Which One Do You Resemble?

When we really dig into the Scripture, we are often faced with examples of how we should live. This is especially true of the gospels where we find Jesus teaching directly to us through his life and his parables. Today, I want to focus on two different men that encountered Jesus and how they changed from that encounter. As I talk about each, see which one is more like you!

Rich Young Ruler

The first man I want us to look at is the rich young ruler in Luke 18:18-23. Essentially, a wealthy young ruler (most likely a religious leader) came to Jesus and asked how to inherit eternal life. The young man explained that he had followed the ten commandments since he was young and wanted to know if there was more for him to do.

Jesus’ answer was very simple, “You still lack one thing: Sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.” The next verse was very clear in describing the young man’s response: “After he heard this, he became extremely sad, because he was very rich.”

You are probably familiar with this passage. You have probably even heard more than one sermon about it. Good. Let me ask you this…have you ever put yourself in the place of the rich young ruler? Have you tried to determine any qualities you might have in common with him, especially regarding his view of wealth?

Zacchaeus

Before you finish answering those questions, let’s take a look at the other man. If we fast forward a handful of verses to Luke 19:1-10, we will find another familiar story about a chief tax collector named Zacchaeus. This “villain” in the eyes of the Jews was determined to see who Jesus was. So he climbed a tree for better visibility over the crowd and he caught Jesus’ eye.

Jesus called him out of the tree and invited himself to Zacchaeus’ house to stay. As others complained about Jesus’ choice to stay with a “sinner”, Zacchaeus has a heart change. He goes on to announce to Jesus and the others that he wants to give half of his possessions away and make restitution to anyone he has wronged.

If you are like me, you have also heard this story many times. However, have you ever put these stories back to back like this, comparing and contrasting the actions and mindset of the main characters? When we look at both of these men and their responses to Jesus’ calling, we can learn a lot about ourselves. We can gain insight into our own motives and heart condition when it comes to wealth.

Can’t Grip Both!

Reading these passages back to back, we see both of these rich men encounter Jesus. They both realize that they can embrace Jesus and let go of their worldly wealth OR they could embrace their wealth and let go of Jesus. The rich young ruler chose the latter and went away sad. Zacchaeus chose Jesus and was full of joy!

Even more to the point, the rich young ruler was likely a religious leader and therefore more likely (you would think) to recognize the right choice to make. Even when asked directly by Jesus to let go of his wealth, he refused. Instead, it was Zacchaeus, a sinner in the eyes of the Jews, that gave up his wealth without even being asked!

Our Grip On Wealth?

Most of us probably want to identify with Zacchaeus, willing to give up all for Jesus. However, before we do this, we really need to (prayerfully) look deep into the mirror and determine if we have anything in common with the rich young ruler.

Are there any parts of our business we have not given up to Him? Have we truly given up our grip on the financial blessings that come from our business dealings and traded them for eternal returns? Where is our heart focused?

Where Is The Proof?

Just like you have heard it said that we can determine our heart condition by looking at our personal checkbook and calendar, the same could be said for the general ledgers, calendars, and task or project lists in our businesses. If inspected closely, would these documents support your claim to embrace Jesus over the wealth of the world?

I encourage you to do some digging. Likely, this needs to take place in your prayer closet, between you and God. Ask Him to reveal anything you are gripping that He wants you to release. Ask in earnest and with faith that He will answer. Be ready for what you will learn…it might surprise you!