9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'
13 "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'
14 "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."
18 A certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
19 "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone. 20 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.' "
21 "All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said.
22 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."
23 When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. 24 Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! 25 Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for the rich to enter the kingdom of God."
26 Those who heard this asked, "Who then can be saved?"
27 Jesus replied, "What is impossible with human beings is possible with God."
My thoughts -
I'm not good enough. Sure I try. And I'm pretty good, too. I go to church. I read the Bible. I pray. I am pretty generous with what I have. I give my time to try to help others. I'm a pretty nice guy. As far as the commandments I've pretty much been keeping them like the rich guy who went to Jesus asking about eternal life. But I'm not good enough.
I can't save myself. My efforts to do so seem to make me more like the Pharisee praying in the temple. Even as I follow the law (well, most of it - I have been known to eat shrimp and wear cotton/poly blends) I do so with a certain amount of pride, like eventually I will get good enough at this to deserve eternal life.
That's not going to happen. Like the rich man there's always going to be something holding me back, keeping me from fully living God's will.
Sell all I have? Does he really mean everything? I can't do that. Is it not enough to trust God with most everything? I have to give up all of my earthly security, too? I can't cling to any of it? I can't just keep a little for myself? Does God really want everything?
Like the people in verse 26 I find myself a little dejected here. Who can be saved? Fortunately verse 27 rolls around:
"Jesus replied, 'What is impossible with human beings is possible with God.'"
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