Broken Vessels Week 5 – David Nasser

The Rich Young Ruler

Overview: 

Continuing our conversation about broken vessels, we pick up with the story of the Rich Young Ruler. Although this story does not seem to have a positive ending, there is actually hope. The Rich Young Ruler did not reject Jesus outright. The passage tells us that he walked away and his heart was grieved. The fact that his heart was broken tells us that it hurt him to know that he wasn’t in the place to be able to follow Jesus whole-heartedly. Another interesting aspect of this story is that we have a description of this man but no name. This man has the trifecta of desire: to be prosperous, pretty and powerful and yet we do not know his name…why? Likely because this man was so obsessed with his own name rather than the name of Jesus. Nevertheless, he humbled himself and initiates a conversation with Jesus, even to the point that he comes and bows before Jesus. The only thing that could bring him to this place is an incessant void within his heart that tells him that, in spite of all that he has, there is still a void in his heart. There is still something missing from within.

Verses:

Mark 10:17-22

17 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?”

18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.19 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.”

20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

21 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.”

22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

Quotes:

“Three Reponses when confronted by Jesus: Submission, Rejection, Polite Indifference”

“Jesus annihilates his perception of success by taking what he saw as horizontal and turning it vertical” (Tim Keller)

“Jesus loves him even though he knows that this is not going to end well”.

“The Rich Young Ruler was willing to put Jesus on the top shelf but Jesus wants to be on the throne”.

“One way to have a life worthy of imitation is to not be self-absorbed”.

“We have horizontal ideas to gain favor, Jesus says, “it’s about the vertical submission to what He’s already done””.

Questions:

1) When is the last time that you actually ran to Jesus to hear from Jesus as opposed to running to someone else (favorite author, pastor, speaker, etc.) to tell you what Jesus said to them?

2) With whom do you tend to compare yourself?

3) What do you “own” that actually “owns” you?

4) What is your ONE thing? What is the one thing that is keeping you from being a true follower of Jesus?

5) Are you willing to move beyond the invitation to salvation into the invitation to give up everything in order to follow Jesus?

6) Have you surrounded yourself with people who love you enough to tell you the truth, even when it’s a hard truth?