High Definition
Luke 18:18-30
Introduction: A Life for the Ages (vs. 18-19)
What do The Ark of the Covenant, R2D2, a jewel encrusted
falcon statue, the One Ring and a brief case all have in common? They are all
examples of a macguffin.
A macguffin is a plot device in the
form of some goal, desired object, or other motivator that the protagonist
pursues, often with little or no narrative explanation. The specific nature of
a MacGuffin is typically unimportant to the overall plot.[1]
Sometimes the Bible tosses around terms that seem like
macguffins: holiness, or kingdom of God or heaven. The good guys want to find
it. The bad guys don’t want us to find it. But what is it? All three of
his biographers capture Jesus’ encounter with a man who brought an important
question about one of those terms: eternal life. Matthew records it. Mark
records it. Luke tells it like this (chapter 18, starting in verse 18):
A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.”
What do we know about this man?
Well:
- He was a ruler. He might even have been one of the 70 members of the Jewish ruling council, the Sanhedrin.
- He was rich. Down just a bit, in verse 23, he is described as wealthy. Lots of property.
- He was young. By our best guess, he was between 21-28 years old. (see Matthew 19:22)
- He was a good man. He wasn’t sleeping with anyone’s wife, wasn’t lying about people, wasn’t knocking people off, he was on good terms with his father and mother and he “loved his neighbor as himself.” (see Matthew 19:19)
- He was polite. The phrase “good teacher” is sort of over-the-top politeness. Like if you went up to your high school teacher and addressed them as Lord Hummel or Lord Pitts or Lady Ryan. Of course, if I was a teacher and you did that to me, I’d be immediately suspicious … and so was Jesus.
- He was loved by Jesus. Mark’s version of this meeting says “Jesus looked at him and loved him.”
- He was spiritually engaged. We’ll talk about this more in a bit, but clearly he wants to know what his part is in God’s bigger plan.
In short, all of the mothers
considered him a very eligible match. Somehow, at this young age he had managed
his money well, gained a great degree of influence, garnered the good opinion
of the latest rabbi/prophet in Galilee, kept his life from going off the rails
and had a spiritual component. The first century ideal. What more could you
want?
Look at his question for Jesus: What
must I do to inherit eternal life? Now let me stop you right there. He is not
asking “How do I get to heaven?” What he’s really ask is: how do I get to take
part in the big thing that God is about to do next?
Israel is occupied territory. Rome is brutally in control, extracting
every bit of wealth it can from the lucrative north-south trade route between
Byzantium (Istanbul) and Egypt, the bread basket of the empire. Every Jewish
child knew that Israel was in trouble because of disobedience to God, but that
one day, God would restore his people from their spiritual exile, return to
Jerusalem, and inaugurate a new age (as opposed the current age, which he would
abolish) and a new kingdom (as opposed to either the corrupt Herod-filled
puppet kings or the Romans, take your pick)
Why do I give you this history lesson? Because the burning question of
Jesus’ day was: when God does this--and they were sure that God was up to
something, he’d been quiet for far too long—who would be a part of this new age—this
new kingdom? Who would inherit? I mean, it was clear that the pagan
Romans weren’t going to be in it, right? But what about the collaborators or
tax collectors or liberals or men who stared to long at women or women who let
you see their ankles? Yes, they might be Jewish but … they would stink up the
kingdom.
Now let’s go back to his question: What must I do to inherit eternal
life—a part in God’s huge plan that we’ve been waiting for desperately? I think
I’ve got what it takes but I want to make sure. Do I pass the sniff test?
Hang with me here: Why does he need to ask the question if he’s so
eminently well-qualified for the kingdom of God? Jesus had just said something in this chapter that had rocked this
young man’s world. Something that all three biographers of Jesus insist on recording
just before this incident (vs. 15):
People were also bringing babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” – Luke 18:15-17
Are babies rich? (no, very dependent) Are babies influential? (only by
crying) Are babies good? (no, they are selfish) Are babies polite? (babies,
theaters, don’t do it) Are babies young? (ok, we’ll give them that) Now Jesus
says that they are the models for the people who will inherit the coming age,
who will populate the kingdom of God. Mind blown. World view turned upside down
and shaken like a rag doll.
