Daily Devotional for Monday 17th June
One thing you lack
Is Jesus saying in verse 18 that He isn’t God? It might look like that at first sight. But throughout the Gospels there are many confirmations that Jesus was indeed God in human form – and that the disciples slowly came to understand this enormous truth. Perhaps Jesus is subtly congratulating the rich man on his insight here – before many of the disciples. The rich man had everything – and he even falls on his knees before Jesus and acknowledges His lordship. What more could be asked of him?
Often in the teachings of Jesus we see things turned upside down – you only have to read a few verses of the Sermon on the Mount to see that. The first are last and the last are first. Remember the parable of the beggar in heaven and the rich man in hell – how shocking to an audience who equated wealth with God’s favour. But this is a theme throughout the Bible: Abraham and Sarah chosen when they were surely too old to do anything special, Moses chosen even though he was on the run and had no leadership potential, David chosen when he was the least and youngest of the seven sons. And the disciples were hardly men of power or influence. Why build a church on simple fishermen?
Jesus still wants those who are like them – and like us: not the most obvious choices to form a perfect church. But also - He still says to each one of us “One thing you lack” (verse 21). With the rich man it was his reluctance to let go of his riches. What an awful moment - this man “went away sad” (verse 22).
Time to reflect…
What is it that Jesus would say to us? To you? Jesus was God and was working in the way He had always worked – challenging those of us who have stopped thinking we have a role to play, and giving us a job. What do we lack to get the job done?
Pause to pray…
Our prayer for today must be to see what it is in our lives that holds us back from following Jesus fully.
