Have you tried to push a watermelon through a straw?

The Rich and the Kingdom of God

As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”  “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.  You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”  “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”  Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”  At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.  Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”  The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!  It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”  The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”  Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”  Mark 10:17-27 (NIV)

Jesus nailed down a few points.  First, only God is good and if you are calling me good then you are calling me…  Second, 5 out of 10 commandments in dealing with relationships with people are all covered.  Then He commanded him to go and sell everything and give it to the poor.  It stated that the “man’s face fell.”

Wow!  If God asked you to give everything away would your face fall or would some poor people be really blessed or are people already blessed?

Stuff seems to blind us from what we need to keep our eyes focused on.  We put so much pressure in trying to push a watermelon through a straw rather than fluid.  What is a straw made for? Or a better question is, “What are you made for?”

image:  Mpopp