This man who thinks of himself as the perfect candidate suddenly is
not so sure. So he asks: “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal
life?”
Jesus says: do you want to know? If you’re going to call me ‘good’
(something that really only applies to God) then you’d better be ready to
accept what I’m going to tell you. Don’t go to Jesus like he’s Dr. Phil, or
Judge Judy; go to Jesus like he’s God. My friends, are you ready for what God
is going to tell you?
Is What God Wants What I’m Hoping For? (vs. 20-23)
Here’s what Jesus asked:
“You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’”
“All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.
At this point, this guy is feeling
good. He didn’t hurt anybody. He was the embodiment of America’s prevailing
business ethic, as seen in Google’s motto “do no harm”. What he really wants Jesus to say is, “You have
answered wisely. You’re in. That little child stuff was for those people. In fact, I’d like you to
invite you into my inner circle. In fact, I could really use your connections
to help spread the good word.”
But that’s not what Jesus said:
When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
There’s a lot here in Jesus’ words,
so we’ll take a little time to unpack it. Jesus’
words test who you are, not so that God will know, but so that you will know. Here’s
what this man found out:
When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy.
Was what he claimed he wanted what he really
wanted? No. I’m not sure he
knew. He thought he loved God; he thought he wanted the kingdom that Jesus
talked; but he didn’t. He wanted status;
he wanted priority access; he wanted the perks; he wanted control.
How about you? Is what God wants what you are hoping for?
Those commandments that Jesus
listed—they are taken from the second half of the Ten Commandments—that
Moses recorded in the 2nd book of the Bible, Exodus. This guy, he
had that second half down. But the first half…that’s where things fall apart. In
chapter 20 of Exodus, Moses records Commandment #1:
I am the Lord your God…you shall have no other gods before me. (Exodus 20:3)
“No other gods”… What does that mean? Well, Commandment #2, we
have the answer:
You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them.” (Exodus 20:4-5)When we hear “idol” we think of American Idol with thousands of screaming fans, or maybe we think of some Raiders of the Lost Ark statue with bowing, chanting devotees. But really, anything in life (money, sex, power)—anything—can act as an idol, a God-alternative-a counterfeit god.
Pastor Tim Keller describes it this way:
“A counterfeit god is anything so
central and essential to your life that, should you lose it, your life would
feel hardly worth living. An idol has such a controlling position in your heart
that you can spend most of your passion and energy, your emotional and
financial resources, on it without a second thought. It can be:
·
Family and children, or
·
Career and making money, or
·
Achievement and critical acclaim, or
·
‘saving face’ and social standing.
·
A romantic relationship,
·
Peer approval,
·
Competence and skill,
·
Secure and comfortable circumstances,
·
Your beauty or your brains,
·
A great political or social cause,
·
Your morality and virtue, or even
·
Success in the Christian ministry.
When your meaning in life is to fix
someone else’s life, we may call it ‘co-dependency’ but it is really idolatry,
have that, then I’ll feel my life has meaning, then I’ll know I have value,
then I’ll feel significant and secure.” There are many ways to describe that
kind of relationship to something, but perhaps the best one is worship.”[2]
Jesus tested him: Give up ruler and be follower.
Give up influential and be childlike. Give up rich and
become one of the poor. Give up earth and gain heaven.
This is how God finds out who our god really is: he tests us. What are we really hoping for? What God
wants? Or something else?
What have the tests in
my life told me about what I’m really hoping for?
Is What God Offers What I Really Want? (vs. 24-26)
When Jesus saw this guy’s reaction
(vs. 24), Luke records that:
Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, 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.”
Why is Jesus so hard on rich people? Some people have
mitigate the strength of Jesus’ language by looking for other explanations
about gates or ropes. Let’s be clear: Jesus doesn’t mean that it’s difficult
for rich people, he means it is impossible. The disciples are so startled that
they blurt out:
Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?”
