“Treasure Hunt”
Text: Mark 10:17-22
10-10-2021
In the name of Jesus, Amen. Perhaps you’ve heard this hypothetical question before: “If your house was burning down and you could only grab one thing to take with you, what would it be?” Obviously, people come up with all kinds of answers: my wallet or purse, my pet, a family heirloom. Some Christians try to sound all pious and say their Bible. But you can always buy another Bible. So, in a split second, what would you take? What is it that you really need that can’t be replaced? Well, even though I can buy new ones I’d personally want to grab my trousers. Otherwise, it would be REAL embarrassing when the fire truck shows up. Okay, I’m just teasing about that… even though it would be an ugly scene. And please don’t try to visualize that! It’ll only make it difficult to get that image out of your head! Seriously, though, wouldn’t you want to make sure that your loved ones escaped with you? They certainly are precious and can’t be replaced.
You see, that question forces us to identify what our greatest treasure is. In our Gospel, that’s what Jesus was doing with the rich, young man who came to Him, except He took it to a whole new level. He took it to a spiritual level. And in order to help this man come up with an answer, Jesus has to first walk him through some difficult questions about his faith to find out where his treasure currently is. Then comes the tough part. Christ challenges this man’s faith so as to help him realign his priorities heavenward. Because let’s face it, even though he was on the right track and outwardly appeared to have his spiritual act together, he had some faith issues that were messing him up inside.
First of all, let’s give this guy some credit. He started by humbly kneeling before Jesus. You can be sure that’s not something he was used to doing. He was rich and St. Luke tells us he was a ruler of the local synagogue. In other words, he was used to people kneeling in humility at his feet. He was used to telling them what to do, not the other way around. So, his actions were a sign of deep respect for Jesus. He also called Christ, “Good Teacher.” But as we’ve learned over the centuries, that honorable title is not enough. Many of the religions of the world and even non-believers will admit that Jesus was a prophet and a great teacher. However, that’s as far as it goes. Even though they believe He was great, they insist He was still merely a man and refuse to recognize His divinity as the Son of God. Without that foundational truth in place, all the rest of your doctrines of faith will be out of whack. And so, in our text Jesus sets out to correct that in this man.
Don’t you just love how Jesus teaches? One of His favorite tactics here and elsewhere is to set up a sort of math equation. He doesn’t give you the answer directly but instead He has you put 2 and 2 together. And doing that makes perfect sense. Think about it. Jesus already knows full well who He is. We’re the ones who need to grasp that truth by faith. Jesus says, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.” It’s like the math problem: If A = B and B = C, then that means A = C. Now apply that formula to this spiritual question: If God alone is truly good and this guy called Jesus good… then what does that make Jesus? You do the math! It means that He’s true God in the flesh. This is a pivotal point because if Jesus is just a good human teacher, then whatever else He says you can choose to accept or reject it; to take it or leave it. But if He’s true God then His answers must be heeded as the undeniable truth.
With that in place we can now move on. Keep in mind, Jesus knows where this man’s faith is jumping the track and He’s about to point it out. On the positive side this man was asking what it takes to inherit eternal life. That’s a noble goal showing that he recognized the value of going to heaven. So, he asks, “What do I have to do in order to stay on track to enter heaven?” In response, Jesus summarized the second table of the Law, which is Commandments 4 through 10. The rich young man replied that he had kept all of them. But could that be true? Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt. Outwardly he had not broken any of these Commandments. However, as Jesus teaches us elsewhere, all you have to do is think angry or lustful thoughts and you’ve broken these commandments. Deep inside this man must have had an inkling that external righteous living wasn’t enough. His conscience must have been bothering him. Otherwise, why would he be asking Jesus if there was something more that he was missing?
