Day 6 - Going All The Way (3)

Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. Mark 10:19-21

A common problem today is how to put the lyrics of high aspirations with the music of effective ministry. Thus, when Jesus tells the rich young man what it takes to go all the way, he shrinks back and tears follow.  At first our Lord tries to show him his selfrightousness by citing a few of the Ten Commandments.  It appears as if the young man might have interupted the Savior with his proclamation that he has observed all of them since he was a child.

If we only see the words in the Bible we will miss the heart of God.  It's more than verses to memorize and dicsiplines to be mastered.  Certain people are good at transmitting what is called technical knowledge. This is the sort of knowledge that can be expressed in rules and put down in books — like the recipes in a cookbook. But there are kingdom craftsmen who possess the ability to transmit practical knowledge. This sort of knowledge exists only in use. It cannot be taught, only imparted by imitation and experience.  It’s knowing when to depart from the recipe.

Jesus knew the young man had done a great job of going beyond his peers. He now challenges him to go all the way, "Go, sell your possessions. Give it to the poor and come follow Me".  He needed to see the real world, get a relevant perspective.  Going all the way entails getting our hands dirty. Jesus wants him to immense himself in habits and daily patterns of real ministry and stay long enough to forget what being rich young ruler feels like. There comes a time when we must exit the classroom and enter the culture.
Until the classroom starts to feel foreign we have not gone all the way. (contiued tomorrow)


Prayer
Father, I am blessed to be a blessing to others. Lead me to my next assignment today, Amen.

Go Deeper
Genesis 12:1-4; Judges 6; Ruth 1:1-16; Isaiah 61:1-7; Ezekiel 1:1; Luke 9:1-6; James 5:1-8