And Jesus replies:
Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”
If you’re like me, counterfeit gods are hard to detect
because they are good things—gifts from God. But they have taken a place in our
hearts reserved for God. Some of you are still back there at the beginning,
wondering if I’m asking you to empty your bank account. Let me ask you: are you
willing? Willing to let God empty your bank account, bankrupt your portfolio,
spend your capital recklessly, for God’s plans? Are you willing to let God
diminish your reputation, kill your personal PR campaign, exhaust all of your
influence for God’s plans? How about your retirement plans, your summer plans,
this evening’s plans, is the other 24/6 interruptible for God’s plans? Because God wants to know, are you his or
are you yours?
God is offering freedom. Freedom from the good things that we
promoted to the best thing, only to have it enslave us. God is offering
renewal. Renewal of emotions, thoughts, energy…all of who we are. Is what God offers what I really want?
Poker Vs. Blackjack
Some people play their life like poker.
You want to win, you have to go through the other players. Basically, you play
the hand you’re dealt and you can improve your situation a bit. There’s good
strategy, like not drawing to an inside straight. But the real skilled poker
players know how to bluff; how to control their emotions; how to optimize their
hidden weaknesses or strengths. Other than dispensing the cards, the
dealer—God--has nothing to do with it.
Other people play their life like
blackjack. You want to win, you have to go through the dealer. The other
players have nothing to do with it. Fortunately, the dealer has to play by the
rules, and if you know the rules you can work the odds. How good or bad the
other players doesn’t affect your winnings, unless you get to involved with
them.
What is the problem with these
strategies? They try to control the cards. They are risk mitigation strategies.
They are percentage plays. But it’s a lie. It’s a lie that keeps us stuck in
a gambling addiction—an addiction that the rich (those with discretionary
income) are more susceptible to, because we think we can get back to the table
and win more or win back what they’ve list. It’s a lie that teaches us to
ignore the dealer—God. (52 card pick up)
Some people try to get what they
want by going around God. Ignoring him. Dismissing him. Minimizing him.
Some people try to get what they
want through God. Find the rules, use them to use God to achieve happiness, a
safe family, good health or security. But…
God
can be an obstacle to what you want.
God
can be the means to what I want.
God
can be what I want.
Seek your happiness in the Lord and
he will give you your heart’s desire.
- Psalm 37:4 (NLT)
Is What God Provides What I’m Longing For? (vs. 28-30)
Now Peter has been following Jesus’
conversation carefully, and he raises the salient point: If following God
doesn’t get me the good stuff, what’s the point? Is What God Provides What I’m Longing For?
Peter said to him, “We have left all we had to follow you!”
“Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.”
America is in the process of
destroying families. The nuclear family has gone nuclear. Broken apart, we
still long for home, we still long for family, we still long to belong. But, as a nation, we have decided we would
rather be orphans.
Jesus was ready. He has created a
new family, not based on genealogy or ethnicity or skin color or culture or
lineage or ancestry, but based on ties with Jesus himself—ties forged in his
own blood, given to purchase us back from the counterfeit gods into whose
slavery we have sold ourselves.
For even if there are so-called
gods, , whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many
“lords”), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things
came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ,
through whom all things came and through whom we live. – 1 Corinthians 8:5-6
Church is broken. We are broken. But
the plans he has for you are tied to his family. You can’t opt
out because there are no healthy Christian orphans. He reached out to us, like
a good older brother, to gather us in. kuya Jesus, gege Jesoo, oppa Jesu,
hermano mayor Jesus, ba->deb hay Jesu. His family is his blessing. Treat his
family, the church, as his blessing.
I learned this from my wife Helen's family. After Helen and I were married, I made the decision to go visit her mother--my mother-in-law--by myself in the her home town of Abulug, on the north coast of the largest of the Philippine islands. I had met her mother before, but I had never been there. What I found was the entire neighborhood--barangay--was related to Helen or had gone to school with Helen. Cousins, aunts, uncles, grandmas and grandpas galore! So there I was--I didn't know them and they didn't know me. But because I was related to Helen, I wasn't an outsider! I was in! They welcomed me. They introduced me to everybody. They took me on wild rides delivering rice to some really remote areas where white guys were so rare that they mistook me for the local Catholic priest because that was the only white guy they knew.
