Bible reading and comments (Part One)

How would people feel if Jesus was imprecise about how to actually be saved and have eternal life in heaven? Suppose he just told people most of what they needed to know, but not all? How would people feel about that? And they would not even know until it was too late.

Fortunately that is an impossibility. The only purpose of Jesus coming to earth was to not only guide people toward salvation, but give them the hard and true facts about how to obtain it. God the father spoke through Jesus and God does not lie. That is a key difference between God and his prophets and humans, both religious and secular. God wants people to achieve heaven, but there is one way, the only way, and liberals cannot change that. God does not change because He IS. His creations may utilized Big Bangs, but God himself is steady state, eternal, and unchangeable. And the way to heaven is one fixed way, while the way to hell is the other way.

Look again at the story of the young rich man. There are two things that many miss in this much beloved and analyzed event in the life of Christ. The first missed point is that this young man was asking Jesus what to do in order to "guarantee" his entry into heaven. In other words, the young man wanted to know a checklist of what to do that he could live not just in hope of salvation, but to be rock bottom certain that he would achieve heaven. The second missed point is related to the first; the young man was not as naive and dumb as people today sometimes portray him. He was not asking Jesus to be told once again that the way to heaven is through obedience to God's will and law. And while we can read into this event that the dialogue illustrates that Jesus is the way, there is more to it than that. Here is the passage:

Mark 10:17-30
And as he was going forth on his journey, a certain man running up fell upon his knees before him, and asked him, "Good Master, what shall I do to gain eternal life?" [comment: See, this is a very precise question; the young man is asking for a guarantee. People miss this because the next sentence from Jesus is a bit inscrutable at first glance and so attention is diverted from understanding that this man was asking for a list of what to do to have an iron clad guarantee of heaven. Notice Jesus did not reply that this was a dumb or impossible question!] But Jesus said to him, "Why dost thou call me good? No one is good but only God. [comment: Many wonder why Jesus questioned the man calling him "good." The reason is just as it appears if you think about it; Jesus is reminding the young man before he even replies to him that just because Jesus is giving the answer, the goodness and the way to heaven comes from God alone. Jesus constantly reminds his followers that he is speaking on God's behalf. In other words, worshipping Jesus, as the man did by falling on his knees, is not a substitute for obeying the will of God the Father.] Thou knowest the commandments: Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness. Thou shalt not defraud. Honor thy father and mother. [comment: Following up on my previous comment, the first reply that Jesus makes is to reiterate some of the Commandments that were given to Moses for the Israelites by God the Father. Notice that just because Jesus does not list all the Commandments, including the first and second, that does not mean they aren't important. Mark is recording a conversation where Jesus realizes of course that this man is already holding great love and fear of God and his name. Jesus focuses here on the "day to day" possibilities of sin, one might call them the lifestyle sins.] And he answered and said, "Master, all these I have kept ever since I was a child. And Jesus, looking upon him, loved him [comment: By the young man's reply, you can tell that he was someone very special, and it is no wonder that Jesus loved him on sight and would have wished to have him as a disciple accompanying him] and said to him, "One thing is lacking to thee; go, sell whatever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." [comment: You see, the clincher for the iron clad guarantee of heaven would have been if the man had left behind his previous life and followed Jesus. This is what Jesus means by "one thing is lacking to thee," because Jesus is answering the man's question about the guarantee. Jesus cannot guarantee eternal life, even for the worthiest of man or woman, so long as they are on earth, because they are in a fallen world surrounded by temptation. If the young man wanted an absolute 100% certainty of heaven, he could have achieved it by following Jesus. But this passage does not mean that the young man is not 95% likely to attain heaven, due to his very worthy life so far! This conversation is recorded in the Gospels and is of such import because of the special "asking for a guarantee" information given in reply by Jesus.] But his face fell at the saying, and he went away sad, for he had great possessions. [comment: Notice that Jesus did not call after him, threatening him that he will not get to heaven. That is because while the young rich man could not get the guarantee, he was living a worthy and pious life, and Jesus knew that while the young man could not do the one thing that would give him the 100% certainty, it's not like he was going to run back home and start sinning like crazy. In fact, don't we wonder if this conversation changed this young man's life to even further alms giving? I bet it did.]

And Jesus looking round, said to his disciples, "With what difficulty will they who have riches enter the kingdom of God!" [comment: See, now that the rich young man departed, Jesus turns his attention to teaching those around him to learn what Jesus observed in the man he would have loved for a disciple.] But the disciples were amazed at his word. [comment: The reason the disciples were amazed is that remember, there was nothing wrong with being rich in those days, even from a piety point of view, because a richer man could afford great donation to the Temple treasury and fatter more perfect and numerous holocaust offerings at the Temple. So rich was good because more could be tithed to God, in their cultural and religious eyes.] But Jesus again addressed them, saying, "Children, with what difficulty will they who trust in riches enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." [comment: Again, this is not a statement against wealth, but the hold that wealth and avarice have upon humans. Notice that a man was able to stand in front of Jesus, be offered a 100% iron clad guarantee of heaven, and walk away. That is the power of possessions and wealth. It is that power that Jesus is pointing out, not an actual wrong with wealth itself. If wealth is powerful enough to turn a pious and good man from a 100% guarantee of heaven, what does it do to the average sinner?] But they were astonished the more, saying among themselves, "Who then can be saved?" [comment: This is understandable shock. After all, a good family patriarch works tirelessly to increase the wealth of his family, so this is why they understandably wonder who can be saved at all? They weren't saying everyone is wealthy, but they were astonished that there is a conflict between accumulating wealth and goods for one's family and attaining heaven.] And looking upon them, Jesus said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God." [comment: Again, notice that Jesus constantly points men and women back to understanding and obeying God's will, and trusting in him. A wealthy man who puts God first in his life has reason for hope and trust.]

Peter began to say to him, "Behold, we have left all and followed thee." Answering, Jesus said, "Amen I say to you, there is no one who has left house, or brothers, or sisters, or mother, or father, or children, or lands, for my sake and for the gospel's sake, who shall not receive now in the present time a hundredfold as much, houses, and brothers, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands-along with persecutions, and in the age to come life everlasting." [comment: It is great that Peter made this implied question, because it elicits one of the most important statements you can imagine from Jesus. Jesus succinctly points out that those who follow him personally while he is alive 1) will receive substitute family in the community of the Church, 2) will be persecuted, and 3) will be guaranteed of heaven. So Jesus is affirming that he has the power to guarantee heaven to those who personally followed him in his life time. He also is affirming that the Church is to be lived as a community and a substitute family, united into "hundredfold as much houses, and brothers, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands." Jesus is making a statement about a unified, one true family Church here, a point that is sometimes lost in overly individualized interpretation of Jesus' phrase to "Come, follow me." Jesus is not inviting a bunch of solo acts following him, but in the new family of the one unified Church.]