Sermon Tone Analysis

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*Mark 10:17-18…* And as Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and began asking Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good?
No one is good except God alone.”
In Luke 18:18 the man in Mark 10:17 is called a “ruler” (likely a synagogue ruler).
Matthew 19:20 calls him “young” (19:20), and in all the Gospels he is wealthy.
Given the context of the previous passage about entering God’s kingdom “as a child” this man serves as an example of those who refuse to enter “as a child” (not in their age per se but in their mindset).
The question he asked Jesus does reveal some childlike humility and a healthy respect for Jesus as an authoritative rabbi, but that’s where it stopped, far short of seeing him as God’s Son.
The young man “ran” up to Jesus, and v. 17 says that he knelt down before him.
His actions reveal that his question is not one to trap Jesus as the scribes and Pharisees had done and were doing, but one of sincerity.
He truly wanted Jesus’ advice as to how to attain eternal life.
The young man addressed Jesus as “good teacher.”
How “good” did the man think Jesus actually was?
Like many folks today who view Jesus as a “good” man, prophet, and~/or teacher the adjective the young man uses in relation to God is actually quite insulting if used by itself, but it basically shows that  he man did not realize that Jesus was in fact God Almighty.
Clearly Jesus is more than just “good.”
All who fail to understand Jesus as God and only view him as good miss the boat entirely.
“Good” to this rich young ruler was likely a simple reference to Jesus’ character and ability to teach.
He simply wanted a wise man to answer his question about eternal life, and he had heard that Jesus was a wise man.
The question he asked is a question that most humans ponder – the question of eternal life.
The man wanted to live forever with God.
He had come to the point in his life where he was seeking something, but later it becomes evident that he wasn’t seeking the truth – only the answer /he wanted to hear.
/
One might surmise that the rich young man was a hot prospect for evangelizing.
In v. 18, however, Jesus, instead of seizing the opportunity to instruct him as to the way of eternal life, seems to have been stalling.
Why didn’t Jesus just save him right then and there with the truth?
It seems quite clear that Jesus knew what the man was actually pursuing.
He wanted fire insurance, as it were – some encouragement from a good teacher that when he died he was going to die good enough to attain eternal life in heaven.
He wanted to know what else he needed to do to get eternal life – to make sure all of his “i’s” were dotted and all of his “t’s” were crossed.
He lived a life of luxury and prominence, but he wanted to make sure he was in the clear for eternity.
Jesus seems to have been evaluating the man’s heart in his response.
Since no one is truly good except God Himself, the man should have kept his designation for God alone and recognized that it was God with whom he was speaking.
No one is good enough to be called good.
Calling anyone “good” is a misnomer, for “No one is good; not even one” (Rom.
3:9-10).
*Food for Thought*
            Many folks are said to be “seeking” God, but the Bible says that pagans don’t seek God (Rom.
3:11).
Those, like the man in Mark 10, who seek eternal life seek something, but they’re not prepared for the Truth unless God first draws them to Christ (John 6:44).
We have to come to Christ “as a child” – as one who receives Christ by faith without demanding man-made proofs that our eyes must see to believe.
So remember how Jesus handled such questions from “seekers” – he sought to see their childlike hearts.
We can’t assume that someone seeking God is truly open to His answers, for many are simply wanting their works-centered righteousness to be justification eternal life.
But good works apart from faith in Christ never bring salvation.
*Mark 10:19-20… *[Jesus’ response to the young ruler’s question about how he could attain eternal life] 19 “You know the commandments, ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’”
20 And he said to Him, “Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up.”
Jesus’ response is peculiar and would be considered a great /faux pa/ by many evangelism teachers today if one of their students did such.
But Jesus’ response to the man would have been very familiar to a synagogue ruler who could quote the Mosaic Law – passages like Leviticus 18:5, “So you shall keep my statutes and judgments, by which a man may live if he does them; I am the Lord” (cf.
Ezek.
20:11).
In saying this Jesus was telling him that he wasn’t teaching anything different than that which Moses had taught in the Law.
The man knew the Law and could quote it, so it seems strange that he would ask Jesus what he was lacking for eternal life.
On the surface it might appear that Jesus was teaching works-righteousness doctrine by telling the man to obey the commandments so as to have eternal life.
But he had already determined that the man was not ready to believe in him when he questioned him as to why he called him “good.”
So he used the whole scenario as a way to expose the man’s hindrance to true belief.
