Jonathots Daily Blog
(2644)
Having just finished rebuking his disciples for trying to chase away the little children, Jesus takes the tots in his arms, lays his hands on them and blesses them.
But more importantly, he tells us that they are the true definition of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Yes, I can always tell when people are truly unspiritual, craggy and have a dying spirit. They’re critical of young humans.
God loves young people.
Matter of fact, in this particular passage of about 20 verses in the Gospel of Mark, we see that Jesus makes this forever clear–because not only does he express great warmth and tenderness to the little children, but immediately afterwards, when a young man arrives, asking questions about how to obtain eternal life, he channels that same affection toward this adolescent.
We refer this chap as “the rich young ruler.”
He is respectful. He is complimentary. But he is dissatisfied.
The things he has been taught have not brought him peace of mind nor a sense of purpose.
The scripture tells us that Jesus looks on him and loves him.
The average churchgoer would think that this is not unusual. Doesn’t Jesus love everybody?
But Jesus didn’t constantly manifest “the look of love.” He was often pissed with hypocrisy, angry with indifference, rebuking self-righteousness, and looking around the room befuddled because people were so unwilling to see other folks healed just because “it wasn’t the right time.”
Matter of fact, this is one of the few times that the Bible tells us that Jesus gave someone “the look of love.”
What did he love about this young man?
- The kid was still searching.
- The dude was looking for something good instead of something bad.
- The young man had faithfully followed what he had been taught to be true.
- But he had the sense to search for more.
What a great combo.
But Jesus gave him a gift. He offered a simple principle:
Learning stuff is not enough.
Investing your heart is where to start.
He told the young man that he should take his money and get rid of it–give it away to the poor, and make a new beginning.
For after all, even following our theological interpretation of him being a “rich young ruler,” if he forfeited his riches for a season, he was still young and he was still a ruler. He had plenty of time to make his money back again, and because he ruled over people, he could acquire their taxes and ingenuity. He could learn once again how to do it from scratch, and therefore rediscover his abilities and passion.
He didn’t want to do it. He walked away sadly.
It’s a great story, and it links up beautifully with Jesus blessing the children.
The young humans that surround us are the hope of finding the better parts of our message and applying them emotionally–not just spiritually.
Jesus looked on him and he loved him. He realized there was still a chance.
All the young fellow needed to do was accept that religious stuff was not enough–our heart is where it must start.
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