THE WAY TO ETERNAL LIFE

Mark 10:17-31
Key Verse 10:21
“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.”
Heavenly Father, thank you for giving the eternal life to perishing sinners and restoring them.
This time please revive the joy and peace in me that comes from the knowledge of salvation
and eternal life through this meditation. IJNIPA.
Verse 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?"” Unlike the
crowd of people this man’s coming to Jesus was for a very different purpose. It was to know
the way to inherit eternal life. He was young, a ruler and very rich man. Outwardly, as long as
they have enough money and power and health they seem to be needing nothing more. But
this man’s earnestness and urgency in coming to Jesus reveals a unique truth about all
mankind. Men cannot be happy with money, recognition and pleasure alone. All men need
something more than that. And that is eternal life!
What is eternal life? Basically eternal life is the life with which God created man at
the beginning. Man was created with God’s eternal life to live for ever and enjoy eternity. The
source of eternal life is Jesus according to John’s gospel. Since man has been created in
God’s image he cannot be satisfied and happy with material blessings of this world alone. He
needs God’s presence and God’s life in him i.e. eternal life. Man lost the eternal life in the
paradise because of disobedience to God’s commandment and began to life a cursed life
under the power of death and misery. Threfore the opposite of eternal life is perishing life
under sin and death and judgment. But God’s love is seeking fallen sinners to restored the
eternal life and relationship with the Creator.
How did Jesus’ help the seemingly promising young man? 18 “Why do you call me
good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good--except God alone.” Jesus knew the young man and
his real need more than the man knew it. So Jesus began to help him spiritually. Jesus basic
intention in this verse was to help the young man to stand before Jesus who is God so that he
might sinfulness and so that he may correctly understand the need and nature of eternal life.
Next Jesus said to him, “You know the commandments: `Do not murder, do not commit
adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and
mother.” These are God’s commandment regarding a man’s relationship toward his
fellowmen. 20 "Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy." It was an
amazing statement from a youngman! Who can say yes to this command? He had kept the
commandments very faithfully. He was perfect man in his own standard of keeping the law,
but had he knew Jesus’ standard which says that anger is same as murder, looking at a woman
lustfully is same as adultery etc perhaps he would have broken his heart.
Next Jesus’ helped him to practically find himself as a helpless sinner? 21 “Jesus looked at
him and loved him.” Jesus loved him because of his earnestness and sense of urgency. Jesus
also had pity on him for his misunderstanding about the way to eternal life, which he thought
could be earned. "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.” This was the best love of
the Creator toward one of his creature seeking the way to eternal life. Jesus knew that in his
heart this man loved wealth and fame more than God and his blessings. 22 At this the man's
face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
How is selling everything and following Jesus the way to eternal life? Does it mean that evey
man should leave their material life and go to himalaya to seek God. Selling everything to
seek God is the value and earnestness a person places in seeking God. There is a time of
realization in man’s life when he finds that nothing is more worth than God and his presence
and blessings in his life. Come and follow me. According to John’s Gospel Jesus is the source
of eternal life. Eternal life cannot be earned by a men based on his achievement of
performance or behavior. No matter how good is a man the sin in him keeps him eternally
away from God. Therefore sin must be solved to get the eternal life. For this God sent Jesus
for the forgiveness of man’s sin. Jn 3:16 says, God so loved the world that he gave his one
and only son that whoever believes him shall not perish but have eternal life. When one
follows Jesus, Jesus helps him find himself as a helpless sinner and shows him the
forgiveness of sin through his death on the cross and gives him the eternal life. Although man
are so ignorant and indifferent toward Jesus and his gospel, God is eager to give eternal life in
Jesus to anyone who realizes his sin and humbly seeks the forgiveness of sin in Jesus. I thank
God who guided me to know Jesus the way to eternal life. Through the grace of forgiveness
in Jesus my relationship with God was restored and I have the eternal life in me. Since Jesus
has conquered death through his resurrection even death cannot separate me from God and
the eternal life which has been given to me. Come and follow me also tells that the quality of
the eternal life grows in me as I sincerely follow Jesus more and more.
23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the
kingdom of God!" 24 The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again,
"Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go
through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." The disciples
were amazed because they thought material success is the sign of God’s blessings on a person
and inwardly they had the desire to become materially rich. Jesus compared the possibility of
a rich man entering the kingdom of God to a Camel passing through the eye of a needle:
which is impossible. Basically unless a man denies the world especially material hope and
dream he cannot follow Jesus and without following Jesus there is no eternal life. 26 The
disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, "Who then can be saved?" 27 Jesus
looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are
possible with God." It is impossible for man to earn the eternal life. But the merciful God
makes it possible through his free will and deep love for sinners that sacrificed even his one
and only son on the cross.
28 Peter said to him, "We have left everything to follow you!" Peter was right in saying
that he had left everything to follow Jesus. Not only Peter but all the disciples left something
to follow Jesus. This shows their practical struggle to receive God’s blessing. Jesus accepted
their sacrifices and helped them grow until they could each be fully convinced of God’s plan
to bless mankind and praise and serve the soul saving ministry with all their might even by
sacrificing their lives at last.
29 "I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters
or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30 will fail to receive a
hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and
fields--and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. When a person
realizes the value of eternal life he cannot but be ready to sacrifice anything to possess it:
whether human dream, material possession or human relationship. Jesus says that the person
will not live like a destitute having no body to take care of him and love him. In fact, Jesus
promises hundred fold blessing for those who left their possessions and relationship to follow
Jesus and serve the gospel ministry. This is true in my life too. I gave up my dream to become
a rich software professional and settle somewhere in US. I also had to choose between Jesus
and my human relationship and endure their persecution for sometime. But in return God has
blessed me hundred fold. I am confident that as long as I follow Jesus me and my family will
never go hungry, and we will never lack love and care and protection. Jesus has promised to
also purify us through persecutions so that we may be able to serve him as his precious
servants and be blessings in true sense. Persecution purifies us from ungodlines and helps us
depend on God’s mercy and love without becoming proud. And when I love God my heart
and life can be filled with the fruits of eternal life such as faith, peace and love and truth.
How is the quality of eternal life in me? No doubt God has given me the most precious gift of
eternal life, but it’s quality is very poor in me. It’s because of not following Jesus. Basically
my heart has been captured with materialism and untruthfulness. My pride keeps me from
humbly give thanks to God for his saving grace and tries to rely on my own for my daily
survival. How can I enjoy the eternal life in me? Jesus command is the same: Go sell
everything and give it to the poor, come and follow me. Sell everything simply means that I
should repent of my pride and selfish life and use my time and energy and material for the
poor, basically the needy sheep. One week away from my teaching job made me
complaining, judging and interfering in the household work. As a result I lost my peace and
joy and often complained about this or that to my wife. Satan was successful to use my pride
and created many disturbances in my life and family. But this is not the quality of eternal life
God wants me to enjoy. I need to improve the quality of eternal life through repentance and
thanksgiving. Come and follow means to rely on Jesus and imitate Jesus’ in my life and serve
the gospel ministry. Come and follow me also means grow the point of giving myself to help
sinners have the life of God. I thank God for helping me to meet several JNU sheep newly
through fishing. I received help from Bro Anil and Ravi to meet their classmates in Kaveri
Hostel. May God help me serve them and raise 5 JNU sheep and one disciple this year. May
God help me to continually sell my richness, serve the needy sheep and follow Jesus through
repentance and thanksgiving and enjoy a quality eternal life.
One word: Sell everything, give to the poor and follow me
Share daily bread with Robert every morning, pray together