“17 As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before Him, and asked Him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’

18 ‘Why do you call Me good?’ Jesus asked him. ‘No one is good but One — God. 19 You know the commandments:

“Do not murder; 

do not commit adultery;

do not steal;

do not bear false witness;

do not defraud;

honor your father and mother.'”

20 He said to Him, ‘Teacher, I have kept all these from my youth.’

21 Then, looking at him, Jesus loved him and said to him, ‘You lack one thing: Go, sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.’ 22 But he was stunned at this demand, and he went away grieving, because he had many possessions.”

Mark 10:17-22

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i have always wondered about the sincerity of this young man. It’s not my decision to make, but it so often seems like he is seeking something easy from Jesus, and in turn he will look even better for having asked and performed some religious task. 

Because, again, as I read this, it seems to me that he is seeking a tangible expression that he can complete that will look good, earn him further respect in his community and let him keep life at his control. 

Even if that isn’t where his heart was, we can still learn from the various assumptions that can be inferred from a situation like this. The face value lesson is usually the best, and that basic ‘turn it on myself’ translation of the account is something we should always keep in mind. ‘What is the one thing that still lacks for me?’ 

But the other application that is speaking to me is this: 

The life lived in repentance will produce a heart that is ready to be molded and shaped into a heart that mirrors Christ.

Not that Christ sinned or had need for repentance, but His heart was always open the Father’s will. This young man seems to think that he does all things well and that he has kept all the commands of God. He is self-righteous and seemingly blind to his faults.  This mindset will always ‘lack one thing’ because it refuses to acknowledge personal responsibility for sin and the past record that comes with it. He was lacking humility before God and man and this kept him from seeing the actual contents of his heart. 

As we GoLove others, we need to be mindful that we retain a repentant heart and a humble spirit. Pride and self-aggrandizement do not bring us to the throne of God. We must be humbly aware of our faults, and ready to lay aside whatever might hold us back in our walk with Him.