He wasn’t ready to believe, just like many today who express great interest but are no where near ready to follow Christ as their Lord.
Many just want a savior for fire insurance.
The commandments that Christ quotes to the man in v. 19 are commandments 6-9, then number five in that order (cf.
Exodus 20:1-17).
He omits commandments 1-4 (“No other gods before Me, no graven images, not taking God’s name in vain, and keeping the Sabbath).
The first four deal with man’s attitude toward God while the latter six speak of man’s relationship to others.
But Jesus only quoted the man-toward-man commandments – the ones that can be evaluated by others.
They are much easier to evaluate by the outside world than those that deal with attitudes toward God.
Then Jesus added a command not found in the Ten Commandments, namely “Do not defraud.”
This one might be one and the same as “Do not covet your neighbor’s wife,” but it is more likely a commentary on “do not lie” and~/or “do not steal” – a common practice for those that were rich who often took advantage of the poor (cf.
James 5:1-6).
The man’s response in v. 20 to Jesus’ command to obey the commandments is horrifying.
He begins by addressing Jesus this time simply as “teacher” without the “good” revealing that he never did view Jesus as God.
But he also reveals the fact that he has lied to himself in thinking that he has in fact kept the commandments.
It’s clear that he actually felt like he was a good person and had done his duty in keeping all of God’s commands.
But the man failed to consider that he was a sinner and that the commandments were designed to reveal that to him – “for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin” (Rom.
3:20).
No wonder Jesus turned him away as he did and let him go home without pursuing him.
He wasn’t truly seeking God after all.
*Food for Thought*
There are many today who resemble this man.
They raise their hand for salvation, fill out a card, walk to the front of the church during an altar call, “pray the prayer” (whatever that may be), and make verbal decisions for Christ.
But in the process they are duped into thinking they’ve been converted to Christ and have eternal life secured for them as a result.
Too often, however, this isn’t the case.
Jesus did not come to bring us a good feeling and relieve our frustrations per se.
These things are not evidence of salvation at all.
The young man wanted this too, but Jesus wouldn’t give it to him.
Instead he strove to make the man humble and repentant over his sins of arrogance and pride.
Unfortunately, the man was too self-righteous and blind to see the truth.
*Mark 10:21-22…* And looking at him, Jesus loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 But at these words his face fell, and he went away grieved, for he was one who owned much property.
*Commentary*
Verse 21 is literally rendered, “But Jesus, having looked upon him, loved him and said to him…” Some translations render the passage, “And Jesus felt a love for him…” This rendering does not follow the original Greek, and it relegates Christ’s love to a feeling.
Jesus, however, didn’t merely “feel” love for this man – he loved him as a verb.
Furthermore, the verb is a past tense verb, so it can’t be that Jesus “was loving him.”
The way Jesus loved this man was with his heart, and he put that love into motion, namely with sound instruction – another past tense verb (“and said”).
Simply put, Jesus’ love for the man wasn’t a sentimental feeling, it was action in the form of instruction – instruction that was meant to change the man’s life and behavior.
In v. 21 the instruction was for the man to specifically go and sell all of his possessions and give the money to the poor.
True love from Christ comes by teaching the truth – not a feeling but an action.
Jesus had enough compassion for the man, after hearing his horrifying response to being obedient to the commandments, to teach him the real truth and lead him to eternal life with it.
Though Jesus tells the man that he only lacked “one” thing for eternal life, it sure seems evident that he lacked more than that.
But really all the man lacked was a true heart for God.
He wanted God AND money~/possessions.
He refused to give up the latter to gain the former.
But when one is willing to give everything up for God truly that person has the one key to salvation: /the willingness to submit to Christ’s lordship no matter what the cost/.
The man was far more concerned, however, with riches on earth.
His quest for eternal life was something he only wanted to add to what he already had, namely great riches.
His unwillingness to give everything up, however, proved that he had not kept the commandments, for his god was his money, and his money had become an idol, thus breaking the first two commandments.
Verse 22 is the man’s response to Jesus’ commission to him.
It literally reads, “But appalled at these words he went away being grieved, for he had much property.”
Property owners were known to be very wealthy in that day.
The man came with great anticipation and excitement, but after hearing what it really took to have eternal life with God he went away appalled and grieved.
If Jesus’ words were really true then he knew he couldn’t have it.
He was appalled and grieved to think that he would have to depart with his first love, money.
Note how Jesus didn’t run after this man and try to bring him into his fold for his money to further the ministry or his “potential” for salvation.
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