Choices and Paths
Read: Luke 18:15-34
Let the Children Come to Me
15 Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 17 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”
The Rich Ruler
18 And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” 21 And he said, “All these I have kept from my youth.” 22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 23 But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. 24 Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” 27 But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” 28 And Peter said, “See, we have left our homes and followed you.” 29 And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.”
Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time
31 And taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. 32 For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. 33 And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise.” 34 But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.
As a teenager, I remember being assigned a project based on the classic Robert Frost poem “The Road Not Taken.” Most of us are familiar with this poem and relate well to that moment when a young person has to make a decision about life and which path to follow. Books, commercials, even Hallmark Christmas movies use feelings similar to the ones we get when we read this poem to invoke those feel-good, warm, and cozy moments. These moments lead us to the realization that life is good. We hope to read this poem with a sense of gratitude and appreciation as we reflect with hope that we have chosen wisely and taken the right path. Isn’t that a nice thought?
A few months ago I was sitting in Chapel at Southeastern and thinking about how often we have to choose. We choose this dinner or that dinner, this shirt or that shirt, this football game or that football game. Our lives are full of decisions, from tiny moment by moment ones that won’t make an impact on our lives to those life-changing decisions that truly alter our entire trajectory. We choose one way or another, one path or another, one thing or another, and this got me thinking about what could stand on that other path and tempt me away from Jesus.
In the passage this week, we see the temptation for the young man that Jesus spoke with: his wealth. Even when face to face with Jesus, God incarnate, he could not and would not let go of his wealth.
Now picture yourself standing at those “two roads diverged in a yellow wood.” On one path stands Jesus with peace, acceptance, unconditional love, salvation, and adoption as a child of God. And on the other path is what? What if you were clutching something in your hand, and Jesus asked you to drop it, let it go, leave it behind. What would be in your hand that would tempt you away from Christ? Would it be something tangible like your house, your retirement, your wealth and status? Would it be your desire for success, desire for control, desire for importance, or a dream that hasn’t been achieved yet? If you stood there and the devil told you that you could have it as long as you didn’t follow Christ, what would you choose? What would you have in your hand?
I think most of us would have different answers, for what I desire most is probably not what you desire most and vice versa. Once we know that thing, I think we need to ponder why we consider it better than Jesus. The allure and appeal of the thing is often better than the thing itself, and aren’t we often looking for something to fulfill us, complete us, fill in those dark places? Doesn’t Jesus do that?
Maybe we aren’t in a place to drop that thing or let go of that dream, but maybe we can loosen our grip. Maybe instead of staring down at what is clutched in our hand, we can lift our eyes to Jesus. We look at Him. Then we talk to Him. We tell him of the heartache and troubles of our lives. We tell him why we’re afraid to let go of that thing. Our eyes and hearts take moments to look at Jesus, not at what is in the clutch of our hand.
Maybe there is a path, a decision that must be made. A decision that you know will (or at least could) change everything. Maybe the fear of that decision has you frozen. Or maybe you know you have been on a path that is contradictory to what Jesus wants from you. If you are frozen, look at Jesus; ask for help, wisdom, guidance. If you are on a wrong path, maybe slow your pace and take time to think and pray about why you are there and how to get off.
I wish it was easy to let that thing go or walk away from that other path, to release and not look back. But God is able and willing to help. Some have made that life-changing decision or let go of that thing and never looked back. But for most of us, it will be a process of letting God shift our focus. In Mark’s retelling of this story, he says that the rich young ruler walks away, which means Jesus wasn’t the one to walk away. Jesus didn’t turn his back on this young man. Jesus was there loving him, and Jesus will do the same for us. He will lovingly look at us and wait for us. He will teach and guide. Will it be easy? No. But what He promises is all of Himself, and all of Himself is more than what we are holding on to.
As we get ready for Christmas, we will read the stories of those who had to trust God in crazy and hard situations. Where it would have been easier and safer to take the “other” path, they didn’t. Mary, Joseph, the Wise Men, the shepherds, and so many more shifted their focus to God and to His promises. They sought something more than what they could comprehend. So as we loosen our grip or ponder a different path, let us remember that we are in a line of saints who have come before us doing the same thing.
21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). – Matthew 1:21–23
