ALMS - MARK 10:17-22
17 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?
18 And Jesus said unto him,Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
19Thou 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.
20 And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.
21 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.
22 And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions. KJV
In this testimony the Apostle Mark shares his interpretation of the rich young ruler coming to Jesus to ask questions about his future with God. In verse 17 we can readily see that the man had a certain amount of humility upon him. Notice that he came running which shows that he was excited about coming to Jesus and then he kneeled down to him. Anyone who kneels with sincerity at the feet of Jesus is counted a respectful person in my book. These two gestures reveal to us that this person was not a false disciple or a deceiver planted by those who opposed His ministry. Just like the religious people of our day this man’s focus was on works by the statement, "...what shall I do....". We can also understand that this individual was a product of the Law of Moses from verses19 and 20. The Law of Moses (or any other type of religion outside of Christianity) will generally lead people into good works to get into Heaven or to have favor with God. Immediately in verse 18 we see Jesus pointing the man's attention from him as a messenger of God upon the earth to the true and living God up in Heaven. It is always important to be sure all men know that God is the source of all goodness because God is Good all-the-time. I like the fact that the Lord Jesus started with what the man was already familiar with, the Law. According to the Law of Moses if you did all the commandments you would get to Heaven. That Law was still in effect during the earthly ministry of Jesus for all mankind until Jesus fulfilled the final sacrifice of the Law as the sinless Lamb of God. The dilemma for all mankind is that no one can keep the Law of Moses except Jesus. Therefore, looking to the Law for eternal life was an Old Covenant concept that was done away with by the New Covenant. In the New Covenant we look to Jesus for eternal life and He alone is our gateway to Heaven. The man had an "Old Testament" mentality while speaking to the "New Testament" Savior Jesus Christ. In verse 20 we can see that the man felt a sense of satisfaction when he heard the words of the Law coming back to him because he had kept "The Law". However the satisfaction was short lived when Jesus revealed a weakness in the man's relationship with God. The inward heart of Jesus must be emphasized here with the words, "Then Jesus beholding him loved him" because this verse implies that when Jesus heard that the man kept the commandments His heart when out to him. Yes, Jesus loves everyone but His compassion will naturally flow toward those who reciprocate His Love by doing God's Word. Remember the Holy Bible states that those who love Me (God) keep My Commandments (His Word) according to John 14:21 and 23. Jesus was trying to teach the young man that going to Heaven by good works is acceptable under the Law but blessing others is being just like God and that is required for the New Covenant. We could say it is one thing to be prepared to meet God in Heaven but quite something different to be like God while one is here on the earth. We must note that all those whom God loves He will chasten (train, teach) in order for them to grow-up unto maturity. The Lord had compassion upon the man and when compassion is being manifested truth comes automatically. Therefore, the Lord is compelled to speak truth to draw closer to the man. Many conservations with God may start out on the surface but if you desire to keep on speaking with God, as in fellowship, you must be prepared to go deeper with God. The Lord is not content to only discuss the things of your life in the outer court but desires to speak about the deep matters within the inner court of your life. The routine affairs of your life are important to God but the issues of the heart are critical to God. The Lord proposed some heart felt challenges to the young man that would test his commitment to be a true disciple. Selling things you like is bringing crucifixion to the flesh. Giving money to the poor is a test of your compassion for others and brings crucifixion to the world's way of thinking. We also see that Jesus was not done with His commandments because the last one was the most important. We can see that Jesus laid out His proposals to the young man in increasing order of importance. The reason we keep repeating the age of the man, “which is young”, is because this is a clear indication that he had time to get things right. This could have been a process but because people are so easily offended he went away quickly without any further consultation with Christ. First, anyone can sell some of their possessions without it costing them something because they can still use the money to purchase something else they like. However, the second proposal stated for him to give to the poor, which means teaching the flesh how to do without. Finally, when the Lord stated to "come, take up the cross, and follow me" He was asking the man to forsake his old lifestyle and start a new one with God. This article points out that giving alms is important to God. Jesus could have said a lot of things but He purposely chose to tell the man to give "alms". Jesus knows if you can not give to others physically how could you truly love them spiritually. Do not be confused dear believer giving to the poor does not equal love but when done properly it is a by-product of God's Love. We see that Jesus gave the man a very clear and concise plan. Sell your goods and then give to the poor and come follow Me, suggesting that if you don't do the selling you will not do the giving and if you don't do the giving you will not do the coming. So realize that this man probably gave something to the synagogue but that is not the same as giving to the poor. Giving an offering is different than giving an "alm". We should practice both to completely obey God's commandments in His Word. We give offerings to the Lord to further His ministry work whereas we give “alms” to the poor on God's behave to provide the basic necessities of their life. Since the world system rejects the poor the Jew and the Christian are encouraged to pick-up the slack. Those who are despised by Satan are still loved by God. Remember we follow love as Children of God not looking for a return from the person but rather the peace of God that accompanies all those who please our Heavenly Father. This is not the easiest walk but it is the straight and narrow path of the righteous. This young man in the story had the substance to give to the poor so there was no acceptable excuse for not giving. All those who have much will be held to a higher standard of giving then those who have little. This man failed on all three counts according to verse 22 because it states, " And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved:". This tells us that instead of selling, he kept and instead of giving, he kept and instead of sharing his God given life with Jesus and others, he kept his life to himself. For that reason he went away sad, no one can be full of them selves and be a happy disciple of Christ. The verse states that he had great possessions upon the earth but those possessions will not last forever upon the earth and the truth is neither will he. I only wish he had seen Jesus for who is really is, the Savoir of the World, not just the good Master. The purpose of Jesus coming to the earth was not to be recognized by men publicly but rather for each man to confess Jesus Christ as their own personal Lord (Master) privately. If the rich young ruler would have done that first then he probably could of sold his business, given money to the poor (alms) and bore the cross of Christ to fulfill the calling of God upon his life. Thus, instead of going away from Jesus, the Son of God, he would have moved closer to Him being perfected by Jesus Blood to obtain eternal life and the riches (treasures) of Heaven. Amen!
In His Love, Eric & Angela Foster