And now, Jesus zeros in on the crux of the problem. Thus far they’ve talked about the second table of the Law that deals with how we treat other humans. But how about the first 3 Commandments? The ones that deal with the relationship between us and God? Especially the 1st Command to not have any other gods. In the Catechism, Luther reminds us that a god is anything that you put your trust in above or beside the true God. That’s why Jesus told this rich young man to sell all that he had, give it to the poor, and follow Him. Even though he believed in the true God his wealth had become the god he trusted in. He needed to get that stumbling block out of his way so that he could devote his whole life to God.
Let’s be very clear about something: the Bible never says that riches themselves are bad or evil. “But wait a minute Pastor. Doesn’t St. Paul tell us in 1 Timothy that money is the root of all evil?” Not many of you will know who the band Pink Floyd was, but they had a famous song with that line in it. And sadly, far too many people believe that’s what the Bible says. But it’s not. They leave out a crucial word. Paul says it’s the LOVE of money that’s the root of all evil. When money and possessions are used to honor God by freely helping those in need and to spread the Gospel, then it’s not a problem. Apparently, this young man had not been using his wealth in this manner. And by the way, you don’t have to be rich in order to violate this principle. Even if you’re barely scraping by, your possessions can become your god if acquiring and holding on to them become your main focus in life.
The Lord had just forced this young man to identify what his greatest treasure was: his wealth. He came seeking the answer to how to receive the treasures of eternal life and Jesus had told him. Unfortunately, he walked away sad because he had great possessions that he was unwilling to part with. He was on the right track. He was trying to live a life that was pleasing to God. That’s good. But he needed to see that he was totally dependant on the Lord for his salvation, rather than his good works or outwardly obeying the Commandments. He needed to recognize that he was just another poor beggar relying on the mercy of God. That’s the thing he was lacking. God’s grace could only come to him by trusting in Jesus as the Son of God and his Savior. Christ challenged his faith to believe and trust in that above all else. He certainly had a lot to go home and ponder.
Did he eventually believe and become a follower of Jesus? We don’t know. But we DO know that the Lord challenges our faith in the same way. You believe in Jesus as the Son of God and your Savior? Great! You’re on the right track. You try your best to obey God’s commands for holy living? Wonderful! But do you recognize that no matter how hard you try you’re still failing? All the good things you may do will never gain for you that inheritance in heaven. It’s only by the mercy of God, which comes to you through the death and resurrection of Jesus, that you’ll ever inherit eternal life.
Knowing that, what is your greatest treasure in life that you’re pursuing? Is it a stumbling block to your faith and trust in God? For many of us, like that rich young man, it could be our worldly wealth. God promises us rich treasures in His Word and Sacrament as we gather here in worship. What gets in the way of that? Your need for rest? Your job or your work that insists on taking priority? Your leisure or vacation time? Hunting, fishing, or sporting events? Your family or friends who draw you away from regular worship? Whatever it is, even if it’s only temporary, it’s still an earthly treasure that is distracting you from the eternal treasure God is offering you. Who or what on earth do you trust in or devote your life to above your trust and devotion to God? The simplest way to test that is to ask yourself, “Am I willing to give it up in order to follow Jesus?”
It sounds like a huge sacrifice… but not when you compare it to eternal life in heaven. And especially not when you consider the price that Jesus paid so that we could inherit it. God was willing to give up His most precious treasure, His only Son, so that we could become heirs of paradise. Christ Jesus gave up His life on the Cross so that forgiveness and salvation could be ours. Verse 21 says that when Jesus challenged the faith of that young man, He “loved him.” Now, He challenges our faith so that we don’t lose that great treasure He won for us. Humbly bow your knee before Him and ask Him to show you where the priorities of your treasures in this life have gotten in the way of your faith. Ask Him to teach you how to let them go and to trust in Him above all things. Then, you will be able to walk away from here today, not disheartened but joyful, assured that your treasure is in heaven because of what Jesus has done for you. May God the Holy Spirit strengthen our faith so that we may put every earthly thing aside and follow our Savior Jesus. For in Him alone is our only hope of eternal life. Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria!