“And as He [Jesus] was setting out on His journey, a man ran up and knelt before Him and asked, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the Commandments: “‘“Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.“‘ And he said to Him, ‘Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.’ And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’ Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.“
(Mark 10:17-22 ESV)
It breaks my heart to see how this little story turned out. Here came a man who is obviously sincere about following God. He showed honor to Jesus, by his own witness he had kept the Commandments as best he knew how since his childhood—and he was eager to find out what else he needed to do. “And Jesus, looking at him, loved him.”
How close this man was to having it all! Jesus said to him the same words He said to Peter and the rest of the twelve: “Come, follow Me.” How I wish he had done it. But he could not—because there was one Commandment he was breaking, and that was the most important of all: “You shall have no other gods before Me.” (Ex. 20:3 ESV) In the end, the rich man’s belongings meant more to him than Jesus; Jesus was only number two.
It scares me to see this happen, because clearly this man was the kind of person anyone would be proud to have as a friend—religious, well-brought-up, someone who cared about the important things in life. And if he could go so badly wrong, what about me? Are there idols in my life that come before God? Do I have things in my life that I would choose instead of Jesus, if push came to shove?
It’s a serious question we all need to think about with the help of the Holy Spirit. And yet, it doesn’t have to turn out this badly for us. Because Jesus has looked at us too, and loved us—loved us enough to walk all the way to the cross for us, enough to give Himself into death for us so that we might live. When we see just how deeply and personally He loves us, our hearts want to answer that love with love of our own. The Holy Spirit plants faith and trust inside us, so that we love the One who loves us first—the One who rose from the dead to give us life forever.
WE PRAY: Lord, keep my eyes on how You love me—and make me to love and choose You first, by Your Holy Spirit’s gift. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Originally published in The Lutheran Hour on October 10, 2024
Used by permission from International Lutheran Laymen’s League, all rights
Reflection Questions:
1. When have you been tempted to put God in second place?
2. Name one thing that is most likely to turn into an idol in your own life.
3. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you grow in true love for Jesus, your Savior.