There was one time where I was trying to take a shower. If you don't know, you draw water from the well or get it from the tap into a bucket and then you dip a cup into the water and pour it over yourself, cleaning yourself with the water. And Helen's family had a pretty nice setup out behind the house, a little place with leafy walls to give a little privacy. Except that the walls only came up to here (mid-thigh) on me. So I spent the whole time taking showers squatting down and trying to figure out how to get clothes on without standing up. We made it work.
But the thing is, when I came back to visit the second time, Helen's family--my family--had built an indoor bathroom just for me. Not only were they welcoming to me, but because I was on the inside, they were thinking about me and my...unusual requirements.
When I came back the fourth time, this time with Helen, her uncle came up to me one day outside her sister's house and asked me, "So you're a businessman?" "Yes." "You travel a lot?" "Yes." "So when you're traveling you must meet a lot of ladies." "Sure." "Ever take advantage of their...hospitality?" Because of my relationship with Helen, I'm on the inside and so her uncle feels no qualms about checking on me. He had a bit of a checkered past himself, but he cared for Helen and he cared for me enough to be nosy.
Here's the point: you may be here with a broken family, painful memories, a history of hurt given and received. It's messy. But because of Jesus, it is not what we have lost, it is what we have gained. I grew up knowing a brother, a half-sister, four stepbrothers and two stepsisters. Home was complicated. But in this room, in his church, I have dozens and dozens of brothers and sisters. And in this town, I have hundreds and hundreds. Tied together by the common blood-bond we have in Jesus.
Conclusion: A Life for the Ages
Probably the most famous macguffin of all time is the Holy
Grail. Indiana Jones, King Arthur, Monty Python all on epic quests through
mountains, swamps, narrow gorges and ballistic cows to find the secret location
of the cup which reportedly held Jesus’ blood as he died on the cross.
But it is a lie. The power of a life for the ages isn’t
found in a missing magical mug. It is found in the Jesus whose blood filled
that cup to bring us back to God. Eternal life isn’t a macguffin-a plot device or
carrot that God holds out in front of us to manipulate us into being good. It
doesn’t start tomorrow or when we die. It is the new life-life for the coming
age-that starts the moment you put Jesus in the right place and call him, not
good teacher, but the good God. John wrote:
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. – 1 John 5:13
Otherwise we aim too low. C. S. Lewis said:
“It would seem that Our Lord finds
our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures,
fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us,
like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he
cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far
too easily pleased.”[3]
Take for a moment the following assumptions: 1) our hearts
are idol factories and 2) we are particularly blind to our idols. What do we
do? Here are four questions that help
me gain a high definition look at these idols:
- What do I habitually think about to get joy and comfort in my private thoughts and dreams?
- What do I easily spend my money on?
- What habitually irritates me?
- What frustrations lead me to explosive anger or deep despair?[4]
Then, what do you do if you suspect something? Talk to God.
Tell him your answers to these questions, honestly. And tell him that you want
him back in 1st place.
In your bulletin, we’ve provided a little prayer card for
this week. Don’t toss it or lose it in your purse. Hang it on the fridge. When
you get up in the morning, and you see it, take a moment and pray it (not
because these words are magical, but because you need talking before coffee).
It says:
PRAYER
CARD
Father, thank you for all of the
good things you have given me. I want to hope for what you want. I want to take
what you offer. I want to long for what you provide. Please don’t let anything
take my attention away from you. When I am feeling irritated this week, when I
am speaking down about someone, when I am worried, help me to see if the root
cause is a counterfeit god buried in my heart. If so, remove it ruthlessly no
matter what because I want nothing between us. Thank you for being my father.
Thank you for your family that you have placed around me. Thank you for Jesus.
Amen.
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