

Jesus prioritizes time with children and parents, blessing them over the “messianic duty” of expelling the Romans and overturning the Temple.

Implied response, “because you are a ‘teacher of righteousness,’ or, ‘you are an authority on goodness and eternal life.’”

Clearly, the young man has seen enough (heard enough?) of Jesus so as to know that Jesus can answer this question for him.

Second: Jesus turns the young man’s attention away from self toward God: “There is only one who is good.”

That is God (; Cf. the Shema, “God is one”).

In response to following God, alone (), one is to follow Him, to love Him (), and to put His word on our heart ().

As evidence of this inward life-transformation, we will teach our children to do God’s Word (), and discuss His Word all the time ().

God’s Word(s) will become so apparent in our lives that we will bind them on our foreheads, and write them on our doorposts and gates to our houses ().

Third: God has already said what is good: do His commandments!

Third: God has already said what is good: do His commandments

In response to following God, alone (), one is to follow Him, to love Him (), and to put His word on our heart ().

As evidence of this inward life-transformation, we will teach our children to do God’s Word (), and discuss His Word all the time ().

God’s Word(s) will become so apparent in our lives that we will bind them on our foreheads, and write them on our doorposts and gates to our houses ().

(Cf.

; )

In addition to Jesus’ statement to keep the commands, he also changes the verb from “get eternal life” to “enter eternal life.”

Jesus changes the discussion from a transaction to a journey, a progression.

(vv.

18-19)

The young man, in his folly, believes that he can simply follow rules to have eternal life.

He responds, “Which ones,” i.e., “which commands?”

Jesus responds with the Ten Words of Moses, specifically words 5) Honor your father and mother, 6) Don’t murder, 7) Don’t commit adultery, 8) Don’t steal, 9) Don’t bear false witness [against your neighbor], and 10) “Love your neighbor as yourself,” instead of “Don’t covet...anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

(; )

With the exception of Command 5 coming after commands 6-9, Jesus’ list of the Ten Words follows Moses’ order.

Jesus is commanding this would-be follower to “do” the last 6 of the 10 Words of Moses.

Interestingly, the first 4 Words are absent, but are likely represented by Jesus’ allusion to the Shema when he says, “There is only One Who is Good.”

If the Shema can be generally understood as covering the first 4 Words of Moses, and this list of the final six (with standing in place of Word 10), Jesus is telling this would-be disciple to “do” the 10 Words in order to inherit eternal life.

Easy!

(v.

20)

The young man, still fooled by his religiosity, answers Jesus that he has kept all these commands.

Yet, he also asks, “What do I still lack?”

I suspect that this young man knew the 10 Words from his youth (Cf.

), but he intuitively understood that he was missing something.

Perhaps, the conviction of the HS had him doubting his eternity because his heart was not right with God.

It is this doubt that Jesus zeros in on.

He has an exaggerated sense of his own piety that has led to self-sufficiency.

Yet at the same time he is unsure whether he has done enough and is hoping Jesus will be able to give him further insight.

p. 718

(v.

21)

Jesus responds that the young man needs to be “perfect” (Cf.