The disciples have been following Jesus for over two years now. They have left everything behind to follow Him, completely trusting that He is the Messiah. However, their understanding of the Messiah is one of a Roman conqueror, rather than a sacrificial lamb. They believed that following this Roman-conqueror Messiah would grant them a favorable position in the Kingdom, where status, power, and authority would be within their grasp.
If we take a step back, we can see that the disciples share much in common with the man we will focus on in this morning’s text. They are zealous for what is right, eager to do good, and want to be part of the Kingdom they think Jesus has come to establish. However, there is something deeply rooted in their hearts that needs to be addressed.
Jesus has been working to help them understand that, like the Rich Ruler in this morning’s text, they too have an obstacle in truly seeing what it means to follow Him. Following Jesus requires a full surrender to the authority He has demonstrated as the Son of God and the King of the Kingdom. It means being humbly dependent and fully reliant on Him, much like a child, as we learned last week. It also entails laying down the things that we cling to so tightly. For the disciples, this was their desire for titles and positions; for the man we will discuss this morning, it was his earthly possessions.
We can find the foundation for the standard that Jesus set in Mark 8:34-38, where He states that anyone who wishes to follow Him must be willing to take up their cross, surrender everything, and follow in His footsteps. We must remember that Jesus used these situations to teach His disciples and the people about what it means to follow Him.
The author of the Gospel, regardless of who it may be, arranged these events in a specific order to help the reader understand what it means for them to follow Jesus as well. Through these teachings, Jesus has been demonstrating how difficult this is for both the disciples and the Rich Ruler. To follow Christ means that nothing else can take precedence over Him; if anything else is in focus, it can become a form of idol worship.
This is the upside-down kingdom of God.
