Jesus looks into our hearts. He sees our hang-ups. He sees the temptations that keep us from following him. He sees our shortcomings, our sin, and our self-inflation. He does not turn His eyes away from us.
In the end, even after his bold (and bloated) assertion about keeping the commandments, Jesus still extended the rich man in our text an invitation. This is worth noting. While the reading ends in tragedy, Jesus’ final words to this man had the ring of hope and possibility. He did not close the door. He never does. That same ring of hope and possibility could provide direction for a sermon on this text.
The key to the whole thing, of course, was Jesus’ love. “And Jesus, looking at him, loved him.” It reminds me of the way a knowing mother looks at her son after he grossly exaggerates the completion of his chores. She knows better. She has seen his work before, but she still loves him. And because she loves him, she keeps the door open.
A sermon on this text would do well to do three things:
- First, acknowledge the heartbreaking end of this man’s encounter with Jesus.
- Second, proclaim a hopeful promise to open the hearers to Jesus’ gracious invitation.
- Third, lead the hearers toward more intentional and inspired lives of following the Son of the only good God.
Let us consider each of these ideas more fully:
First, the sermon could explore the heartbreaking end of this man’s encounter with Jesus. The details from the text provide plenty to consider:
- He ran up to Jesus and knelt (γονυπετήσας) before him. This seems to have been a sign of homage and respect, and perhaps also desperation. In Mark 1:40, it was the leper who approached Him like this. In Matthew 17:14, it was the father of a demon-possessed boy. The only other instance of this word in the New Testament occurs when the soldiers are mocking Jesus at the praetorium late in the night on Maundy Thursday (Matthew 27:29). Taken together, it seems that the rich man in the text had more in common with those who were helpless and desperate.
- He was looking for eternal life (ζωὴν αἰώνιον). Unlike the disciples, who were seeking positions of greatness (see Mark 9:33-34), he was after that which we all need, and what Jesus promises to provide. This is a good thing! The idea that there was something he could “do” to receive this inheritance was misguided, to be sure. But it is not like he was seeking wealth, or influence, or some temporary pleasure. He was looking for the exact thing Jesus had come to bring.
- He seems to have been serious about following God’s commands. While we know nothing about how closely he actually guarded (ἐφυλαξάμην) these things from his youth, his response seems unlikely if he had been dismissive. It seems more probable that he was serious about his life of obedience and was equally serious about his request to Jesus for assurance.
As these details suggest, the man had a lot going for him. This is what makes the end so heartbreaking. He seems so close to a life of faith, but instead ended up walking away in great sorrow (λυπούμενος).
As these details suggest, the man had a lot going for him. This is what makes the end so heartbreaking.
Second, the sermon could reflect on Jesus’ reaction to this man, especially in the first part of verse 21. There we read about how Jesus responded to him:
- He listened to him.
- He looked at him.
- He loved him.
Jesus listened to the man’s request. He listened to the man’s bold claims. He listened to the man’s silence in verse 22. And after listening, He does not laugh. Instead, Jesus responds to him with truth in love.
Jesus looked at him. It is like a mother looks at her son who overstates his faithfulness, or like a coach looks at a player who overestimates his ability, or like a teacher who looks at a student who has not yet learned how much he does not know. It is a gentle and compassionate look, yet also firm and unwilling to compromise.
Jesus loved him. He loved him enough to tell him the truth. And what was the truth in this man’s life? He was in the grip of things he held too tightly. It was not the possessions themselves which were the problem. It was that his acquiring had become his prison. Jesus invited him to walk out of those prison doors and leave his captors behind.
Third, the sermon could invite your hearers to follow, not this rich man’s example, but the invitation Jesus offered to him and continues to offer us all. To do this, you might use the same language from the previous description of Jesus’ response to the man in the text.
Jesus listens to us. He listens to our eager petitions, to our naïve claims, and to our sad moments of silence. He promises to take our prayers seriously and take them to the Father. He would have listened to the man if he had asked Jesus for help escaping his possessions. He would have listened to his cries of repentance. He would have listened if the man had said, “I believe, help me loosen my grip on my possessions!” He will listen to such cries from His people today as well. You may need to lead your hearers in this confession.
Jesus looks at us. Like He looks at all people under His care, Jesus looks into our hearts. He sees our hang-ups. He sees the temptations that keep us from following him. He sees our shortcomings, our sin, and our self-inflation. He does not turn His eyes away from us.
Jesus loves us. He loves us enough to tell us the truth. The truth is we all have many captors. The things we hold so tightly often have us in their grips. But the One who invited the man in our text to walk away from his captor has burst open the chains which bind us to ours. In love, He calls us to abandon our fear, love, and trust in anything besides Him. Not only has He invited us to break free from our captors, but He has burst open the grave to lead the way. Jesus’ love, which led Him through death and the grave to resurrection life, is our hope for the life to come and the possibility for our faithful following in the meantime.
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Additional Resources:
Craft of Preaching-Check out out 1517’s resources on Mark 10:17-22.
Concordia Theology-Various helps from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO to assist you in preaching Mark 10:17-22.
Text Week-A treasury of resources from various traditions to help you preach Mark 10:17-22.
Lectionary Kick-Start-Check out this fantastic podcast from Craft of Preaching authors Peter Nafzger and David Schmitt as they dig into the texts for this Sunday!
Lectionary Podcast-Dr. John Nordling of Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, IN walks us through Mark 10:17-22.
