Chapter # 10 Paragraph # 3 Study # 3
August 29, 2023
Moss Bluff, Louisiana
(426)
1901 ASV
10:19 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor thy father and mother.
10:20 And he said unto him, Teacher, all these things have I observed from my youth.
10:21 And Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
10:22 But his countenance fell at the saying, and he went away sorrowful: for he was one that had great possessions.
10:23 And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
10:24 And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!
10:25 It is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
10:26 And they were astonished exceedingly, saying unto him, Then who can be saved?
10:27 Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for all things are possible with God.
- I. Round Two: The Attitude That Prevents Entrance Into The Kingdom Of The God.
- A. The initial indicators of this "attitude".
- B. The first words out of his mouth were "Good Teacher".
- C. The "burning question" that appeared to be reason for the "running" and "kneeling".
- D. Jesus' "cryptic" answer.
- 1. Was not "directly" that answer. Jesus was not interested in a superficial level of "verbal accuracy" to what is, for men, the most necessary "question".
- a. Jesus was interested in getting the man to the point where he could "inherit eternal life": 10:21.
- b. Jesus knew the true motivation: it was not "to inherit eternal life" in its true sense; it was to lay a foundation for self-exaltation as Paul insisted was the true motivation of that generation of "Jews" in Romans 10:3 ("...to establish their own righteousness...").
- 1) This is an example of the extraordinary wickedness of the human heart which thinks that it is capable of achieving a "standing" before God, rooted in human "obediences", that will allow that person to boast of his/her self-qualification for God's Kingdom's blessings.
- 2) This is the root of all legal heresy: salvation is for the "obedient".
- 2. Was to establish the issue of inheriting eternal life.
- a. As long as the "question" is about how to "inherit eternal life so that others may see and agree that 'I have earned it' ", there is no legitimate answer.
- 1) Eternal Life, in this wrong-headed question, is defined in terms of "the recognition by others of my accomplishment(s): Eternal Life is basking in the approval of others".
- 2) Since that is not the correct definition, there is no legitimate way to turn it into a legitimate question.
- b. This "issue" is an issue of "definition".
- 1) In John 17:3, Jesus gave a particular kind of "definition": it was not a "root" definition; it was a "mechanism" definition.
- a) Eternal Life is not, at root, "knowing God" because "knowing God" is a "process", not an "end".
- b) Eternal Life is, at root, the outcome of "knowing God"; it is the experience of the soul that arises out of the intimacy of the relationship that consists of experiencing God. As an "outcome" it cannot be a "process". This is like unto Paul's explanation of "repentance" as he gave it in 2 Corinthians 7:10: "...the sorrow that is according to God produces a repentance without regret unto salvation..." The repentance is not the sorrow; the sorrow is the "process" and "repentance" is the result.
- 2) The bottom line of this "issue" is also an issue of "belief".
- a) At this point there is a "textual issue" which is pretty much irresolvable from the "external sources" position: the "reading" is here given a "C" rating, but it omits the reading of the Authorized Version (which is just as likely to be the correct text).
- b) This "reading" contains the words, "for those that trust in riches".
- i. Whether the actual text of Mark contains this phrase, or not, the issue is clearly here.
- ii. This "clarity" exists in the fact that the words of Jesus that are unquestioned contain a major contradiction to the typical thoughts of the general public: the disciples are "amazed" at His declaration that it is very difficult for the "rich" to enter the Kingdom of God, and when Jesus doubles down upon on the reality of this difficulty, the disciples are "even more astonished", and, finally, Jesus admits that there is a significant "impossibility" that requires special divine action to overcome.
- iii. The question, here, is "What was the basic underlying assumption of the general public?" That assumption was rooted in the legalism of the Jews who attached "divine favor" to "human qualification". This can easily become a quagmire, but the bottom line is that men are strangled by their lust for approval on the basis of their performance. "Trusting" in one's wealth is, ultimately, "believing" that God has validated His acceptance of the "performer" by enabling him/her to acquire wealth. The wealth is his/her "proof" of the validity of divine pleasure. This misguided "trust" was woven into the fabric of Legal Theology. Note how quickly the disciples jump on the "we have sacrificed our wealth" train.
